US lawmaker slams Iraqi judiciary over armed factions praise

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A US congressman criticized Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) for thanking armed factions for cooperation on limiting weapons to the state, as the powerful pro-Iran Kataib Hezbollah said disarmament can only be discussed after foreign forces withdraw and “ensuring safety” from the Kurdish Peshmerga and new Syrian authorities.

In a statement issued Saturday, the judiciary said its president, Faiq Zidan, thanked “the brothers, the leaders of the [armed] factions,” for responding to his advice on “cooperating to enforce the rule of law, confining weapons to the hands of the state, and transitioning to political action after the national need for military action has ceased.”

The remarks drew criticism from US Congressman Joe Wilson, who said they undermine the neutrality of Iraq’s judiciary.

In an early Sunday post on X, Wilson described “the corrupt president of the Iraqi Supreme Judicial Council” thanking armed factions for their intention to disarm as behavior that “does not reflect the conduct of a state institution nor that of a neutral judiciary.”

“Instead, it clearly shows a communication channel and an ongoing relationship between the judiciary leadership and militia factions,” he said. “An independent judiciary does not thank armed groups for following its advice nor assess their political or military actions. Such conduct is completely outside its constitutional role.”

Kataib Hezbollah said in a statement on Saturday that “sovereignty, maintaining security in Iraq, and preventing foreign interference in all its forms are prerequisites for discussing the state's monopoly on weapons.” The group added that its “position aligns with what our authorities have stated, whenever this is achieved.”

The group said that “resistance is a right, and its weapons remain in the hands of its fighters,” adding that “talk of any understanding with the government will only take place after the withdrawal of all occupation forces, NATO, and the Turkish army, while ensuring safety of our people and our holy sites from the threat of the Jolani and Peshmerga gangs.”

Abu Mohammed al-Jolani is the nom de guerre of Syrian interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa, who led the Sunni jihadist Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham group that overthrew the Bashar al-Assad regime last year. Iraqi politicians, particularly Shiite figures, have warned that developments in Syria could pose security risks to Iraq.

Iran-backed factions, including Kataib Hezbollah and Harakat al-Nujaba, have also increasingly framed the Kurdistan Region’s Peshmerga forces as US proxies aimed at undermining Iraqi sovereignty and facilitating a Western military presence. The Peshmerga are a legally recognized regional internal security force and gained international recognition in 2014 for their frontline role against the Islamic State (ISIS), particularly after the Iraqi army’s collapse.

In late December, Qais al-Muhammadawi, deputy commander of Iraq’s Joint Operations Command, told Rudaw that the US-led coalition against ISIS has effectively concluded its mission in federal Iraq, with remaining coalition forces now based in the Kurdistan Region.

Meanwhile, Kataib Hezbollah is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States. In August, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani ordered the dismissal of commanders of brigades 45 and 46 from Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), which are affiliated with the Kataib Hezbollah, and referred them to the judiciary over an assault on the agriculture ministry in late July that killed two people and wounded dozens.

The comments come as Washington is increasing pressure on Baghdad to curb Iranian influence and reduce the role of Iran-backed armed groups. The United States is reportedly urging Iraq to dissolve all armed factions, including the state-integrated PMF.

The latest draft of the US National Defense Authorization Act conditions continued US financial aid to Iraq on reducing the capabilities of Iran-aligned militias and bans any assistance to the pro-Iran Badr Organization, led by Hadi al-Ameri, which won 18 seats in the most recent parliamentary elections.

In September, the United States designated four other Iran-backed Iraqi militia groups as foreign terrorist organizations under President Donald Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran.

Iran is believed to operate through multiple proxy groups in Iraq, which it has previously used to target US interests. Washington has taken additional measures to limit Tehran’s influence, including rescinding in March a waiver that had allowed Iraq to import electricity from Iran.