It was his first speech in front of parliament as Iraq’s prime minister, and Ali al-Zaidi was quick to set out his stall.
“[I am committing to] reforming the security apparatus by restricting weapons to state control and strengthening the capabilities of the security forces,” al-Zaidi pledged in mid-May.
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Al-Zaidi is not the first Iraqi prime minister to promise that the state will have a monopoly on arms in a country where paramilitary groups – including many backed by neighbouring Iran – have been powerful since the 2003 United States-led war on Iraq.
But with pressure
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