A man walks past a portrait of the influential Shiite dignitary Moqtada Sadr wearing the military uniform of Saraya al-Salam, in a street in Baghdad, during the provincial council elections in Iraq, on Dec. 18, 2023. (Photo: AFP)
The influential nationalist Shiite leader, Moqtada Sadr, has become the first Iraqi militia leader to publicly align himself with the new Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi's desire to reassert the exclusive control of arms under the state, amid mounting U.S. pressure. Sadr announced in a statement released Wednesday, May 27, the "complete separation" of his armed faction, Saraya al-Salam, from his political organization and its "full integration into the State." This decision comes in the wake of repeated calls from the head of government to disarm Shiite factions and place their weapons under state authority to preserve the country’s sovereignty, all the while the Trump administration urges Baghdad to take a tougher stance against pro-Iranian militias. The prime minister quickly welcomed the popular cleric's...
The influential nationalist Shiite leader, Moqtada Sadr, has become the first Iraqi militia leader to publicly align himself with the new Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi's desire to reassert the exclusive control of arms under the state, amid mounting U.S. pressure. Sadr announced in a statement released Wednesday, May 27, the "complete separation" of his armed faction, Saraya al-Salam, from his political organization and its "full integration into the State." This decision comes in the wake of repeated calls from the head of government to disarm Shiite factions and place their weapons under state authority to preserve the country’s sovereignty, all the while the Trump administration urges Baghdad to take a tougher stance against pro-Iranian militias. The prime minister quickly welcomed the popular cleric's...
