Iraq says state control of all weapons is irreversible
Government says negotiations with armed factions are progressing as Baghdad prepares to assume full security duties after coalition withdrawal
BAGHDAD, Iraq (MNTV) — Iraq’s government has reaffirmed that bringing all weapons under state authority is an irreversible policy, as Baghdad works to consolidate control over armed forces ahead of the planned end of the US-led Global Coalition’s military mission.
Maj. Gen. Sabah Al-Numan, spokesman for Iraq’s Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, said Thursday that negotiations with armed factions were continuing and that the government had so far encountered no resistance to the weapons-transfer process.
Al-Numan said a central committee overseeing the initiative had made significant progress. Some weapons are already being catalogued and moved to designated storage facilities, while authorities have begun compiling a database of personnel involved in the process.
The government’s effort is part of Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s broader plan to establish the state’s exclusive authority over military and security decisions. Iraqi authorities have repeatedly said that weapons outside official state institutions cannot be allowed to operate independently.
Iraq’s State Administration Coalition, which brings together major political forces from across the country’s Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish communities, has backed the policy. It has warned that armed groups operating outside state institutions after Sept. 30 could face legal action under Iraq’s counterterrorism legislation.
The Sept. 30 deadline also coincides with the planned completion of the US-led Global Coalition’s military withdrawal from Iraq.
Baghdad says Iraqi security forces are preparing to assume full responsibility for national security while future relations with coalition countries shift toward bilateral security and intelligence cooperation.
Several armed factions have already indicated support for transferring weapons and personnel to state authority, while others have resisted or sought conditions for surrendering their arms.
Asaib Ahl al-Haq, one of Iraq’s major Iran-aligned factions, recently handed weapons from a base south of Baghdad to state authorities.
The weapons issue remains one of Iraq’s most politically sensitive challenges because several armed groups maintain significant organizational and political influence despite the formal incorporation of the Popular Mobilization Forces into the state security apparatus.
The government’s stated objective is to strengthen the authority of national security institutions and prevent independent armed activity, while ensuring that Iraq’s security forces can manage the transition following the coalition’s departure.
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