Iraq is seeking to disarm Iranian-backed militias. Under Ali al-Zaidi, who became prime minister in May, the country wants the weapons of the militias to come under state control. While the militias are aware that Baghdad has the backing of the United States to exert pressure on them, they will do everything possible to avoid being disarmed.
How will the militias seek to prevent disarmament?
One method they are using is claiming that their weapons are already under state control. The militias are part of the state-backed Popular Mobilization Forces; and, as such, they claim to already be an official paramilitary, essentially a national guard, which does not need to hand over its weapons because these are already controlled.
Another ploy the groups are using is to try to extend the disarmament of militias to apply to the Peshmerga, too.
Currently, their sights are set on the Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq and trying to weaken its military, the Kurdish Peshmerga forces.
The Kurdistan Regional Government’s role in Iraq is spelled out in the country’s constitution, which was passed after the 2003 US invasion. The Peshmerga is an official force. Over the years, there have been attempts to reform it so that it is no longer affiliated with the two Kurdish political parties, the KDP and PUK.
In the past, the Peshmerga 70th Division and 80th Division were essentially arms of the PUK and KDP, respectively.
The powerful Iranian-backed militia, Kataib Hezbollah, in an attempt to throw a wrench into efforts to disarm it and other groups, is now demanding that the Peshmerga also be disarmed.
Kataib Hezbollah is also warning the prime minister against “provocative and irresponsible” actions, according to a report by Rudaw, a Kurdish media outlet.
“Our patience is beginning to run out regarding the provocative and irresponsible actions of the prime minister,” Kataib Hezbollah spokesman Abu Mujahid al-Assaf said.
This may constitute a threat to the prime minister’s life.
Rudaw noted that “Assaf also accused Zaidi of failing to understand the ‘complex circumstances’ facing Iraq and the wider region amid warnings to ‘avoid being dragged into what pleases the enemies.’”
The report added that “the statement followed the arrest of Abbas Hussein al-Yaqubi, a senior PMF commander affiliated with Harakat al-Nujaba, by an Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service unit in Dhi Qar province on Monday. The PMF later confirmed that Yaqubi had been handed over to its security directorate for legal proceedings.”
Iran's wider agenda
The use of anti-Kurdish rhetoric is aimed at dividing Iraqis so that some Iraqi Shi’ites, who back the militias, will argue that they deserve the same rights as Kurds. They will argue that their militias are similar to the Peshmerga.
Iran’s goal is to use the militias to do whatever is necessary to preserve the Islamic Republic’s role in Iraq. Iran has sought to weaken the KRG in the past. Recently, it attacked an office of KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani. Using Kataib Hezbollah to demand that the Peshmerga be weakened is part of the larger Iranian agenda.