On 2 September, Sabereen News (KH — affiliated) and Unit 10,000 (KH — affiliated) relayed wording attributed to Nouri al-Maliki saying the PMF and factions would remain and would not surrender weapons on 30 September. Al-Ahad TV (AAH — official) carried Salam Adel’s position that faction weapons should pass to the PMF and that the deadline concerns foreign weapons, but it also carried National Trend secretary-general Zulfiqar Hussein’s demand for no weapons outside the state; iNEWS (KSS — affiliated) separately promoted al-Kanani’s allegation that weapons monopolization was requested by the United States and Israel.
- iNEWSKSS — affiliated02 Sept, 22:22
“Al-Kanani says on Deep Breath: The project to monopolize weapons came at an American and Israeli request.”
الكناني يفجرها في نفس عميق: مشروع حصر السلاح جاء بطلب أمريكي واسرائيلي
- Sabereen NewsKH — affiliated02 Sept, 22:42
“Maliki: The Popular Mobilization remains, as the factions will remain, and they will not surrender their weapons on 30 September.”
المالكي: الحشد باقٍ كما الفصائل ستبقى ولن تسلم السلاح في 30 أيلول
- Unit 10,000KH — affiliated02 Sept, 22:43
“Maliki: The Popular Mobilization remains, as the factions will remain, and they will not surrender their weapons on 30 September.”
المالكي الحشد باقٍ كما الفصائل ستبقى ولن تسلم السلاح في 30 أيلول
- Al-Ahad TVAAH — official02 Sept, 23:08
“The state is stable and fully sovereign and no longer needs faction weapons; there is no need for weapons other than those of the state.”
الدولة مستقرة ومكتملة السيادة ولم تعد بحاجة الى سلاح الفصائل؛ لا حاجة لنا بسلاح غير سلاح الدولة
- Al-Ahad TVAAH — official02 Sept, 23:11
“Faction weapons should be handed to the Popular Mobilization Forces; 30 September is the day foreign weapons leave, not a day to discuss domestic weapons.”
سلاح الفصائل يحب ان يسلم لهيئة الحشد؛ 30 ايلول يوم جلاء سلاح الخارج وليس الحديث عن سلاح الداخل
The operative split is not simply for or against weapons control: the public lines offer three distinct outcomes—state monopoly, PMF institutionalization, or continued faction possession—while the KSS-affiliated framing contests the policy’s Iraqi authorship.