Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi on Thursday confirmed June 30, 2027, as the new deadline for armed factions in the country – many of which are backed by Iran – to turn over their weapons to the state, following the end of the U.S.-led coalition’s mission in the country. Iraq had previously set Sept. 30 this year as the deadline for the groups’ disarmament, hoping for it to coincide with the withdrawal of U.S. forces from the country.
That previous deadline, according to al-Zaidi, is now a starting point.
“October 1 is considered a serious beginning to address the issue of weapons outside state control … according to a clear roadmap and agreed timelines extending no later than June 30, 2027,” he said in a statement. He had told The New York Times last week that the groups should be disbanded by June 2027.
The Iraqi government believes the withdrawal of coalition forces will deprive the armed factions, including Shiite Muslim groups considered proxies of Iranian power, of the excuse they have used to retain their arsenal.
But many fear the pullout could boost the factions instead, and draw the country deeper into the Iran war.
“The majority of Iraqis doubt the ability of the security and military apparatus to maintain security in the country, whether regarding the prevention of external aggressions and attacks or internal movements by armed groups operating outside state control of the government,” journalist and regional political analyst Saman Noah told CBS News on Wednesday.
That is “especially true given that experience has proven the government’s inability to subject these [Iran-backed] groups to state decision-making, control their behavior or hold their members accountable,” he said.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which has long worked directly and openly with some of the Iraqi factions, welcomed the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq as a “historic victory” and vowed to “continue to stand alongside the peoples of the region who seek justice and oppose oppression.”
In July, the U.S. and Saudi militaries launched airstrikes on Iranian-backed groups in Iraq after they allegedly targeted American forces in the region.
CBS/AFP
