Osama al-Nujaifi

Iraq's parliament adopts law legalizing Shiite militias

Iraqi parliament on Nov. 26 voted to accord full legal status to government-sanctioned Shiite militias, the al-Hashd al-Shaabi or Popular Mobilization, as a "back-up and reserve" force for the military and police and empower them to "deter" security and terror threats facing the country, like the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).