Iraq say it has made progress in talks with armed groups

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The Iraqi government has made significant progress in talks with armed militia groups and that five of them had agreed to place their weapons under state control, a government spokesman told VOA.

Editor's note: this story was translated from the original VOA Kurdish article.

The Iraqi government has made significant progress in talks with armed militia groups and that five of them had agreed to place their weapons under state control, a government spokesman told VOA.

“The government has completed the requirements and the details of negotiations” with five, armed groups, spokesman Haydar al-Aboudi told VOA Kurdish reporter Diyar Jamal in an interview in Baghdad.

Aboudi also said talks continue with two other groups, and that the hope is that those negotiations will be concluded successfully by June 2027.

Aboudi did not name the groups or explain and questions about the negotiations have yet to be announced, and it’s unclear if the militias have agreed to surrender their weapons or join Iraq’s official security forces.

The issue of armed groups operating outside government control has been a longstanding concern. Some of the country’s most powerful armed factions have close ties to Iran.

Washington has repeatedly called on Baghdad to bring all weapons under government control and prevent armed groups from acting independently.

Aboudi said the government had taken steps to address the issue since Prime Minister Ali Falih al-Zaidi took office in May 2026.

He said June 2027 was the deadline set by the government to complete the process.

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