"—❗️🇮🇶/🇮🇶 Various Iraqi Shiite militias, including the largest and most influential two (Kataeb Hezbollah and Harakat Al-Nujabaa), have refused the call from the Iraqi judiciary to disarm and hand over their weapons
The militias, most of which are Iran-backed, state that resistance to foreign occupation is a legitimate national right, and that they will only engage in discussions with the Iraqi government after all NATO forces (including the U.S. and Turkey) leave Iraqi soil.
Earlier today, the Iraqi Supreme Judicial Council called upon all armed militias to 'cooperate in enforcing the rule of law, restrict weapons to the state, and transition to political action', now that the national need for military action has ceased."
"—❗️🇮🇶/🇮🇶 Iraqi Shiite militia, Kataeb Hezbollah, in response to calls to disarm:
'As our esteemed scholars have pointed out, sovereignty, maintaining Iraq's security, and preventing external interventions in all their forms are prerequisites for discussing the monopoly of weapons by the state. We confirm that our position aligns with that of our religious scholars, once these exact conditions are met.
Resistance is our right, and our weapons will remain in the hands of the Mujahideen. Any discussion of an understanding with the government will only take place after the withdrawal of all occupation forces, NATO, and the Turkish Army, and after ensuring the safety of our people and our holy sites from the threats of Jolani's terrorist gangs and the Kurdish Peshmerga.'"
