 |
| Imam Ali Brigade |
On June 10 the Joint Operations Command announced it was beginning the process of integrating the Imam Ali Brigade into the Iraqi forces. This was the third armed group to do so after Moqtada al-Sadr’s Saraya al-Salam and Asaib Ahl Al-Haq.
The government’s plan according to the media has several steps. First, there is a committee in charge consisting of Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, ex-premier Mohammed al-Sudani and Badr head Hadi Amiri. The authorities will first audit the fighters and check for criminal records. Their weapons will be counted and turned over to the state. The fighters will then be distributed across different ministries and security forces. This is meant to break the command and control the different factions have over their personnel.
Additionally, Falah al-Fayad the head of the Hashd Commission gave a TV interview where he said the Hashd would be separated from their political parties. This was ordered back in 2016 but never implemented according to Fayad because of the war versus the Islamic State. Why it hadn’t been implemented in the nine years since the conflict ended was not mentioned. He stated that the goal is to put the Hashd under a unified command under the PM who is the commander and chief of the armed forces. At the same time, Fayad rejected dissolving the Hashd which has been mentioned in recent reports as the ultimate goal of the United States.
Three groups have said they refuse to disarm. Those are Kataib Hezbollah, Sayid al-Shuhada and Harakat al-Nujaba. They said as long as the United States is in Iraq they consider it an occupation requiring armed resistance.
The National Context pointed out that those willing to give up their weapons are more political than armed organizations. Sadr for example has always been a political and religious leader more than a militia commander. Asaib Ahl Al-Haq has also moved into the government and wants ministries under Prime Minister Zaidi. Groups such as Kataib Hezbollah however are armed factions more than a political group. They cannot give up their guns because they would lose all their power.
Al Hurra reported that the government may label those that do not disarm outlaws and terrorists. That would imply PM Zaidi is willing to use force against those factions which could be a very bloody affair.
A parliamentarian from the ruling Coordination Framework told The National that the Resistance groups’ future would ultimately be determined by U.S.-Iranian negotiations over ending the war. Tehran could sacrifice its Iranian allies in a deal with Washington. That seems unlikely as Iran has told its friends to not disarm and reject American demands. Iran also seems determined to drag out talks with the Trump administration to humiliate and punish it for starting the conflict. That all points the rejectionists holding out. Will that be resolved politically or through violence is yet to be seen.
Overall these events show that Washington has been wildly successful in pressuring the new Zaidi government to curtail Iranian influence in Iraq. The fact that Iraq’s economy is in shambles because of the war and that the U.S. has made that worse by cutting off delivering the country’s oil revenues means that Baghdad has nothing to bargain with. It must make concessions to survive at this point.
SOURCES
Asharq Al-Awsat, “Iraq’s PMF Declares ‘Complete Split’ from Parties, Factions,” 6/5/26
Mahmoud, Sinan, Ali Harisi, Mohamad, Aldroubi, Mina, “Iraq’s drive to disarm militias could stall after hardliners demand US military exit,” The National, 6/4/26
The National Context, “Iraq’s Hardline Factions Refuse a Disarmament Others Have Accepted,” 6/4/26
Saadoon, Mustafa, “Exclusive: Baghdad Threatens to Brand Militias as Terrorist Groups,” Al Hurra, 6/2/26
Shafaq News, “Iraq begins merging Kataib Imam Ali into state forces,” 6/10/26
Taqi, Ghassan, “Exclusive: Iraq Unveils Plan to Integrate Armed Factions,” Al Hurra, 6/5/26
No comments:
Post a Comment