Goodbye to September 30th… Maliki’s coalition hints at postponing the disarmament of factions.
Goodbye to September 30th… Maliki’s coalition hints at postponing the disarmament of factions.
2026-08-23
Shafaq News – Baghdad
Zuhair al-Jalabi, a member of the State of Law Coalition, confirmed on Sunday that there is no resolution regarding the disarmament of the factions so far, while indicating that the date set for the weapons inventory announced by the government may be postponed.
Al-Jalabi told Shafaq News Agency that “the issue of restricting weapons has not been resolved yet, and this issue is postponed at the present time, and that September 30 does not represent a specific date for resolving it.”
Al-Jalabi stated that “the discussion about the weapons file can be discussed differently after the withdrawal of American and Turkish forces from Iraq, including the forces present in the Zilkan camp in Nineveh Governorate, and after ensuring that there are no foreign forces on Iraqi soil.”
He added that “the focus at the moment is on sending the Popular Mobilization Forces Law to the House of Representatives for ratification, and passing the law represents a major challenge to the American will, especially since the American chargé d’affaires had previously exerted pressure to interfere in the course of the law and try to withdraw it from Parliament.”
A member of the State of Law Coalition stressed that “nothing is certain yet regarding the disarmament of the resistance factions, in light of the ongoing discussions and developments related to the foreign presence and legislation concerning the Popular Mobilization Forces.”
A source within the coordination framework revealed last Wednesday that prominent Shiite leaders had presented a package of proposals to the leaders of the armed factions to contain the escalation with Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi. These proposals included replacing the concept of “disarmament” with the formula of “weapons management,” subjecting its use to the orders of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, and separating the time frame between the withdrawal of US forces and the start of the implementation of the arms control arrangements.
Later, the Iraqi government reaffirmed on Tuesday that the deadline for restricting weapons to the state is set for September 30, noting that the government had informed the armed factions of the date and the mechanisms for dealing with the issue.
According to government spokesman Haider al-Aboudi, six armed factions involved in the government dialogue on restricting weapons have responded and dealt positively with the government’s proposals, while other factions are still engaged in ongoing dialogues to reach an agreement on mechanisms that guarantee their interests and the interests of the state and the country.
The issue of armed factions is one of the most sensitive issues facing the Iraqi government, with the approach of September 30, which the main political forces have set as the deadline for restricting weapons to official institutions.
The State Administration Coalition, which includes the most prominent Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish political forces, stressed during its meeting on August 5 the need to restrict weapons to the state, and considered the parties that carry out activities that threaten the security of the country outside the framework of official institutions as “outlaws and must be fought.”
The coalition warned that any armed activity outside the framework of the state after September 30 would be dealt with according to the anti-terrorism law.
The plan to restrict weapons does not have a unified position among the armed factions. While some forces have expressed a willingness to reorganize their military and security relationship with the state, other factions, including Kataib Hezbollah, Harakat al-Nujaba and Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada, have announced their refusal to give up their military capabilities, and have linked any discussion about their weapons to the end of the presence of foreign forces and ensuring the protection of Iraq from external attacks.
The September 30th date also coincides with the deadlines related to ending the military presence of the international coalition in Iraq, which some factions use as a basis for linking the future of their weapons to the withdrawal of foreign forces.
shafaq.com
