RNA – In an interview with Rasa News Agency, Ayyad al-Rabi’i, spokesman for the Imam Ali Battalion of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces, referring to the latest developments in Tal Afar and the participation of the Popular Mobilization Forces in the operation to liberate the northern Iraqi city from Daesh Takfiri terrorists, said, “Before the beginning of the operation to liberate Tal Afar, the Commander-in-Chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces [Prime Minister Haydar al-Abadi] announced the launch of the largest military operation in Iraq in order to liberate Tal Afar.”
He said that in regard to this, foreign groups and regional countries acted and intervened to ban the participation of the Popular Mobilization Forces in this operation but by announcing the presence of a Popular Mobilization Forces in the operation, all of their plots were thwarted.
“Nearly 20,000 fighters from the Popular Mobilization Forces, together with other military personnel from the military and the central police, were able to achieve a great victory in a short time. With the split in Daesh’s ranks, important areas under the occupation of terrorists will be liberated one after another and God-willing, Tal Afar will be completely in the coming hours,” he explained.
al-Rabi’i stated that the opposition from Turkey and the Iraqi Kurdistan Region regarding the participation of the Popular Mobilization Forces in the Tal Afar campaign was due to regional and political interference and explained, “The Kurds didn’t want the Popular Mobilization Forces to move toward the Iraq- Turkey border because the domination of the Popular Mobilization Forces in these areas would hamper the establishment an independent state of Kurdistan. The presence of some Turks in Tal Afar has also caused some to see this presence as an excuse and a means to realize their own interests.”
The spokesman for the Imam Ali Battalion said that considering that the Popular Mobilization Forces are currently fighting to liberate various areas of Iraq and given the whispers regarding the holding of a referendum on the separation of Kurdistan from Iraq and the formation of an independent state, it should be said that this action isn’t acceptable because it lacks legality.
“Kurdistan is not just Masoud Barzani who thinks he can decide whatever he wants, but we see the Kurdistan Region as composing whole of its people and we consider the Kurdish people as our brothers,” he said.
al-Rabi’i continued, “The inhabitants of Tal Afar, both the Sunnis and Shi’ahs, are the sons of this land. Soon, with the help of all the sons of this land, Tal Afar will be freed by our response to the Daesh terrorist group, which has been sponsored by some regional and international countries, and we will move towards the liberation of all Iraqi regions.”
The Iraqi warrior said that the Popular Mobilization Forces is under the nobility of the central government of Iraq and listens to the instructions of the Commander-in-Chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces, Haydar al-Abadi. They are part of the security structure of Iraq are an arm of the armed forces.
“We fought with all our might against Daesh. We hope that the government and the Kurdistan Region will agree that we won’t be forced to deal with the Peshmerga forces because they have cooperated with the central government in the liberation of the occupied territories and we hope that this cooperation will also increase,” al-Rabi’i said.
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