Disarmament push drives splits within armed factions – Shafaq News

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraq’s effort to bring all weapons under state control has
entered a more sensitive phase, with Washington increasing pressure on Baghdad
while several armed factions resist disarmament and others splinter into
smaller groups, The Cradle said on Friday.

The report said the dispute now extends beyond whether
factions will surrender their weapons, touching on their future role, their
relationship with the state, and the government’s ability to prevent Iraqi
territory from being used for attacks on neighboring countries or US forces and
interests. Citing a source, The Cradle indicated that new cells have emerged
from members who left established factions over disagreements surrounding
disarmament and adopted a more operational, less publicly identifiable
structure.

Some defectors also transferred military capabilities,
including drones, although it remains unclear whether missiles and targeting
systems were among the weapons moved. According to The Cradle, such “front
groups” have operated in Iraq for years, allowing armed actors to preserve
their ability to launch attacks while obscuring responsibility and complicating
potential US retaliation.

Baghdad now faces a difficult choice: enforcing disarmament
by force could trigger an internal confrontation with unpredictable
consequences, while retreating from the policy would leave armed groups with
capabilities outside state command. US pressure, it added, has also tied the
weapons file to broader questions over the future of relations between Baghdad
and Washington.

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