Iraqis Forming Popular Front to Combat Takfiri Terrorists
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – As Iraqi forces continue their battle against Takfiri (extremist) terrorists in the northern parts of the country, people and political groups are also starting to do their part in defending Iraq against terrorism.
In the past few days, after the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) armed terrorists carried out violent assaults on some Iraqi cities, a popular front has been forming to help the government and the army in their fight against the militants.
In Basra, a 13000-strong brigade of volunteer forces has been established to support the city in the face of the Takfiri threat and to monitor suspected movements along the border with Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, the office of Prominent Iraqi figure Muqtada al-Sadr said it is registering volunteers to join the peace battalions, whose aim is defending the holy sites and places of worship, al-Masalah news website reported.
The office stressed that the creation of the battalions is done in coordination with the government.
The office of the governor general of Maysan Province has also voiced readiness to send forces to defend the holy city of Karbala against terrorist attacks.
An informed source in the office said a 600-strong volunteer taskforce will soon be deployed to Ain Tamar, near Karbala, to support the army’s defensive measures against terrorists.
The Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (ISCI), an Islamic political party, has already deployed forces, in coordination with the defense ministry, to fight the ISIL terrorists.
Head of the ISCI Ammar al-Hakim has urged the Iraqi people to live up to their responsibility and defend the dignity and security in the face attacks by the ISIL and other Takfiri groups.
On June 10, Iraq’s northern Nineveh province fell into the hands of militants from the ISIL. The Takfiri attacks have reportedly forced more than half a million people in and around Mosul, the capital of Nineveh Province, to flee their homes.
While militants managed to take control of two areas in Diyala Province on Thursday, Iraqi forces also regained control of the central city of Tikrit. Takfiri militants have vowed to march toward the capital, Baghdad.
On Wednesday, Iraq’s Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said that the seizure of Mosul was a conspiracy, vowing that the government will hold perpetrators responsible.
In a televised speech, Maliki said he will form an army of volunteers to support the regular armed forces in the face of the terrorist attack.
Takfiri groups are reportedly entering Iraq from neighboring Syria and Saudi Arabia to undermine security in the country.