Iraq to Enforce State Monopoly Over Weapons, Curb Factional Military Wings

Iraq's powerful Shiite Coordination Framework has directed Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi to assert state control over all weaponry, signaling a significant move to curb the influence of armed factions. The Framework, a coalition of Shiite parties and militias with varying ties to Iran, officially tasked the Prime Minister with taking "necessary measures and decisions to preserve the country’s supreme interests."

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preserve the country’s supreme interests

This directive specifically targets the "military wings" of Shiite armed groups that have operated independently for years, even those integrated into the official Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF). The Framework's statement backed efforts to "impose state monopoly over arms and disengage the PMF from political, partisan and societal frameworks." This move is seen as an implicit rejection of some factions' involvement in conflicts, such as the US-Israeli war on Iran, without government approval.

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impose state monopoly over arms and disengage the PMF from political, partisan and societal frameworks.

The Framework stressed that the "decision of war and peace is a sovereign one that is exclusively controlled by the people of Iraq through their constitutional institutions represented by the government and elected parliament." It slammed any unauthorized attacks as "illegal and unconstitutional." The statement also reiterated that the PMF is an "official security institution that is bound to the constitution and laws and orders of the commander-in-chief of the armed forces."

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The decision of war and peace is a sovereign one that is exclusively controlled by the people of Iraq through their constitutional institutions represented by the government and elected parliament.

U.S. Embassy Chargé d'Affaires Joshua Harris welcomed the Framework's statement, calling it a "step forward in consolidating independence and sovereignty for a promising future for Iraq." Iraqi National Security Advisor Qassim al-Araji echoed this sentiment, meeting with Harris to underscore the importance of supporting the government's efforts to ensure arms remain exclusively under state authority. He also welcomed the Coordination Framework's position, seeing it as a contribution to stability and the rule of law.

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illegal and unconstitutional.