Iraqi Volunteer Forces

Popular Mobilization Forces
الحشد الشعبي
Popular Mobilization Forces logo
Active	15 June 2014 – present
Country	Iraq
Allegiance	Iraq
Type	Government-sanctioned paramilitary
Role	Infantry (militia) National guard Counter-insurgency
Size	100,000 to 120,000
Engagements	Iraqi Civil War (2014-present) Siege of Amirli Liberation of Jurf Al Sakhar Battle of Baiji Dhuluiya offensive Anbar campaign (2015–16) Second Battle of Tikrit Battle of Ramadi (2014–15) Siege of Fallujah (2016) Operation Breaking Terrorism Ar-Rutbah offensive (2016) Mosul offensive (2016) Battle of Mosul (2016–17)
Commanders
Leaders	Haider al-Abadi (Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces) Falih al-Fayyadh (Chairman of Popular Mobilization Committee) Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis (Deputy Chairman of Popular Mobilization Committee) Hadi Al-Amiri (Head of Badr Organization) Qais Khazali (Head of Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq) Muqtada al-Sadr (Head of Peace Companies) Shibl al-Zaydi (Head of Kata'ib al-Imam Ali) Ali al-Yasiri (Head of Saraya al-Khorasani) Yazan al-Jabouri (Head of Liwa Salahaddin) Seyyid Yılmaz Neccaroğlu (Head of Turkmen Brigades)
Notable fighters	Abu Azrael
Insignia
Patch

Popular Mobilization Forces
Al-Hashd al-Shaabi Participant in the Iraqi Civil War (2014–present)
Active	15 June 2014 – present
Ideology	Predominantly Shia Islam Iraqi nationalism
Groups	Badr Organization Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq Peace Companies Kata'ib Hezbollah Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada Kata'ib al-Imam Ali Abu al-Fadl al-Abbas Forces Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba Saraya al-Khorasani Babylon Brigades Saraya Ashura Quwwat Sahl Ninawa Turkmen Brigades Iraqi Liberation Movement Force 313 Lalish Regiment Kojo Regiment Mum Qasim Shafan 2nd Brigade Kirkuk
Spokesman	Ahmed al-Assadi
Headquarters	Baghdad
Area of operations	Iraq
Allies	Iran IRGC  Syria Kurdistan Regional Government Peshmerga Êzîdxan Protection Force Sinjar Alliance
Opponents	Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant

Iraqi Civil War (2014-present)

 Iran

 Syria
Kurdistan Regional Government

The Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), also known as the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) (Arabic: الحشد الشعبي‎‎ Al-Hashd Al-Sha'abi), is an Iraqi state-sponsored umbrella organization composed of some 40 militias, which are mainly Shia Muslim groups, but also including Sunni Muslim, Christian, and Yazidi individuals as well. The People's Mobilization was formed upon a non-sectarian fatwa by the Iraqi top Shia cleric Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani calling for national moblization against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). The organization was formed by uniting existing militias under the "People's Mobilization Committee" of the Iraqi Ministry of Interior in June 2014. The Popular Mobilization Units has been accused of human rights violations against Sunni civilians and sectarian bloodletting but the Iraqi officials have described these violations as sporadic and took immediate punitive measures and Iraqi Shia clerics immediately urged the members to avoid war crimes. On 19 December 2016, Iraqi President Fuad Masum approved a law passed by parliament in November that incorporated PMU in the country’s armed forces. With this incorporation, the PMU are now subject to the supreme commander of the national armed forces and will no longer be affiliated to any political or social group. On 21 March 2017, the PMU announced the launch of a special forces course, in order to create a Special Forces Division. The training program will cover a variety of missions with direction from the Iraqi Special Operations Forces.