Senior Iraqi commanders, backed by Iran, declare readiness to disarm in the face of the Trump administration

Senior Iraqi commanders, who are supported by Iran, announced their readiness to disarm in the face of the Trump administration.

According to published reports, 10 senior Iraqi commanders and officials from powerful Iranian-backed militia groups have, for the first time, announced their readiness to disarm in the face of the Trump administration, in an unprecedented move, to prevent the risk of escalating the conflict.

Following repeated warnings from the Donald Trump administration to the Iraqi government that "if the Iraqi government does not take action to disband the militant groups active on its soil, it will be subjected to US airstrikes," six local commanders from four militant groups announced their readiness to disarm in order to reduce tensions in the region.

"Izzat al-Shabandar, a senior Shiite politician who is also close to the ruling coalition in Iraq, said about the decision: "Negotiations between the country's Prime Minister, Muhammad al-Shi'a, and several militia leaders have advanced a lot, and these groups are willing to respond positively to American demands for disarmament. We will not act stubbornly and will not insist on continuing to operate in the current form. These groups are fully aware that they may be targeted by the United States."

The six military commanders from the four militia groups, who did not want to be named, are from Kataib Hezbollah, Al-Nujaba, Kataib Sayyid Al-Shuhada and Ansarullah Al-Ufiya. A Kataib Hezbollah commander wearing a black mask and sunglasses told Reuters: “Trump is ready to take the war with us to the next level. We know this and we want to prevent such a bad scenario.”

Two security officials who monitor the activities of the militias in Iraq, which have repeatedly targeted Israel and American forces in Iraq and Syria with missiles and drones since the beginning of the Gaza war, stated: "The aforementioned militia groups are made up of about 10 Shiite extremist armed groups that operate within the framework of the "Islamic Resistance of Iraq" coalition and have a total of about 50,000 armed forces and an arsenal of long-range missiles and anti-aircraft weapons."

In addition to these cases, some militias, fearing airstrikes by the Trump administration after it took office, have evacuated a large part of their headquarters since the second half of January and have also reduced their presence in major cities, including Mosul and Anbar.

The two security officials also added: "Sudan is pushing for the disarmament of Islamic resistance militias that have declared allegiance to the Revolutionary Guard Corps or the Quds Force instead of allegiance to Baghdad."

Sudanese Foreign Affairs Advisor Farhad Alaeddin said about the disarmament talks: "The Prime Minister is committed to ensuring that all weapons in Iraq are under government control through constructive dialogue with various national actors."

The US State Department also emphasized its demand that Baghdad bring the militias under its control, adding: "These forces should be accountable to the Commander-in-Chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces, not to Iran."

Former Sudanese advisor Ibrahim Al-Sumaidi also said in this regard: "The United States has long been pressuring the Iraqi leadership to dismantle the Shiite militias; but this time Washington may not accept a negative answer. If we do not cooperate voluntarily, this may be imposed on us from abroad and by force."