Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada backs PM's weapons pledge

Shafaq News-Baghdad

Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada, an Iran-aligned Iraqi armed faction, said on Thursday it is committed to an agreement reached between the parties involved and to Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi's Sovereignty Day speech, in which he declared there would be no weapons outside the law, as long as the other side keeps to its obligations.

It welcomed the end of the foreign military presence in Iraq as an important step toward completing the country's sovereignty, and thanked al-Zaidi for efforts that “spared Iraq Shiite-on-Shiite fighting and prevented a slide into internal strife.”

Read more: Four Iraqi factions set conditions for weapons control

The coming phase requires putting Iraq's interests first, protecting its security and unity, and shielding it from anything that could return the country to conflict and internal fighting, according to the group.

In May, spokesman Kazem al-Fartousi told Shafaq News that Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada's refusal to surrender its weapons was “fixed and unchangeable,” saying its arms would remain as long as the reasons for possessing them continued.

Read more: Iraq's Sovereignty Days: Coalition mission ends, factions keep their weapons