Iraq finds itself at a new crossroads. Will it rein in Iranian-backed militias, or let them continue to hollow out the country? It is one of many crossroads in the history of Iraq, a divided country.
This is perhaps natural for a place that is sometimes known as the Land of the Two Rivers because of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. It is the heartland of ancient Mesopotamia, the land of Ur from whence Avraham came. As such, it is a place that has often left leaders with tough choices.
The issue confronting its new Prime Minister, Ali al-Zaidi, is how to control the armed groups. This refers to many armed militias, most of them backed by Iran.
Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq is a Shi’ite political party and militia in Iraq that is backed by Iran.
“The secretary-general of the Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq movement, Qais al-Khazali, stated on Wednesday [May 27] that resistance is no longer limited to military action alone, but extends to building a strong state capable of making its sovereign decisions,” Shafaq News, a Baghdad-based news agency, reported.
“Al-Khazali said in his Eid al-Adha prayer sermon in Baghdad that the military action of the resistance was a top priority when the Iraqi state was threatened,” the report said. “He explained that the correct idea of resistance is embodied in building a strong state that has its own decision, sovereignty, and institutions, stressing that ‘any resistance that does not have an integrated building project will turn into a burden on society over time.’”
Resistance is the word that Iran uses for its policy in the region. It is “resisting” the US and Israel. Its proxies in Iraq, Lebanon, and elsewhere are doing the same.
Khazali is a sanctioned terrorist by the US. In 2017, he even traveled from Iraq to Lebanon to threaten Israel alongside Hezbollah.
Weapons are the arms of the 'resistance'
Meanwhile, Shi’ite cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr said his Patriotic Shi’ite Movement, which has an armed group called Saraya Al-Salam, would place its arms under Iraq’s state institutions. This is supposed to encourage the prime minister to move forward in pressuring the other militias.
Al-Sadr described the move as a step taken “in the national interest,” and in response to the risks facing the country, Shafaq reported.
The Iranian-backed militias are now speaking up.
“Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq, an Iran-backed Iraqi armed faction, on Wednesday voiced support for restricting weapons to state control following a decision by Muqtada Al-Sadr, leader of the Patriotic Shiite Movement (PSM), to place Saraya Al-Salam, the armed wing of his movement, under state authority,” Shafaq reported.
A member of the group, Khaled Al-Saadi, who is also on the political bureau of the Sadiqoon parliamentary bloc, the political wing of Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq, said: “There should be no uncontrolled weapons outside state institutions.” He also praised Khazali’s statement.
Zaidi has also backed Sadr’s statement, calling it an important step toward strengthening stability and reinforcing the rule of law.
But not everyone is pleased. Kataib Sayyid Al-Shuhada (KSS) has rejected handing over its weapons to the government. It says the weapons are the arms of the “resistance.”
KSS is one of four militias the US recently offered a reward for information on. The US Rewards for Justice has offered $10 million bounties for information on four leaders of the Iranian-backed militias.
KSS spokesperson Kazem Al-Fartousi told Shafaq News the group “supports Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi in managing the state and maintaining stability but opposes disarmament ‘at the current stage,’ arguing that the faction’s weapons are tied to ongoing threats facing Iraq rather than being ‘personal arms.’”
It is not clear which Awfiya leader was killed
Meanwhile, “A senior commander from Ansar Allah al-Awfiya, an Iran-aligned Iraqi armed faction, was killed and his aide seriously wounded on Thursday when an explosive device detonated inside their vehicle in Maysan province, a security source told Shafaq News,” Shafaq reported.
The report is interesting because Awfiya is also one of the groups included in the US offer of a reward.
It was not clear which Awfiya leader was killed. Rewards for Justice recently said it was “offering a reward of up to $10 million for information on Akram ’Abbas al-Kabi, the founder and leader of the terrorist group Harakat al-Nujaba (HAN), a US-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO).”
It also said it was “offering a reward of up to $10 million for information on Haydar Muzhir Ma’lak al-Sa’idi, the leader of the terrorist group Harakat Ansar Allah al-Awfiya (HAAA), a US-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO).”
In addition, the US is offering $10m. for information on Hashim Finyan Rahim al-Saraji, the leader and secretary-general of the terrorist group Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada (KSS) and, $10m. for information on Ahmad al-Hamidawi, the leader of the terrorist group Kata’ib Hizballah (KH), a US-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO).
“In March 2026, al-Hamidawi directed KH attacks on US diplomatic facilities,” the US said.