Araji says weapons policy is not meant to exclude fighters

BAGHDAD — An adviser to the Iraqi prime minister said the drive to bring weapons under state control is not intended to exclude fighters or dismiss their sacrifices, and urged the government to drop threatening language from its public messaging.

Qasim al-Araji said Iraqis who helped defeat terrorism remained a source of pride, and that restricting weapons to state institutions was meant to bring fighters and their families into a legal framework protecting their rights under the authority of the commander-in-chief. Official communications should convey reassurance and national partnership rather than threats, he said, to avoid attempts to exploit public concerns or distort the policy’s aims.

Araji was national security adviser until Zaidi replaced him in June and now serves as the prime minister’s security adviser. Security Media Cell chief Lt. Gen. Saad Maan has said forces operating outside official institutions will not be accepted after Sept. 30, and the governing coalition said this month that armed activity after that date would be treated under the Anti-Terrorism Law.