Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi has ordered the closure of all offices bearing the name of Hashd al-Shaabi paramilitaries.

Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi has issued a military decree that includes a series of instructions on Hashd al-Shaabi.

The decree stated that the Prime Minister's appointee would be responsible for the Hashd al-Shaabi paramilitaries, which are part of the Iraqi army, and that all names used by groups linked to the militia force during the war with DAESH would no longer be used.

"All Hashd al-Shaabi forces will work as an inseparable part of the armed forces. All rules applied to the armed forces will be applied to them, unless special letters decree otherwise," read in the degree released by Adil Abdul Mahdi on Monday evening.

"All other names under which the factions of Hashd al-Shaabi operated during the battles that eradicated the DAESH entity will be abandoned and replaced with military terms (division, brigade, regiment, et cetera)," said the decree, while Hashd al-Shaabi members will also adopt military rankings.

Groups that do not want to join in armed structures can turn into political parties and groups under country law, the decree said. "They will be able to carry licensed weapons to protect their civilian offices. Other than that, they will not be allowed to carry weapons."

The orders included in the decree warned that the armed groups, operating as secretly or openly, will be considered as illegal if not obey to the degree while the deadline was set to 31 July.

On the other hand, Sadr movement leader Muqtada al-Sadr ordered the abolition of Saraya al-Salam, a militia force affiliated with the movement.

"What has been issued by the Iraqi Prime Minister regarding the Hashd Al-Shaabi is quite an important step toward a stronger Iraq," Muqtada al-Sadr tweeted on Tuesday."I would like to announce that the Saraya al-Salam fighters are under the command of Adil Abdul-Mahdi from now on. Finally, I would like to thank the Iraqi Prime Minister for this initiative and I hope he keeps working for the sake of Iraq's unity and the unity of its police, army, and forces," he added.

ILKHA