In a new statement, Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr is calling for a nationwide campaign of disarmament. He says he wants his own followers to be the first to hand in their weapons to the government, saying that “everyone must obey the orders and not stand in the way.”
The plan was immediately endorsed by the Iraqi Interior Ministry, which had accused Sadr’s forces of hiding weapons and arms in civilian areas. They had been carrying out an investigation into Sadr’s forces.
That Sadr has such a large force of armed supporters makes him an unlikely advocate of a disarmament plan, though it also improves his ties with the outgoing Abadi government. Even there, Sadr is warning the plan can’t just target his bloc, and must also disarm other factions.
That’s a big point, as while Sadr’s bloc won the plurality in May’s vote, the second place party of Hadi Amiri is itself made up of multiple heavily armed militia factions’ political wings. In an attempt to try to form a coalition, they may feel keeping such forces armed risks talks spilling over into fighting.
Sadr always impresses by taking the moral high ground, which is characteristic of Shiites.
Do you really believe Sadr’s militia will ever “disarm”?
They should not disarm as long as they are a target of US violence and Sunni terrorism.
Yet, … Sadr “says” they will, and you believe him.
He’s doing the same thing that Trump is doing right now with trade and that Hitler did with disarmament in the 1930s — stating his willingness to go all the way if the other parties will, knowing damn well that they won’t.
Sadr is talking to all factions inside Iraq.
Like all tyrants he wants to disarm the opposition.
It’s that simple.
Only the suicidal and hopelessly gullible would give it any credence.