Iraqi PM: All Iraqis Should Join Battle for Mosul

Abadi said on Thursday that the liberation of Mosul will be achieved with the cooperation and unity of all Iraqis, stressing that no one has the right to exclude the volunteer forces from the historic battle.

Abadi has always insisted that volunteer forces (Hashd al-Shaabi) will be part of the armed troops that will attack the ISIL to take back Mosul.

Meantime, a senior Iraqi volunteer forces commander underlined that his forces are determined to take full control of the city of Fallujah, and said that they will not pay heed to the US pressures aimed at preventing them from doing so.

“The US and some pro-US Iraqi politicians intend to exert pressure on the Iraqi government to prevent the volunteer forces from entering the Fallujah city, but the volunteer forces will not bow to such pressure,” Hassan al-Sari told FNA last month.

He said some political figures are dissuading the volunteer forces at the order of the US. “The Iraqi volunteer forces will never give in to the demands of a few individuals who are not well-wishers of Iraq and are linked to the ISIL,” the commander added.

In early February, Iraqi security sources disclosed that Washington was exerting pressure on the Baghdad government to end volunteer forces partnership in war against ISIL and dissolve the militia army that has the lion share in the war on terrorism.

“The US government has conveyed the message to the Iraqi government through its diplomats that there is no need to Hashd al-Shaabi forces and their role should come to an end,” a senior Iraqi source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told FNA. “Battlefield and security intel indicate that the Iraqi government is also stepping in this path,” the source added.

Meantime, the Iraqi volunteer forces have reacted to the leaked intel by warning against any regional and international attempts to put an end to their life and operation.

The ISIL Takfiri terrorists currently control shrinking swathes of Syria and Iraq. They have threatened all communities, including Shiites, Sunnis, Kurds, Christians, Ezadi Kurds and others, as they continue their atrocities in Iraq.

Senior Iraqi officials have blamed Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and some Persian Gulf Arab states for the growing terrorism in their country.