Iraq’s Kataib Sayyid Al-Shuhada opposes disarmament under current conditions – Shafaq News

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Kataib Sayyid Al-Shuhada, an Iran-aligned Iraqi armed
faction, rejected handing over its weapons to the government on Wednesday,
insisting that the “resistance’s weapons” would remain as long as the reasons
for their existence persist.

Spokesperson Kazem Al-Fartousi told Shafaq News that
the group supports Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi in managing the state and
maintaining stability but opposes disarmament “at the current stage,” arguing
that the faction’s weapons are tied to ongoing threats facing Iraq rather than
being “personal arms.”

“The faction will not surrender its weapons as long as
there is occupation and violations affecting Iraqi sovereignty.”

Al-Fartousi also criticized proposals to fully
integrate armed factions into the country’s security institutions, maintaining
that each group has a distinct role and that any discussion regarding full
integration depends on specific political and security conditions.

Earlier today, Patriotic Shiite Movement (PSM) leader
Muqtada Al-Sadr announced the formal separation of Saraya Al-Salam, the
movement’s military wing, and declared that its members would join state
institutions under the authority of the commander-in-chief of the armed forces,
PM Al-Zaidi.

Read more: Iraq’s armed factions and disarmament debate: Unity masks divisions