The Iraqi Shiite militia Asaib Ahl al-Haq has announced that it is cutting its ties with the Popular Mobilization Forces and handing its weapons over to the Iraqi state, in a move that could shake Iran’s influence in Iraq.
The organization, led by Qais al-Khazali, is the second armed faction to formally announce such a step, after Saraya al-Salam, which is linked to Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr, made a similar move a week earlier. According to the report, Asaib Ahl al-Haq will now be placed under the authority of the commander of Iraq’s armed forces.
The move comes amid heavy US pressure on Iraq’s new government. Washington has reportedly tied support for Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s government and the easing of sanctions to the dismantling of militias and the transfer of medium and heavy weapons to the state.
The decision is also being presented as a response to the call of Iraq’s top Shiite authority, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, to limit weapons to the state alone. But the move may also be about survival. Al-Khazali appears to be trying to protect his political future and economic assets by moving deeper into official state institutions.