Iraqi armed group: No disarmament before US withdrawal, air defense
Shafaq News- Baghdad
Iraq’s Badr Organization on Thursday rejected any use of force to disarm armed factions, warning that coercion could lead to internal conflict ahead of Baghdad’s September 30 deadline to bring weapons under state control.
Mohammad Naji Mohammad, head of Badr’s political bureau, said reports of language threatening force, “if true,” represented a serious escalation, arguing that the process should instead proceed through agreement with faction leaders.
ثلاثة عوامل… وخطابٌ مباشر إلى رئيس الوزراءرئيس المكتب السياسي لمنظمة بدر محمد ناجي محمد، في خضمّ الجدل حول حصر السلاح والانسحاب الأمريكي، يضع أمام رئيس الوزراء ثلاثة عوامل أساسية لا يمكن تجاوزها في أي معادلة سياسية أو أمنية. pic.twitter.com/EAJqJ2zVhz
— Mohammed Naji - محمد ناجي محمد (@abujassimaskari) August 13, 2026
Badr set three conditions for restricting weapons to state authority: the full withdrawal of US forces, the removal of strategic threats facing Iraq, and the full development of the Iraqi armed forces, particularly air defenses.
Mohammad described the emerging formula as “withdrawal in exchange for restricting weapons,” questioning the scope and guarantees of the planned US departure and warning against implementing disarmament before the withdrawal is completed.
Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi is “moving too quickly” on the issue under US pressure.
On August 12, Al-Zaidi reaffirmed that the US-led Coalition’s military mission and the departure of foreign forces will be completed by September 30, telling CENTCOM chief Brad Cooper that Iraq will be free of foreign military forces from October 1. He also stressed that weapons must be confined exclusively to state authority.
The State Administration Coalition –an alliance of major Shiite, Sunni, and Kurdish political forces– set the same date for bringing weapons under state control at its August 5 meeting, announcing that groups threatening national security outside official institutions would be treated as outlaws, and armed activity beyond the deadline would be handled under Iraq’s Anti-Terrorism Law.
Multiple political and government sources told Shafaq News that Al-Zaidi and Al-Amiri reached an understanding on August 7 under which the government postponed planned operations against armed factions while the factions halted military action against Saudi Arabia to allow diplomacy to proceed. Al-Amiri later publicly urged the factions to delay any response and prioritize “Iraq’s supreme interest.”
A US administration official separately told Shafaq News that Washington “fully supports disarmament and transfer of arms to the central government,” while stressing transparency with the United States and regional partners over the process.
Read more: Iraq's September deadline undercuts armed factions' case for weapons
