Several groups of Iran -backed militias in Iraq are prepared to disarm for the first time to avoid the threat of a growing conflict with the United States government, 10 senior commanders and Iraqi authorities have communicated to Reuters.
The movement to relieve tensions that include six local commanders of four major militias happens after repeated notices issued in particular by US authorities to the Iraqi government since Trump took power in January, according to sources.
Authorities told Baghdad that if the country does not act to dissolve the militias operating on the ground, the United States can attack groups with air strikes.
Izzat al-Shahbndar, a senior Shiite Muslim politician near the Iraqi government alliance, told Reuters that discussions between Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani and several militia leaders were “very advanced,” and the groups were inclined to meet US disarmament requests.
“The factions are not acting with stubbornness or insisting on continuing in their current form,” he said, adding that the groups were “totally aware” that they could be the target of the US.
The six militia commanders interviewed in Baghdad and a southern province, who asked for anonymity to discuss the delicate situation, are from Kataib Hezbollah, Nujabaa, Kataib Sayyed al-Shuhada and Ansaullah al-Awfiya.
“Trump is ready to take the war with us to worse levels, we know this, and we want to avoid such a bad scenario,” commented a commander of Kataib Hezbollah, the most powerful Shiite militia, who spoke behind a black mask and glasses.
The commanders said that the main ally and patron, the elite military force of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) gave them blessing to make the decisions they considered necessary to avoid being dragged for a potentially ruinous conflict with the United States and Israel.
The militias are part of Islamic resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of about 10 Shiite-line armed factions that collectively command about 50,000 fighters and arsenals that include long-range missiles and anti-aircraft weapons, according to two security authorities that monitor militias activities.
The resistance group, a key pillar from the Iran’s regional forces network, has claimed responsibility for dozens of missile and drone attacks against Israel and US forces in Iraq and Syria since the beginning of the Gaza War about 18 months ago.
Farhad Alaeldin, Sudani’s advisor to external matters, told Reuters in response to questions about disarmament negotiations that the Prime Minister was committed to ensuring that all weapons in Iraq were under state control through a “constructive dialogue with several national actors”.
The two Iraqi security authorities said Sudani was pressuring the disarmament of all Islamic resistance militias in Iraq, which declare loyalty to Iran’s IRGC or QDS, not Baghdad.
According to authorities and commanders, some groups have already emptied in most of the headquarters and reduced presence in major cities, including Mosul and Anbar since mid-January, for fear of being hit by air attacks.
Many commanders have also intensified their security measures during this period, exchanging their mobile phones, vehicles and homes more often, they say.
The US State Department said it continues to ask Baghdad to control the militias. “These forces must respond to Iraq’s chief commander and not to Iran,” he added.
This content was originally published in Iran -supported militias in Iraq must disarm to avoid conflict on CNN Brazil.
Source: CNN Brasil
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