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Iraq

Iraqi armed group sets 10 conditions for giving up weapons

2026-08-30

[Rudaw] Iraq's Iran-aligned armed group Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada

…one of the major Iraqi Shiite paramilitaries that belong to the IRGC…

has set 10 conditions for cooperating with Baghdad’s efforts to regulate the weapons of armed factions, including the withdrawal of US and Turkish forces from Iraq and the expulsion of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

In a statement on Saturday, the group said its position was based on what it described as the need to protect Iraq’s sovereignty and national interests, while maintaining that its weapons were a response to security threats.

Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada said its cooperation with any initiative to regulate weapons would depend on fulfilling 10 conditions.

The first condition calls for the “complete withdrawal of the American occupation from Iraq by land, sea, and air,” as well as an end to US military presence under any title. The group also demanded that Iraqi airspace not be used to launch attacks against other countries, particularly neighboring states.

The statement comes as Baghdad faces mounting pressure to place all weapons under state control. Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s government has set September 30 as the deadline for armed factions to disarm, making the move a key priority of his administration, with Washington also backing the effort.

“Carrying weapons to face dangers was not a luxury or a decision made without justification; rather, it was the product of circumstances and requirements imposed by realistic challenges,” Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada said.

“However, they may return whenever necessity dictates, and there is no power in existence that can prevent it then,” it added.

Posted by:badanov

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