Sadr sets conditions to allow Saraya al-Salam militia to participate in upcoming Mosul offensive
(IraqiNews.com) Baghdad – On Monday, Iraqi Shite Cleric Muqtada al-Sadr announced his conditions to permit the Saraya al-Salam (Peace Brigades) militia to participate in the Mosul offensive.
Sadr rejected the participation of al-Hashd al-Shaabi militia in Mosul liberation battles and said, “Mosul have to be liberated by the Iraqi army and security forces only.”
And regarding the participation of Saraya al-Salam, he revealed, “The participation of Saraya al-Salam will depend on a number of terms, firstly the call of Mosul residents, secondly the non-interference of the occupied forces, thirdly the comprehensive cooperation with the security forces and at last Saraya al-Salam has to control Anbar instead of the government forces.”
Sadr also said that he is against the calls for the division of Nineveh province into a number of provinces to serve the interests of minorities in the province.
It is worth mentioning that Saraya al-Salam is an Iraqi armed group linked to Iraq’s Shia community and are a revival of Mahdi Army that was created by Muqtada al-Sadr in June 2003 and disbanded in 2008. The group was re-mobilized in 2014 in order to fight against ISIS and is still active as of 2016. It participated in the recapture of Jurf Al Nasr and the Second Battle of Tikrit.
