'We Don't Need US Air Support' in Mosul: Iraqi Militia Commander

Iraq's state-sponsored People's Mobilization Forces (PMF), also known as al-Hashd al-Sha'abi, do not need the United States to conduct airstrikes on Daesh targets during the operation aimed at freeing Mosul, Ahmet Arslan, a Turkmen commander with the PMF, told Sputnik.


"We do not want the United States meddling in Iraq. We told Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi as much. Al-Hashd al-Sha'abi does not need America's aerial support in the operation to free Mosul from Daesh, which the US created," he said.

The Mosul campaign, dubbed Operation "We Are Coming, Nineveh," was launched on October 16 to liberate the second largest city in the country and the capital of the Nineveh province. The city, home to approximately 1.5 million people, has served as Daesh's key stronghold in Iraq since the militants seized it in a blitz offensive on June 10, 2014.

Ahmet Arslan mentioned that the People's Mobilization Forces, also known as the Popular Mobilization Units, have carried out successful missions to the south of Mosul. Many villages and settlements close to the city have been freed, he said. The commander did not provide the exact figure. Daesh fighters "have been losing their forces each day," he said.
 [sputniknews.com]
7/11/16

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