On 8 September, KSS spokesman Kadhim al-Fartousi told Shafaq News that bringing weapons under state control was inseparable from full sovereignty and called 30 September a test of US and coalition compliance with commitments to the Iraqi government. The deadline refers to the scheduled end of the coalition mission and withdrawal; commander-in-chief spokesman Sabah al-Numan said that departure would remove the justification for weapons outside state institutions. National State Powers Alliance Hadi al-Amiri al-Hakim instead described the mission’s end as a message of Iraqi recovery and stability.
- Kurdistan2408 Sept, 14:49
“The September 30 coalition withdrawal will remove any justification for armed groups to retain weapons outside Iraqi state institutions.”
- Shafaq News08 Sept, 16:33
“Iraqi armed factions view bringing weapons under state control as inseparable from achieving full national sovereignty... He described September 30 as a test of the United States and the US-led international coalition’s commitment to their obligations to the Iraqi government.”
- News Video Agency08 Sept, 16:40
“The end of the international coalition’s mission in Iraq represents a message of recovery and stability... Iraq has managed to overcome terrorism with the help of international and regional partners.”
The difference is whether 30 September completes the rationale for state weapons control, as the government argues, or merely tests a sovereignty precondition, as KSS argues.