Iraq to collect 6 million weapons despite pushback from Iran-backed militias

Iraq's government is proceeding with plans to gather roughly 6 million weapons held outside official institutions, according to the Interior Ministry, despite resistance from Iran-backed militias. The Interior Ministry's Deputy Hussein al-Awadi explained that Baghdad has reinterpreted September 30, initially set as a firm deadline for armed factions to surrender their arsenals, as the beginning of a regulatory process instead of a completion point.

A committee comprising Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, former Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, and two other members is crafting a new framework for the disarmament initiative. Al-Awadi's visit to Salah al-Din province highlighted a shift in focus from counter-terrorism to combating organized crime, with security files to be distributed to provinces sequentially in the coming months.

The ministry reported measurable progress in the past 100 days since al-Zaidi assumed office. The disarmament effort is carried out through negotiation rather than force. Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi affirmed in August that his government would not resort to military action against the factions, and some have already relinquished weapons while ongoing discussions persist with others.

US troop withdrawal in September left no justification for resistance in Iraq, and al-Zaidi ruled out accepting a state within a state. Tehran-backed militias, primarily Shia groups aligned with Iran, are at the heart of the dispute. These factions, loosely organized under the Popular Mobilisation Forces, have received support from Tehran.

Some PMF factions have been integrated into Iraq's security apparatus, while others maintain independent command structures and continue to receive weapons, funding, and direction from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Kataib Hezbollah and Harakat al-Nujaba, two of the most hardline Tehran-aligned groups, have refused to turn over what they consider "resistance weapons."

In contrast, Saraya al-Salam, Asaib Ahl al-Haq, and Kataib Imam Ali have reached agreements with the government to surrender or regularize their weapons status. Saraya al-Salam formally severed ties with cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's movement and was incorporated into the Iraqi security forces in Samarra in June. Al-Zaidi, a 40-year-old billionaire with no prior political experience, was selected as prime minister by parliament on May 14 as a compromise candidate amidst prolonged deadlock within the Shiite Coordination Framework. Restricting weapons to state control was a cornerstone of his government's agenda.