Sunni MP accused of arms trade with Islamic State
Members of al-Hashd al-Ashaeri.
Salahuddin (IraqiNews.com) Officials at Salahuddin province have accused a Sunni Iraqi parliamentarian of selling arms and foodstuff to Islamic State militants.
The officials urged the Iraqi government on Thursday to open “an urgent investigation” into information that MP Mishan al-Jubouri, his son Yazan and members of al-Hashd al-Ashaeri (tribal mobilization) under his command have smuggled weapons and other supplies to Islamic State extremists.
“Accurate intelligence information have confirmed that elements from the 51st brigade of al-Hashd al-Ashaeri are directly selling foodstuff and light-and medium weapons to IS terrorists in the eastern side of Shirqat and Hawija,” Alsumaria News quoted a spokesperson of Salahuddin province, Ali al-Hamadani as saying. He accused Jubouri of “seeking to destabilize the province and the whole of Iraq”.
Mishan al-Jubouri is a member of the Alliance of Iraqi Forces, the biggest Sunni bloc in the parliament.
Al-Hashd al-Ashaeri is one of the paramilitary forces fighting Islamic State on the side of the Iraqi government.
The biggest popular force fighting IS, al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Units) is a conglomerate of Shia forces, and had won recognition as a national armed force last year. While the government said its official recognition of PMUs covered Sunni paramilitaries, some commanders within the PMU had exhibited opposition to giving Sunni groups a wider role on the ground.