Members of the Iraqi milita group Kataib Hezbollah attend the funeral of their members, who were killed in an airstrike in southern Iraq. Photograph: Thaier Al-Sudani/Reuters
Iraq gives pro-Iran armed groups until June 30 to disarm: AFP
Note: AI technology was used to generate this article’s audio.
- The date extends an earlier deadline of Sept. 30, 2026.
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has set a June 30, 2027, deadline for Iran-backed armed factions to disarm, AFP reported on Thursday. This extends an earlier deadline of Sep. 30, 2026.
The phased process would also restructure the groups and integrate them into Iraq's official security institutions.
Groups that will continue to operate under militia names after the deadline "will be deemed outlaws," al-Zaidi said.
Persistent pushback from armed factions against government cooperation prompted the extension beyond the prior Sep. 30, 2026 cutoff. Baghdad had initially tied the process to that date, when the remaining US-led coalition military presence in Iraq was due to end.
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