Enlisted PMF militia members increases by 116k

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – The number of members of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) has increased by 116,000 in just two years, according to a factsheet published by the Iraqi Parliament finance committee on Tuesday.

"It is essential that Iraq's stability is based on a solid military and security foundation. Iraq today requires trained forces and advanced weapons, but these must be supervised by the commander-in-chief of the official armed forces and the government," political commentator Mukhaled Hazim told Kurdistan24 reporter Dilan Barzan.

The Iraqi Armed Forces, including the Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Interior, and PMF, have more than 1.6 million fighters, a number that has steadily increased. 15 percent of this year's budget is allocated to the security and military sectors.

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"As a result of the increase in troops, the budget will be burdened. There is a need to develop these forces, but increasing the number of military forces is another burden on the budget," Sabah Egeli, an Iraqi economist, told Kurdistan24 on Tuesday.

The PMF’s 2023 budget included $2.6 billion for salaries, over $44.2 million for equipment, $5 million for “services,” and $10.7 million for repairs of equipment.

The PMF is believed to be responsible, to an extent, for the attacks on US and anti-ISIS Coalition military installations throughout Iraq and Syria. There have reportedly been more than 115 such attacks since the Iranian-backed militia campaign began on Oct. 17. 

The attacks are seen as retaliation for US support for Israel in the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict that began on Oct. 7.

Editing by Dastan Muwaffaq