Iraqi Sunni Muslim leader supports popular forces

Sheikh Khalid al-Mala, head of Iraq’s Society of Sunni Scholars, on Tuesday rebuked political supporters of Daesh and said that he supports the Iraqi popular forces fighting menaces of terrorism.

Al-Mala told IRNA that the al-Shabi popular forces followed Fatwa of grand religious leader Ayatollah Sistani. ‘Those tarnishing image of the popular heroic forces are the hired mouthpieces of Takfiris and Daesh.’

He said popular heroic forces have gone to the battlefield upon the Fatwa of Ayatollah Sistani and at the invitation of Sunni Alims to wage Jihad and stand up to Daesh and Takfiris.

The media propaganda against al-Hashd al-Shaabi forces, guided by certain Iraqi and regional political wings, were stepped up in the recent weeks following victory of popular forces and the army in different parts of Iraq, including Amerli and Tuz Khurmatu, Jurf al-Sakhar, Jalula and Sadia.

Al-Mala referred to recent victories and consecutive defeats of Daesh recently and said perhaps the victories have strongly angered Daesh supporters.

He said that remnants of the dissolved Baath party and former Iraqi regime had undertaken mobilization of the Daesh terrorists.