New government renews call to bring all weapons under state authority

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s new government renewed calls Sunday for all weapons and armed formations to come under state authority, with the spokesperson for the commander-in-chief of the armed forces describing weapons consolidation as “the first strategic pillar” of the government’s national security program.

Sabah al-Numan told the Iraqi News Agency that the government program requires “strict commitment to the issue of limiting weapons to the hands of the state and enforcing the rule of law as the basic step to end armed manifestations outside the legal framework and secure the internal stability necessary to protect the sovereignty of the state.” He said all armed formations would be subject to “the authority of the general command and the unified state security decision,” with resources and capabilities linked to the official state system.

Numan also said Iraq’s security doctrine was based on “preventive diplomacy” and a policy of not allowing Iraqi territory to serve as a launching point for attacks on other countries, while also preventing foreign interference in Iraq’s internal affairs.

The issue has dominated Iraqi political and security discussions for years. Several armed factions within the Popular Mobilization Forces, while officially part of Iraq’s state security apparatus, maintain their own political leadership and military structures. Successive governments have described weapons consolidation as a sovereign national priority, but implementation has remained limited. Some factions have rejected disarmament calls, linking the weapons issue to broader questions of foreign military presence and national sovereignty.

The United States has encouraged Baghdad to strengthen state control over armed groups, saying such measures support Iraq’s sovereignty and long-term stability, while at times raising concerns over PMF legislation and faction influence. The new government of Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi faces the same challenge its predecessor could not resolve.