Iraq is going through a transition with its new prime minister, Ali al-Zaidi. According to a recent report, he continues to push for the government to have a monopoly on weapons, which would ostensibly rein in Iranian-backed militias.
The militias have not yet disarmed, however, fitting into a similar pattern across the Middle East in which Iranian proxy groups refuse to disarm.
“The monopoly on weapons is nonnegotiable,” according to Iraqi officials, UAE-based news site Al-Ain News reported over the weekend. Iraq has supposedly confirmed that restricting weapons to the state is a firm position that “does not accept compromise,” the report said.
As such, Sabah al-Numan, the spokesperson for the commander-in-chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces, on Saturday said: “That the issue of restricting weapons to the state and dismantling any armed movements outside the framework of the law is an existential issue that is not open to compromise.”
The understandings with the regional countries represent a practical translation of the new security arrangement, he added.
What does this actually mean? Apparently, Iraq will put in place some kind of guarantees to show that it is disarming the groups.
The Iraqi state is in a new stage of 'absolute sovereignty'
Numan said: “Everyone must realize that the Iraqi state, with its military and security institutions, has completely left the stage of reaction and moved entirely to the stage of strategic deterrence and imposing absolute sovereignty.”
That sounds like a lot of generalized language, making it unclear whether the government will actually fulfill its promises.
Nevertheless, Iraq said it would close any loopholes that have led to “weakening the rule of law or testing the prestige of the state.”
Once again, it is not clear if this means Iraq will take action against the Iranian-backed militias, which are technically state-backed paramilitaries. More likely, it will claim to be disarming other groups.
Iraq said it has been asserting itself and increasing security at its borders. Furthermore, it claimed to be putting new technologies in place, such as thermal-imaging cameras.
Numan said: “The government’s position here is decisive and does not allow for any interpretation; the issue of restricting weapons is in the hands of the state, and dismantling any armed movements outside the framework and guardianship of the joint military command is an existential issue and a sovereign constant that is not subject to compromise or circumvention under any name.”
New committee to address unauthorized weapons
Since June 3, Iraq has had a new joint committee that deals with the issue of weapons outside of state control. It has also been trying to “disengage” militias from the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) and restrict weapons to state control. How this will happen in practice is not clear.
Meanwhile, Zaidi “decided on Saturday to appoint former national security adviser Qasim al-Araji as his special security adviser,” Baghdad-based news agency Shafaq News reported.
Araji is a former interior minister and a former national security adviser. He is a member of the Badr organization, one of the largest militias, and a key part of the PMF.
Badr has numerous brigades within the PMF, the largest militia the US has not sanctioned. It has been close to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps since the 1980s. The question now is whether Araji’s role has been reduced and whether this could give the government more clout in dealing with the militias.
The decision to change Araji’s role “comes directly after al-Zaidi oversaw the handover ceremony at the National Security Advisory building between the new adviser, Qasim Hassan al-Aboudi, and his predecessor, al-Araji,” Shafaq News reported.
“This move comes as part of a series of sweeping changes made by Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi to senior political and security positions since he took office last May, with the aim of restructuring vital state institutions and activating oversight and security agencies in accordance with his ministerial program,” the report said.
Iraqi media outlets seem to have high hopes that “new blood” will not enter the system in Baghdad.