Iran-backed militias Asaib Ahl Al Haq and Imam Ali Brigades said they have begun to disengage from the Popular Mobilisation Forces and placing all of their weapons under state control, in a rare public move by some of Iraq’s most powerful armed factions.
In a statement on Tuesday, the AAH said the decision followed a call from Iraq’s most senior Shiite spiritual leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali Al Sistani, and government demands to ensure a state monopoly on arms.
It had formed a central committee with the job of fulfilling all requirements for the handover, including an inventory of personnel, weapons, vehicles, equipment and logistics.
It will also co-ordinate directly with the Commander-in-Chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces – Prime Minister Ali Al Zaidi – to fulfil the requirements of state and security institutions.
President Nizar Amedi welcomed the decision and “reaffirmed the principle that arms must remain exclusively under state authority, in line with the constitution and the law and in support of security and stability across the country”.
“A strong state derives its authority from its constitutional and legal institutions, and every step that reinforces this principle contributes to strengthening state institutions, upholding the rule of law, and deepening public confidence in national institutions,” he said.
Parliament Speaker Haibat Al Halbousi commended the “responsible stance” taken by the AAH.
“Building a strong and a stable state requires supporting its constitutional institutions and enabling them to perform their duties, monopolising military and security decision-making,” he added.
The US, which has been applying increasing pressure on Iraq to reduce the influence of non-state actors, congratulated Mr Al Zaidi on the development.
It "represents the nascent foundation for a renewed Iraqi self-governance, grounded in restored sovereignty, enduring stability, and the promise of national renewal," Tom Barrack, the US ambassador to Turkey who has also been named special presidential envoy for Iraq and Syria, said on X.
Imam Ali Brigades said the move was taken “out of national responsibility, to preserve the gains of victory, and to strengthen national unity".
The faction described the separation from PMF and integration into government institutions as a shift from armed resistance to political and institutional work.
“In this regard, we renew our covenant to our people and to the families of our martyrs that we will remain loyal to the land, loyal to the blood, and defenders of sovereignty and dignity in all fields,” the statement said.
It added that “the arena today is for the battle of building a strong, capable, sovereign state, unified by all its sons”, indicating that its role would now focus on defending Iraq through institutions rather than weapons.
The announcement comes amid renewed pressure from the US and Mr Al Zaidi’s government to integrate or disarm Iran-backed militias operating under the PMF umbrella. The AAH is one of the largest and most influential factions within the PMF, and is designated by the US as a terrorist organisation.
When ISIS seized large parts of northern and western Iraq in mid-2014 as the country's US-trained security forces collapsed, thousands of Iraqis answered the call by Mr Al Sistani to join the fight against the extremist group.
Several powerful pro-Tehran Shiite militias – including the AAH, which had been fighting in Syria’s civil war in support of Bashar Al Assad's forces – joined the PMF. They also kept parallel forces operating outside it under the umbrella group, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq.
After Iraq declared victory over ISIS in late 2017, the PMF and Iran-backed armed factions expanded their influence militarily, economically and politically. This extended reach has made them powerful enough to challenge the government in several cases.
These groups have claimed responsibility for hundreds of attacks inside and outside the country since the Iran war broke out on February 28 to support Tehran in the face of US and Israeli attacks, avenge the killing of the late Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and in response to strikes on their own bases.
The integration of the PMF into Iraq's security forces, while disarming other groups and keeping politicians linked to them way from senior government posts, are the main demands of US President Donald Trump. Last year, the Iraqi government withdrew a contentious draft law to regulate the PMF and grant it more power, after pressure from the US and other foreign powers.
Last week, Shiite cleric and former militia leader Moqtada Al Sadr announced the “complete separation” of his armed faction, Saraya Al Salam, from the PMF and its integration into the country's state-run forces.
Mr Al Sadr's militia is not pro-Iran but his move was to “support the government and an attempt to move a heavy rock in the issue of non-state actors in Iraq”, a Shiite politician told The National.
If the AAH plan is implemented, the move would be a significant shift in the group’s formal relationship with the state, although similar pledges by other factions in recent years have led to limited results.
The AAH did not provide a timeline for completing the inventory or transferring its weapons.
The US has opposed any participation in Iraq's government by members of Kataib Hezbollah, Harakat Hezbollah Al Nujaba, Kataib Sayyid Al Shuhada, Harakat Ansar Allah Al Awfiya, Imam Ali Brigades and the AAH. Washington has designated these groups terrorist organisations and imposed sanctions on their senior members.
To appease Washington, Iraqi authorities are debating a plan to establish a security ministry that would bring the PMF and other bodies under a single structure amid mounting US pressure. However, the US has yet to confirm whether it would accept this move.
