Kirkuk: Kurdistan still opposed to PMU participation in Hawija liberation
Al-Hashd al-Shaabi troops in Tal Afar, west of Mosul.
Ahmed al-Askari, a member of Kirkuk’s governorate council, said Erbil had informed Baghdad it was still against summoning al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Units) in the battle for Hawija, one of the last few remaining Islamic State pockets in Iraq.
“Differences between the KRG and the federal government concerning the liberation of Hawija (south of the province) are continuing, and no solution has been reached regarding the launching of military operations,” Askari was quoted as saying by Almaalomah website.
He ruled out the beginning of military operations against militants in that town anytime soon in light of that disagreement.
In Dcember Iraqi President Fuad Masum approved a law passed by parliament in November that recognized al-Hashd al-Shaabi as a national force. The passing of the long-debated bill came amid intense objections from Sunni groups within the parliament who feared the law would grant the Irab-backed, mostly Shia militia unchecked powers, and therefore stoke sectarian tensions.
Al-Hashd al-Shaabi was formed by a decree from Iraq’s top Shia clergy to combat the Islamic State militants who took over many regions of Iraq in 2014. The militia is currently engaged in fighting against IS on the side of the Iraqi government forces, but its involvement in the liberation of areas inhabited by Sunnis has aroused international fears of potential sectarian twists, especially among Sunni powers such as Turkey and Saudi Arabia, as well as from the United Nations.