None of the leaders of the Iraqi armed factions ever took Falih al-Fayyadh's statements seriously.
The head of the Popular Mobilisation Authority (PMA) paramilitary umbrella organisation is far from known for issuing embarrassing public challenges. He tends to solve problems through the quiet consensus-building of a tribal leader rather than an influential official or commander of the third-largest combat force in Iraq.
So his fiery and confrontational public broadside last month took everyone by surprise.
At a security conference at the PMA's Mosul headquarters on 20 May, Fayyadh declared that the Popular Mobilisation (known as Hashd al-Shaabi in Arabic) needed to be rooted in law and subject to the same military regulations as other elements of the security services.
He said the Hashd al-Shaabi is in the process of being separated from the armed factions that make up the backbone of its forces.
