Iraq's State Administration Coalition, which boasts Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish forces, made a firmer stance against factions that continue to carry weapons outside the authority of the state.
It stressed that any armed movement that takes place after the September 30 deadline for the factions to hand over their weapons will be dealt with according to the law, including the counter-terrorism law.
The move marked a political and security escalation in one of Iraq’s thorniest issues since the 2003 American invasion and ouster of the former regime.
Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi hosted on Wednesday the 37th regular meeting of the State Administration Coalition, attended by the president, president of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, parliament speaker and president of the Supreme Judicial Council.
The meeting reviewed the overall political, security, economic and service situation in the country, as well as regional developments and their implications for Iraq, reported the country’s state news agency INA.
In a statement after the meeting, the alliance said: “The State Administration Coalition reaffirmed its support for continued efforts to preserve security and stability, as well as the government’s efforts to ensure that all arms remain under state authority, in accordance with the Government Program approved by the parliament and now in force.”
“It also stressed the need to prevent Iraqi territory from being used as a launching point for attacks against neighboring countries or from drawing Iraq into conflicts that do not serve the interests of its people,” it added.
“The Coalition considered that anyone engaging in such conduct commits the crime of threatening the country’s security and shall be regarded as being outside the law,” it stressed.
“Such individuals must be confronted in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution, which prohibit the use of arms outside the authority of the state or the formation of any armed organization outside the official Armed Forces,” it urged.
'Bold' statement
The coalition met days after Hadi al-Ameri, one of the leading members of pro-Iran Coordination Framework and leader of the Badr Organization, resisted calls to lay down the weapons of his armed faction.
He said that he “will be the first rifle to turn against anyone who encroaches on the weapons of the resistance.” He made his remarks during a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who was in Iraq on a religious visit to the cities of Najaf and Karbala.
The government had set the end of September as a deadline for factions to turn over their weapons to the state. American forces deployed in Iraq as part of the anti-ISIS coalition are also set to pull out of the country on the same date.
Other armed factions, such as the Iran-aligned Kataib Hezbollah, have declared in recent days their refusal to lay down their weapons. Kataib Hezbollah called for keeping the “resistance’s weapons” and developing its arsenal to confront “challenges” and “enemies.”
Political science professor at the Al-Mustansiriyah University Taleb Mohammed Karim said the government’s statement is an attempt to “organize” relations between the state and armed factions that emerged during extraordinary circumstances after 2003.
Supporters of the plan to impose state monopoly over arms deem it necessary for Iraq to consolidate its sovereignty, while opponents see it as an attempt to target them politically given the lack of trust between parties, he noted.
Head of the Center for Political Thinking in Iraq Dr. Ihssan Shmary described the statement as “bold” compared to previous ones.
It reflects the government and political parties’ seriousness in wanting to resolve the issue of weapons outside state control, he remarked, highlighting that the statement said that the arms would be dealt with according to the counter-terrorism law.
Meanwhile, President of the Supreme Judicial Council Judge Faiq Zidan and head of the Counter-Terrorism Service Lieutenant General Staff Zaid Houshi discussed joint cooperation and coordination on Thursday.
They tackled enhancing cooperation and coordination between the judiciary and the Counter-Terrorism Service in a manner that strengthens the rule of law, said INA.
Zidan also received Director of the Office of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Lieutenant General Abdul Amir Al-Shammari to discuss measures to ensure the rule of law and support security.
