Harakat al-Nujaba, an Iran-aligned Iraqi armed faction, publicly rejected disarmament and participation in Iraq’s political process, Rudaw reported on October 21. Abdul Qader al-Karbalai, identified by Rudaw as a military assistant for the group, said its position had not changed and rejected language about restricting, handing over or disarming what he called “resistance” weapons.
The statement directly challenged the Iraqi government’s effort to place weapons under state control. Rudaw reported that Baghdad had set a deadline for bringing non-state weapons under institutional authority, later postponed to June 30, 2027. Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi had described state control of weapons as non-negotiable, according to the outlet. The government’s position and Nujaba’s declaration point to a continuing dispute over whether armed factions will accept civilian state authority over their arsenals.
Different positions among armed factions
Nujaba’s October 21 statement is distinct from reports of negotiations among factions. On October 14, The New Region reported that Ali al-Assadi, Nujaba’s political council chief, said several Iran-backed factions had conditionally agreed to a weapons arrangement. Rudaw’s later account documents a contrary public statement by a Nujaba military official. The accounts reflect disputed and evolving positions; the October 21 declaration does not prove that all PMF-linked groups share it.
Rudaw also reported that Washington expected Baghdad to meet counterterrorism commitments and prevent cross-border attacks from Iraqi territory. The US position was attributed to a State Department spokesperson. Iraq’s policy effort intersects with its security relationship with the United States, but the report does not describe a new attack or a new government designation.
Why the statement matters
The declaration signals that Iraq’s effort to centralize armed force remains contested by a faction with influence inside the broader PMF environment. The PMF is a state umbrella; it is not synonymous with Nujaba, Kataib Hezbollah or the other individual factions. The statement should be attributed specifically to Nujaba’s al-Karbalai, rather than treated as a position of the Iraqi state or all armed groups.
Rudaw’s report, including the direct statement and government context, is available here.