The salaries of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) will be paid by midweek after a delay of about a week, according to an Iraqi official.

Hussein Ismail, Director of the Finance and Administration Department of the PMF Board, confirmed in a statement that “their forces’ salaries are guaranteed” and that payment will resume shortly. He added, “The new cards of the members of the Hashdi Shaabi committee have been printed in Nahrin Bank instead of Rafideen Bank and we will pressure them to pay them.”

However, Maysam Zaidi, commander of the Abbasi Fighting Division of the PMF, told members that the US Treasury Department had notified the company responsible for distributing the salaries to halt payments. “The US Treasury Department has notified the company responsible for distributing the salaries of the Hashd Shaabi to stop paying them,” Zaidi said.

According to Zaidi, the company subsequently informed Rafidain Bank and the PMF of the suspension, warning that any alternative company would face similar restrictions.

Despite these developments, the PMF Finance Department told Channel8 that they had submitted the salary lists to Rafideen Bank on the 18th of the month and that payments were transferred to members’ accounts on the 25th.

Channel8 also reported that the Iraqi government is considering transferring PMF salaries to the Interior Ministry, with a proposal to distribute them under its authority while deducting 10%.

Formed in 2014, the Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Forces) consist of dozens of groups and hundreds of thousands of fighters.