Iraq’s Al-Nujaba reiterates opposition to disarmament – Shafaq News

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Harakat al-Nujaba (HAN), an
Iran-aligned Iraqi armed faction, on Wednesday reaffirmed its rejection of
disarmament, distancing itself from a broader initiative under which several
armed groups have begun taking steps toward transferring weapons and
integrating members into state institutions.

In a statement, the movement, designated
a terrorist organization by the United States in 2019, stressed that its
position on the “disciplined sacred weapon” remains unchanged, saying
it was established to defend Iraq, its people, and its holy sites.

It also referred to earlier remarks
by Secretary-General Akram al-Kaabi, who described comments by the US embassy’s
chargé d’affaires in Iraq regarding the weapons of the “resistance”
as the result of “direct incitement” by Israel.

Al-Kaabi had expressed regret that
some Iraqis had become, in his words, a “mouthpiece” for such
positions, and called on armed factions to reject any discussion of
disarmament, arguing that Iraq’s sovereignty remains compromised by ongoing and
overt foreign interference.

pic.twitter.com/rSalNk1HgA

— الشيخ اكرم الكعبي (@Akram_Alkabee) May 6, 2026

Earlier today, a political source
told Shafaq News that around 35,000 members of Iraqi armed factions are set to
be absorbed into state security and military institutions in exchange for
surrendering their weapons, describing the proposal as a major step that could
reshape Iraq’s armed landscape.

The initiative builds on earlier
integration measures, including the absorption of roughly 15,000 members of
Saraya al-Salam, the armed wing of Muqtada al-Sadr’s Patriotic Shiite Movement.
Asaib Ahl al-Haq (AAH) and Kataib Imam Ali have also established internal
committees tasked with transferring weapons, personnel, and equipment to state
authorities. However, Ashab al-Kahf has rejected calls for factions to
surrender their weapons, while Kataib Hezbollah has backed efforts to
centralize arms under government oversight while signaling it would not disarm.

Read more: Ali Al-Zaidi’s incomplete cabinet faces Iraqi
armed factions test