Iraq can disarm factions only when the US withdraws, PM tells Reuters

Iraq has pledged to bring all weapons under the control of the state, but that will not work so long as there is a U.S.-led coalition in the country that some Iraqi factions view as an occupying force, the prime minister said on Monday.

Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said a plan was still in place to have the multinational anti-Islamic State coalition completely leave Iraq, one of Iran’s closest Arab allies, by September 2026 because the threat from Islamist militant groups had eased considerably.

“There is no ISIS. Security and stability? Thank God it's there ... so give me the excuse for the presence of 86 states (in a coalition)," he told Reuters in an interview in Baghdad, referring to the number of countries that have participated in the coalition since it was formed in 2014.

"Then, for sure there will be a clear program to end any arms outside of state institutions. This is the demand of all," he said, noting factions could enter official security forces or get into politics by laying down their arms.

Reuters