Iraqi Faction Rejects Using Force to Disarm Groups

Iraq's powerful Badr Organization, headed by Hadi al-Amiri, has firmly rejected the Iraqi government's attempts to disarm armed factions through force. This position underscores a significant disagreement within the political parties of the Coordination Framework concerning the future of weapons held by militias and their integration with the state.

Mohammed Naji, head of the Badr Organization's political bureau, stated on Friday that the group opposes any threat to use force to seize factional weapons. He warned that such an approach could ignite tensions and internal conflict, primarily benefiting external actors like the United States and Israel. "We will not allow the Prime Minister or anyone else to reach this level in dealing with our brothers in the resistance, because that would open the door to internal discord, the primary beneficiaries of which would be the US, the Zionist entity, and those lying in wait for us,” Naji said.

The Badr Organization's stance emerges as the Iraqi government strives to assert the principle that all weapons must be exclusively under state control. This effort is met with considerable debate among political parties and armed factions regarding the implementation and timeline for such a policy. Writer and journalist Montadhar Naser observed that the issue has exposed deep contradictions within the Coordination Framework, with divisions even appearing within individual parties and factions.

Naser explained that the dispute extends beyond mere weapons management, linking it to defining Iraq's relationship with both the U.S. and Iran. It also involves determining the extent to which security and military decision-making can remain independent of armed groups tied to external powers. The debate coincided with an unannounced visit to Baghdad by Esmail Qaani, commander of Iran's Quds Force, who met with several Coordination Framework leaders, fueling speculation about Tehran's influence on the issue.

Sources suggest Tehran desires to keep the factional weapons issue effectively unresolved, possibly allowing nominal government control while maintaining practical influence. While this proposal might appeal to some within the Coordination Framework, Iraqi state authorities reportedly do not favor it. The government faces a critical political and security test, as any forceful disarmament attempt risks confrontation with influential factions, while inaction allows the status quo to persist.

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We will not allow the Prime Minister or anyone else to reach this level in dealing with our brothers in the resistance, because that would open the door to internal discord, the primary beneficiaries of which would be the US, the Zionist entity, and those lying in wait for us.