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Powerful Iran-Backed Militias in Iraq Say They Will Start Handing in Weapons to Authorities
Asaib Ahl al-Haq and the Imam Ali Brigades said they will inventory fighters and weapons as Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi seeks state control.
- On Tuesday, two powerful Iran-backed militias, Asaib Ahl al-Haq and the Imam Ali Brigades, announced they would begin handing weapons to state authorities, marking a major shift in Iraq's effort to rein in armed groups.
- Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, a 40-year-old banker sworn in last month, has prioritized a state monopoly on arms under pressure from Washington to curb Iran-linked factions threatening defense cooperation and funding.
- The groups cast their decision as a response to calls from Iraq's top Shiite religious authority and the Iran-aligned Coordination Framework, the largest bloc in Parliament, aiming to build a state with full sovereignty.
- This move follows a similar decision by influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, whose Peace Brigades militia recently split from his political movement to integrate into state institutions, setting a precedent for other armed factions.
- Rejecting disarmament, powerful groups including Kataib Hezbollah and Harakat al-Nujaba cite foreign troop presence and pledge to continue armed activity as what they describe as "resistance work," complicating Baghdad's consolidation efforts.
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14 Articles
14 Articles
Coverage Details
Total News Sources14
Leaning Left9Leaning Right3Center0Last UpdatedBias Distribution75% Left
Bias Distribution
- 75% of the sources lean Left
75% Left
L 75%
R 25%
Factuality
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