The U.S. Secretary of State, in a meeting with Iraq’s prime minister, emphasized the importance of dismantling terrorist militias in the country.

Based on a statement from the U.S. Department of State, Marco Rubio on Monday in New York discussed with Ali Al-Zaydi the future of cooperation between the two countries. The statement said: “The Secretary of State and the Prime Minister agreed on the importance of dismantling terrorist militias in Iraq, preventing attacks from Iraqi soil, and fully applying the sovereignty of this country.”

Al-Zaydi earlier on Monday said that the deadline for disarming armed groups had been extended to Tir 9, 1406. Tom Barrack, the special envoy of the U.S. president for Iraq, told Monitor as he left the meeting that it was agreed that by the end of this deadline, “only the caretaker government will be the holder of military power.”

The meeting took place days before the departure of the remaining hundreds of U.S. forces from Iraq on Mehr 8. Several of the most powerful Iran-aligned militias, including Kataib Hezbollah, have rejected the voluntary handover of weapons.