IRGC Quds Force commander Esmail Qaani made an unannounced visit to Baghdad last night, holding separate meetings with Coordination Framework leaders and commanders of Iranian-backed Iraqi militias.

The meetings focused on the contentious issue of restricting weapons to state control, a topic gaining urgency ahead of a late-September deadline that has fueled concerns the Iraqi government could use force against armed factions.

Qaani urged the militias to avoid clashes with Iraqi security forces but stopped short of endorsing disarmament, stressing the need for the factions to keep their weapons amid rising American threats against the "axis of resistance." - Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

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