Badr Organization Warns Forced Disarmament Could Trigger 'Internal Strife'

Badr Organization official Mohammed Naji warned on August 13, 2026 that Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi should not move too quickly to satisfy US demands to place all militia weapons under state control, saying Badr 'will not allow the Prime Minister or anyone' to use force against armed factions and that doing so risks triggering internal conflict. Naji argued that surrendering the factions' weapons ahead of the September 30 deadline before securing a complete US troop withdrawal would squander an important bargaining chip, and called instead for disarmament through dialogue conditioned on full US withdrawal, removal of 'strategic threats' to Iraq, and further development of the Iraqi armed forces. The warning followed a reported visit by Iran's IRGC Quds Force commander seeking an arrangement that would let militias retain some weapons while avoiding direct confrontation with Baghdad.