Regulating weapons 'purely Iraqi decision,' says Badr Organization chief

The leader of Iraq’s Badr Organization, Hadi al-Amiri, said Sunday that regulating weapons in the country is a “purely Iraqi decision,” ruling out any possible confrontation between the state and the “resistance.”

“I guarantee everyone that there will be absolutely no clash between the state and the resistance," Amiri said in a speech carried by the Iraqi News Agency (INA).

“Regulating weapons is a legitimate national and constitutional goal and a foundation for building a strong state capable of protecting Iraq and preserving its sovereignty," he added.

Amiri said fighting corruption was a decision agreed upon by the Coordination Framework, a coalition of Shiite parties, reiterating support for Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s anti-corruption campaign.

The issue of weapons outside state control is among Iraq’s most prominent security and political challenges, amid the presence of armed factions, some of which are affiliated with the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), while others operate independently.

The PMF is an official Iraqi security umbrella established in 2014 following a religious edict by top cleric Ali al-Sistani to confront ISIS (Daesh) terrorists, and was later integrated into the armed forces by a government decision in 2016.

​​​​​​​In June, Iraqi military spokesman Sabah al-Numan announced the establishment of a committee tasked with overseeing efforts to bring unregulated weapons under state control.