Maliki’s coalition warns al-Sudani against escalation with factions: Iraq will slide into chaos.
Maliki’s coalition warns al-Sudani against escalation with factions: Iraq will slide into chaos.
2025-08-10 05:43
Shafaq News – Baghdad
The State of Law Coalition, led by Nouri al-Maliki, warned Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani on Sunday against any escalation with armed factions in the coming period.
“The law must be applied to everyone,” coalition leader Hussein al-Maliki told Shafaq News Agency. “However, this step, which came as a result of the formation of the investigative committee (on the agricultural incident) and the announcement of its results, is considered an escalation, especially since it coincided with the British representative’s statement on the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) issue and the US veto of the PMF law.”
Al-Maliki stated, “These issues must be resolved through political means, because external parties are trying to push the Iraqi government into a confrontation with the resistance factions, something neither the region nor Iraq can tolerate. It appears that there are those working to ignite a Shiite-on-Shiite conflict, and they have found in this a loophole to embroil the government and the factions in an internal conflict.”
Al-Maliki suggested that al-Sudani was now operating according to his bloc’s decisions and foreign relations, rather than the principles of law and state. If this conflict erupts, the electoral process will be disrupted, the country will slide into chaos, and we may reach an emergency government or even a return to the mandates of Article 7.
He stressed the need to “hold the perpetrators accountable, but without announcing the name of the party, as this is a political approach. Repeatedly announcing names and insisting on the confiscation of weapons, while not passing the Popular Mobilization Law, sends the message to citizens that these measures are in response to external orders, and this undermines confidence in the government.” He expressed his hope that the government would handle such issues politically, wisely, and with a sense of responsibility toward the state.
This comes after Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani announced a “defect” within the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF). He dismissed the commanders of two brigades affiliated with the Kata’ib Hezbollah from their positions and referred them to the judiciary. This followed the incidents at the Agriculture Department in Baghdad, which saw armed clashes between a PMF force and security forces.
Earlier on Saturday, Al-Sudani stressed the need to address any instance of non-compliance with the disciplinary controls and procedures of the movement by some Popular Mobilization Forces formations, and to refrain from complacency or delay in this regard. He also directed a review of the deployment of units holding sectors, their quality, their professional competence, and the competence of their commanders and commanders, through a committee formed from relevant ministries and senior leaders.
shafaq.com
