ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Nouri al-Maliki, a key Shiite political leader and Iraq’s former prime minister, has stated that the ongoing government efforts to restrict weapons to the state should not be called a “disarmament” due to the terminology’s “psychological impact” on non-state armed factions.

The Iraqi government under Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has led a renewed drive to restrict weapons to the state, and has set an end-of-September deadline for armed groups to hand over all weapons. The deadline coincides with the withdrawal of the US-led coalition against the Islamic State (ISIS) from Iraq.

Although many groups have expressed willingness to comply, Kataib Hezbollah, Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhadad, and Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba, three influential Iran-backed Iraqi armed factions who are designated by the US, have rejected the calls for disarmament.

The groups object to their weapons being considered “non-state” arms, as they are all technically part of the Iraqi state security apparatus due to their incorporation into the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF).

“The term ‘disarmament’ is not used, because perhaps the other side will become known as ‘a disarmed entity,’ and this has psychological impact and practical impact. No, this is ‘organizing arms’… organization, containment,” Maliki said in a promotional video for an exclusive interview which will air on Al Sharqiya TV on Friday.

Iraq’s ruling Shiite Coordination Framework has formed a committee, in coordination with the government, to determine the appropriate mechanisms for implementing the process of restricting weapons to the state, after the ruling Shiite bloc was reportedly tasked by Tehran to negotiate on behalf of the factions with the Iraqi government to avoid escalations between the two sides.

“This is another issue being discussed: whether to call it weapons preservation, weapons containment, or weapons confiscation. Does it include everything, or only a specific type of weapon that is considered a targeting weapon, both inside and outside the country? This is what this committee, formed with the brothers in the factions, will resolve,” Maliki added.

Commanders of Iran-backed factions previously told The New Region that the committee is headed by Badr Organization chief Hadi al-Amiri and includes Zaidi and Falih al-Fayyadh, head of the Popular Mobilization Commission (PMC), which is the official government agency in charge of bringing all PMF factions under state control.

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