Disarmament talks stall between Iraqi government, armed factions

Shafaq News/ On Thursday, negotiations between the Iraqi government and armed factions regarding the disarmament of "militias," particularly drone capabilities, have yet to yield an agreement, a senior official from the State of Law Coalition confirmed.

Abdul Rahman Al-Jazairi, a member of the coalition led by former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, told Shafaq News, “The United States has requested the disarmament of Iraqi factions, specifically heavy weaponry such as drones, as a condition for their participation in political and governmental roles in the next phase.”

“Talks between the government and the factions are ongoing to resolve this issue, but so far, there is no agreement on disarmament or integration,” Al-Jazairi said, emphasizing that factions within the ‘Axis of Resistance’ “remain in close coordination with Iran and operate outside the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) framework, making it difficult for the government to enforce any measures upon them.”

The Iraqi government has been pushing to integrate these armed factions into official security institutions or the PMF, yet many of these parties’ leaders insist on maintaining independence, arguing that they “constitute Iraq’s resistance front.”

Last week, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani reaffirmed his administration’s efforts to bring all armed groups under legal and institutional frameworks, stating that his government is committed to “building a new Iraq rooted in its Arab historical heritage.”

Meanwhile, Iraq’s Foreign Minister, speaking during an official visit to London, told Reuters that Baghdad is trying to convince these groups to either disarm or integrate into the country’s formal military and security forces.

“Two or three years ago, discussing this issue in our society was impossible,” the minister stated. “But today, the presence of armed groups operating outside the state framework is no longer acceptable.”

Integrating armed factions into Iraq’s security institutions would provide them protection from potential US or allied military strikes, as well as shield them from future crackdowns on non-state armed actors, analysts suggest.