The Iraq Joint Operations Command announced that the records of fighters, weapons, equipment, and vehicles belonging to Kataib Imam Ali have been handed over to a special committee managing the integration and separation process into the security forces. The operation carried out in Baghdad is considered one of the first steps toward reorganizing the group within the state structure.
The command stated that the work is proceeding in line with the government program approved by the Council of Representatives. The process is being conducted under the supervision of committee chairman Lieutenant General Qais al-Mohammedawi, with participation from committee members and the group's leadership.
Officials expressed that these steps aim to complete the integration phases, reorganize the forces, and remove the separate names and titles of these formations. This is intended to bring the structure of weapons and personnel directly under state control.
It was also reported that Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi reached an agreement to establish a joint committee with Asaib Ahl al-Haq and Kataib Imam Ali within the framework of mutual understanding. This committee is expected to coordinate the transfer of weapons to state control within 48 hours.
Al-Zaidi reiterated his government's commitment to this process in a statement on Tuesday. The Coordination Framework also supports the state's monopoly on weapons and called for the separation of the Popular Mobilization Forces from political, partisan, and social ties.
However, some armed groups reject calls for separation. Kataib Hezbollah and Ashab al-Kahf oppose these steps, while Harakat al-Nujaba argues that the state's monopoly on weapons exerts pressure on resistance groups and the Popular Mobilization Forces.
Kataib Imam Ali emerged during the mobilization period following Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani's call to fight ISIS in 2014. The group operated as the 40th Brigade of the Popular Mobilization Forces while maintaining ideological closeness to Iran.
This process in Baghdad brings the debate on how armed groups in Iraq should be integrated into the state structure back to the forefront. The government's approach centers on bringing weapons under central control and closing separate formations.
