Kataib Hezbollah tells Iraqi PM al-Sudani: we're keeping our weapons and Jurf al-Sakhar
Hours after Iraq's government announced oil smuggling in Jurf al-Sakhar and dismissed nine officials, Kataib Hezbollah fired back. The group accused Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani of breaking his word and said it would not give up its weapons.
RastinewsKataib Hezbollah said in a statement on Sunday that it had taken part in negotiations over regulating weapons and had signed an agreement with the Coordination Framework and the government. The group claimed Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani had failed to honor that deal.
The statement alleged that the Prime Minister's Office had spread baseless reports through UAE and Saudi media outlets and some local channels. The group said it was facing the heaviest pressure yet to force it to disarm.
"We will not compromise on this principle"
Kataib Hezbollah said the Jurf al-Sakhar and weapons files should be kept out of the political conflict. The group declared it would not back down regardless of how much pressure the UAE, Saudi Arabia and the United States exerted through the government.
The statement claimed the technical committee that visited the area found no illegal tampering with oil pipelines. According to the group, the site holds only fuel storage tanks and a small fuel-refining facility. It said these facilities process fuel taken from Hashd al-Shaabi for military vehicles, heavy equipment and generators, supplying the route from northern Babil to Qaim on the Syrian border.
The group demanded that the judiciary restore the rights of those punished as part of the investigation.
Government had confirmed the smuggling
Iraq's government had presented a different picture. Armed Forces spokesman Sabah al-Numan said the committee formed by al-Sudani had confirmed the smuggling details in the Federal Intelligence and Investigation Agency's report, as well as the presence of a refinery in the area.
Al-Sudani then ordered all suspects referred to the judiciary and dismissed nine officials, including Hashd al-Shaabi's Babil commander and the Babil police chief. The committee entered Jurf al-Sakhar on Friday accompanied by the army and the Federal Police.
According to reporting by The National and Iraq-based 964media, Kataib Hezbollah had initially blocked the first committee from entering the area. Al-Sudani subsequently put Hashd al-Shaabi's Director General of Discipline and Security, Ali Mayah al-Zaidi, in charge of the investigation.
Jurf al-Sakhar, south of Baghdad, has been under Kataib Hezbollah's control since it was retaken from ISIS in 2014. Most of the area's former residents still cannot return to their homes.