ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein and the newly appointed US charge d’affaires in Baghdad, Steven Fagin, have discussed government efforts to establish a state monopoly on weapons, Hussein\u2019s office said on Thursday.<\/p>\n
The meeting addressed \u201csteps taken by the Iraqi government to restrict weapons to the authority of the state,\u201d according to a statement released by the foreign ministry.<\/p>\n
The US embassy announced on Wednesday that Fagin would take over as charge d’affaires, succeeding Joshua Harris. Fagin previously served as the US consul general Erbil between 2018 and 2020.<\/p>\n
The diplomatic engagement comes amid a pledge by Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi to disarm armed factions by September 30.<\/p>\n
However, pro-Iran groups, including Kataeb Hezbollah and Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba, have refused to commit to the deadline, casting doubt over whether the objective can be achieved.<\/p>\n
The groups form part of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella coalition of Iran-aligned factions that has claimed more than 700 attacks targeting US and coalition assets across Iraq and the wider region.<\/p>\n