1、MINI-HIZBALLAHS,REVOLUTIONARY GUARDKNOCK-OFFS,AND THE FUTUREOF IRANS MILITANT PROXIES INIRAQLONG-FORM|MAY 9,2017|MICHAEL EISENSTADT AND MICHAEL KNIGHTSAs the war against the Islamic State enters the final stretch,with less than a quarter of Mosul left to liberate,the Iraqigovernment must decide whet
2、her to allow a residual U.S.military support mission to stay on in Iraq.Iranian-backedIraqi Shiite militias have already weighed in on the matter.In early May 2017,Jafar al-Hosseini,a spokesman andsenior commander of the Kataib Hizballah militia,told Iranian state media:“If the Americans fail to lea
3、ve Iraqfollowing the defeat of Islamic State they will be in the crosshairs of the Iraqi Islamic resistance.”Statements such asthese,delivered confidently with little fear of government reproach,raise the question:Who is really in charge in Iraq?The future of Iraqs Hashd al-Shaabi,or Popular Mobiliz
4、ation Forces(PMF),and their constituent militias is one of themost consequential policy challenges facing the Iraqi government and its coalition partners,such as the United States.Raised by a religious fatwa and a political executive order,the PMF played a crucial role in stemming the advance ofIsla
