Iraq’s parliament has moved the issue of compulsory military service back into active politics by completing a first reading of a long-delayed draft law on April 19, 2026. According to the reporting, the bill contains 66 articles, would reintroduce mandatory service for men, and is being pushed as part of a broader attempt to strengthen the army amid heightened regional tensions.

Backers of the proposal are presenting it as more than a military reform. They argue that conscription could create a more disciplined social base, reinforce national belonging, and absorb young people into a state institution. In that sense, the bill is being sold as both a security measure and a political project. (…) The proposal is already running into serious resistance. Kurdish lawmakers say it would not be implemented in the Kurdistan Region, while other critics question whether Iraq can afford or manage such a system. That means the return of conscription is back on the agenda, but far from settled.

Read the entire piece in Hürriyet.