Exclusive: Dismantling Iraqi factions is “pivotal” for Washington, and a clash is unlikely.
Exclusive: Dismantling Iraqi factions is “pivotal” for Washington, and a clash is unlikely.
2026-08-09
Shafaq News – Washington/ Mustafa Hashim
Former military spokesman for the international coalition against ISIS and former US defense official, Myles Caggins, confirmed on Sunday that the government initiative to compel armed factions to hand over their weapons by the September 30 deadline is “serious and pivotal” to maintaining a strong relationship between Baghdad and Washington.
Kagenz told Shafaq News Agency that “the September 30 deadline set for armed groups to hand over their weapons is genuine and sincere in its intentions on the part of Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, and this step is necessary for Baghdad to maintain good and close relations with Washington.”
According to the former defense official, the situation should be closely monitored, as some groups have not yet agreed to this initiative, most notably factions such as “Kataib Hezbollah,” which will pose a major political challenge to the Prime Minister.
Regarding how the factions will deal with this deadline, he believes it is unlikely that all factions will completely lay down their weapons and actually hand them over; rather, the most likely scenario is that some symbolic ceremonies will be organized for some factions to hand over part of their weapons.
Kagenz noted that other factions might move towards a different option by holding formal ceremonies in which they announce “the transition to become a more public and active part under the umbrella of the Iraqi Ministry of Defense.”
Despite this challenge, the former military spokesman for the international coalition ruled out any armed clash between the security forces and the factions, adding: “Ultimately, I do not expect any military conflict between the Iraqi security forces on one hand – such as the army and police – and these factions on the other, as no one wants to go towards internal fighting in Iraq.”
Only 51 days remain until the deadline set by the “Coalition for State Administration,” which brings together the blocs and parties participating in the political process in Iraq from various components, to proceed with steps to restrict weapons to the state, while some armed factions still refuse to give up their military arsenal .
The “Coalition for State Administration” had confirmed in its last meeting last Wednesday, in the presence of President Zar Amidi, Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, Speaker of Parliament Hebat al-Halbousi, President of the Supreme Judicial Council Faiq Zaidan, and President of the Kurdistan Region Nechirvan Barzani, the necessity of restricting weapons to the hands of official institutions.
These factions assert that their weapons are linked to what they describe as “resistance” and regional threats, at a time when the government of Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi is trying to manage one of the most difficult security and political issues in years .
These developments come amid escalating internal and regional tensions, after Iraqi security and military forces raised their readiness level on Thursday and cancelled the leave of a number of commanders and officers in anticipation of any emergency.
shafaq.com
