Four brigades affiliated with Shiite cleric Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani decided to support the state against opposition movements from some militias backed by Iran, Al Monitor reported.
The fractions blamed the Iran-backed militias for high rates of corruption and accused them of exploiting the war against the Islamic State for personal and factional interests.
“The four factions are Liwa Ansar al-Marjaiya, Liwa Ali al-Akbar, Firqat al-Abbas al-Qitaliyah and Firqat al-Imam Ali al-Qitaliyah. They had previously asked to get detached from the Popular Mobilization Units and instead be affiliated with the Iraqi Defense Ministry, as a part of integration into the state forces,” the news agency reported.
The four factions said they are ready to be under full control of the state, demanding to be separated from the PMU.
