ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Several Shiite groups will withdraw from the Iraqi government's campaign to liberate Tikrit due to the recent involvement of the United States, according statements made separately by the groups. “We were shocked by the government’s call for US forces to participate in Tikrit when the ISIS militants had been already destroyed by Saraya al-Salam fighters and police forces,” the military wing of the Sadrist movement, known as Saraya al-Salam, said in its statement released on Thursday. At the request of the Iraqi government, the US military on Wednesday began targeting ISIS positions in the militant-held city, a move that drew immediate outrage from the Shiite militias which had done the bulk of the fighting. “Participation of the coalition in Tikrit aims to protect Daesh [the Arabic name for ISIS] and meant to steal the victory of local forces. Saraya al-Salam will withdraw from any operations America is participating in,” the statement added. Hassan Salem, head of the al-Sadiqun fraction in Iraqi parliament, said the coalition forces are in fact helping ISIS militants by giving them opportunities to escape the region. “In order to express our opposition to America’s participation, we had left Tikrit operation,” said Salem, referring to his political bloc's armed wing Asaib Ahl al-Haq. Kataib Hezbollah, a powerful Iran-backed miltia not to be confused with Lebanese Hezbollah, also slammed the inclusion of US airstrikes calling it “an effort to cover up local forces victories in the operation.” Hard-line Shiite militia groups, including Kataib Hezbollah and Asaib al-Haq are allegedly responsible for the deaths of more than 1,000 US troops since 2003.
