Shafaq News – Baghdad
A high-level coordination committee will be formed after the new Iraqi government formation, tasked with restricting weapons to state control without exception, a senior political source said on Tuesday.
The source told Shafaq News that the committee will be granted authority to oversee procedures related to the collection of unlicensed, medium, and heavy weapons, including drones, adding that “any party refusing to hand over such arms will be dealt with in accordance with existing laws.”
According to the source, Shiite armed factions have demanded specific guarantees in return for complying with the initiative, including handing over weapons exclusively to the government, refraining from targeting faction leaders or headquarters, and ensuring that political entitlements based on recent election results are not revoked. The groups also called for avoiding the appointment of figures linked to armed wings to official posts, stressing that the next phase should focus on building a civilian state.
Coordination Framework Senior Figure, Abdulrahman Al-Jazairi, told Shafaq News that the issue of limiting arms to the state does not apply solely to Shiite factions but includes all groups or individuals carrying weapons outside state institutions.
Several armed factions announced last Saturday their acceptance of calls to restrict weapons to state control, with official positions issued by the Imam Ali Brigades, Asaib Ahl Al-Haq, Ansar Allah Al-Awfiyaa, and Kataib Sayyid Al-Shuhada. Kataib Hezbollah, however, rejected disarmament, arguing that “sovereignty, securing Iraq, and preventing foreign interference are essential prerequisites” for any discussion on limiting arms, while Harakat Al-Nujaba reaffirmed its commitment to continuing resistance against the US presence.
Read more: Iraq’s armed factions, state authority, and the battle over disarmament
Earlier, US President Donald Trump’s envoy to Iraq, Mark Savaya, welcomed recent moves by Iraqi armed groups toward disarmament, describing them as an encouraging response to longstanding calls by the country’s religious authority, as Washington continues to pressure Baghdad to dismantle armed factions, bring weapons under state control, and prevent their participation in the next government following their strong showing in the parliamentary elections.