Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces chief rejects handing weapons to the state

BAGHDAD, Iraq — The chief of staff of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), Abdulaziz al-Muhammadawi, has firmly rejected calls to hand over the group's weapons to the state. In a video statement released on Wednesday, Muhammadawi responded to a citizen by asking, "Who will take the weapons? Who will take the weapons?" The comments came after PMF headquarters were struck in the early hours by a joint US-Saudi Arabian airstrike. US Central Command announced that precision strikes had been carried out against weapons and logistics facilities belonging to groups it holds responsible for ties to Iran in multiple locations across eastern Iraq. The PMF said at least 20 of its members were killed and 32 others wounded in the strikes, and added that the casualty toll was "not final." A separate formation known as the "Iraqi Resistance" reiterated its refusal to hand over weapons to any authority other than the state and said it would oppose any disarmament process. Prime Minister Ali Ziyadi had said in September that with the full withdrawal of international coalition forces, the role of resistance groups and weapons held outside the state would come to an end.