Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani stated on Monday that disarming armed factions within the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) will only be possible once the U.S.-led coalition fully withdraws from Iraq, a process set to conclude by September 2026.
In an interview with Reuters, al-Sudani said Iraq remains committed to bringing all weapons under state control, describing disarmament as a “national priority” and a “shared demand.” However, he noted that the continued presence of foreign troops makes such efforts unfeasible, as some factions view the coalition as an occupying force. “Once the coalition leaves,” he said, “there will be a clear program for these groups to either integrate into the official security forces or lay down their arms and enter politics.”
His comments followed renewed pressure from Washington. On October 21st, al-Sudani spoke by phone with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who reportedly urged Baghdad to disarm or dissolve Shia factions within the PMF. The demand was reiterated a week later by U.S. Special Envoy for the Middle East Brett McGurk, who called for the Iraqi government to integrate or dissolve autonomous militias.
The U.S. military has already withdrawn from most of Iraq, with only forces in the Kurdistan region remaining. The final withdrawal is expected to take place by September 2026 under a bilateral agreement reached earlier this year.
Tensions between Washington and Iraq over the PMF’s status are not new. In 2024, during the Biden administration, the U.S. demanded Baghdad rein in factions such as Kata’ib Hezbollah, which led the Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI). The group carried out a series of drone and rocket strikes on U.S. bases in Iraq and Syria between October 2023 and February 2024, killing at least four U.S. service members and injuring dozens more.
That campaign was initially launched in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza but soon expanded to demand a complete U.S. withdrawal from Iraq. The IRI halted attacks in spring 2024 after receiving assurances from al-Sudani’s government that Baghdad would negotiate a withdrawal timetable — an agreement finalized that July.