Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr announced on Wednesday that he would place his militia under state control and urged other armed groups to follow suit, a move welcomed by new Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi as he seeks to bring militias under the authority of the Iraqi state.

What happened: Sadr said in a statement that Saraya al-Salam would separate from his political party, the National Shiite Movement, and undergo an “absolute integration into the state and the general official responsible for military formations.” Sadr cited the public interest and “imminent dangers” facing Iraq and called on other militias to follow suit.

“My hope is that all formations of the Popular Mobilization Units will separate themselves from partisan and sectarian orders, especially after the factions hand over their weapons to the state, as we advised them to do years ago,” read the statement. 

The PMU formed in 2014 to fight the Islamic State and a number of its member militias are backed by Iran. The units were technically integrated into the Iraqi armed forces in 2016 but in reality maintain a strong degree of autonomy.