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According to the decree, members of the Shi'ite militias, an assortment of militia groups known collectively as the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), which are mostly backed and trained by Iran, will be granted many of the same rights as members the military.

Paramilitary members will be given equivalent salaries to those members of the military under the Ministry of Defense's control, the decree said. They will also be subject to the laws of military service and will gain access to military institutes and colleges.

The decree had been expected for some time and comes two months ahead of a high-stakes general election. The PMF commands popular support among Iraq's majority Shi'ite population and is expected to sway voters.

Tens of thousands of Iraqis heeded a call to arms in 2014 after Islamic State seized a third of the country's territory, forming the PMF. The paramilitaries supported Iraq's military in ejecting Islamic State from areas the militants overran in 2014, when Iraqi military and police divisions deserted en masse.

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