LONDON: Iraqi officials like to say that the “age of militias” is ending. On paper, the past few weeks seem to support that narrative. Asaib Ahl Al-Haq, a hardline Iran-aligned faction, announced it would disengage from the Popular Mobilization Forces and place its weapons under state control, following a similar move by Kataib Al-Imam, and influential cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr’s Saraya Salam, or Peace Brigades. At first glance, these decisions suggest a system long defined by fractured, overlapping — and at times opposing — chains of command might be inching toward a new security order.

In an interview with Al-Arabiya, Lt. Gen. Qais Al-Muhammadawi, who heads Iraq’s Disengagement and Arms Control Committee, made clear that the current phase of bringing weapons…

Powerful Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr among those who say their groups will integrate into the state.