{"id":1154,"date":"2026-06-12T10:37:52","date_gmt":"2026-06-12T10:37:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=1154"},"modified":"2026-06-12T10:37:52","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T10:37:52","slug":"iraqs-paramilitary-groups-say-they-will-disarm-will-that-ever-happen-politics-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=1154","title":{"rendered":"Iraq\u2019s paramilitary groups say they will disarm. Will that ever happen? | Politics News"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n \t<\/i> Read Time:<\/span>4 Minute, 54 Second <\/div>\n\n <\/div>


\n<\/p>\n

\n

It was his first speech in front of parliament as Iraq\u2019s prime minister, and Ali al-Zaidi<\/a> was quick to set out his stall.<\/p>\n

\u201c[I am committing to] reforming the security apparatus by restricting weapons to state control and strengthening the capabilities of the security forces,\u201d al-Zaidi pledged in mid-May.<\/p>\n

\n

Recommended Stories <\/h2>\n

list of 3 items<\/span>end of list<\/span><\/section>\n

Al-Zaidi is not the first Iraqi prime minister to promise that the state will have a monopoly on arms in a country where paramilitary groups \u2013 including many backed by neighbouring Iran \u2013 have been powerful since the 2003 United States-led war on Iraq.<\/p>\n

But with pressure from Washington<\/a> to disarm the groups amid the US-Israel war on Iran, and the economic challenges brought on by that war, al-Zaidi knows that he needs to clamp down on the power of Iraq\u2019s paramilitary groups to attract outside investment, and not attract the ire of the US.<\/p>\n

A number of the groups have played a role during the regional conflict, launching missiles and drones at US facilities in Iraq and the Gulf.<\/p>\n

Iraqi oil revenue has sharply declined since the beginning of the war in the region in late February and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world\u2019s main conduits for oil. Iraq had exported about 3.3 million barrels per day (bpd) before the war, roughly 90 percent of it through the Strait of Hormuz. Figures for March show oil exports dropping to about 600,000bpd. Oil revenue represents more than 90 percent of Iraq\u2019s state budget.<\/p>\n

\u201cNeither the economy not stability can flourish while arms remain out of the state\u2019s control,\u201d political analyst Mujashaa Altimimi told Al Jazeera. \u201cAddressing this issue has become more of an economic necessity than it is a security one for the prime minister.\u201d<\/p>\n

Al-Sadr leads the way<\/h2>\n

One of the most powerful Iraqi Shia leaders, Muqtada al-Sadr, was quick to back al-Zaidi when he announced on May 27 that the Saraya al-Salam group would separate from the political movement under al-Sadr\u2019s control and integrate its members into the state\u2019s armed forces.<\/p>\n

\u201cComplying with the national interest of the state and to avoid the dangers threatening our homeland, it is our obligation to announce the complete dissociation of Saraya al-Salam from the National Shia Movement in order to fully integrate them into the state under the military general commander,\u201d al-Sadr said in a statement welcomed by al-Zaidi.<\/p>\n

Al-Sadr also called on other paramilitary groups \u2013 in particular, those affiliated with the Iran-backed and largely Shia Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) \u2013 to follow his lead and dissolve themselves.<\/p>\n

Some have promised to do so, including Asaib Ahl al-Haq, a US-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization.<\/p>\n

Faleh al-Fayyad, the head of the PMF, also said there would be a \u201ccomplete disengagement\u201d between the PMF and any political groups, adding that the goal was to make the PMF \u201can institution subject to a unified system and linked to the commander-in-chief of the armed forces [the Iraqi prime minister]\u201d.<\/p>\n

But other groups, including the powerful Kataib Hezbollah and Harakat al-Nujaba, have rejected compliance with the government\u2019s call to restrict weapons to the state.<\/p>\n

Path forward unclear<\/h2>\n

Speaking to Al Jazeera, one of Iraq\u2019s most influential Shia figures, who did not wish to be named, said the groups that rejected the government\u2019s efforts would be sidelined, but added the integration process would have to be done carefully.<\/p>\n

\u201c[A lengthy] process to dismantle these factions is better than confrontation, which may cause bloodshed,\u201d said the figure, who requested anonymity. \u201cThose who reject the government\u2019s call will find themselves alone. And will find out that they were mistaken.\u201d<\/p>\n

But even with the groups that have agreed to comply with the state\u2019s order, there are questions over implementation and what comes next.<\/p>\n

Will powerful groups that have built up military might over years agree to simply hand over their weapons? If so, what will they expect in return?<\/p>\n

Al-Sadr, for example, previously \u201cretired\u201d from politics in 2022<\/a>, after his supporters attempted to overrun parliament during a political crisis. While he has since maintained a boycott of parliamentary elections, he did officially rebrand his political movement from the Sadrist Movement to the National Shia Movement, indicating that he is not fully done with politics yet.<\/p>\n

A popular figure among large numbers of Iraqi Shia, al-Sadr may be positioning himself for a future where powerful political parties are more important than armed groups.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think he wants to send a message that \u2018although I am not part of the political scene, I can still influence it,’\u201d said Rahman al-Jebouri, the head of the Political Leadership and Governance Development Academy. \u201cI believe this is a smart gesture.\u201d<\/p>\n

Al-Jebouri believes that al-Sadr has shown he has a \u201cclear understanding\u201d of the push in the wider region, with US pressure, for disarming non-state actors \u2013 and this may also be another indication that he is thinking of returning to politics.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is difficult to predict how he thinks,\u201d said al-Jebouri. \u201cBut I believe he now has solid ground for a possible return to the political scene.\u201d<\/p>\n

The next practical step in the dissolution of Iraq\u2019s paramilitary groups is yet unclear. Analysts believe the process will be long, complicated, and full of unforeseen developments.<\/p>\n

One of the solutions currently under discussion is the formation of a new security ministry that would incorporate various security forces, including the PMF and the Kurdish Peshmerga.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is too early to be optimistic,\u201d Iraqi political analyst Hani Ashour told Al Jazeera. \u201cIt is better to think about the reality with limited optimism. Let\u2019s wait and see how things will turn out.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


\n
Source link <\/a><\/p>\n

\n
\n \n
\n \n \"Happy\"\n <\/a>\n
\n Happy <\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n \n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \"Sad\"\n <\/a>\n
\n Sad <\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \"Excited\"\n <\/a>\n
\n Excited <\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \"Sleepy\"\n <\/a>\n
\n Sleepy <\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n \n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \"Angry\"\n <\/a>\n
Angry<\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \"Surprise\"\n <\/a>\n
Surprise<\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n ","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It was his first speech in front of parliament as Iraq\u2019s prime minister, and Ali al-Zaidi was quick to set out his stall. \u201c[I am committing to] reforming the security apparatus by restricting weapons to state control and strengthening the capabilities of the security forces,\u201d al-Zaidi pledged in mid-May. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1155,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,8],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1154","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-international-news","8":"category-news"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1154","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1154"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1154\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1155"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1154"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1154"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1154"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}