Iraq drafts plan to disarm armed groups by mid-2027

BAGHDAD

Iraq has drafted a plan to bring armed groups’ weapons under state control by June 2027, Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said on Sept. 30, as the U.S.-led coalition concluded its military mission in the country.

The draft will be presented in the coming days and include a timetable for implementation, Hussein told a discussion at the Atlantic Council in Washington, according to a Foreign Ministry statement.

Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi set the June deadline, extending an earlier target linked to the departure of coalition forces on Sept. 30.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of Iran-backed factions, said negotiations with the government over weapons had produced no agreement. It said it was “not bound by any timeline or agreement” announced by the government or a political body.

Kataib Hezbollah, one of the factions in the alliance, announced a suspension of military activities in Iraq. Its leader, Ahmad al-Hamidawi, called on fighters to halt operations “with the exception of targeting hostile aircraft violating the country’s airspace,” The Associated Press reported.

Baghdad has faced U.S. pressure to rein in Iran-backed armed groups. Hussein has also linked security and stability to Iraq’s efforts to attract foreign investment.

Zaidi formally declared the coalition’s mission against ISIL over on Sept. 30, saying Iraqi forces would assume full responsibility for the country’s security.

The final American troops departed Erbil Air Base in northern Iraq under an agreement between Baghdad and Washington. U.S. President Donald Trump welcomed the withdrawal, saying American equipment had also been removed.

The coalition deployed to Iraq in 2014 to fight ISIL, which had seized large areas of the country. Its departure follows a 2024 agreement to wind down the mission.

Iraq’s Foreign Ministry thanked the United States and other coalition members for their support against ISIL, while stressing that the mission’s conclusion would not end security cooperation.

Training, intelligence sharing and efforts to strengthen Iraqi security forces would continue through partnerships based on shared interests and respect for national sovereignty, the ministry said.