Muqtada al-Sadr Detaches Saraya al-Salam from His Movement, Signaling Shift in Iraq's Armed Groups

The decision by Muqtada al-Sadr, leader of the Sadrist Movement, to sever Saraya al-Salam's ties with the movement and place it under the Iraqi state's authority has refocused attention on one of Iraq's most influential armed groups since 2003. Observers describe this move as potentially pivotal in the effort to consolidate weapons under state control, amid increasing internal and external pressure to end militia presence and resolve security decision-making duplication.

This announcement coincides with extensive debates in Iraq concerning the future of armed militias and the mechanisms for integrating them into official institutions, alongside rising governmental and judicial calls to unify military command under state authority.

Saraya al-Salam traces its origins to 2003 when Muqtada al-Sadr established the Mahdi Army following the U.S. invasion of Iraq. The Mahdi Army emerged as a prominent Shia armed faction during the sectarian conflict and confrontations with U.S. forces.

From Mahdi Army to Saraya al-Salam

The Mahdi Army engaged in extensive battles in Baghdad, Najaf, and other cities before Sadr announced its suspension in 2008 as part of security and political arrangements following the "Operation Knights' Charge" launched by his rival within Shia circles, Nouri al-Maliki, against armed groups at that time.

During the sectarian violence between 2005 and 2008, the Mahdi Army faced accusations of committing crimes against Sunni civilians amid its conflict with al-Qaeda.

In subsequent years, the "Promised Day Brigade" appeared as a limited military extension of the Sadrist Movement. Then, in June 2014, following ISIS's capture of Mosul and the collapse of extensive military units in northern Iraq, Sadr reestablished Saraya al-Salam.

Sadr stated that the new formation's purpose was to protect religious shrines, mosques, churches, and holy sites in coordination with the Iraqi state. Later, Saraya al-Salam actively participated in battles against ISIS on multiple fronts.

Saraya al-Salam's Role in the Fight Against ISIS

The group took part alongside the Iraqi army and Popular Mobilization Forces in lifting the siege of the Amri locality in 2014 and contributed to military operations that reclaimed large areas in Salahuddin and Diyala provinces from ISIS control.

Saraya al-Salam's presence became particularly prominent in Samarra, where it was responsible for protecting the shrines of the two Askari Imams and their surroundings. The city subsequently became one of its main military strongholds.

Throughout the war years, Saraya al-Salam maintained its organizational distinctiveness within the Shia armed environment, remaining directly linked to Muqtada al-Sadr despite participating under the Popular Mobilization Forces umbrella through brigades 313, 314, and 315.

Sadr's recent announcement is not the first attempt to detach Saraya al-Salam from the Sadrist Movement; he previously proposed similar ideas in 2017 and 2019, advocating for the monopoly of arms by the state and ending partisan control over armed factions.

Repeated Steps Toward Integration

After ISIS's defeat, Sadr repeatedly expressed readiness to integrate Saraya al-Salam into official institutions, provided that all armed factions were included without exception.

However, these calls did not fully materialize into implementation, and Saraya al-Salam retained its separate structure. The country later witnessed complex security and political events, notably the clashes in the Green Zone in 2022.

Political analyst Nizar Haidar told "Erm News" that current circumstances differ from previous phases due to the scale of international and regional pressures and the growing national demands to centralize weapons under state control.

Integration or Restructuring?

He added that the arms issue has become part of the state-building project, especially after the judiciary's direct involvement in discussions, emphasizing the necessity to end any armed presence outside official institutions. He explained that experiences integrating armed factions in other countries have shown two main approaches: one retaining the faction's structure and weapons within an official institution, and another dismantling the faction and merging its members into various security and military agencies.

He noted that previous experiences demonstrated successful integration when fighters dissolve into state institutions without preserving their prior organizational structures.

Experts consider Sadr's decision not only relevant to Saraya al-Salam's future but also as a broader political and security message directed at other armed militias amid escalating debates on the fate of weapons outside state control.

According to observers, this decision also provides additional momentum to governmental efforts aiming to reorganize the security landscape and compels other factions to address their relationship with official institutions.

This announcement represents a major milestone in the Sadrist Movement's military history spanning over two decades. It places Saraya al-Salam at the threshold of a new phase that could effectively conclude the path that began with the Mahdi Army in 2003, marking the group's first full integration under the Iraqi state's umbrella.

In this regard, a Sadrist Movement member told "Erm News" that the process to detach Saraya al-Salam has entered its initial organizational phase through forming joint committees including representatives from Saraya al-Salam, the Popular Mobilization Forces, and the General Commander’s office of the armed forces to develop a detailed roadmap for the transition.

The member, who requested anonymity, explained that the first phase involves cataloging the numbers, vehicles, equipment, and headquarters affiliated with Saraya al-Salam in Baghdad, Najaf, Samarra, and other provinces, with detailed reports to be submitted to relevant government bodies in the coming weeks.

He clarified that the process will proceed in successive stages over several months, starting with the full administrative and organizational separation between Saraya al-Salam and the Sadrist Movement, followed by transferring military and logistical authorities to the state, then handing over headquarters and medium and heavy weapons, and finally restructuring human resources according to the needs of security institutions.

He affirmed that the ultimate goal is to transform all Saraya al-Salam members into a force fully subject to the official military command chain, ending any prior organizational or political affiliations in line with the project to centralize weapons under state control and unify security and military decision-making in Iraq.

Issam al-Obaidi - Erm News