ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Iraqi leaders on Monday commemorated the 104th anniversary of the founding of the Iraqi Army, including influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who called for restricting arms to the state and controlling “rogue” groups.

Sadr congratulated the army on the occasion, branding the forces as “the Homeland’s Wall.”

"From here, we renew the call to restrict weapons to the army and security forces. No, and a thousand nos, to unregulated weapons and to rogue groups," said Sadr in a statement.

Sadr himself has founded multiple armed factions operating outside of state control, including the Jaish al-Mahdi (Mahdi Army) which was founded in 2003 to confront the US invasion of Iraq and disbanded in 2008. The group was partially revived under the name Saraya al-Salam in 2014, which Sadr continues to lead to this day.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’s al-Sudani also commemorated the anniversary, referring to the army as “an impregnable wall against terrorism and threats,” reaffirming the government’s commitment to supporting the army in developing its capabilities and enhancing its “national role.”

“Our army is of the people and for the people,” said Sudani.

The anniversary coincides with reports in recent weeks of international calls on the Iraqi government to disarm and dissolve armed groups not operating under the umbrella of Iraqi state forces, including the government-linked Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF).

The PMF was formed in 2014 based on a fatwa (religious decree) from Iraq's top Shiite religious authority Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, calling for defending Iraqi cities and participating in the fight against Islamic State (ISIS).

Speaking during an event on Saturday, Sudani stated “no one has the right to impose change and reform on us in any file, whether economic or security.”