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Iran-Backed Militias in Iraq Enter Advanced Disarmament Talks

Militia leaders, with Iran's approval, negotiate with Iraqi officials to disarm and avoid U.S. airstrikes under Trump administration pressure.

A vehicle carries the coffin of a commander from Iraq's Kataib Hezbollah armed group who was killed in what they called a "Zionist attack" in the Syrian capital Damascus on Friday, during a funeral in Baghdad, Iraq September 22, 2024. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani/File Photo
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BAGHDAD, IRAQ - SEPTEMBER 22: A funeral ceremony held in the capital, Baghdad, Iraq for Abu Haidar al-Hafaji, a commander of the Iraqi Shia militia group Kata'ib Hezbollah, who was killed in an Israeli attack in Damascus, the capital of Syria, on September 22, 2024. (Photo by Murtadha Al-Sudani/Anadolu via Getty Images)
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Overview

  • Several Iranian-backed militias in Iraq, including Kataib Hezbollah, are preparing to disarm for the first time to avert U.S. airstrikes threatened by the Trump administration.
  • Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani is leading advanced negotiations with militia leaders to integrate their forces into state structures or transform them into political entities.
  • The militias have begun reducing their physical presence, evacuating headquarters in cities like Mosul and Anbar, and limiting activities to avoid potential U.S. military action.
  • Commanders confirmed that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has granted them permission to take necessary steps to avoid conflict with the U.S.
  • This disarmament effort marks a significant shift in Iraq's security dynamics and could weaken Iran's influence in the region while aligning militias under state control.