At a Glance

• Baghdad is using a new 23-article bill to disarm informal armed groups before September 30.
• Article 1 updates the legal definitions of terrorists to include modern technological threats.
• The draft law mandates the death penalty for deploying unauthorized drones against citizens.
• Instigators of civil war, sectarian strife, or forced displacement will face execution.

Baghdad is wielding its new anti-terrorism bill as the ultimate legal weapon to dismantle informal armed groups ahead of a September 30 deadline, granting the executive branch sweeping power to prosecute defiance through the courts and enforce the death penalty for the use of prohibited weapons.

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Key Statements and Focus Area

• Article 1 of the draft bill establishes a new definition for a "terrorist individual" and a "terrorist organization" to keep pace with technological advancements and modern criminal methods.
• The anti-terrorism law grants the government full authority to classify any armed movement after September 30 as a terrorist crime.
• The government intends to use this legal framework to prevent the activities of armed groups from dragging Iraq into the regional war between Israel, the United States, and Iran.

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The legislation, which will be discussed during today’s parliamentary session, represents the state's final resort following the failure of negotiations, political inclusion, and integration efforts to yield decisive results, aiming to insulate Iraq from regional conflicts while ending the domestic proliferation of unauthorized weapons.

The successful implementation of this process will end a 23-year phenomenon where parallel armed forces have coexisted alongside the official Iraqi army.

Under the draft of the new anti-terrorism bill, which introduces sweeping changes to criminal definitions, the death penalty will be imposed on anyone who deploys prohibited weapons—specifically unmanned aerial vehicles (drones)—against citizens.

Furthermore, paragraph 4 of Article 2 makes instigators of civil war, sectarian strife, or forced displacement eligible for execution.

The legislation also criminalizes the concealment of information, stipulating prison sentences for anyone with prior knowledge of terrorist plots who fails to notify the authorities.

FYI

The anti-terrorism bill is on the legislative agenda for the Iraqi Parliament's current sessions this week, and it will only undergo its initial readings today.

This parliamentary move seeks to replace the Anti-Terrorism Law No. 13 of 2005. The previous law consisted of only five articles and failed to address current security developments and challenges.

The passage of this law aligns with the government's efforts to disarm groups and return all weaponry to the state. The ruling State Administration Coalition previously warned that after September 30, any armed activity outside formal state authority will be dealt with directly under the provisions of the anti-terrorism law.

Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi reaffirms the government's absolute determination to restrict all weapons exclusively to state custody, maintaining that there will be no need for independent armed factions following the deadline while ruling out any domestic military confrontation to achieve it.

Despite the government's discussions with them over recent months, Kata'ib Hezbollah, the al-Nujaba Movement, and Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada have rejected surrendering their weapons.

These groups maintain that retaining their weapons is an ideological and defensive necessity, leading to an impasse in negotiations as the state prepares to enforce its legislative deadline.

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