Baghdad, Sep 16 (V7N)- The pro-Iran Iraqi armed group Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada has rejected claims that it has agreed to hand over its weapons to the Iraqi government.
In a statement responding to remarks by Iraqi lawmaker Ali Inhair al-Sarai, the group's Jihad Council described reports that it had agreed to surrender its weapons as "completely untrue."
The group also said al-Sarai does not represent the organization and has no authority to announce positions or make statements on its behalf.
Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada had previously outlined several conditions regarding the issue of arms control in Iraq. These included the complete withdrawal of US and Turkish forces from the country, strengthening Iraq's air defense capabilities, placing the country's borders and airspace under federal government control, and ending what the group described as US political and economic interference.
The group is an influential armed faction in Iraq and is affiliated with the country's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), an umbrella organization comprising numerous armed groups.
In September 2025, the United States designated Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. The US Department of the Treasury also designated the group as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist entity.
The latest statement comes amid continuing debate in Iraq over the future of armed factions and the government's efforts to consolidate control over weapons and security forces.
END/SMA/AJ
