Militia leader denies US played role in retaking Tikrit
NRTSULAIMANI – A top Iraqi militia leader has said the U.S.-led coalition played no role in regaining the city of Tikrit, which was declared clear of Islamic State (IS) militants earlier this week.
Qais al-Khazali, who heads the Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq (League of the Righteous), called the coalition’s involvement a “political subject not military,” in a press conference on Friday.
“We didn’t need military support from America and its allies,” Khazali added.
He said the recent successes in Tikrit were the work of Iraqis and that the U.S.-led coalition had not been responsible for the victory.
Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq, also known as the Khazali Network, is an Iranian-backed Shia paramilitary group that was once part of Moqtada al Sadr’s Mahdi Army.
The military operation to retake Tikrit was halted in mid-March and resumed following the commencement of U.S.-led airstrikes on IS positions in the city, which were requested by Baghdad.
A number of Shia militias withdrew from the offensive in protest of the airstrikes and reports have surfaced that coalition airstrikes killed Iraqi security forces as well as two Iranian advisers in the area – claims U.S. officials have denied.
No comments:
Post a Comment