Iraq struggles to disarm militias amid US-Iran tug-of-war

Esmail Qaani has a habit of not announcing his visits to Baghdad. He simply appears, meets whoever needs meeting, and leaves before most Iraqis know he was there.His trip on August 10 was no different. The commander of Iran’s Quds Force, the branch of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps responsible for backing armed allies abroad, met with Iraqi militia commanders and officials from the Coordination Framework, the alliance of Iran-aligned Shia parties that dominate Iraq’s parliament and effectively chose the current prime minister.Qaani reportedly pressed the militants to keep their weapo