PMF Commander:

Iraq's Popular Forces Awaiting Abadi Order to Attack Turkish Troops

Rasa - The Iraqi popular forces, Hashd al-Sha'abi, said on Tuesday that the forces are awaiting for prime minister's order to attack the Turkish troops stationed near Mosul.

News ID: 424725

Date: 01 November 2016 - 23:16

RNA - Hashd al-Sha'abi's deputy commander, Abu Mahdi Muhandis, stated on Tuesday that the presence of the Turkish troops in Nineveh province is considered a transgression against the Iraqi sovereignty, BAS News reported.

Hashd al-Sha'abi's mission is to protect Tal Afar town in Western Mosul and control the main way between Mosul and Syria to prevent the ISIL militants from crossing into Raqqa, he said.

Muhandis also revealed that the popular forces are waiting for PM's order to attack the Turkish military stationed in the camp in Bashiqa district in Northern Mosul.

The Turkish troops are tasked with training the Nineveh Guards forces, a military group led by the Nineveh former governor Atheel al-Nujaifi. Most of its members are former members of the security apparatus of Nineveh which was defeated by ISIL in June 2014.

Ankara and Baghdad have been locked in disputes over the presence of the Turkish military in Northern Iraq since Turkey is strongly opposing the participation of the popular forces in the assault.

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