Iraq militia threatens US forces over Trump Jerusalem move
i24NEWS
\Iraqi forces advance into the western desert on November 24, 2017, in an operation to flush out fugitive Islamic State group fightersAHMAD AL-RUBAYE (AFP)
The auxiliary force has fought alongside the army against IS
An Iranian-backed militia in Iraq threatened Thursday to attack US forces in the country after President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital, while Baghdad summoned Washington's envoy.
"The decision by Trump on Al-Quds (Jerusalem) makes it legitimate to strike the American forces in Iraq," Al-Nojaba militia chief Akram al-Kaabi said in a statement.
The Shiite group, established in 2013 and supported by Iran's Revolutionary Guards, numbers around 1,500 fighters and is part of the Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization) auxiliary force that has fought alongside the army against the Islamic State group.
The US has thousands of troops stationed in Iraq to help in the fight against IS.
"The decision by Trump on Al-Quds (Jerusalem) makes it legitimate to strike the American forces in Iraq," Al-Nojaba militia chief Akram al-Kaabi said in a statement.
The Shiite group, established in 2013 and supported by Iran's Revolutionary Guards, numbers around 1,500 fighters and is part of the Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization) auxiliary force that has fought alongside the army against the Islamic State group.
The US has thousands of troops stationed in Iraq to help in the fight against IS.
Officially, the Pentagon says it has 5,262 personnel in the country, but other figures released by the US military have put the number at almost 9,000.
US President Donald Trump signs a memorandum recognising Jerusalem as Israel's capital on December 6, 2017
SAUL LOEB (AFP)
Trump's move to end decades of careful US policy on Jerusalem has sparked a storm of condemnation around the globe, both from Washington's traditional allies and its international foes.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari summoned the US ambassador in the country to protest the shift, while powerful Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, who heads his own militia, demanded the closure of the American embassy in Baghdad and warned that "we can reach Israel through Syria".
The spiritual head of Iraq's Shiites Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani in a statement "denounced and condemned the American decision that injures the feelings of hundreds of millions of Arabs and Muslims".
"This will not change the fact that Jerusalem is an occupied territory that needs to be returned to its legitimate Palestinian owners," he said.
US President Donald Trump signs a memorandum recognising Jerusalem as Israel's capital on December 6, 2017SAUL LOEB (AFP)
Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari summoned the US ambassador in the country to protest the shift, while powerful Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, who heads his own militia, demanded the closure of the American embassy in Baghdad and warned that "we can reach Israel through Syria".
The spiritual head of Iraq's Shiites Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani in a statement "denounced and condemned the American decision that injures the feelings of hundreds of millions of Arabs and Muslims".
"This will not change the fact that Jerusalem is an occupied territory that needs to be returned to its legitimate Palestinian owners," he said.
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