Militia threatens response to any foreign military presence in Iraq from September 30

BAGHDAD — The armed group Ashab al-Kahf said it would monitor U.S. aircraft and ground movements in Iraq and respond militarily to any foreign presence from the night of Sept. 30, rejecting any handover of its weapons.

“Starting tomorrow night, any foreign presence, whether on the ground or in the air, will face a military response from us. This is a legitimate right guaranteed by international conventions to confront occupation,” the group said in a statement on Tuesday. “The issue of handing over weapons is an illusion dreamed of by the weak, the humiliated and slaves of the dollar.”

It said it would use its weapons against anyone who moved against its fighters or tried to disarm it. “We make clear that any hand extended against our mujahideen will be cut off, and we will use weapons to defend the weapons against whoever it may be.” It said it would soon unveil a new weapon “which will please friends and anger the enemy,” and warned that any country taking part in an attack on Iran should withdraw its military and economic interests, with “some of them” to expect a response “in revenge for the martyrs of the Popular Mobilization Forces.”

The group also addressed U.S. envoy Tom Barrack. “What the terrorist Tom Barrack dreams of, removing Iraq from the arena of the Axis of Resistance, is difficult to achieve and will not happen,” it said.

A Kataib Hezbollah security official said on Sunday that the group would monitor Iraqi airspace after Sept. 30, warning and then trying to shoot down aircraft it considers hostile, and threatened to work to bring down Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s government.

Zaidi’s plan for the armed factions begins on Sept. 30 with a 90-day halt to attacks, followed by six months to hand over weapons, ending on June 30, 2027. He told President Donald Trump at the White House in July that there would be no justification for armed factions after Sept. 30, and the governing coalition said in August that armed activity outside state authority after that date could be treated under the Anti-Terrorism Law. Security adviser Qasim al-Araji later said the date applied only to the coalition and marked the start of talks. Saraya al-Salam, Asaib Ahl al-Haq and the Imam Ali Battalions have moved to comply. Kataib Hezbollah, Harakat al-Nujaba, Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada and Ashab al-Kahf refuse.

The coalition mission set up in 2014 ends on Sept. 30 under the 2024 agreement, and its forces have handed over their bases.