Kurdistan24 Reveals Full Details of Iraq’s Internal Security Forces Retirement Law Amendment
The draft amendment approved by the parliamentary Security and Defense Committee includes expanded retirement rights, new benefits for contract employees
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - Kurdistan24 has obtained the full details of a new amendment to Iraq’s Internal Security Forces Retirement Law, which has been approved by the Iraqi Parliament’s Security and Defense Committee and contains a package of major changes and unprecedented benefits for personnel.
According to the draft amendment, the changes include the addition of new categories covered by the law, revisions to retirement conditions, the cancellation of previous service arrangements, and special provisions for the families of martyrs and wounded personnel.
One of the most significant changes is the inclusion of civilian employees working in the Ministry of Interior, whether on permanent staffing or contract status, under the umbrella of the retirement law.
Under the draft, these employees would receive the same retirement rights and benefits granted to police personnel, while retaining their civilian status.
The amendment also expands the legal definition of the term “member” to explicitly include commissioned officers, non-commissioned officers, and police personnel.
Contract employees would remain in service until they are formally appointed to permanent positions and would be given priority for permanent appointments whenever job vacancies become available.
The draft places the promotion of officers holding the rank of brigadier and above under a special system proposed by the Minister of Interior and approved by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.
The system must ensure justice and gender equality, including safeguarding the rights of female officers.
Officers holding a master’s degree would receive one year of seniority credit, while officers holding a doctoral degree would receive two years of seniority credit, provided the minister approves the request.
The amendment abolishes the practice of transferring officers to “Imra” status, which allowed officers to remain in service without holding an official post.
The authority to extend the service of officers who have reached the legal retirement age would be limited exclusively to the Prime Minister of Iraq, and any extension could not exceed one year and must be justified by public interest considerations.
A police member would become eligible for a monthly pension upon completing 15 years of service and reaching the age of 40.
Personnel who complete the required years of service but have not reached the retirement age would receive a one-time end-of-service gratuity.
In a move aimed at improving living standards, the draft also adds food allowances to the total retirement salary of Internal Security Forces personnel.
The amendment grants the Minister of Interior the authority to award the rank of second lieutenant to personnel who were martyred or suffered permanent total disability, solely for the purpose of calculating retirement benefits.
Wounded personnel who suffer 50 percent disability or more as a result of terrorist operations would receive a one-time promotion to the next rank and would be exempt from certain legal requirements, except for the service-duration condition.
The draft also obliges relevant institutions to establish an investigative council to determine whether a death or injury occurred during the performance of duty.
Once approved by the competent medical committee, the council’s decision would become legally binding.
If enacted, the amendment would represent one of the most extensive revisions to Iraq’s Internal Security Forces retirement system in recent years, expanding retirement coverage and introducing broader social and financial protections for serving personnel and their families.