Asaib Ahl al-Haq forms panel to hand over weapons to Iraqi state

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Asaib Ahl al-Haq said on Tuesday it had formed a committee to oversee the transfer of its weapons to the Iraqi government and its formal separation from the Popular Mobilization Forces, known in Arabic as Hashd al-Shaabi. The move is part of a broader effort to bring armed formations in Iraq under the official military command system. It comes days after Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr said the armed wing of his movement, Saraya al-Salam, would leave the political movement and join state institutions. Newly appointed Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has called on all armed groups to operate under Iraq’s official institutions. Baghdad is under pressure to strengthen its control over militias and limit the influence of independent armed groups. The Nujaba Movement and the Hezbollah Brigades have rejected disarmament calls, saying weapons are necessary to face external threats.