Nujaba Opposes Plan to Fold Popular Mobilization Weapons Into State Control

The Nujaba Movement has rejected a plan to merge the Popular Mobilization forces with Iraq’s security services, saying the resistance weapon is not open to negotiation and that any transfer of arms would leave society unprotected. The dispute comes as the issue of linking weapons to the state appears in the government program that Ali Zameli’s cabinet won parliamentary confidence on. Deputy Chairman of the movement’s Executive Council Sheikh Hussein al-Saidi said the proposed unification of the Popular Mobilization, the Federal Police and the Rapid Response Forces under the Federal Security Ministry is a project driven entirely by the United States. He said the arrangement would amount to disarming the resistance. Al-Saidi said handing over the weapons would strip society of protection, framing the issue as a matter of security rather than politics. He argued that the resistance arsenal should not be treated as a bargaining chip. Nujaba leader Akram al-Kaabi also said surrendering the weapons is a red line and that the movement will not accept it even if lives are sacrificed.