State of Law proposes separating US troop withdrawal from disarmament – Shafaq News

Shafaq News-
Baghdad

The State of
Law Coalition, headed by former PM Nouri Al-Maliki, has proposed separating the withdrawal of US forces from Iraq
from efforts to bring weapons held by armed factions under state control, a
source in the Coordination Framework told Shafaq News on Sunday.

The source
said the proposal would separate the two processes by at least a short interval
to “send messages of reassurance and confidence to all factions.” The proposal
remains under consideration.

The US
withdrawal would proceed on schedule, the source said, as Baghdad seeks to
expand economic ties with Washington following agreements reached during Prime
Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s recent visit to the United States.

Read more: Iraq’s Coordination Framework is weakening, but no rival is ready to replace it

Bringing
weapons held by armed factions under state control is among the most sensitive
issues facing the Iraqi government as a Sept. 30 deadline set by the main
political forces approaches.

Iraq and the
United States agreed in September 2024 to end the military mission of the
US-led coalition under a phased plan shifting the two countries’ security
relationship from a coalition framework to a bilateral partnership. The first
phase ended in September 2025, while some forces remained in the Kurdistan
Region to support operations against ISIS in Syria. The final phase is due to
be completed by the end of September 2026.

Read more: Iraq’s September 30 weapons deadline leaves terms of disarmament unresolved