Iran-backed Iraqi militia calls government probe a plot to seize its weapons

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Iran-backed Iraqi militia Kataeb Hezbollah said Sunday it was facing a major campaign to force it to surrender its weapons through fabricated reports, rejecting government…

Iran-backed Iraqi militia Kataeb Hezbollah said Sunday it was facing a major campaign to force it to surrender its weapons through fabricated reports, rejecting government findings of oil smuggling in its stronghold south of Baghdad.

In remarks reported by Al Jazeera, the group described the accusations as part of what it called the biggest campaign of blackmail aimed at disarming the "resistance." It insisted that the weapons of armed groups must remain outside political disputes and said it would not retreat from that position.

Kataeb Hezbollah also rejected findings of oil smuggling in Jurf al-Nasr, in Iraq's Babil province, saying storage tanks and a workshop identified by investigators were used to supply fuel for military equipment.

The response follows an Iraqi government investigation that found evidence of oil smuggling and unauthorized refining operations in the area. Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi dismissed nine security and oil-sector officials Saturday and ordered suspects referred to the judiciary, escalating tensions between Baghdad and one of Iraq's most powerful Iran-backed armed groups.

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