Iraq’s speaker of parliament calls for ‘no weapons outside the law’

BAGHDAD — Parliament Speaker Haibat al-Halbousi called for all weapons to be placed under state control as the coalition’s mission ended on Wednesday, saying Iraq would not be an arena for regional conflicts or a corridor for attacks on other countries.

“Iraq is a sovereign state, and its decisions are made by the will of its people. On its territory, only the authority of the state and the law shall prevail,” he said in a statement for National Sovereignty Day. “It will not be an arena for settling conflicts or a corridor for attacking others, nor will we accept its territory, airspace or resources being subject to interference or violation. There are no weapons outside the framework of the law, no force outside state institutions, and no decision above the national decision.”

Two factions said this week they would do the opposite from Wednesday night. Ashab al-Kahf said any foreign presence on the ground or in the air would face a military response and rejected handing over its weapons, and a Kataib Hezbollah security official said the group would monitor Iraqi airspace and try to shoot down aircraft it considers hostile. Muqtada al-Sadr dissolved his Promised Day Brigade on Wednesday and called for all weapons to come under state control.

Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s plan for the 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. Reconstruction and Development bloc leader Bahaa al-Araji said last week that a majority of factions had accepted the principle but some want two years, and former Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said no one could be certain they would all hand over by the deadline. Sabah al-Numan, spokesperson for the commander-in-chief, said this month that any justification for armed activity outside state authority falls away with the coalition’s departure.

The end of the mission moves cooperation with coalition countries into a new phase based on coordination, mutual respect and shared interests rather than ending it, Halbousi said, and Iraq’s sovereignty “is not a matter of courtesy or compromise.” Drones launched from Iraqi territory struck a Saudi oil pipeline on Sept. 11, and Halbousi told the head of Saudi Arabia’s Shura Council afterward that using Iraqi territory against the kingdom would be inconsistent with Iraq’s policy.