Shafaq News- Baghdad

Asaib Ahl Al-Haq*, one of Iraq’s most powerful Iran-aligned armed factions, handed over weapons from a base south of Baghdad to state authorities two days ago, sources familiar with the factions’ internal deliberations told Shafaq News on Friday, pointing to progress in the government’s push to bring arms under state control.

The transfer in Al-Yusufiyah involved equipment belonging to Brigades 41 and 42, which operated within the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), completing their integration into the official security structure. The arsenal included fewer than 10 locally manufactured and Iranian-made drones, all without munitions, alongside other weapons. No missiles were surrendered.

According to one source, the committee handling the process requires groups to give up missiles with ranges of 300 kilometers or more. Representatives from the Interior and Defense ministries, the Iraqi National Security Advisory, and the PMF witnessed and documented the transfer.

Talks with holdout factions have produced “positive signals,” but the second source linked further movement to the departure of US and other foreign troops by Sept. 30 under the Baghdad-Washington security agreement, arguing that their withdrawal would remove a major obstacle to a deal.

Read more: What happens to Iraq's armed factions after September 30?

American companies and private security contractors could continue operating in Iraq, as economic and investment activity would not be affected by the military departure.

Asaib Ahl Al-Haq has backed placing faction weapons under government authority, following Patriotic Shiite Movement (PSM) leader Muqtada al-Sadr’s decision to put Saraya al-Salam under state control. Kataib Hezbollah, Harakat Al-Nujaba, and Kataib Sayyid Al-Shuhada remain opposed, with Kataib Hezbollah conditioning any deal on a complete US withdrawal and guarantees against its return.

The State Administration Coalition has set Sept. 30 as the deadline for ending armed activity outside official institutions, warning that violations afterward would face legal action.

Read more: Iraq's September deadline undercuts armed factions' case for weapons

Shiite political leaders are exploring a compromise for groups unwilling to disarm. A Coordination Framework source previously told Shafaq News that the proposal would give Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi, as commander-in-chief, authority over any use of their weapons.

Badr Organization leader Hadi Al-Amiri and Al-Hikma Movement leader Ammar Al-Hakim are leading talks with the factions aimed at avoiding a confrontation with the government.

* Asaib Ahl Al-Haq operates Brigades 41, 42, and 43 within the PMF, the state-sanctioned paramilitary umbrella incorporated into Iraq’s security apparatus after its 2014 mobilization against ISIS. The group is represented in Parliament through the Sadiqoon bloc and is designated by the United States as a foreign terrorist organization over its ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Read more: Iraq's disarmament deadline pits Baghdad against Iran-aligned factions