Iraq considers factions’ arsenal freeze alternative

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraq's armed factions will not hand over their weapons by the Sept. 30 deadline, an informed source close to the Coordination Framework (CF), an alliance of major Shiite political forces, told Shafaq News on Sunday, with negotiations now shifting toward a proposal to regulate or freeze their arsenals instead.

Details of the proposal and how it would be implemented remain unclear.

A meeting is expected within the next two days, bringing together government, military and security officials, CF leaders, representatives of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) and armed factions to discuss how weapons could be brought under state control before the deadline.

Earlier today, another source told Shafaq News that an agreement to hold the meeting “does not mean a final agreement has been reached on the mechanism for bringing weapons under state control.” The talks aim to prevent possible escalation and clarify how the process would work.

Read more: Source: Iraqi factions signal flexibility on disarmament talks