Iraq united in battle for Mosul: President

Iraqi President Fuad Masum says the volunteer fighters, known as the Popular Mobilization Forces or Hashd al-Shaabi, as well as Kurdish Peshmerga will definitely join the operation aimed at liberating the northern city of Mosul from the ISIL Takfiri terrorists.

According to Press TV, Masum, on Wednesday, dismissed accusations leveled by some regional countries, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, that the Popular Mobilization Forces are bent on a sectarian agenda, saying that the allegations are baseless and politically-motivated.

The Shia-dominated organization, composed of some 40 volunteer groups, was formed by the Iraqi government in mid-June 2014, two days after top Shia cleric Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Sistani issued a fatwa (religious edict) urging people to defend Iraqi cities against ISIL. Five days earlier, on June 10, the terror group had overrun Mosul, the country’s second largest city.

The Iraqi president also appreciated volunteers’ major role in combating ISIL, stressing that the forces are under supervision of Iraqi commander-in-chief of the armed forces.

Masum further said that although volunteer forces and Peshmerga would participate in the battle for liberating Mosul, they would not enter the city because of some sensitivity. He added that some of the volunteers would be incorporated into the country’s military and security apparatus once ISIL was defeated and stability restored.

ME