Even before the U.S. president’s order sending hundreds more members of the American military to Iraq, it was clear that this new commitment would represent a strategic shift in the current program to train Iraqi fighters and boost the country’s ability to battle extremists from the Islamic State (IS) group.

The U.S. States Department says there is “a lot of interest” across Iraq in joining the fight against IS, which has proven to be a dangerous and nimble foe.

However, it is not clear how strong the appetite for fighting IS is among members of the Iraq Security Forces, the regular army. Despite extensive previous training and ample supplies of U.S.-provided weapons and military gear, Iraqi Security Force (ISF) members have proven themselves ineffective against the extreme Islamist group.

There are other Iraqi fighters willing to confront the Islamic State’s forces, U.S. officials say.

“If we switch from the Iraqi army to the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), there are Sunni volunteers currently being trained by the Iraqis. About 1,000 Sunni fighters were inducted into the Popular Mobilization Forces at the end of May,” State Department spokesman Jeff Rathke said.

“They joined thousands of other Sunni volunteers who have already joined this program and are fighting side by side with Iraqi Security Forces,” Rathke added.

The Popular Mobilization Forces are a loose alliance of Iranian-backed Shia fighters and other volunteers, including Sunni militia. According to a State Department official, the Sunnis are being paid by the Iraqi government but do not fall under Iraqi military authority.

In some cases, according to analysts, the Iraqi military takes a secondary role to the militias.

Mobilization force vs. army

“In Baghdad, [Iranian General Qassem] Suleimani has already organized the defense of the city, relying heavily on the militias, with the ISF largely being in support,” explained Gareth Stansfield, professor of Middle East politics at the University of Exeter in Britain.

Michael Rubin, a former Pentagon official now with the American Enterprise Institute, said one of the reasons recruits prefer to join the mobilization forces is ease of entry.

“The volunteers undergo much quicker training and do not make the career commitment to the army,” Rubin said.

Many Shia are joining the PMF instead of the military for similar reasons, said Douglas Ollivant, a senior fellow at the New America Foundation who served in Iraq.

“When I talk to them, they tell me it’s really a rational choice,” Ollivant said. “They don’t want a three-year hitch with the army, nor do they want to be police.”

The Popular Mobilization Forces are the alternative.

Ollivant is also a partner with Mantid International, a group with commercial interests in Iraq.

According to a White House statement, the 450 new U.S. advisers it is sending to Iraq “will work to build capacity of Iraqi forces, including local tribal fighters.” It was not immediately clear if these tribal fighters would fall under the authority of the Iraqi military.

“U.S. forces will provide operational advice and planning support for the Iraqi Security Forces, to include the 8th Iraqi Army Division and other security forces associated with the government of Iraq. This mission will also enable tribal outreach,” a Department of Defense statement says.

Patrick Skinner, director of special projects at the Soufan Intelligence Group, said the suggestion the U.S. will begin training Sunni tribal fighters expands the view of who to train.

“I think it’s almost a recognition that there is no effective Iraqi national army, and unlikely to be one in the near term,” Skinner told VOA. “It is also a tactical admission that the Sunnis are not going to be absorbed in any significant numbers into the actual Iraqi army.”

Analysts say the concern with having different armed groups fighting in Iraq is what happens to them after the battle is over.

“The idea about how to demobilize the volunteers is a growing concern, especially those that do believe they should have a reward for their sacrifice,” Rubin said.

What Iraq could end up with, said Skinner, is a lot of local warlords with a lot of weapons and differing goals.

“Then you have Afghanistan,” Skinner said.
…