Daesh story to end in Iraq in 3 months: Commander

After cleaning up from the Daesh elements, the Khalidiya Island 23km east of Ramadi, the capital city of Anbar province, al-Hashd al-Shaabi now is expanding its military operations to other areas of Anbar province, Al-Yaseri told the Islamic Republic News Agency in an exclusive interview.

He said that the Khalidiya Island, as one of the main hideouts of Daesh forces, was fully liberated on August 1.

The next operation will include upper banks of the Euphrates River to intercept the Daesh supplying routes from Syrian border areas, al-Yaseri said, adding that the operation on Wednesday led to the liberation of al-Walid border crossing at the joint border with Syria.

He said that the liberation operations will then extend to Mosul, al-Sharqat and al-Hawija in northern Iraq.

Al-Yaseri also turned down speculations on the future of al-Hashd al-Shaabi.
‘Some people claim that with the end of Mosul liberation operation, al-Hashd al-Shaabi will also come to its end. We do not care about such remarks,’ he said.

‘The Iraqi prime minister as the commander in-chief of Iraqi armed forces has informed us that we need to maintain our presence on the scene at least for the next ten years,’ al-Yaseri said.

In an order issued on July 26, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared the Popular Mobilization Forces (al-Hashd al-Shaabi) as an independent military organization which operates under direct supervision of the prime minister as an anti-terror force.