Ali Falih al-Zaydi, Prime Minister of Iraq, stressing his government’s determination to implement the plan to monopolize weapons in the hands of official institutions, said he would not back down from this position even if his life were put at risk.

Earlier, in a meeting with the Coordination Framework, the Shiite ruling coalition in Iraq, he had said: “I will go and continue along this path, even if it costs my life or leads to my assassination.”

Militias supported by the Islamic Republic, including Kata’ib Hezbollah and the Badr Organization, are among the opponents of disarming paramilitary groups.

Muhammad Naji, head of the political office of the Badr Organization, has warned that the government’s efforts to disarm armed groups could lead to civil war and deepen rifts in Iraq.