Sadr: No Room for Militias in Iraq Anymore

Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr attends a news conference in Najaf, Iraq, November 18, 2021. (Reuters)
Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr attends a news conference in Najaf, Iraq, November 18, 2021. (Reuters)
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Sadr: No Room for Militias in Iraq Anymore

Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr attends a news conference in Najaf, Iraq, November 18, 2021. (Reuters)
Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr attends a news conference in Najaf, Iraq, November 18, 2021. (Reuters)

On the eve of the new Iraqi parliament holding its inaugural meeting, head of the Sadrist movement, cleric Moqtada al-Sadr slammed pro-Iran militias, saying there was no room left for them in the country.

In a tweet, he said: "There is no room for sectarianism or racism. There is only room for a national majoritarian government in which the Shiite will defend the rights of the minority Sunnis and Kurds."

"The Kurd will defend the rights of the minority Sunnis and Shiites and the Sunni will defend the rights of the minority Shiites and Kurds," he stressed.

Moreover, he revealed that his movement has reached an agreement with the Sunni and Kurdish forces to form the largest bloc in parliament that will allow it to form a new government at the expense of his rival fellow Shiite forces in the "Coordination Framework."

"There is no room anymore for militias, as everyone will support the army, police and security forces," Sadr announced.

"Along with the people, today we declare that we say no to subjugation," he stated. "Our decision is Iraqi, Shiite, Sunni, Kurdish, Turkmen, Christian, Feyli, Shabak, Yazidi and Sabian: This is an Iraqi mosaic that is neither eastern, nor western."

On Friday, Sadr had declared that he will go ahead to form a national majoritarian government that includes representatives of Sunni Arabs - from the Taqadum party and Azm alliance - and Kurds, represented by the Kurdistan Democratic Party, headed by Masoud Barzani.



Top Houthi Leaders Flee Sanaa Amid Trump-Ordered US Strikes

Top Houthi leaders disappear from Sanaa, communication cut off (Houthi Media)
Top Houthi leaders disappear from Sanaa, communication cut off (Houthi Media)
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Top Houthi Leaders Flee Sanaa Amid Trump-Ordered US Strikes

Top Houthi leaders disappear from Sanaa, communication cut off (Houthi Media)
Top Houthi leaders disappear from Sanaa, communication cut off (Houthi Media)

Senior Houthi leaders have disappeared from public life in Sanaa, gripped by fear of US airstrikes ordered by President Donald Trump, now entering their third week, sources in Yemen said.

The first-tier leadership of the Iran-aligned group is believed to have fled the capital, which remains under Houthi control, seeking shelter in remote areas of Saada and Amran provinces.

According to informed sources, the group’s leaders have severed traditional communication channels and several have either gone into hiding or relocated to undisclosed locations as a precaution against possible targeted strikes.

Since the launch of US airstrikes on March 15, senior and mid-level Houthi leaders have vanished from public view and social media platforms, Yemeni sources say, as fear of targeted attacks continues to grow within the group’s ranks.

Informed sources confirmed there has been no trace of the group’s top two tiers of leadership - neither in the institutions under Houthi control in Sanaa, nor on the streets and neighborhoods they once frequented in luxury vehicles.

Even the sectarian events that Houthi leaders were known to regularly attend have reportedly gone on without their visible presence.

The Houthi group has remained tight-lipped about the extent of its human and military losses following US airstrikes ordered by Trump.

However, sources say several leaders not belonging to the ruling family of Houthi leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi are still believed to be in Sanaa.

Many of these figures have adopted strict security measures to avoid detection, including travelling in vehicles with tinted windows and covering their faces with cloaks when leaving temporary residences, sources told Asharq Al-Awsat.

The precautions reflect growing fears of betrayal or being targeted by further strikes.

A source in Sanaa revealed that third-tier Houthi officials—mostly tribal figures and field supervisors—were instructed to flee to the northern provinces of Saada, Amran and other areas as US air raids intensified.

According to the source, mid-level Houthi officials have lost all direct contact with the group’s senior leadership after the latter switched locations and shut down their communication lines.