Hadi al-Ameri, head of Iraq’s Badr organization, which is allied with Iran, laid “impossible” conditions for Iraqi armed factions to lay down their weapons. Once appearing as a moderate to avoid incurring Washington’s anger, he has adopted a hard line over the disarmament of the factions. His previous positions allowed him to avoid the US imposing sanctions against him. In a televised address, Ameri dismissed the possibility that Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi would take a “radical” decision over the weapons of the “resistance” factions. He echoed official statements that September 30 should be a day of celebration after the withdrawal of anti-ISIS coalition forces from the country. He added, however, that full sovereignty can be achieved over land, sea and air with the pullout of all foreign troops, including the Americans and Turks, and with a pledge that they will not violate Iraqi sovereignty. September 30 is the deadline for the withdrawal of anti-ISIS coalition forces and for the Iraqi armed factions to lay down their weapons. Ameri spoke of the Iranian and Turkish armed groups deployed on Iraqi territory, demanding that they all lay down their weapons and saying that they are a threat to regional countries. Their deployment violates the constitution, he remarked. He also called on the parliament to ratify the law on the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) that the US had objected to and that led to the legislature abandoning the vote. The law “grants the factions operating under the PMF legal guarantees”, sparking the American objections. Ameri also praised the role of the “resistance” that have stood by Iraq whenever it was needed. It was the “resistance that protected Iraq from the October strife,” he stressed, in reference to the October 2019 anti-government protests. His remarks were the first implicit acknowledgement that the armed factions were responsible for the killing and torture of over 700 youths involved in the protests. Activists and politicians close to Iran had at the time blamed a “third party” for the crimes. Political activist Nizar Haidar said the previous conditions set by the factions and other political figures for the handover of weapons are aimed at “buying time” as the September deadline approaches. In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, he said Ameri is implicating himself and the Iran-aligned Coordination Framework, which are in control of the country, its security and decision-making. Haidar said September 30 will be a turning point that will test Iraq and its ability to implement its laws and constitution or whether the militias will come out on top by ignoring the government’s order for them to lay down their weapons. Political science professor at the University of Mosul Firas Elias said Iraq is now being embroiled in a debate about defining the meaning of limiting of possession of weapons to the state, its timing and who should take the first step. He said Ameri is aiming to set a very high ceiling for negotiations. Other conditions that have been floated in Iraq include halting dealings with American companies, exporting oil in another currency, tackling the presence of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party and Kurdish Iranian opposition groups, and expanding the authority of the Iraqi federal forces to the Kurdistan Region.
