Iraq will likely achieve only partial militia integration, as the most powerful Iranian-aligned groups are unlikely to relinquish their core military capabilities, leaving Baghdad unable to fully resolve the militia challenge and keeping the state vulnerable to continued U.S. pressure and intra-Shiite tensions. On June 3, Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi agreed with delegations from Iranian-backed political and militant factions Asaib Ahl al-Haq and Kataib al-Imam Ali to form a joint committee tasked with implementing measures to place militia weapons under state control. The meeting followed a series of recent announcements by Iraqi armed factions signaling at least partial willingness to comply with Baghdad's long-standing effort to bring militias under state authority. On May 29, Asaib Ahl al-Haq and the Imam Ali Brigades announced they would begin handing over weapons to Iraqi authorities, two days after prominent Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr pledged on May 27 to disband his affiliated militia,...
