Sadr orders Saraya al-Salam militias to integrate into Iraqi state

BAGHDAD,— Influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr announced Wednesday that he was cutting ties between his Sadrist movement and its armed wing, Saraya al-Salam, placing the Shiite militia fighters under state authority in a step that aligns with broader Iraqi and international efforts to limit weapons to government control.

In a post on X, al-Sadr said the decision was taken to serve the public interest and prevent dangers threatening Iraq.

He said Saraya al-Salam would be fully absorbed into official state military structures, while civilian bodies linked to the militia would be folded into a new entity called “Al-Bunyan Al-Marsoos,” or “The Solid Structure,” stripped of weapons, headquarters, uniforms and titles.

Al-Sadr said in his statement: “Proceeding from the public interest of the nation, and to avoid the imminent dangers surrounding the homeland, it has become imperative for us to announce the complete detachment of Saraya al-Salam from the National Shia Movement, and their absolute integration into the state.”

He also thanked the fighters for their service in what he called their greater and lesser jihad, and urged tolerance toward those who had not followed the movement’s religious, ideological and social values.

Al-Sadr had made similar announcements before, but his latest move comes as the Iraqi government operates under regional and international pressure to bring armed factions under state control and regulate their activities.

Political observers said the decision carries particular significance because it formally transfers Saraya al-Salam fighters to the authority of Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, the new head of government.

Saraya al-Salam, which means “Peace Companies” and uses a dove as its symbol, was formed in 2014. The militia was part of the Popular Mobilization Forces (Hashd Shaabi) and served as a partial revival of the earlier Mahdi Army.

Iraqi Prime Minister al-Zaidi welcomed the announcement, calling it “an important path toward strengthening internal stability and consolidating the principle of restricting weapons to the state.”

A statement from the Prime Minister’s Media Office said al-Zaidi commended what it called a responsible national position by al-Sadr, noting the integration of Saraya al-Salam into state forces and their placement under the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces supports state institutions, state sovereignty and the rule of law.

(With files from Agencies)