Imam Ali Battalions hand over records and weapons inventory to state committee

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s government committee overseeing weapons restriction and security integration received the full personnel records and weapons, equipment and vehicle inventory of the Imam Ali Battalions on Wednesday, in the latest step toward bringing armed formations under state control.

Joint Operations Command said Lt. Gen. Qais al-Muhammadawi, head of the committee, supervised the handover alongside committee members and Imam Ali Battalions leaders. The records were received “in preparation for completing the stages of integration and reorganization, and canceling all other names and titles of these heroic formations,” the command said.

The move comes under a government program approved by parliament aimed at integrating armed groups into official security institutions and restricting weapons to the state. “This step comes within the framework of the government’s ongoing efforts to strengthen the foundations of stability, consolidate the rule of law, and restrict weapons and armed manifestations under the umbrella of the state,” the statement said.

The handover follows the launch of the integration plan in Samarra on June 4, when Saraya al-Salam transferred its security responsibilities to the Samarra Operations Command in the first publicly announced implementation step. The initiative began after Muqtada al-Sadr announced on May 27 that Saraya al-Salam would come under state authority, and after the Coordination Framework endorsed restricting weapons to the state and separating the Popular Mobilization Forces from political affiliations on June 1.

On June 7, Muhammadawi said all heavy and medium-heavy weapons belonging to participating formations, including tanks, artillery, certain missiles and drones, would be transferred to state-controlled warehouses under central committee supervision. He said the objective was “not limited to inventorying weapons or changing names, but to reach national security formations linked to the commander-in-chief of the armed forces and operating within the official frameworks of the state,” adding that “the stage requires security forces without political affiliations.”

The Imam Ali Battalions are among the groups participating in the integration process, alongside Saraya al-Salam and Asaib Ahl al-Haq. The program covers formations already administratively affiliated with the Popular Mobilization Forces and includes canceling political titles while reorganizing units within official security structures.

The announcement came a day after military spokesman Sabah al-Numan said the weapons restriction file had reached an irreversible stage and that there was no option outside the framework of the law. He also said the planned end of the international coalition’s military mission by September remained on schedule.