📍Baghdad sets a deadline for disarming militias close to the Islamic Republic The Iraqi government announced that armed groups loyal to the Islamic Republic have until September 30 to hand over their weapons and continue their military activity only within the framework of the Iraqi state. The decision was announced at the same time as the end of the mission of the U.S.-led anti-ISIS coalition in Iraq and has been described as part of Baghdad’s efforts to restore the monopoly on weapons to the hands of the state. The announcement of the deadline was made ahead of the trip of Ali al-Zaydi, the Iraqi prime minister, to Washington; a trip that is expected to have armed groups affiliated with the Islamic Republic as one of its main topics.