Baghdad's 30 September deadline for Iran-backed militias to surrender their weapons is drawing defiance: one Iran-aligned group now warns that any attempt to disarm it by force would trigger internal strife, as Washington presses Baghdad to rein the armed groups in.
Iraq is under pressure to bring Iran-backed armed groups, organised in the Popular Mobilisation Forces, under state control. The effort sets Iraqi officials charged with disarmament against militias aligned with Tehran, with the United States and Saudi Arabia acting militarily against militia positions and Iran objecting.
An Iran-aligned militia told the Iraqi government that any attempt to disarm it by force would trigger internal strife, The National reported on Friday. The warning comes as Washington presses Baghdad to rein in armed groups.
Iraq's leadership told Iran-backed armed groups to give up their weapons by 30 September or face terrorism charges. Al Hadath reported that at a special meeting with Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi the same groups warned they intend to attack neighbouring countries within 48 hours.
The National reported on Sunday that unusual movements of US forces in Iraqi Kurdistan have prompted questions about an early drawdown. The report ties the movements to speculation that the US withdrawal could come sooner than planned.
The Tehran Times said a joint US-Saudi air attack on Popular Mobilisation Forces positions in Iraq, launched in the early hours of Wednesday, was a strategic miscalculation rather than a display of strength. The National reported separately that Iraq's Al Zaidi faces an "impossible" task in disarming Iran-backed militias.