Muqtada al-Sadr's move boosts Baghdad’s push to bring arms under state control
Shafaq News- Baghdad
Muqtada al-Sadr’s decision to dismantle Saraya al-Salam and place key units under the authority of the commander-in-chief of the armed forces strengthened Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s efforts to bring weapons under state control and increased pressure on other armed factions to follow suit, a political source told Shafaq News on Thursday.
The source said al-Zaidi had recently sent direct messages to political leaders across Iraq’s factions, urging parties with armed wings to “dissolve them” and integrate their members into official institutions as part of a broader effort to consolidate state authority.
The prime minister plans to hold separate meetings with political leaders, particularly within the Coordination Framework, to discuss mechanisms for transferring weapons and integrating members of armed groups into state structures, according to the source.
He described al-Sadr’s move as a significant boost for the government, noting that Saraya al-Salam units placed under the commander-in-chief would operate solely through official military channels rather than political or organizational structures linked to the Patriotic Shiite Movement (PSM).
Three brigades —313, 314, and 315— comprising roughly 9,000 personnel, are expected to be affected by the restructuring. The move has also increased pressure on other political factions, some of which are now reassessing the future of their own armed wings, according to the source.
A separate source within the leading Shiite Coordination Framework said the dismantling of Saraya al-Salam and the transfer of its weapons to state control could create conditions for a future PSM return to political participation, though any such development would depend on subsequent steps. The source added that placing the brigades under the commander-in-chief provides direct support to the current government and expands its ability to implement security decisions independently.
Political analyst Ghalib al-Daami said the decision strengthens government efforts to regulate weapons outside state institutions and weakens arguments used by other armed groups to resist similar measures. He noted that some Saraya al-Salam members are already integrated into the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) and receive salaries through the organization, while the movement’s civilian activities are expected to continue through the Al-Bunyan Al-Marsous Foundation, which focuses on humanitarian and social assistance.
Many of Iraq’s current armed factions emerged after the 2003 US-led invasion and expanded significantly following the rise of ISIS in 2014. Saraya al-Salam was established during that period following al-Sadr’s call to protect religious sites, while numerous other factions later became part of the PMF structure.
Read more: Iraq’s armed factions and the disarmament debate: Why unity masks deep divisions
The coexistence of state institutions, armed factions, and political movements has since left Iraq with one of its most complex governance challenges, making the issue of restricting weapons to state control a central and unresolved question in Iraqi politics.
