Shafaq News-Baghdad
Iraq's JointOperations Command announced Wednesday that a specialized committee tasked withdisengagement and integration into the security forces has received the filesand data covering the fighters, weapons, equipment, and vehicles of the ImamAli Brigades Kataib Imam Ali, in preparation for completing merger and reorganizationprocedures.
The commandsaid that the committee continues its work under the government programratified by the Council of Representatives, under the supervision of itschairman, Lieutenant General Qais al-Mohammadawi, who oversaw the handover offiles in the presence of committee members and brigade leadership. “The proceduresare preliminary steps toward completing the merger phases, reorganizing theforces, and abolishing the separate names and designations of these formations.”
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Iraqi PrimeMinister Ali al-Zaidi reached an understanding with Asaib Ahl al-Haq and KataibImam Ali to form a joint committee that would coordinate placing weapons understate control within 48 hours, following a meeting with delegations from eachfaction. Al-Zaidi reaffirmed Tuesday that his government remains committed tothe process.
TheCoordination Framework —the umbrella grouping of Iraq's main Shiite politicalforces— authorized al-Zaidi to take all measures necessary to safeguard thecountry's supreme national interests, announcing its backing for the stateweapons monopoly project and calling for severing the Popular MobilizationForces (PMF) from all political, partisan, and social affiliations.
Kataib Hezbollah and Ashab al-Kahf have rejected any calls for disengagement. Harakatal-Nujaba described calls for a monopoly of arms by the state as pressure onresistance groups and the PMF, with its leadership warning that selectiveenforcement would deepen existing tensions.
Kataib Imam Aliemerged in 2014 during the mass mobilization that followed Grand Ayatollahal-Sistani's call to fight ISIS, operating as the PMF's 40th Brigade whilemaintaining ideological alignment with Iran.
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