Disarmament push drives splits within armed factions

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraq’s effort to bring all weapons under state control has entered a more sensitive phase, with Washington increasing pressure on Baghdad while several armed factions resist disarmament and others splinter into smaller groups, The Cradle said on Friday.

The report said the dispute now extends beyond whether factions will surrender their weapons, touching on their future role, their relationship with the state, and the government’s ability to prevent Iraqi territory from being used for attacks on neighboring countries or US forces and interests. Citing a source, The Cradle indicated that new cells have emerged from members who left established factions over disagreements surrounding disarmament and adopted a more operational, less publicly identifiable structure.

Some defectors also transferred military capabilities, including drones, although it remains unclear whether missiles and targeting systems were among the weapons moved. According to The Cradle, such “front groups” have operated in Iraq for years, allowing armed actors to preserve their ability to launch attacks while obscuring responsibility and complicating potential US retaliation.

Baghdad now faces a difficult choice: enforcing disarmament by force could trigger an internal confrontation with unpredictable consequences, while retreating from the policy would leave armed groups with capabilities outside state command. US pressure, it added, has also tied the weapons file to broader questions over the future of relations between Baghdad and Washington.

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