Iran supervises Hashd al-Shaabi’s al-Fatih electoral coalition meeting in Baghdad

Sources from the Shia National Coalition revealed that the purpose of the meeting was to resolve the internal issues between the Hashd al-Shaabi factions inside the al-Fatih coalition.

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The al-Fatih electoral coalition, composed of Iranian-backed Hashd al-Shaabi militia factions running for the Iraqi parliamentary elections in May, held a meeting on Sunday in Baghdad with the participation of an Iranian military and diplomatic delegation.

Brig. Gen. Gholamhossein Gheybparvar, commander of the Basij force—one of the five forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)—and Iraj Masjedi, Iranian Ambassador to Iraq, who previously worked as an adviser to the commander of the IRGC, Qassem Soleimani, supervised the meeting, al-Arabiya reported

Sources from the Shia National Coalition revealed that the purpose of the meeting was to resolve the internal issues between the Hashd al-Shaabi factions inside the al-Fatih coalition.

“The issues between the Hashd al-Shaabi factions deteriorated after Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi endorsed a law that would limit the activities of the Shia militias across Iraq,” the report added.

The law endorsed by Abadi includes the allocation of a special budget for the Hashd al-Shaabi, also known as the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF).

The al-Arabiya report noted that some factions within the PMF were using the allocated funds for their elections campaign instead of military purposes or treating wounded fighters which in turn created tensions among the Shia militias’ commanders.

Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, a US-designated terrorist, and the Deputy Commander of the Hashd al-Shaabi, previously said the group would not hesitate to highlight Iran’s role and support for the Shia militias in Iraq.

Washington has voiced its concern regarding the presence of Iran in Iraq, especially Tehran’s meddling in Iraqi politics.

US Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis on March 15, charged that Iran was using financial means “to sway candidates [and] to sway votes” in the upcoming Iraqi elections scheduled for May 12.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany