Iraq’s Kataib Sayyid Al-Shuhada opposes disarmament under current conditions

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Kataib Sayyid Al-Shuhada, an Iran-aligned Iraqi armed faction, rejected handing over its weapons to the government on Wednesday, insisting that the “resistance’s weapons” would remain as long as the reasons for their existence persist.

Spokesperson Kazem Al-Fartousi told Shafaq News that the group supports Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi in managing the state and maintaining stability but opposes disarmament “at the current stage,” arguing that the faction’s weapons are tied to ongoing threats facing Iraq rather than being “personal arms.”

“The faction will not surrender its weapons as long as there is occupation and violations affecting Iraqi sovereignty.”

Al-Fartousi also criticized proposals to fully integrate armed factions into the country’s security institutions, maintaining that each group has a distinct role and that any discussion regarding full integration depends on specific political and security conditions.

Earlier today, Patriotic Shiite Movement (PSM) leader Muqtada Al-Sadr announced the formal separation of Saraya Al-Salam, the movement’s military wing, and declared that its members would join state institutions under the authority of the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, PM Al-Zaidi.

Read more: Iraq’s armed factions and disarmament debate: Unity masks divisions