Iraqi Council of Minister's spokesman Hassan Nazem announced on Tuesday that the council had approved a mandatory draft law on conscription in the country.''

He added, without further details, that the project would be submitted for discussion to the Iraqi parliament before its approval.

The former worker revealed a member of the parliamentary security committee, 'Abd al-Khalaf al-'Azawi-promise that was the prime minister, Mustafa al-Qazmi, to approve the mandatory service law in the country before the end of the current parliamentary session.

AL-Azzawi told the Shefek news agency, "The parliamentary security committee discussed the implementation of the (compulsory) service during its meeting with Prime Minister Mustafa al-Qazmi," noting that "the latter promised the committee to send a draft of the compulsory service law to the House of Representatives."

He added that "the Service Act is one of the important laws, and the Council of Ministers was supposed to send the draft law to Parliament for discussion and approval."

Al-Azawi continued: "There is a parliamentary majority in favor of approving the compulsory service law, but a delay in sending the draft law to parliament could delay its approval for the next parliamentary session."

The Iraqi parliament's Security and Defense Committee has previously announced that the country's mandatory service law is ready for parliamentary approval, stressing its importance, noting that its approval requires "consensus and will and political."

The Ministry of Defense announced in 2020 the sending of a draft conscription law to the Shura Council of the State for legal review.

Military service was mandatory in Iraq until the occupation of Iraq in 2003, and U.S. Civilian Governor Paul Bremer disbanded the former Iraqi army and re-established a new army based on volunteering rather than conscription.

Photo: Reuters