His coalition: No one but Maliki is capable of disarming the factions of their heavy weapons.
His coalition: No one but Maliki is capable of disarming the factions of their heavy weapons.
2025-12-03 00:50
Shafaq News – Baghdad
The State of Law Coalition said on Wednesday that its leader, Nouri al-Maliki, is the only person capable of disarming the armed factions of their “heavy” weapons, due to their trust in him.
Coalition member Zuhair al-Jalabi told Shafaq News Agency that “the issue of nominating al-Maliki for the premiership in the next phase is a real matter, and its goal is not maneuvering,” indicating that “this is the desire of the coalition as well as the Islamic Dawa Party.”
He added that “Maliki’s chances are now stronger than Sudani’s,” noting that “there is a desire for this nomination from most blocs and parties from various components.”
Al-Jalabi stated that “the armed factions, as well as the Popular Mobilization Forces, trust Maliki, and when Maliki assumes the premiership, he can negotiate the withdrawal of heavy weapons by the factions.”
He pointed out that “the factions trust Maliki and do not trust anyone else, which enables him to succeed in this matter, unlike all the heads of government who did not succeed in it, and this point can help Maliki in supporting his obtaining a third term.”
For years, the Iraqi government has been grappling with the issue of “weapons outside the framework of the state,” asserting that the proliferation of medium and heavy weapons among some factions poses a challenge to strengthening stability and establishing the rule of law.
The outgoing Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, believes that disarming the armed factions is linked to the presence of the international coalition in Iraq, which some factions consider an occupying force.
He explained, during an interview with Reuters, that Iraq is committed to putting all weapons under state control, and that the future program will include integrating factions into the security forces or politics by surrendering their weapons.
Meanwhile, Nouri al-Maliki, leader of the State of Law Coalition, says that “the armed factions have expressed their desire to integrate into state institutions and hand over their heavy weapons.”
For its part, the United States continues its repeated calls to Baghdad to ensure that armed factions are controlled and that attacks targeting US forces or interests are reduced, while affirming its support for the government’s efforts to strengthen security institutions.
shafaq.com
