ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) announced on Saturday that its 52nd Brigade has assumed responsibility for security in part of the Amirli district in eastern Salahaddin province, taking over from an Iraqi army unit as Baghdad moves to reorganize security sectors and strengthen coordination among state forces.
In a statement, the Tehran-aligned PMF said the second battalion of the Iraqi army’s 86th Brigade had handed over its “area of responsibility and security checkpoints in the village of Bustamli” in Amirli district, to the PMF’s 52nd Brigade.
“The handover is part of a reorganization of security sectors and responsibilities aimed at enhancing field integration and coordination between the forces,” read the statement, noting that the move also “supports efforts to maintain security and stability and to protect the region and its residents.”
Amirli and surrounding areas in eastern Salahaddin remain security-sensitive, with Iraqi forces continuing operations to prevent attacks or movements by ISIS remnants.
The development comes as the Iraqi government is seeking to place all armed forces and weapons under state authority.
Saad Maan, head of the Iraqi Security Media Cell, told the state-run Iraqi News Agency (INA) on Saturday that the government was working to unify security decisions and ensure that military force operates under the authority of the state.
“The PMF is a constitutional and legal institution and a major title and foundation for the movement of forces,” Maan said, adding that any armed group operating outside that framework would be addressed through negotiations and constitutional and legal channels.
Maan also said a September 30 deadline to bring armed groups' weapons under state control was “not a source of concern,” arguing that dialogue and constitutional, legal and administrative channels remain open.
“The decision of war and peace is exclusively in the hands of the state,” Maan said. “It is not possible to accept multiple decisions or the creation of parallel forces to the official forces.”
Maan said significant quantities of weapons had already been handed over by factions responding to government decisions, particularly weapons that were not registered with or under the authority of the PMF.
On the broader effort to regulate weapons, Maan said a permanent committee at the Interior Ministry was registering around 6,000 firearms each week, adding that“a total of approximately 580,000 pieces registered so far."
