Iraq: Hashd Al-Shaabi Blocks US Patrol in Mosul

Hashd al-Shaabi (popular forces) units has prevented the US army troops from conducting patrol operations in a district the city of Mosul in Northern Iraq, a senior commander announced.

News ID: 443295

Date: 03 February 2019 - 10:00

RNA - Hashd al-Shaabi Commander Rezvan al-Anzi said that his forces have blocked the roads and directly warned the US Army troops to avoid entering the region.

Al-Anzi said the US troops, taken by surprise, were in deep panic and even called for aerial support for probable battle.

Explaining the reason of the popular forces' confrontation against the US troops, he said the American military forces embark on purposeful provocation to escalate the situation.

"The US troops are trying to destabilize the newly-liberated regions through media hype in a bid to cover-up their recent defeats and pullout from Syria," he added.

In relevant remarks last month, a senior commander of Hashd al-Shaabi in al-Anbar province warned that the US forces were attempting to provoke the Iraqi popular forces into starting war against them.

"The Americans are stirring tensions by spreading rumors of detention of Hashd al-Shaabi forces, bombing their positions or dissolving the group," Qassem Moslih was quoted as saying by the Kurdish-language Basnews.

He noted that the Americans have lost everything in Iraq and want to provoke Hashd al-Shaabi into war, stressing that the Iraqi popular forces will not be the starter of any war, but they will fight if they come under attack.

"We kept mum on the US and Israeli attacks against Hashd al-Shaabi earlier but we will not remain silent against their attacks from now on," Moslih cautioned.

In relevant remarks in mid-January, Abdel Bari Atwan, the editor-in-chief of Rai al-Youm newspaper, underlined that Washington's hostile stance towards Hashd al-Shaabi and its quest for dismantling popular groups in the Arab state derived from their opposition to the US forces' occupation of Iraq.

"The US administration in an unprecedented demand called on the Iraqi government on Tuesday to dissolve 67 groups operating in the framework of the Iraqi popular forces, while all these groups were welcomed by Washington when they were fighting against the ISIL alongside the US forces. Then what has changed now," Atwan wrote.

Noting that Iraq's security and national identity is gradually reviving, he said that Hashd al-Shaabi forces or their leaders have demanded withdrawal of all the 5,500 US military troops from Iraq and are opposed to the US use of military bases in Iraq for possible attacks against Syria and Iran.

According to Fars News Agancy,  Atwan added that Hashd al-Shaabi was also hostile to Israel and is in clear solidarity with Syria, which is another reason for the US enmity.

Hashd al-Shaabi has helped the Iraqi and Syrian governments to fight against the terrorist groups for several years now.

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