Alwaght- Head of a major Iraqi political party admired the role of Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) in fighting terrorism in his country.
Ammar al-Hakim, the head of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (ISCI) political party said on Tuesday the PMF also known as Hashd al-Shaabi “had an important role in protecting the Iraqi people and territories, and liberating the country from the terrorists.”
During an exclusive interview with PressTV, the senior cleric said “The Popular Mobilization Forces include a big number of young, religious people, who responded to the call of their leader, [Iraq’s top cleric Grand] Ayatollah Seyyed Ali al-Sistani and defended the country against ISIS terrorists”.
“That’s why we should preserve this powerful militia group, which has gained a lot of experience during the operations conducted over the past two and a half years,” he added.
PMF is consisted of volunteer forces who took arms in 2014 to help their national army in its fight on the ISIS terrorist group and are now a part of the comprehensive operation to liberate the northern city of Iraq.
In the early days of ISIS emergence in Iraq, the volunteer forces played an important role in reinforcing the army, which had initially suffered heavy losses amid the lightening advances of the terrorists.
Late last month, the Iraqi Parliament recognized Popular Mobilization Forces as an official force with similar rights as those of the regular army, therefore legally establishing it as part of the National Armed Forces, which is subject to its commandership.
