Harakat Al-Nujaba frames armed “resistance” as public demand
Shafaq News – Baghdad
A senior figure in Iraq’s Harakat al-Nujaba warned on Monday that abandoning “resistance weapons” could expose the country to serious instability, citing experiences in Libya, Sudan, and Syria.
Firas Al-Yasser, a member of the movement’s political council, told Shafaq News that “there is a popular Iraqi insistence” on retaining armed capabilities, arguing that relinquishing them would weaken the country and risk security and political collapse.
He accused the United States of expanding its military presence in northern Iraq while maintaining close coordination with its bases in Syria, asserting that Washington continues to interfere directly in Iraq’s internal affairs and decision-making.
US influence, Al-Yasser argued, has extended to Iraq’s security institutions, claiming that military support has been used to impose political and security conditions “aligned with American interests.” He maintained that such pressure aims to prevent the emergence of Iraqi forces capable of countering US regional objectives.
He also linked restrictions on Iraq’s defensive development—particularly air-defense systems—to what he described as joint US-Israeli efforts to weaken the country and bind it to broader regional strategies.
Earlier today, Asaib Ahl al-Haq military spokesperson Jawad Al-Talibawi reaffirmed the group's refusal to disarm, stressing that the matter is not open to negotiation.
The issue has recently divided armed factions. Some groups signaled acceptance of calls to limit weapons to state authority, including statements by Shibl Al-Zaidi of Kataib Imam Ali and positions expressed by Ansar Allah Al-Awfiya and Kataib Sayyid Al-Shuhada. By contrast, Harakat al-Nujaba and Kataib Hezbollah rejected disarmament, arguing that restoring sovereignty and preventing foreign interference must come first.
For months, the United States has urged Baghdad to reduce the influence of armed factions, dissolve them, and bring all weapons under state control. Washington has also pressed that these groups should not participate in the new government, particularly after winning an estimated 80 of 329 seats in the Iraqi Parliament.
