Maliki warns against armed confrontation over Iraq’s weapons
BAGHDAD – Iraq is entering a sensitive political and security phase that requires restraint to prevent internal disputes from turning into armed confrontation, State of Law Coalition leader Nouri al-Maliki said, while affirming that the Coordination Framework continues to support Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s government despite criticism of its performance.
Maliki’s comments come as pressure mounts on Baghdad to assert state control over weapons held by armed factions, one of Iraq’s most politically delicate issues and a potential flashpoint between the government and groups with powerful military wings.
He stressed that weapons must ultimately be brought under state authority, but warned against pursuing that objective through confrontation, saying an armed clash between the state and factions would threaten Iraq’s stability and have consequences far beyond the parties directly involved.
The remarks reflected the difficult balance facing Iraq’s political leadership: the principle of state control over arms is increasingly central to efforts to strengthen government institutions, but attempts to impose it by force could trigger a confrontation that would be difficult to contain.
Warning against a wider internal conflict
Maliki rejected attempts to frame any potential confrontation as a purely “Shiite-Shiite” dispute, warning that its consequences would extend across Iraqi society and all of the country’s communities.
Any such conflict, he said, could create conditions for civil war, underscoring his concern that a dispute initially centred on the government and armed factions could quickly develop into a broader political and security crisis.
His warning comes against a backdrop of competing political positions over the future of armed groups and their relationship with the state, with the question of who controls weapons increasingly intertwined with Iraq’s wider security arrangements.
Maliki called for a clear national and regional vision to prevent Iraq from becoming a theatre for settling regional and international disputes. His comments suggested that Baghdad must avoid allowing domestic disagreements over armed factions to become an extension of wider rivalries playing out across the Middle East.
The issue is particularly sensitive because some Iraqi factions have close ties to Iran, while Baghdad is also managing its security relationship with the United States and other international partners.
Government to remain in place
On the political front, Maliki made clear that criticism of the government should not be interpreted as support for replacing it or bringing it down.
The Coordination Framework, the main Shiite political bloc backing the government, remains committed to its continuation, he said, arguing that shortcomings should instead be addressed through dialogue and efforts to improve its performance.
Maliki called for the government to accelerate the completion of its ministerial team and fill vacant portfolios, saying Zaidi shared the same position.
The emphasis on completing the cabinet points to an effort by the government’s political backers to consolidate its structure rather than open another potentially destabilising battle over its survival.
Maliki’s position therefore combines support for the government with a warning that its performance must improve, while keeping the broader political process focused on correcting its course rather than forcing a change of government.
September deadline raises pressure
The political debate is taking place ahead of the Sept. 30 deadline, a key date in discussions over the state’s control of weapons and the future of the international military presence in Iraq.
Some armed factions have linked the future of their weapons to the withdrawal of foreign forces, adding another layer to an already complicated dispute.
That has made the weapons issue inseparable from the broader question of Iraq’s future security architecture and the balance between national sovereignty, state institutions and the role of foreign forces.
For Baghdad, the challenge is to reinforce the authority of state institutions without provoking the very instability it is seeking to prevent.
Maliki’s message was therefore both conciliatory and cautionary: Iraq must move towards a state monopoly over arms, but the process should be managed through dialogue and political understanding rather than force.
The coming weeks will test whether that approach can translate into practical arrangements before the September deadline. With the political timetable tightening, the space for compromise is narrowing between those demanding full state control and factions reluctant to surrender their military capabilities.
For Maliki and the Coordination Framework, the immediate priority appears to be preventing that dispute from becoming a test of strength that could destabilise the government and widen into a conflict affecting the country as a whole.