Asaib Ahl al-Haq, one of Iraq’s most prominent and powerful Shiite political and military forces, said Tuesday it will form a committee to begin disengaging from the Popular Mobilization Forces and place its weapons under state control.
The committee will be responsible for “completing all requirements and procedures related to implementing this decision, including inventorying all personnel, weapons, vehicles, equipment, and logistical means, and linking up with the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, in line with state requirements and its security institutions,” the movement said in a statement.
The committee will be headed by Jawad al-Talibawi, with Rafid Saleh Ali, Abdullah Shaker Kamel, and Ali Hamza Kadhim as members.
Asaib Ahl al-Haq was founded in 2006 as an armed faction that split from the Mahdi Army of the Sadrist movement led by Qais al-Khazali.
It is the second group in Iraq to announce integration into state institutions, following a similar move by Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who dissolved his “Peace Brigades” and aligned them with the state, a step welcomed by Prime Minister Ali al-Zayadi.