Iraq discusses plan on armed groups’ weapons through 2028 — Asharq Al-Awsat
In Iraq, representatives of the Shiite Coordination Framework and pro-Iranian armed groups are discussing a weapons control plan extending until the beginning of 2028. The project provides for integrating fighters into the Popular Mobilization Forces without an immediate surrender of weapons, Asharq Al-Awsat reports, citing sources and officials.
Integration plan
According to the publication, at least four meetings on restricting weapons were held by former prime ministers Nouri al-Maliki and Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, as well as the head of the Badr Organization, Hadi al-Amiri. The parties discussed a formula under which weapons would not be used, provided that the groups do not surrender them.
The draft agreement reviewed by the publication provides for a first stage from September 30 to December 31, 2026. During this period, the groups’ fighters are planned to be integrated into the Popular Mobilization Forces as brigades, without requiring them to surrender their weapons.
The second stage is to begin in early 2027 and concerns agreeing on a schedule for the withdrawal of Turkish troops from Iraq. Under the plan, this process is to be completed by July 1, 2027.
At the third stage, it is proposed to establish a committee involving the Popular Mobilization Forces, the Coordination Framework, the groups, and the government. It is to oversee the integration of the formations and the withdrawal of Turkish troops until the beginning of 2028.
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Conditions of the groups
Asharq Al-Awsat’s sources claim that representatives of the groups agreed to the plan on the condition that any party could consider it invalid. This could happen if the war against Iran resumes or if members of the Coordination Framework or the groups, in their wording, face an “existential threat.”
In return, according to one informed source cited by the publication, the groups commit not to attack foreign companies and other entities during the implementation of the agreement. Representatives of the formations are also seeking guarantees against legal prosecution and the cancellation of checks on their members and leaders.
Prime minister’s position
Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, according to an adviser to the ruling coalition, is skeptical of the negotiating committee and considers it biased. At the same time, he held separate consultations with the Harakat al-Nujaba movement and the Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada group, offering them civilian positions in state institutions in exchange for an acceptable disarmament formula.
The publication’s sources also said that about a week before the attack on the East-West oil pipeline in Saudi Arabia, negotiators had already agreed on a schedule extending through the end of 2027. At the same time, Asharq Al-Awsat’s sources express doubts about guarantees for implementing a future agreement.
