Iraq Moves Towards Reinstating Mandatory Military Service

Iraqi Parliament's Media Office

A previous session of the Iraqi Parliament.

The Iraqi parliament concluded the first reading of two bill on Sunday, 19 April 2026: the National Service Bill and the Fifth Amendment to the Cancer Council Bill. The session was chaired by Speaker Haibat al-Halbousi and attended by 198 members of parliament.

The National Service Law is intended to regulate compulsory national service and strengthen the capabilities of the armed forces. Speaker al-Halbousi called on the Security and Defence Committee to work jointly and allocate sufficient time to reviewing proposals submitted by lawmakers concerning the bill.

He also instructed the committee to invite relevant officials from the Ministries of Defence, Planning and Finance, in addition to the Chief of Staff of the Army, to provide their views on the proposed law.

The parliament also completed the first reading of the draft Fifth Amendment to the Iraqi Cancer Council Bill No. 63 of 1985. The amendment, submitted by the Health, Narcotics Control and Psychotropic Substances Committee, aims to facilitate the convening of the Cancer Council and restrict membership to specialists involved in cancer prevention, causes of its spread and treatment methods, in order to ensure faster decision-making.

Mandatory military service in Iraq was enforced for decades before being suspended in 2003 following decisions made after the US-led invasion. Its legal foundations date back to the 1938 National Defence Law, later replaced by the 1969 Military Service Law, which remained in force until the system was halted.

Under the current constitution, Iraq is required to enact legislation regulating military service. A draft “Service of the Flag” law was approved by the Ministry of Defence in 2016 and later reintroduced by the government in 2021. However, the bill has yet to be passed amid political disagreements, as well as social and economic concerns.



PUKMEDIA