Shia National Movement leader Muqtada Al-Sadr announced the dissolution of the armed groups under his command, known as Saraya Al-Salam , with his armed supporters incorporating into the Iraqi state . He also called on factions within the "Popular Mobilisation Forces" to separate from what he described as "partisan and sectarian orders".
The call followed a series of statements by Al-Sadr in which he declared his readiness to comply with restricting weapons to state control after armed factions known for their loyalty to Iran said they are mulling over surrendering their weapons.
Al-Sadr said in a statement that "the separation of Saraya Al-Salam from the National Shia Movement has become a completely political entity, with armed elements fully integrating into the state under the commander-general of the military formations".
He added that "the decision comes within a vision aimed at strengthening state authority and restricting military activity to official institutions".
Civilian bodies linked to 'Saraya al-Salam' would be merged into what he described as the "solid structure" and "would operate without headquarters, weapons, uniforms or organisational names within the framework of reorganising the civilian structures associated with them.”
Al-Sadr expressed hope that all Popular Mobilisation Forces formations, brigades and factions would separate from "partisan and sectarian orders", especially after the "factions" hand over their weapons to the state, as they were advised to do years ago.
Al-Sadr's statement did not explain how Saraya al-Salam would be integrated into the state, nor which security agencies would absorb the thousands of fighters among Al-Sadr's supporters and followers. Saraya al-Salam has three brigades within the Popular Mobilisation Forces Commission—313, 314 and 315—which undertake prominent security tasks in several areas, most notably the city of Samarra in Salahuddin province.
This move has opened the door to the project of restricting weapons to state control, which the government of Ali Falih A-Zaidi seeks to pursue.
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi praised Al-Sadr's position on incorporating Saraya al-Salam into the state.
In a statement, he said that "this step represents an important path towards strengthening internal stability, consolidating the principle of restricting weapons to state control, and supporting the security services in carrying out their constitutional duties". Al-Zaidi called on all armed factions to "take the same path and operate under the umbrella of the state and its official institutions in a way that guarantees the protection of Iraq, preserves its sovereignty, and enhances security and stability on the basis that the state is the only authority exclusively authorised to carry weapons and enforce the law".
In recent days, activists and members of some Shia parties have circulated claims that political forces within the "Coordination Framework" alliance and known armed factions have shown flexibility on the issue of restricting weapons to state control after years of refusing to surrender their weapons.
However, only two movements reportedly showed no flexibility: " Kataib Hezbollah " and " Harakat Al-Nujaba ".
Other factions, such as " Kataib Sayyid Al-Shuhada ", " Imam Ali ", "Al-Awfiya " and " Asaib Ahl al-Haq ", may move towards handing over their weapons to the state in exchange for guarantees preventing their leaders from being targeted by Washington or the Israeli occupation.
Shibl Al-Zaidi, leader of the Imam Ali militia, confirmed his support for the government's steps and the prime minister's measures to bring weapons under state control and regulate the Popular Mobilisation Forces Commission.
He said the move was "a vision stemming from a national need for remedies arising from reality, and steps towards building a strong sovereign state with capabilities". Asaib Ahl al-Haq in Iraq, led by Qais Al-Khazali, also confirmed its support for state authority and rejection of any uncontrolled weapons outside official institutions.
Khaled Al-Saadi, a member of the political bureau of the Sadiqoun bloc, the political wing of " Asaib Ahl Al-Haq" , said the group believes in "the authority and strength of the state, and that it should be the party controlling weapons, with no existence of uncontrolled weapons outside the framework of the state".
He stressed that "the movement renews the call launched by Asaib secretary-general Qais Al-Khazali regarding restricting weapons to state control and that this is a national voice and national call aimed at not giving pretexts to external parties, including the American side or any party trying to fish in troubled waters under the pretext of weapons outside the framework of the state to attack Iraq".
No government steps regarding the integration of Saraya Al-Salam have yet to become clear, nor has the meaning of the group's separation from Muqtada Al-Sadr's leadership in the state, or the fate of its weapons and the areas where its members are present and under administration, especially since the announcement came without further details.
Ali Al-Hajimi, a political activist from Najaf province, said that "Al-Sadr's announcement regarding the integration of Saraya al-Salam into the Iraqi state, on an important day, the first day of Eid al-Adha, represents the beginning of a new path chosen by Al-Sadr for the popular movement".
He added that "it is a step in support of Al-Zaidi's government in presenting further efforts to end uncontrolled weapons and restrict them through communication with factions or by punishing them".
He told The New Arab that "the prime minister, during the coming days, will communicate with Al-Sadr to establish plans and mechanisms for this proposed integration, but it is not yet known whether Saraya al-Salam members will join the army or police or be distributed among new brigades within the Popular Mobilisation Forces".
Politicians viewed the decision to restrict weapons as one that should not be left to factions' discretion.
Former MP Dhafer Al-Ani said in a statement that "controlling weapons and monopolising them in favour of the state is not a voluntary decision for the factions, because if it were so, it would become optional and they would have the right to accept or reject it".
He stressed that "in principle it is a binding government measure stipulated by the constitution and regulated by laws".
Observers said Al-Sadr's position and other positions reflect what appears to be a growing awareness of the need to restrict weapons, amid increasing internal and external pressure pushing Baghdad towards reordering the security scene and reducing the phenomenon of multiple centres of armed power. "Embarrassment" for other factions Iraqi academic Sinan al-Fadhli told The New Arab that "Al-Sadr's step moved the issue of restricting weapons in an unprecedented manner and opened the door for other factions to redefine their relationship with the state".
He explained that " Saraya al-Salam represented one of the most prominent armed formations with popular reach, and when Al-Sadr announced placing it under the state's command, he embarrassed other factions that had been hesitant and politically pushed them towards adopting the same discourse."
He pointed out that "the issue is no longer related only to weapons but also to the form of the Iraqi state itself and whether the state remains capable of containing all armed forces within its official institutions or whether parallel centres of influence continue to exist."
He added that "the government is trying to invest in Al-Sadr's position to consolidate the idea that restricting weapons is no longer an external demand but is now being raised from within the Shiite house itself".
Al-Sadr's move may give Al-Zaidi's government additional political momentum to proceed with its project of restricting weapons, but at the same time, it places other factions before a sensitive test regarding the extent of their readiness to move from the legitimacy of "ideological weapons" to the legitimacy of the state and its institutions.
The programme of Ali Al-Zaidi's government, which won the confidence of the Iraqi parliament on 14 May, included a clause restricting weapons to state control, and he stressed this during his speech after winning confidence.
Armed factions did not express any positions regarding the government programme, except for Harakat al-Nujaba, led by Akram Al-Kaabi, which stated that "the clause restricting weapons to state control does not include resistance weapons, but rather weapons that caused chaos", without further clarification. Article translated from Arabic by Afrah Almatwari. To read the original, click here .