Hashd Al-Shaabi, the Shia militia in Iraq recruiting Sunni and Christians

It has been described as unpredictable, sometime violent but the Shia militia Hashd Al Shaabi, also known as Popular Mobilization Front, is gaining momentum in Iraq.

Hashd al Shaabi, was formed in 2014 as the Iraqi Army was defeated by the Islamic State in several areas of the country. In September 2015 the Iraqi prime minister Haider al-Abadi declared at the UN General Security Council they were part of the official state forces. Hashd Al Shaabi takes order directly from Baghdad.

According to their spokesperson, Ali Hashm Husseini the militia can rely on 150,000 soldiers. “At least 50,000 of them are Sunni, then we have a Christian battalion, Kurdish and Yazidi,” he said to me over the phone. These are not professional soldiers, rather civilians who decided to pick up arms. “We are architects, doctors, farmers, once the war is over we will go back to our lives,” continued Husseini.

If you want to know more about the Hashd Al Shaabi, please read my latest article for War Is Boring.