US force blocked by pro-government militias intended for training: Iraqi command

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) A U.S. military force that was denied entry to an area in Salahuddin province was heading there for training purposes, Iraqi Joint Operations Command said Sunday.

The command said in a statement that the force which was blocked by a militia affiliated with al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Units), was accompanying Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service personnel for a training on sniping and artillery.

On Saturday, PMU spokesman, Ahmed al-Assadi, said fighters from Hezbollah al-Nojabaa, obstructed the U.S. force at Makhoul mountains area because the militia was not notified of their arrival. He said contacts were made with the army command in Salahuddin who ordered the regiment to retreat to an earlier location.

A US-led coalition is backing Iraqi forces and allied militias with an aerial cover in the ongoing battles with Islamic State militants. The Iraqi government has reiterated that coalition forces on the ground were merely intended for consultation and training purposes.

PMUs were formed in 2014 in line with an edict made by Iraq’s top Shia clergy to combat Islamic State militants who had taken over large areas of the country to establish a self-proclaimed “Islamic Caliphate”. They have been actively involved in a major campaign was been running to retake IS’s last major stronghold, Mosul, since mid October 2016.