Qasim Al-Araji: Illegal weapons to face terrorist treatment

Al-Araji categorically denied recent reports circulating on social media about “setting a deadline for the work of the committee tasked with restricting weapons to state control,” stressing that once the process of registering and restricting weapons is completed, anyone carrying weapons illegally will be “treated as terrorists.”

In a statement issued today, Al-Araji’s media office said the committee formed by the Coordination Framework and operating under the direct supervision of the prime minister is continuing its field and organizational work without being subject to a specific deadline.

It added that once the committee completes all its work and weapons are fully brought under state control, the law will be strictly enforced against “anyone carrying weapons illegally,” who will be treated as being outside the law and subjected to strict legal measures applicable to terrorists.

Meanwhile, Akil Al-Rudaini, spokesman for the Victory Coalition, said in a statement to a media network on Thursday that “some factions have reservations,” including concerns that if the process is treated as disarmament, they could be viewed as a weak or disempowered party. He added that they also object to the fact that the Americans are demanding that they surrender their weapons while, in their view, arming other groups in return.

The Nujaba Movement, Hezbollah Brigades and Sayyid al-Shuhada Brigades are among the factions that have not officially participated in the process of bringing weapons under state control so far.

ANHA