Asaib Ahl al-Haq forms ‘committee’ to separate from PMF, hand weapons to state

BAGHDAD — Asaib Ahl al-Haq announced Tuesday the formation of a central committee to implement the separation of its forces from the Popular Mobilization Forces and place its weapons under state control.

In a statement, the group said the move comes “in line with the call of the supreme religious authority” and “in response to the national position expressed by our brothers in the Coordination Framework,” citing remarks by Secretary-General Qais al-Khazali on separating from PMF formations and restricting weapons to state hands. The committee is tasked with completing “all requirements and procedures” for implementing the decision, including an inventory of personnel, weapons, vehicles, equipment and logistical assets.

The announcement follows the Coordination Framework’s statement Monday supporting weapons restriction and PMF separation from political affiliations, and authorizing Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi to take the decisions needed to implement the policy. It also follows cleric Muqtada al-Sadr’s earlier decision to integrate his armed wing, Saraya al-Salam, into the Iraqi armed forces.

Not all factions have endorsed the direction. Kataib Hezbollah, one of the most powerful Iran-backed militias in Iraq and a key component of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, has repeatedly rejected calls to disarm, arguing its weapons are tied to Iraq’s security and the presence of foreign forces, and has said it will not discuss relinquishing them until foreign forces leave. Other Iran-aligned factions have similarly linked any future disarmament to broader arrangements on foreign military presence. The US State Department’s Rewards for Justice program has offered up to $10 million each for information on three faction leaders: Harakat al-Nujaba founder Akram al-Kaabi, Kataib Hezbollah leader Ahmad al-Hamidawi and Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada secretary-general Abu Ala al-Walaei.

Since the regional war began in late February, Iran-aligned factions under the Islamic Resistance in Iraq umbrella have carried out repeated drone, rocket and missile attacks on US military and diplomatic targets in Baghdad and the Kurdistan Region, while the United States has struck PMF-linked positions across multiple governorates, killing dozens of fighters.