Alwaght- The head of Iraq’s Badr Organization Hadi al-Amiri in an exclusive interview told the Lebanon-based Al-Mayadeen news network that the Public Mobilization Forces (PMF) along with the country’s army forces have reached close to the Iraqi-Syrian borders after liberation of several villages in the area.
Al-Amiri told the news channel that the PMF were advancing towards the Syrian borders and the had only 18 kilometers to go.
Syria and Iraq share over 600 kilometers of borders. Before the operation to retake Mosul, the capital of Nineveh province, the ISIS terrorist group was in control of over 400 of the border areas which are majorly crossing the desert areas.
The past three days' progresses of the voluntary forces have seen cleansing about 6 additional kilometers of the borders.
The Kurdish forces in northern Syria hold about 150-kilometer borders.
The Iraqi government has recently taken control of about 30 kilometers of the borders with the neighboring Syria. The remaining border lines include desert and uninhabited areas with no strategic value for the terrorist group.
Why is PMF advancing towards Iraq-Syria border significant?
Perhaps the news of PMF drawing close to the Iraq borders in fact means pushing ISIS fighters out of eastern parts of Mosul.
On the other side, the fresh Iraqi forces' development in Mosul's western front lines can promise full liberation of the northern city and obliteration of ISIS there.
During the past months, the joint Iraqi forces have been struggling to cut the supply lines of the terrorists from Syria to Mosul and other Iraqi areas. Now, PMF's expansion towards the border regions can serve the government’s long-awaited goal to sever lifelines of ISIS in Iraq from Syria.
The fresh gains by the PMF will help the voluntary forces gain new position among the other Iraqi armed forces, and will offer them a card to repel pressures coming from internal Iraqi sides who oppose their presence on the battlefield.
The Iraqi PM al-Abadi had tasked the PMF with controlling the Syrian-Iraqi borders. Javad al-Talaybawi, a commander in the PMF, told Al-Mayadeen that Iraqi PM, who personally commands Mosul assault, entrusted control of the borders with the popular forces. He further said that cutting ISIS group's supply lines will be effective in faster destruction of the terrorist group in the country’s victim provinces.
Furthermore, reclaiming control of the borders can contribute to the PMF strengthening and readiness to chase ISIS fighters deep into the Syrian territories. Commenting on launching anti-ISIS operations inside Syria, al-Talaybawi noted that currently the popular forces cut the supply lines of the terrorists but hunting ISIS remnants in Syria will depend on the PM al-Abadi's decision.
The announcement of the recent PMF advancing drew welcome from the office of the PM who that hailed PMF gains near Syria border as a “triumph”, adding that very soon he will declare victory over ISIS.
Al-Abadi said the popular forces' pushing towards the border areas were coming in accordance with previously-designed plans. He maintained that proper treatment of the locals had a big share in constitution of such achievement.
The very latest gain comes as the voluntary forces are in their third year of their anti-ISIS campaign and have faced tough attempts by the anti-Baghdad sides who seek weakening them and checking their further progresses against terrorism.
Now that the PMF has defeated ISIS on the borders with Syria, the Mosul operation is coming closer to its end. This victory will mark a new chapter of the PMF's presence and role playing in the country’s domestic stage.
