Judiciary chief urges remaining factions to join disarmament push

BAGHDAD — Supreme Judicial Council President Faiq Zaidan on Wednesday called on remaining resistance factions to follow groups that have agreed to place their weapons under state control, saying the step would support security and social stability.

In a statement, the judiciary said Zaidan thanked the National Shiite Movement, Asaib Ahl al-Haq and the Imam Ali Battalions for “responding to the call of the supreme religious authority, applying the constitution and law, and acting on the decision of the Coordination Framework, the call of reason and sincere national appeals to restrict weapons to the hands of the state.”

The statement said Zaidan had stressed the same position in remarks on Jan. 4, 2026.

According to the judiciary, Zaidan called on “the rest of the resistance factions to join their brothers who agreed to this, in order to achieve security and social stability.”

His remarks come as several armed factions have announced steps to separate from political structures and place weapons under state authority. Muqtada al-Sadr announced May 27 that Saraya al-Salam would separate from his movement and integrate into state institutions. Asaib Ahl al-Haq later formed a committee to oversee its separation from PMF formations and transfer weapons to state control, while the Imam Ali Battalions announced they were severing ties with the PMF and beginning procedures to hand over their weapons.

The moves followed a June 1 decision by the Coordination Framework supporting the restriction of weapons to state control and the separation of the Popular Mobilization Forces from political, partisan and social affiliations. The coalition also authorized Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, as commander-in-chief, to take the steps needed to implement the policy.

Not all factions have supported the initiative. Harakat al-Nujaba on Wednesday reaffirmed its rejection of disarmament, saying its position remained unchanged. Kataib Hezbollah and other Iran-aligned factions have also rejected calls to hand over weapons, linking their position to Iraq’s security and the presence of foreign forces.