Kawan Nariman- Activists
Following the decline of ISIS, the Iraqi government, alongside various paramilitary groups operating under the name of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), began asserting control over several regions of Iraq—particularly in Kurdish-populated areas such as Kirkuk, Khanaqin, Jalawla, and Sinjar. Among these forces are Shi’a military factions, including the extremist group Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq, which has played a leading role in these developments.In areas such as Jalawla, Saadiyah, Kirkuk, and Sinjar, credible human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, have published reports documenting the extrajudicial killings of civilians, carried out without due legal process. These actions include the arbitrary arrest, torture, and intimidation of individuals based on political suspicion, religious sect, or ethnic identity.Within the PMF, Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq, a radical Shi’a militia, has actively sought to impose a sectarian Shi’a political-religious ideology across the country, with particular focus on Kurdish regions. Most of their efforts target Kurdish Sunni populations residing in areas under their control. These efforts are marked by politically motivated arrests and the forced displacement of individuals to other regions under various pretexts.According to investigative reports by Al-Monitor and Middle East Eye in 2020 and 2021, Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq and other PMF factions have engaged in systematic campaigns to suppress Kurdish nationalist discourse and political activity in these territories. Their tactics include harassment, arbitrary detention, and even attempted assassinations of activists and political figures.Sources of Power and Support Direct Support from the Islamic Republic of Iran: Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq and similar groups receive strategic, financial, and logistical backing from Iran.Institutional Backing by the Iraqi Government: These militias are formally integrated into Iraq’s state apparatus, occupying official military and governmental positions and enjoying political protection.The Popular Mobilization Forces—particularly Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq—are not merely military or political entities. According to numerous reports and documented evidence, they are perpetrators of serious human rights violations, including sectarian discrimination and ethnic repression. These acts have direct and destabilizing implications for Iraq’s internal cohesion and the political and social stability of the Kurdistan Region.
