Shiite militias: Abadi alone will decide who marches into Mosul

BAGHDAD, Iraq—Iraqi Shiite militia leaders have rejected a statement by radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr who said that militia forces must be barred from participation in the battle for Mosul, saying they only take orders from the prime minister.

“The commander-in-chief of the armed forces Haider al-Abadi alone is the one to decide which forces will take part in the Mosul battle,” Ahmad al-Asadi, a spokesperson for the Shiite militia group Hashd al-Shaabi told Rudaw on Tuesday.

Al-Asadi said that Sadr’s statement was only an expression of his personal view and cannot be taken into account by the militia forces.

“The Hashd al-Shaabi is an official institution under the commander-in-chief, Abadi, who is the sole authority on the units going for the Mosul battle,” al-Asadi added.

The radical Shiite cleric Sadr said on Monday that all non-government forces must be kept away from going to Mosul when the offensive to take the city from the Islamic State (ISIS) is launched.

Sadr who once led the powerful Mahdi Army militia against US troops in Iraq, has spoken up against the actions of the Hashd al-Shaabi in recent months including during their operation against ISIS in Falluja in June.

Al-Asadi defended his militia “as an official force as recognized by a government decree in February 2016 and it is an official independent unit under anti-terrorism forces.”

Iraqi Sunni politicians and tribal leaders have also added their opposition to any participation of the Shiite militia in the Mosul offensive, fearing retribution and human rights abuses against the local population.

Al-Asadi however, dismissed their fears saying that the Hashd al-Shaabi will send forces to Mosul and that “they are already gearing up to liberate the town of Hawija as a prelude to Mosul.”

Iraqi troops have liberated several areas around Mosul in recent weeks, including the towns of Qayyara and Shargat, but have so far kept the Shiite militia out of the operations and worked with the Sunni Hashd al-Watani.

Shiite militias: Abadi alone will decide who marches into Mosul

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