Maliki backs militia weapons push in meeting with US chargé d’affaires

BAGHDAD — State of Law Coalition leader Nouri al-Maliki expressed support Sunday for restricting weapons to official state institutions during a meeting with Joshua Harris, chargé d’affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Iraq.

According to a statement from Maliki’s office, the two discussed ways to strengthen bilateral relations and ongoing political dialogue on completing parliamentary approval of the nine remaining cabinet posts. Maliki stressed “the importance of consolidating political and security stability in the country” and supporting “state efforts to enforce the rule of law and restrict weapons to official institutions,” saying those efforts would “enhance the prestige of the state, preserve security and stability, and safeguard the supreme interests of the Iraqi people.”

The meeting is notable given Maliki’s fraught relationship with Washington. During government formation negotiations, U.S. President Donald Trump publicly opposed Maliki’s candidacy for prime minister, effectively vetoing his bid and contributing to the emergence of Ali al-Zaidi as a compromise candidate.

Nine of the government’s 23 ministries remain unapproved after political parties failed to reach consensus during the May 14 confidence session.

Iraq began the formal integration of Saraya al-Salam into the state security structure at a ceremony in Samarra last Thursday, following Muqtada al-Sadr’s May 27 announcement that the group would come under state authority. The precise command structure for compliant factions has not been publicly detailed, with official statements using broad terms such as “integration” and “restructuring” without specifying whether fighters will be absorbed individually into army units or remain as intact formations.

Harakat al-Nujaba, Kataib Hezbollah and Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada have rejected disarmament, describing their weapons as “a trust and a duty.”