The Islamic Resistance sets a strict condition for surrendering weapons: the withdrawal of foreign forces first.
The Islamic Resistance sets a strict condition for surrendering weapons: the withdrawal of foreign forces first.
12-23-2025
Information / Report
The issue of restricting weapons is one of the most sensitive political and security issues in the Iraqi scene, as it raises a wide controversy in which positions vary between the government and resistance factions, ranging from conditional acceptance linked to achieving full sovereignty, to outright rejection based on the continued presence of foreign military forces inside the country.
This controversy comes at a time when the government side denies the existence of imminent external threats, while regional and international pressures are escalating in parallel with political moves aimed at forming a new government.
In this context, Kataib Hezbollah, as one of the most prominent Islamic resistance factions in Iraq, announced its refusal to hand over its weapons, stressing that this will not happen except after the complete withdrawal of foreign forces, especially American forces, and the handover of their military bases to the Iraqi government, in addition to ending the Turkish military presence in the north of the country.
The brigades explained in a statement, a copy of which was received by Al-Maalomah Agency, that “the issue of restricting weapons to the state cannot be discussed before the requirements of national sovereignty are completed,” stressing that “their weapons will remain in the hands of their members as long as foreign interventions continue.”
The statement emphasized that “securing Iraq’s security and preventing foreign interference are the basis for any discussion regarding the restriction of weapons.”
For his part, Haider al-Lami, a member of the political bureau of the al-Nujaba Movement, stressed that the resistance’s weapons are not directed against the state or its institutions, and that disarming them is not on the table as long as the American and Turkish military presence continues inside Iraqi territory.
He explained that “there is a deliberate confusion between the concepts of restricting weapons and disarming them, as promoted by the American administration and some media outlets,” noting that “what is being announced as the withdrawal of American forces is nothing more than a redeployment and not an actual withdrawal.”
Al-Lami added that “the continuation of this presence poses a threat to the political system and the democratic process, while the Turkish military presence represents an additional reason to cling to weapons.”
He stressed that “the resistance’s weapons have never been used against the government or state institutions, as the movement is part of the political system and its protector,” explaining that “the United States’ demands to disarm the resistance fall within a broader project targeting resistance forces in the region, whether in Iraq, southern Lebanon, or Yemen,” and that “the disarmament will not take place until the complete withdrawal of American and Turkish forces from Iraq.”
For his part, security expert Haitham al-Khazali stressed that any government seeking to restrict weapons to the state must first achieve full sovereignty, which includes the withdrawal of all foreign forces from Iraqi territory.
Al-Khazali told Al-Maalomah News Agency that “the resistance factions’ condition of not surrendering their weapons before the withdrawal of foreign forces is a logical condition,” explaining that “achieving sovereignty requires ending the American military presence and closing its bases, as well as ending the Turkish military presence, and then the government can demand that the factions surrender their weapons.”
He added that “the weapons of the resistance factions do not pose a threat to the state or the people, nor do they infringe upon the country’s sovereignty,” noting that “the government, after achieving these steps, can demand that the factions surrender their weapons,” clarifying that “the weapons of the resistance factions are not directed against the state or the people, and do not constitute a threat to the country’s sovereignty.”
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