At 17:47 on 21 August, Watan TV (Badr Organization — affiliated) posted a line from a speaker identified only as al-Daami saying it is preferable that the factions hand their weapons to the Popular Mobilization Forces in order to break any international argument against them. At 18:50 the same channel posted Speaker of Parliament Heibat al-Halbousi saying there is no confrontation with the factions, that the end of next September is the beginning of restricting weapons to the state, and that the decision is Iraqi and constitutional and is proceeding. Both items sit on one channel within roughly an hour; the evidence does not identify al-Daami's faction, so neither line can be read as an official Badr Organization position.
- Watan TVBadr Organization — affiliated21 Aug, 20:47
“Al-Daami: It is preferable that the factions hand their weapons to the Popular Mobilization Forces to break any international argument against them.”
الدعمي: من الافضل ان تسلم الفصائل سلاحها للحشد لكسر اي حجة عالمية تجاهها
- Watan TVBadr Organization — affiliated21 Aug, 21:50
“Speaker of Parliament Heibat al-Halbousi: There is no confrontation with the factions; the end of next September is the beginning of restricting weapons to the state. The decision is Iraqi and constitutional and is proceeding.”
رئيس مجلس النواب هيبت الحلبوسي: لا وجود لصدام مع الفصائل، ونهاية أيلول المقبل بداية لحصر السلاح بيد الدولة، القرار عراقي ودستوري وماضٍ
The September date gives a fixed benchmark against which faction compliance, resistance or a negotiated PMF-transfer exception can be measured over the next five weeks.