Al-Nujaba official Kaabi: Turkish troops must fully withdraw from Iraq
Al-Nujaba Movement official Mehdi al-Kaabi told al-Mayadeen television that resistance weapons will not be handed over to any party until the U.S. and Turkish forces are fully withdrawn from Iraq, calling the Turkish military presence an "occupation."
RastinewsMehdi al-Kaabi, an official of Iraq's Iran-aligned Al-Nujaba Movement, told al-Mayadeen television that weapons will not be surrendered until U.S. and Turkish forces fully withdraw from the country. Kaabi described the Turkish military presence as an "occupation."
"Weapons go on the table only after a full withdrawal"
Kaabi said the weapons issue can only be addressed through internal Iraqi dialogue, and only once U.S. and Turkish forces have fully left Iraq and outside influence has ended. He argued that calls to bring weapons under state control should not target Shiite groups alone, saying the process must cover all armed actors, including the Peshmerga.
"U.S. pressure has hit 99 percent"
Kaabi claimed U.S. pressure on Iraqi political actors has reached 99 percent, arguing that political decisions in the country are shaped by Washington's pressure across security, politics and economics. Rejecting the "terrorist" label applied to his movement, he stressed that resistance weapons would never be handed over.
Relations with Baghdad government "good"
Kaabi described relations with the government of Prime Minister Ali al-Sudani as "good," saying his movement backs the government's steps to remove U.S. forces and secure sovereignty. He said disagreements with some politicians stem from their willingness to bow to U.S. financial and political pressure.
Turning to recent security developments, Kaabi said Abbas Yaqoubi, intelligence chief of the Popular Mobilization Forces' Baghdad Belt, was detained over allegations he targeted U.S. forces, and was released within 48 hours after no concrete evidence was found. He denied accusations that his group attacked oil fields in the Kurdistan Region, while saying the movement had openly claimed the operations it did carry out.
The Kurdistan Region government generally attributes Turkey's military presence in the region to the PKK's presence there and does not describe it as an "occupation." Neither the KDP nor the Peshmerga Ministry had responded to Kaabi's remarks at the time this report was filed.
Calls for Turkish withdrawal not new
Iran-aligned armed groups have previously described Turkey's cross-border operations against the PKK as an "occupation." The group Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada has said any handover of weapons requires a full Turkish military withdrawal from Iraqi and Kurdistan Region territory.
Akram al-Kaabi, secretary-general of Al-Nujaba, has separately said the group is ready for a "decisive battle" if U.S. forces are not fully withdrawn by September 30.
The religious authority in Najaf called in 2017 for weapons to be brought under state control, conditioning the call on full sovereignty, stability and the establishment of independent institutions.