National security adviser says Iraq will begin final push to gather militia weapons after September deadline
Iraq will begin a final push to gradually bring weapons held by armed factions under state control after the international coalition’s scheduled departure on September 30, national security adviser Qasim al-Araji says, describing the move as a “strategic Iraqi decision” to be carried out through dialogue rather than confrontation.
Al-Araji told the state-run Iraqi News Agency on Sunday that the government was serious about severing ties between political parties and Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) brigades, adding that ongoing dialogue was producing positive results.
“Weapons of the factions will become a force for the state and will not be handed over to any external party,” Araji said, adding that all political forces agree that the decision of war and peace rests exclusively with the state.
Araji said: “September 30 is the date set for the departure of the Global Coalition, not the deadline for the handover of weapons.”
Some Iran-aligned factions have so far resisted the process. Kataib Hezbollah has linked its disarmament to the departure of US and other foreign forces, and demanded, as conditions, that Turkish troops leave northern Iraq and that the Peshmerga (Kurdish forces) be dissolved.
Araji said that “the factions are not enemies of the state; rather, they are part of it,” stressing that confrontation was a “red line” for the government, and that Baghdad would guarantee the rights of PMF fighters once the weapons were handed over.
The push to centralise arms comes as Iraq prepares for the withdrawal of the US-led international coalition mission next month, a longstanding demand of Iran-aligned factions that have wielded significant military power since the fight against ISIL (ISIS).
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Iraq proposes joint security council with Iran and Saudi Arabia
Iraq has proposed establishing a unified security coordination council with Iran and Saudi Arabia to rebuild trust between the regional rivals.
National Security Adviser Qasim al-Araji told state TV on Sunday that the initiative aims to address what he called a “crisis of confidence” between Tehran and Riyadh.
The move follows a July 27 Saudi claim that it destroyed drones launched from Iraq targeting oil facilities, which Riyadh blamed on Iran-aligned groups. Iraq’s prime minister ordered an investigation.
There was no immediate comment from Saudi Arabia or Iran regarding the security proposal.
The Iraqi army announced on June 3 the formation of a committee tasked with bringing weapons under state control, a longstanding challenge amid the presence of armed factions operating both within and outside the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), a state-sanctioned paramilitary umbrella group that includes many Iran-aligned factions.
On domestic security, al-Araji said the planned September 30 withdrawal of the US-led coalition marks a starting point for gradually bringing all weapons under state control. He called for consensus on disarming factions and separating political parties from the PMF while protecting fighters’ rights.
President Nizar Amidi said days ago that only two or three factions have yet to surrender arms, voicing hope that dialogue would resolve the “highly intertwined” issue.
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