From the borderlands of Maysan province, a drone rose and struck a Saudi pipeline, forcing Iraq to confront a truth it has long struggled to contain: that armed groups operating within its territory answer to loyalties beyond Baghdad's reach. Iraq's government moved swiftly to dismiss commanders and close crossings, gestures of accountability that nonetheless left the deeper architecture of militia power untouched. The attack arrives at a moment of compounding regional pressure — a September 30 disarmament deadline, a planned American withdrawal, and a constellation of Iran-aligned forces from