The Militia Digest

Reports on 21 and 22 September attributed to Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi a phased weapons-control plan: factions would stop attacks for 90 days while receiving assurances against U.S. strikes, then hand over weapons by 30 June 2027. Under the reported plan, fighters would enter the PMF or other state forces individually, and organizations still armed under faction names after the deadline would be treated as outside the law. The timetable departs from security adviser Qasim al-Araji’s position last week that the committee had no fixed completion deadline. PMF military-media director Muhannad al-Aqabi instead said faction weapons would be reorganized under federal supervision rather than transferred to the government. Ashab al-Kahf, assessed as a Nujaba front, said regulation could come only after every foreign force left Iraq, including coalition, U.S. and Turkish forces. On iNEWS (KSS — affiliated), a speaker identified only as al-Khazali said understandings would require at least six months. Alaa al-Haidari (Asas parliamentary bloc head) told Al-Ahad TV (AAH — official) that weapons control could not be fixed by date. The positions now differ over whether factions surrender or retain supervised weapons, whether foreign forces leave first and whether a deadline can bind the process.

The Badr parliamentary bloc warned the Iraqi government and Civil Aviation Authority against carrying out reported U.S. instructions barring Iranian civilian aircraft from Iraqi airspace and airports. It said compliance would expose responsible officials to parliamentary and oversight accountability and asked both bodies for an urgent statement. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was reported threatening dollar-system exclusion for airports providing Iranian airlines with fuel, landing services or ticket sales from 23 September. Two Iraqi government sources said Iraq would enforce restrictions from dawn on 22 September. Al-Ittijah TV (KH — official) carried Iraq’s denial that bilateral flights had stopped and warned of economic losses if they did. Al-Ghadeer TV (Badr Organization — official) carried the warning and Al-Nujaba TV (Nujaba — official) carried it in Badr's words. Badr described the measure as an airspace and airport ban, while the reported Treasury warning named fuel, landing and ticket services.

Qaisar al-Jourani (AAH — Sadiqoun MP) said the bloc had collected more than 60 signatures to question the oil minister over the fuel crisis. Uday Awad (AAH — Sadiqoun bloc head) said questioning would proceed because the minister’s answers were unsatisfactory. Parliament meanwhile voted on 11 recommendations addressing the shortages. iNEWS carried calls to reconsider Cabinet Decision 429 of 2026 on fuel prices, restore subsidized supplies to farmers and set a timetable for petroleum-product self-sufficiency. The recommendations also sought detailed reporting on production, imports, consumption, costs, stocks and provincial allocations, along with tighter oversight from depots to filling stations. Watan TV (Badr Organization — affiliated) carried MP Mahdi Taqi al-Amirli’s allegation that the petrol crisis was fabricated to inflame the street. It attributed to Parliament Speaker Haibat al-Halbousi the criticism that an oil-producing country should not face a fuel crisis or invoke the Strait of Hormuz as an excuse. The recommendations have passed, but the signatures have not been submitted and no questioning session has been scheduled.

Separately in Anbar, Al-Ghadeer TV (Badr Organization — official) described a PMF security exercise. iNEWS then said PMF and army units conducted a joint operation east of Anbar toward the Baghdad boundary. Al-Ittijah TV and Al-Nujaba TV said weapons and war remnants were found.