Sudani’s comments come ahead of Iraq's highly anticipated parliamentary elections on 11 November.

Sudani is balancing between Washington, which is critical for Iraq’s dollar transactions, and neighbouring Iran, which backs a constellation of mainly Shia militias called the Popular Mobilisation Forces.

Sudani is courting public support ahead of elections as he seeks a second term in office.

“There is no ISIS. Security and stability? Thank God it's there … so give me the excuse for the presence of 86 states,” he told Reuters in an interview in Baghdad, referring to the number of countries that joined the US-led coalition against the Islamic State group in 2014.

"Then, for sure, there will be a clear programme to end any arms outside of state institutions. This is the demand of all," he said.

US troops began withdrawing from two key Iraqi bases over the summer.

In September 2024, Reuters reported that US and Iraqi negotiators had agreed on a plan during the Biden administration to end the US military presence, which just required the sign-off of leaders in Baghdad and Washington.

According to Reuters, the plan called for all US-led coalition forces to leave Ain al-Asad air base in western Anbar province and significantly reduce their presence in Baghdad by September 2025.

Sudani said that militias could become absorbed into the state’s official security forces or their members could enter politics after laying down their arms.

Parallels in Lebanon
The proposal comes at a time when the US is finding it very difficult to disarm Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The Popular Mobilisation Forces and Hezbollah belong to a loose group of militias, alongside Yemen’s Houthis, that receive funding and training from Iran. The so-called "axis of resistance" was battered by Israeli attacks following the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attack on southern Israel.

Militias in Iraq were behind an attack on US troops in Jordan in January 2024, but mainly stood aside while the Houthis and Hezbollah attacked Israel, in what they said was solidarity with besieged Palestinians in Gaza.

Israel's war on Gaza after 7 October 2023 has been recognised as a genocide by world leaders, the United Nations and human rights experts. The US brokered a fragile Gaza ceasefire in October that has been marred by Israeli violations.

The US has long been lobbying Iraq to dismantle armed groups affiliated with the Popular Mobilisation Forces. A more overt campaign led by US envoy Tom Barrack is underway in Lebanon to disarm Hezbollah.

Hezbollah was resigned to sign a lopsided ceasefire last year that enshrined Israel’s ability to attack the group with US support. The group has endured Israeli strikes without responding.

The Lebanese army has disarmed Hezbollah in much of southern Lebanon, analysts and regional diplomats tell Middle East Eye.

The government has been trying to negotiate a transfer of Hezbollah’s heavy weaponry in the rest of the country to the army. Hezbollah has resisted this.

Speaking at a conference in Bahrain last week, Barrack said that he did not think using force to disarm Hezbollah would work, and instead said oil-rich Gulf states need to offer an economic incentive for Hezbollah fighters to turn in their arms.

Hezbollah is the largest political party in Lebanon, and its members sit in the US-backed government. Both its armed wing and a network of social services exist outside the government.

In Iraq, the Popular Mobilisation Forces receive government payments. Under Sudani, the roughly 150,000 members of the forces were allocated an additional $700m in Iraq’s three-year budget released in 2023.

“We are horrified at the repeated incidents, continuously reported in recent days across Gaza, and we call for an immediate end to these senseless killings,” the office said in a statement Since 27 May, when the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), an initiative backed by Israel and the United States began food distribution in southern Gaza – bypassing the established UN-led system – hundreds have been killed and many more wounded near four distribution points or while waiting to pick up aid.

In one of the deadliest recent incidents, Israeli military reportedly shelled a crowd waiting for UN food trucks in southern Gaza on 17 June, killing at least 51 people and injuring some 200 others, according to Gazan health authorities.

A day earlier, three Palestinians were reportedly killed and several injured in a similar incident in western Beit Lahiya.

“There is no information to suggest that the people killed or injured were involved in hostilities or posed any threat to the Israeli military or to staff of GHF distribution points,” OHCHR said.

The UN World Food Programme (WFP), which has managed to dispatch only 9,000 metric tons of food within Gaza over the past month – a fraction of what is required for the 2.1 million people in need – echoed calls for immediate protection of civilians and aid workers.

“Far too many people have died while trying to access the trickle of food aid coming in,” the agency said in a separate statement.

“Any violence resulting in starving people being killed or injured while seeking life-saving assistance is completely unacceptable.”
The UN emergency food relief agency said the fear of starvation and desperate need for food is causing large crowds to gather along well-known transport routes, hoping to intercept and access humanitarian supplies while in transit.

“Only a massive scale-up in food distributions can stabilize the situation, calm anxieties and rebuild the trust within communities that more food is coming,” it said, calling urgently for safer convoy routes, faster permissions, restored communication channels and additional border openings.

“The time to act is now. Delays cost lives. We must be allowed to safely do our jobs,” the agency said.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Thursday that Israel had “signed off” on the ceasefire proposal, and the Trump administration’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, had submitted it to Hamas for consideration.

Hamas political bureau member Basem Naim told the Reuters news agency that the deal “does not meet any of our people’s demands, foremost among them, halting the war”.

“Nonetheless, the movement’s leadership is studying the response to the proposal with full national responsibility,” Naim added.

The details of the new proposal have not been made public, but senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters that, crucially, it did not contain commitments from Israel to end its war on Gaza, withdraw Israeli troops from the enclave, or allow aid to freely enter the war-torn territory.

"We Will Not Leave": Fear and Defiance in Gaza
Residents interviewed across Gaza say Israel’s military strategy prioritizes territorial control over diplomatic solutions, raising fears of mass displacement. Many Palestinians expressed alarm over reports of depopulation efforts, worried they may never return to their homes if forced into southern Gaza or beyond.

"Israel isn’t just targeting Hamas—it’s targeting all of us," said Um Youssef, a mother of four sheltering in Der Balora. "They want Gaza empty."

Military Tactics and Humanitarian Crisis
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has framed the campaign as necessary to dismantle Hamas’ military capabilities. But Palestinians and regional observers accuse Israel of employing broader tactics—including aid restrictions and expanded ground operations—to systematically squeeze civilians.

With humanitarian supplies dwindling and bombardment intensifying, the UN warns of catastrophic conditions. Yet amid the desperation, social media channels reveal a defiant undercurrent, with hashtags like #WeWillNotLeave trending among Gazans vowing to remain.

A Test of Resilience
"The world thinks we’ll flee, but this is our land," said Ahmed, a teacher in Gaza City. "They can destroy our buildings, but not our resolve."

As international pressure mounts for a ceasefire, analysts caution that Israel’s long-term strategy risks entrenching the war further. For now, Gaza’s civilians brace for an uncertain future—one they insist will unfold on their own terms.

Source: Al Jazeera