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Iraqi army, Shi'ite coalition bicker on Falluja war operations
Source: Reuters
World | Mon Jun 6, 2016 8:25am EDT
Iraqi army, Shi'ite coalition bicker on Falluja war operations
BAGHDAD/ERBIL, IRAQ | BY AHMED RASHEED, SAIF HAMEED AND ISABEL COLES
An Iraqi Shi'ite militia leader accused government forces of "betrayal" as a split emerged between the Iranian-backed paramilitaries and the army over tactics for fighting Islamic State.
The head of the largest militia, Hadi al-Amiri, criticized the army for moving an armored brigade to the Makhmour area near Mosul - Islamic State's capital in northern Iraq - while the battle to dislodge the militants from Falluja, their stronghold near Baghdad, is still underway.
"Unfortunately there is an absence of precise planning for the military operations," said Amiri, who leads the Badr Organisation. "I believe that sending a large number of armored vehicles and assets to Makhmour, under the pretext of the Mosul battle, is a betrayal of the battle for Falluja," he told Al-Sumaria TV on Sunday.
Badr Organisation is the largest component of the Popular Mobilisation, a militia grouping which has been fighting alongside the Iraqi army at Falluja, with government units also receiving air support from the U.S.-led coalition.
Amiri also accused the Iraqi authorities of deciding to move the forces to Makhmour, which lies around 60 km (40 miles) south of Mosul, under pressure from the United States.
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Iraqi army, Shi'ite coalition bicker on Falluja war operations
BAGHDAD/ERBIL, IRAQ | BY AHMED RASHEED, SAIF HAMEED AND ISABEL COLES
An Iraqi Shi'ite militia leader accused government forces of "betrayal" as a split emerged between the Iranian-backed paramilitaries and the army over tactics for fighting Islamic State.
The head of the largest militia, Hadi al-Amiri, criticized the army for moving an armored brigade to the Makhmour area near Mosul - Islamic State's capital in northern Iraq - while the battle to dislodge the militants from Falluja, their stronghold near Baghdad, is still underway.
"Unfortunately there is an absence of precise planning for the military operations," said Amiri, who leads the Badr Organisation. "I believe that sending a large number of armored vehicles and assets to Makhmour, under the pretext of the Mosul battle, is a betrayal of the battle for Falluja," he told Al-Sumaria TV on Sunday.
Badr Organisation is the largest component of the Popular Mobilisation, a militia grouping which has been fighting alongside the Iraqi army at Falluja, with government units also receiving air support from the U.S.-led coalition.
Amiri also accused the Iraqi authorities of deciding to move the forces to Makhmour, which lies around 60 km (40 miles) south of Mosul, under pressure from the United States.
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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-iraq-falluja-idUSKCN0YS0FS
