MESOP : BADR COMMANDER SPEAKS – Shi’ite Militia Leader Opposes to US Participation in Mosul Assault

Iraqis are capable of liberating their home, Hadi al-Ameri says – Hadi al-Ameri says US not welcome in Mosul operation Hadi al-Ameri says US not welcome in Mosul operation Supplied

BAGHDAD — 12 July 2016 –  Bas News – Iraqi Shi’ite militias, known as Hashd al-Shaabi, have opposed to the participation of US troops in any future offensive to liberate Mosul from Islamic State, saying foreign forces are not needed. Iraq’s military capacity is enough to defeat IS and drive the militants out of Mosul, said the Head of the Badr Brigade, a powerful wing of the Hashd al-Shaabi. Badr Commander Hadi al-Ameri, insisted in a statement on Monday that Iraq is not in need of foreign forces on the ground as “Iraqis are fully capable of freeing their areas.”

The statement comes after US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said today that 560 additional US troops will be soon deployed to Iraq to assist government forces as they push toward Mosul in norther Iraq. Carter met with Iraqi officials and US commanders in Baghdad to discuss the latest developments in the battle against IS. After Carter’s unannounced visit to Baghdad, Canadian Defense Minister Harjit Singh Sajjan also arrived in Iraqi capital. www.mesop.de