Iraq has set June 30, 2027 as a new deadline for armed factions to surrender weapons, after the US-led coalition ended its mission…reports Asian Lite
Iraq has set June 30, 2027 as a new deadline for armed factions to hand their weapons over to the state, after the US-led coalition formally ended its military mission in the country.
Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi announced the new timeline on Thursday, saying October 1 marked the start of a process to address the issue of weapons held outside state control.
“October 1 is considered a serious beginning to address the issue of weapons outside state control,” Zaidi said in a statement, adding that the process would follow an agreed roadmap and timelines extending no later than June 30, 2027.
The government had previously set September 30 as the deadline for armed groups to disarm but later withdrew it as negotiations over how to regulate weapons continued.
The Iraqi government has argued that the departure of the US-led coalition removes one of the main justifications used by armed factions, many of which are backed by Iran, to maintain their weapons.
However, some factions have rejected calls for disarmament, raising concerns that the end of the coalition mission could strengthen their position and increase the risk of Iraq being drawn further into regional conflicts.
Zaidi said decisions on war and peace must remain with Iraq’s constitutional institutions.
“Based on the constitutional principle, the decision of war and peace should be left to the constitutional authorities, banning all military action to the contrary,” he said.
The US-led coalition officially ended its mission in Iraq on Wednesday, more than a decade after it deployed to support the fight against Islamic State.
The withdrawal was welcomed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which described the departure of US forces as a “historic victory” and called for American troops to leave the wider Middle East.
The Guards congratulated Iraq and what it described as the “Islamic Resistance” on the withdrawal in a statement carried by Iranian state media.
Armed groups reject deadline
The latest deadline comes amid disagreement between the Iraqi government and armed factions over the future of weapons outside state control.
Some groups have already handed weapons to the state, while others have rejected calls to surrender their arsenals.
Iran-backed Iraqi factions said on Wednesday that they were “not bound by any timeline or agreement” to hand over their weapons.
Jaafar al-Husseini, a military spokesman for Kataeb Hezbollah, said during an event marking the withdrawal of coalition forces that the factions had held talks with the government about “regulating” their weapons.
However, he said they had not yet received a response from the Iraqi government.
