The military wing loyal to Sadrist movement leader Moqtada al-Sadr handed over responsibility for security in Samarra to the Iraqi army on Thursday, in a symbolic ceremony that included lowering the faction’s flag at its operations headquarters. The move, seen by observers as a “qualitative shift,” coincided with an announcement by the spokesman for Iraq’s armed forces that work had begun to restructure formations of the Popular Mobilization Forces and guarantee the rights of their members. Saad Maan, head of the Security Media Cell, said all Saraya al-Salam fighters affiliated with Sadr were now under the command of the prime minister, the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. Footage aired by state television showed Saraya al-Salam members lowering their faction’s flag outside the operations headquarters, in the presence of a military committee sent by Prime Minister Ali al-Zaydi. Saraya al-Salam is part of the Popular Mobilization Forces through brigades 313, 314, and 315. It carries out security duties in several areas, most notably Samarra. Sadr announced on May 27 that he was merging his military wing, Saraya al-Salam, into the state, and called on Popular Mobilization Forces factions to hand over their weapons. Within a week, Asaib Ahl al-Haq and Kataib al-Imam Ali also announced their separation from the Popular Mobilization Forces. Kataib Hezbollah and Harakat al-Nujaba, however, have continued to reject demands to disarm and dismantle the factions. Saraya under the commander’s authority After the handover ceremony, Deputy Commander of Joint Operations Qais al-Mohammedawi said at a news conference that merging Saraya al-Salam meant placing it under the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. He said, “A committee had been formed by government order to relink and redistribute armed formations so they move away from any other political title or formation.” Saraya al-Salam brigades have been stationed in Samarra since the bombing of the Imam al-Askari shrine in June 2007. It remains unclear whether its members will leave the city for the first time in 19 years. But a military source told Asharq Al-Awsat the faction had handed over all its headquarters to the army, while its fighters now answer to the commander in chief of the armed forces. Still, observers say the details of dismantling and disarmament remain unclear. Questions persist about the types and quantities of weapons held by the factions, whether they will hand them over to government authorities, and whether they will give them up entirely. An Iraqi security official said the mechanism for placing all weapons under state control “remains unclear,” according to AFP. Local media, however, circulated claims that the Coordination Framework had put forward an initiative for discussion. The proposal reportedly includes “securing tens of thousands of government jobs in official security institutions for individuals whose armed factions agreed to disengage.” Restructuring the Popular Mobilization Forces In a notable development, Sabah al-Numan, the spokesman for the commander in chief of the armed forces, said the committee formed at the commander in chief's direction had begun work to place all weapons under state control. He said disengagement from the Popular Mobilization Forces included restructuring its formations and guaranteeing the rights of its members. It is the first official reference to “restructuring the formations of the Popular Mobilization Forces” since the force was established in 2014 to fight ISIS. Numan said the term “disengagement” involved administrative frameworks and restructuring these formations within the security services, while guaranteeing fighters’ rights and integrating them into military formations. “The committee has been formed and has begun its work,” he said. “It will set the mechanisms for merging and incorporating the relevant formations, and for handing over weapons, equipment and camps to the Iraqi security authorities.” Numan said “all weapons and all equipment” would be handed over to the central committee and Iraqi security authorities. A full inventory, he added, would be submitted within two days to the central committee, which is under the direct supervision, direction and follow-up of the commander in chief of the armed forces. The committee includes several bodies, including the Defense Ministry, the Interior Ministry, the Joint Operations Command and the Popular Mobilization Forces Commission. The Coordination Framework authorized Prime Minister and Commander in Chief Ali al-Zaydi to take the decisions and measures needed to protect the country’s higher interests. It also backed “restricting weapons to the state and disengaging the Popular Mobilization Forces Commission from political, partisan and social frameworks.” What comes next? Asaib Ahl al-Haq, led by Qais al-Khazali, is expected to take a step similar to that of the Sadrist movement after agreeing with the prime minister to form a committee to separate from the Popular Mobilization Forces. Khazali is under US sanctions and is one of the leaders of the Coordination Framework, which holds the largest parliamentary bloc. His political influence grew after his group won 27 seats in the latest parliamentary elections. A source close to Asaib said the group “currently considers political work and presence in government more important than fighting. Therefore, it wants to give assurances to the United States.” Kataib al-Imam Ali also said it would form a committee to “follow up the inventory, handover and transfer process under Zaydi’s supervision,” and another to “follow up the affairs of individuals and members and reintegrate them into state institutions.” In practice, that means “all decisions related to their brigades within the Popular Mobilization Forces” will come under Zaydi’s authority “administratively,” according to a source close to the factions. US special envoy to Syria and Iraq Tom Barrack welcomed a step that “will contribute to building order” and praised the initiative of Prime Minister Ali al-Zaydi, who, after taking office last month, pledged to restrict weapons to the state. The move comes as Washington gains political and economic ground in Iraq, while Tehran’s regional influence has declined since the outbreak of the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, which is backed by Tehran, in 2023, followed by Israel’s first war against Iran in 2025, and then the second war launched by the United States and Israel in February, whose repercussions reached Iraq. Disarmament plan Asharq Al-Awsat revealed on May 9, 2026, that an Iraqi committee, including Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zaydi, was working to complete an “executive project” to disarm armed factions before presenting it to Washington, amid mounting US pressure to keep militias away from the new government and key state institutions. The committee had presented militia leaders with “ideas on how to disarm,” but some meetings “did not pass calmly,” according to informed sources. The plan includes removing heavy and medium weapons and restructuring the Popular Mobilization Forces, alongside expected changes in sensitive security agencies, possibly including the intelligence service. Political sources, however, questioned the government’s ability to implement the project, saying it may be aimed at “buying time.”
