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The Hashed Al Shaabi, or Popular Mobilisation Units, comprises militias formed in 2014 after Mr Al Sistani, Iraq's top Shiite cleric, urged citizens to take up arms against ISIL militants who had swept aside government forces and seized control of much of northern Iraq.

In a sermon delivered through his representative on Friday, Mr Al Sistani praised the militias as a vital element of the Iraqi state, and one that the country should continue to benefit from, while insisting the groups should be kept within the judicial framework of the country's security services.

Michael Rubin, resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, a think tank in Washington, said Mr Al Sistani's call was positive for Baghdad.

"One of the key issues heading into next year's elections is the status of the Hashed Al Shaabi, and Sistani's statement has the effect of strengthening the central government versus any militia," Mr Rubin told The National.

Although it played an important role in defeating ISIL, the Hashed remains deeply divisive and has been accused of abuses against Iraqi minorities in areas recaptured from the extremists. There are also concerns about its links to Iran, which has trained and armed many of the militias.

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