Former Nineveh governor: Salary delays as start of PMF restructuring
Shafaq News – Baghdad
The ongoing issues surrounding salary payments for the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) signal the beginning of a broader plan to dismantle armed factions and integrate remaining members into Iraq’s official security institutions, ahead of the next parliamentary elections, former Governor of Nineveh, Atheel al-Nujaifi, said Saturday.
In a post on Facebook, al-Nujaifi stated, “The problems related to PMF salary payments mark the start of a disbandment and integration process we can expect before the upcoming elections.” He criticized alternative solutions such as temporary cash distributions or new digital platforms for payroll as “illogical,” warning that such systems, including those funded by the Ministry of Finance or the Central Bank, could face US sanctions.
The only solution for him is to “dismantle the factions, exclude sanctioned individuals, and integrate the remaining personnel into the army and police as individuals, not as groups or brigades.”
Al-Nujaifi predicted that this process would move quickly and coincide with the electoral timeline in which factional dominance is “significantly weakened.”
Concerns about PMF salaries first surfaced on June 26, when payments stopped just two days after being released, reportedly for unknown reasons. Sources within the PMF told Shafaq News that a technical glitch was to blame and that efforts were underway to resolve the issue. Others, however, pointed out that this was the first time such a disruption had occurred, raising fears of political interference and internal disputes.
Senior figures within the PMF and the Coordination Framework bloc are reportedly in communication with Finance Minister Taif Sami and Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani to resolve the issue and prevent further unrest among PMF personnel.
The PMF’s financial administration has assured that the salaries are fully secured and will be disbursed soon, pending routine administrative procedures.
Parliamentary Finance Committee member Moeen al-Kadhimi accused the United States of exerting political and economic pressure on Iraq’s government, central bank, and financial institutions.
Al-Kadhimi explained that PMF salaries were typically distributed via Rafidain Bank and the Qi Card company, but US measures have impeded these transactions, causing the current salary crisis.
