Iranian-backed militia in Iraq sets ‘conditions’ for disarmament

Kataib Sayyid al Shuhada, an Iranian-backed militia in Iraq, has set conditions for placing its arms under the control of the Iraqi government. Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al Zaidi has sought to consolidate the arms of numerous Iranian-backed militias under state control. The attempt to disarm or regulate the weapons of these groups comes amid US pressure and a September 30 deadline for US troops who are part of the anti-Islamic State coalition to leave Iraq. Relatedly, on August 31, Iraq sentenced an Iraqi militia member to 15 years in prison for the kidnapping of US journalist Shelly Kittelson. On August 29, Shafaq News reported that “Kataib Sayyid Al-Shuhada [KSS], an Iran-aligned faction within the Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI), said on Saturday that its participation in efforts to bring weapons under state control would depend on meeting 10 conditions, including the withdrawal of US and Turkish forces from Iraq.” KSS put out a statement on August 29 about its conditions. Among the group’s demands are the complete withdrawal of US forces by September 30. In addition, the militia wants to see legislation passed that will provide rights for members of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF). The PMF is a government-backed paramilitary force that is made up of numerous militias, many of which are backed by Iran. “The group also called for full federal control over Iraqi territory, stronger air defenses equipped with advanced systems operated solely under Iraqi authority, and the removal of Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) fighters and Turkish troops from northern Iraq,” Shafaq noted. KSS was sanctioned by the US as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist group in 2023. In April 2026, the US offered $10 million, as part of the Rewards for Justice program, for information on KSS’s leader. The group is one of at least five militias in Iraq that have refused to disarm. Iraq’s Alssaa online outlet noted on August 30 that, in addition to KSS, the other groups refusing to disarm are Kataib Hezbollah and Harakat Hezbollah al Nujaba. These groups are also members of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, which has been behind attacks on US forces in Iraq. The role of these militias was again in the spotlight on August 31 after an Iraqi court sentenced a militia member to 15 years in prison for kidnapping an American journalist in late March. “A Baghdad court has sentenced a member of the powerful Kataib Hezbollah militia to 15 years in prison for his role in the kidnapping of American journalist Shelly Rene Kittleson earlier this year, in a ruling that underscores Iraq’s attempt to assert state authority over Iran-backed armed groups,” the UAE-based The National noted. Iraq convicted Amir Rahim Jabbar Lazim under the country’s Anti-Terrorism Law, Kittleson posted on August 31. Hadi al Amiri, the head of the influential Badr Organization, which controls a number of brigades within the PMF, said on August 30 that there would be no confrontation between the government and the militias. He referred to the militias as “the resistance,” which is the same language Iran uses to describe these groups. “Regulating weapons is not a foreign decision, but an entirely Iraqi one. Regulating weapons is a legitimate national and constitutional objective and a foundation for building a strong state capable of protecting Iraq and safeguarding its security, sovereignty and dignity,” Amiri said, according to a report by Kurdistan24. Unlike KSS and many of the other militias, Badr has not been sanctioned by the US as a terrorist group. Reporting from Israel, Seth J. Frantzman is an adjunct fellow at FDD and a contributor to FDD’s Long War Journal. He is the senior Middle East correspondent and analyst at The Jerusalem Post, and author of The October 7 War: Israel’s Battle for Security in Gaza (2024).