Iraq’s PMU Forces Repel Daesh Attack in Salahuddin Province
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Members of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), also known as Hashd al-Shaabi forces, thwarted a major attack by Daesh terrorists near the town of Amerli in the northwestern province of Salahuddin.
Remnants of the Daesh terror group in Salahuddin launched an attack against PMU bases on Saturday night in east of Amerli, trying to take the control of the bases, according to a statement by the PMU.
It added that the Takfiri militants fled the battlefield after the popular forces launched a counterattack against the militias in the village of Maftoul and forced them to retreat.
Daesh has intensified its attacks in Iraq amid Baghdad’s call on the US to pull out its forces from the Arab country.
In a vote on January 5, the Iraqi parliament called for an end to the presence of all foreign troops, including Americans.
The vote came two days after the US military - acting on US President Donald Trump’s order - launched a fatal drone strike on senior Iranian anti-terror commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani upon his arrival in the Iraqi capital at the invitation of the Baghdad government.
The attack also claimed the lives of Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the second-in-command of the PMU, and eight other Iranian and Iraqi people.
Washington has threatened sanctions should US troops be expelled instead of heeding the Iraqi parliament’s call to end the occupation of the country.