Kataeb Hezbollah, an influential Iraqi armed group, says it will continue armed activities despite mounting US pressure on Baghdad to disarm factions it says are supported by Iran. The pledge comes as the United States increases strikes against groups operating under the banner of “Islamic Resistance in Iraq,” following repeated drone and rocket attacks on US interests in Iraq since late February. US actions have included bombings of facilities and bases associated with Kataeb Hezbollah, with reports of dozens of members killed.
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, who took office in mid-May, has said he aims to restrict weapons to state hands and limit activity outside government control. Kataeb Hezbollah security chief Abu Mujahid al-Assaf rejects disarmament under pressure from Washington, saying armed activity is a duty and will be carried out on behalf of supporters who have chosen not to abandon it.
At the same time, al-Assaf says Kataeb Hezbollah is willing to cooperate with other factions that may operate under state institutions. He also says the group could help with supervising weapons transfer and storage and may pay for weapons that other groups no longer need. He adds that Kataeb Hezbollah will not discuss its weapons while foreign forces remain deployed in northern Kurdistan.
