US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al Zaidi discussed the importance of disarming militia groups in Iraq, as the deadline to bring arms under state control was pushed from the end of this month to June next year.
In a meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, Mr Rubio and the Iraqi leader “agreed on the importance of Iraq dismantling terrorist militias, preventing attacks from Iraqi territory, and fully exercising its sovereignty”, a statement from the State Department said.
Washington has pushed Mr Al Zaidi to rein in Iran-backed militia groups and brings weapons held by non-state actors under government control. The Iraqi prime minister had vowed to disarm the groups by September 30 – the same deadline given to US-led forces to withdraw.
But in an interview with The New York Times published on Monday, Mr Al Zaidi said the government aimed to complete the disarmament process by June 2027, confirming suspicions that the end-of-September deadline would not be met.
Militia groups have largely pushed back against the deadline to disarm. Two prominent pro-Tehran armed groups, Asaib Ahl Al Haq and Kataib Imam Ali, alongside cleric Moqtada Al Sadr’s Saraya Al Salam faction, claim they have placed their weapons under state authority. But hardline factions – mainly Kataib Hezbollah and Harakat Hezbollah Al Nujaba – have said they will not disarm until foreign troops leave.
Last week, Mr Al Zaidi's security adviser, Qasim Al Araji, said there was no fixed date to finalise the process, throwing into question the feasibility of the September 30 date.
An Iraqi official close to Mr Al Zaidi told The National last week that the Iran-backed militias had not demonstrated their intent to surrender weapons. “There is significant resistance from militia groups regarding disarmament, complicating the withdrawal process and Iraq’s internal security landscape,” he said.
“This is not something that is optional. It is a necessity,” Mr Al Zaidi said in the interview about the need to disarm the groups. “Others who spoke of this then backtracked,” he said. “They yielded to pressure or to other concerns. For me, this issue, along with that of corruption, is a matter of honour.”
Mr Al Zaidi has put the disarmament process and the fight against corruption among his priorities. These are also issues which have brought him significant international pressure, particularly from the US, since taking office in May.
During his meeting with Mr Rubio, Mr Al Zaidi “reiterated the government’s determination to fulfil its sovereign responsibilities and move forward with measures to ensure that all arms remain under state authority”, his office said.
A committee has been formed by the government and the Co-ordination Framework, an umbrella group of Iran-backed political parties and militias, to bring weapons into state hands.
