Shafaq News- Baghdad
No armed faction has refused to hand its weapons over to the state, spokesman for Iraq's Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Maj. Gen. Sabah al-Numan said on Thursday, adding that negotiations had made significant progress.
Al-Numan told Shafaq News that talks with the factions were ongoing and that the government had encountered no resistance. He said a central committee overseeing the process had made considerable progress.
The government will continue working to conclude the talks and bring all weapons under state control, according to al-Numan. Some weapons are already being catalogued and transferred to designated storage sites, while a database of personnel has also been established.
Read more: What happens to Iraq's armed factions after September 30?
Earlier on Thursday, Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) media director Muhannad al-Aqabi said efforts to separate armed factions from their political affiliations were continuing, particularly with Asaib Ahl al-Haq and Saraya al-Salam.
Iraq's State Administration Coalition, which brings together the country's leading Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish political forces, backed bringing all weapons under state control at a meeting in August, saying that groups operating outside state institutions and threatening national security would be treated as outlawed organizations and confronted by the state. It also warned that armed activity outside state control after Sept. 30 would be subject to Iraq's counterterrorism law.
Sept. 30 also marks the deadline for ending the US-led Global Coalition's military mission in Iraq. Some armed factions have linked the future of their weapons to the withdrawal of foreign forces.