Iraq’s prime minister ordered officials of this country to prepare a legal draft for exclusive control of weapons by the government.

According to a report from the Iraqi Prime Minister’s Office, Ali Al-Zaidi issued this order during a meeting with Khalid Al-Obaidi, head of the Security and Defense Committee of the Iraqi Parliament.

Sabah Al-Nauman, spokesperson for the commander-in-chief of Iraq’s armed forces, had reported two months ago about the formation of a committee to confine weapons control to the state.

In recent months, militia groups supported by the Islamic Republic in Iraq have repeatedly carried out attacks on Arab countries in the region; a development that has triggered widespread criticism.