Ali Al-Yasiri, Commander of the Secretary-General Khorasani Brigades militia in Iraq, said that Iraqi militia members deserve pay and benefits similar to those of Iraqi federal police officers, counter-terrorism operators, and soldiers in the Iraqi Army. He pointed out that militia "heroes," who "restored one third of the Iraqi [from ISIS]," receive minimal benefits and do not even have an "inch of land" to themselves. The interview aired on Al-Baeenah TV on July 24, 2018.
The following is an excerpt:
Host: Has the government fulfilled all the needs of the PMU?
Iraqi Militia Commander Ali Al-Yasiri: Absolutely not. The PMU still needs support, and its members deserve their rights – they should at least have the same rights as the fighters in the federal police, in the counter-terrorism force, or in the Iraqi army. So far, they have been receiving salaries of [only] 500,000 dinars and minimal benefits. This is very unfortunate. What have we given those fighters so far? [Not even] a plot of land. They have restored a third of Iraq to us, yet they do not own one inch of its land themselves. Those heroes restored one third of the Iraqi territory lost [to ISIS], due to the weakness and feebleness of the Iraqi forces at the time. Don't the people who restored one third of Iraq deserve to own an inch of its land? So far they haven't been given any plots of land. What have they received? No salaries, no plots of land, and no privileges, and they are not even treated with respect.
[…]