An armed faction proposes creating a new security ministry to join al-Zaidi’s “incomplete” cabinet.
An armed faction proposes creating a new security ministry to join al-Zaidi’s “incomplete” cabinet.
2026-10-01
Shafaq News – Baghdad
An informed source revealed on Thursday the possibility of creating a “new” security ministry within the current cabinet and voting on all remaining ministerial portfolios in a “single package,” while the National Approach parliamentary bloc suggested that the government formation would be completed next week.
The source told Shafaq News Agency that “one of the armed factions being negotiated with by the Quartet Committee for the Confinement of Weapons to the State has demanded the creation of a new ministry to support the security ministries.”
He added that “some resistance factions demanded privileges that would serve as guarantees, but the government does not want the guarantees to reach the level of privileges, as most of the demands raised by the factions as a condition for restricting and regulating weapons have been implemented, the most important of which is the American withdrawal, and there is currently a gradual withdrawal of Turkish forces from Iraqi territory.”
Yesterday, Wednesday, Iraqis celebrated “Sovereignty Day,” which marks the end of the mission of the international coalition forces fighting the “ISIS” organization in Iraq.
The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and Prime Minister, Ali Faleh al-Zaidi, said on Wednesday evening that Iraq is launching a new era today in which the country will move from an arena of conflicts to a homeland that has full control over its decisions and protects its land and sovereignty.
This came in a speech followed by Shafaq News Agency, on the occasion of “Sovereignty Day” and the end of the mission of the international coalition forces to fight “ISIS” in Iraq.
On Thursday, the Turkish Ministry of Defense announced its intention to withdraw from the Bashiqa-Zilkan military base in Iraq, which it has been using for 11 years, according to a timetable agreed upon with the Iraqi government.
In a statement seen by Shafaq News Agency, she said that the Bashiqa-Zilkan complex in Iraq, which has been used by the Turkish Armed Forces since 2015, will be gradually handed over to the Iraqi authorities, noting that the handover process will be carried out according to the agreed mechanism and timetable.
The Turkish Ministry of Defense expressed its welcome for the steps recently taken by the central Iraqi government “with the aim of imposing state authority in Sinjar,” explaining that the Bashiqa-Zilkan complex has been used since 2015 by the Turkish Armed Forces, at the request of the Iraqi authorities, as part of the fight against ISIS.
Commenting on the statement of the informed source, MP Abu Turab al-Tamimi of the Badr Organization told Shafaq News Agency that “the factions are demanding gains for Iraq in general, foremost among them being Iraq’s full sovereignty over its land and airspace and non-domination of decision-making, in addition to demanding an air defense system.”
He pointed out that “the anticipated expansion in the current cabinet will be through the reinstatement of the deputy prime ministers, and if Laith al-Khazali is voted on as al-Zaidi’s deputy, then the State of Law Coalition’s candidate for the Ministry of Interior will be passed, and most of the special ministries or those that fall under the entitlement of the Shiite House will proceed, including the Ministries of Higher Education and Scientific Research and Social Affairs.”
Al-Tamimi pointed out that the Progress Party, led by former Speaker of Parliament Mohammed al-Halbousi, “wants the position of Vice President of the Republic, and if that happens, there will be no role for the current President of the Republic.”
For her part, MP Duha al-Sadkhan, from the National Approach bloc, confirmed to Shafaq News Agency that “there is talk of a preliminary agreement to complete the government formation during the next week, and we hope that these understandings will turn into practical steps that will end the issue of the vacant ministries because completing the cabinet directly affects the stability of government performance.”
She explained that “there are political dialogues and understandings to decide on the candidate for the position of Minister of the Interior, and I do not think it is appropriate to talk about a final decision on the cabinet file unless the name is agreed upon in a final and official manner.”
Al-Sadkhan pointed out that “the most important thing is that the candidate be chosen according to the criteria of competence, professionalism and acceptability, in a way that serves the security institution and preserves the prestige of the state.”
She concluded by saying: “We, in turn, support expediting the completion of the government while respecting the constitutional contexts and the right of the House of Representatives to discuss the names of the candidates and vote on them in the session determined by the Presidency of the House of Representatives.”
An informed government source revealed on Tuesday a proposed mechanism to complete the government cabinet in the event that political agreement cannot be reached on candidates for the vacant ministries or their distribution among the political forces, coinciding with a visit by the head of the State of Law Coalition, Nouri al-Maliki, to Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi to discuss the same issue.
The source informed Shafaq News Agency of the details of the inability to finalize the candidates for the vacant ministries, including the security ministries (Interior and Defense), and the continued state of disagreement between the political forces and leaders.
According to him, this will push towards passing the candidates according to the “single basket” mechanism, to complete the government cabinet headed by Ali al-Zidi, who was authorized by most of the political forces to choose whomever he sees fit for the vacant ministries.
On May 14, the Iraqi parliament voted to approve Ali al-Zaidi’s government and its ministerial program, including 14 ministers. Voting on the remaining nine ministries was postponed until further notice due to ongoing political disagreements over the distribution of portfolios, amid reports of international warnings against including armed factions in the new cabinet.
Since then, the coordination framework has authorized Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi to make contacts with the heads of the political blocs and entities participating in the government, whose candidates for the vacant ministries have not yet been decided up to the time of writing this report.
shafaq.com
