Iraq PM orders draft law to place all weapons under state control

BAGHDAD, Aug 11: Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi has ordered officials to draft legislation aimed at placing all weapons in the country under exclusive state control, as Baghdad seeks to strengthen government authority over armed groups and security forces.

Al-Zaidi issued the directive during a meeting in Baghdad with Khalid al-Obeidi, head of parliament’s Security and Defense Committee, according to a statement from the prime minister’s office carried by the Iraqi News Agency (INA).

The meeting focused on security developments, efforts by Iraq’s security agencies to maintain stability, and measures to protect the country’s borders and airspace from various threats. Al-Zaidi also called for closer cooperation between the executive and legislative branches to support security and government development plans.

The move follows a decision announced on June 3 by Sabah al-Numan, spokesman for the commander-in-chief of Iraq’s armed forces, to establish a committee tasked with ensuring that weapons are held exclusively by the state. The committee has already begun its work.

The issue is particularly sensitive in Iraq, where numerous armed factions operate, including groups affiliated with the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), alongside other factions operating independently of the state.

The government has been seeking to establish a state monopoly over the possession and use of weapons, while strengthening the authority of official security institutions and preventing regional conflicts from spilling into Iraq.

Government spokesman Haider al-Aboudi said Monday that discussions were continuing to overcome obstacles to the plan. He said the government remains committed to establishing the state’s exclusive control over the use of force according to an existing timeline, with the process expected to be completed by the end of September.

The push comes amid continued security concerns. Earlier Tuesday, three Iraqi soldiers were wounded when an improvised explosive device detonated near an army vehicle south of Kirkuk in northern Iraq, INA reported.