Kataib Hezbollah Rejects Iraq's Disarmament Deadline, Deepening Political Crisis

Kataib Hezbollah, an Iran-aligned Iraqi paramilitary group, has rejected Baghdad's September 30, 2026 deadline to hand weapons to state control, insisting on keeping "resistance weapons." Three other factions agreed to join state forces. The split fractures Iraq's Shia bloc and tests Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi as US pressure drives the disarmament push.