SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Iraqi Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr on Wednesday called on the federal government to seriously work against armed groups targeting security of the country.
“The Iraqi government must work diligently and firmly against armed groups that target the security of Iraq and its citizens regardless of the affiliation of the perpetrators,” Sadr said in a tweet.
Sadr also expressed support for the federal government’s efforts to prevent groups acting outside the state from bearing arms illegally.
“I am aware that they [the armed groups] are paid to destabilize security and stability and seek to weaken the prestige of the state,” said Sadr.
There are numerous armed groups in Iraq. Militias linked to political parties, some backed by Iran, have tightened their grip over state institutions since the U.S. invasion that toppled President Saddam Hussein in 2003.
The government has vowed to crack down on what it says are criminal armed groups trying to destabilize the country, and to impose state control over weapons as part of efforts to reduce the influence of militias.
