Baghdad-INA
Head of Iraq's Security Media Cell Lieutenant General Saad Maan said on Thursday that practical steps have begun to implement a plan to place all weapons under state control, including severing political affiliations of armed groups operating under the umbrella of the country's official security institutions.
Speaking to Al-Iraqiya News, Followed by the Iraqi News Agency (INA), Maan said the first practical measures and operational arrangements had officially begun with the Peace Brigades (Saraya Al-Salam) in the city of Samarra.
He said the move is in line with the government's program, which places restricting weapons to state control and ending armed activity outside legal frameworks among its top priorities in order to strengthen internal security and national sovereignty.
Maan added that Shiite National Movement leader Muqtada Al-Sadr was the first to support the initiative, noting that his proposal received backing and close follow-up from the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.
He said a high-level committee had been formed under the chairmanship of the Deputy Commander of Joint Operations, with membership from the Prime Minister's Office, the Ministries of Defense and Interior, the Popular Mobilization Forces, and legal authorities, to oversee the handover process.
Maan said other groups, including Asaib Ahl al-Haq and Kataib Imam Ali, had also responded and begun legal and administrative procedures to arrange the process in a manner similar to that undertaken by Saraya Al-Salam.
He noted that current circumstances differ from previous years, as fighters had played a significant role in defeating Islamic State militants, adding that there is now a broad national consensus on integrating armed wings into state institutions while their former leaderships focus on political activities.
Regarding the structure and leadership of Popular Mobilization Forces brigades following the separation process, Maan said the issue would proceed through a series of measures beginning with the handover of medium and heavy weapons, followed by restructuring and eventual full integration.
He stressed that the Joint Operations Command, which coordinates Iraq's security forces, has the strategic vision required to assign duties, redeploy formations, and secure border areas in accordance with national interests while guaranteeing the rights of all fighters.
Maan also confirmed that all political ties of factions and combat formations operating under the umbrella of official security institutions would be severed, adding that these forces would receive orders and directives exclusively through the armed forces chain of command.
He said the process was progressing successfully through a gradual approach and the avoidance of abrupt decisions, citing broad public support and a unified media discourse backing the government's measures and the direct oversight of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.
