Iranian Official Hails Iraq’s Gains against Terrorism
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Chairman of Iran’s Expediency Council Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi praised Iraq for its endeavor to combat terrorism, advising caution against political disputes that could undermine the Arab nation’s counterterrorism efforts.
Iran admires the Iraqi nation for its victories against the Daesh (ISIL) terrorist group, Ayatollah Mahmoud Shahroudi said on Sunday, stressing that political issues and disagreements should not affect the morale of the Iraqi nation in the fight against terrorism.
He made the comments in a meeting with Leader of Iraq’s National Alliance Ammar al-Hakim, held in Iraq and attended by Secretary of Iran’s Expediency Council Mohsen Rezaei.
The senior Iranian cleric also hailed formation of Hashd al-Shaabi, also known as Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), and Iraq’s victory in the war against Daesh as blessings from God.
At the meeting, Mohsen Rezaei highlighted the improving security in Iraq, saying the Arab country is not facing a threat of civil war anymore.
The Iraqi nation should now focus on the reconstruction of the country, he stressed.
For his part, Ammar al-Hakim underlined that Iraq has overcome the threats of terrorism and foreign interference, and expressed gratitude to Iran for supporting the Arab nation.
In recent weeks, the Iraqi military forces have made significant progress in their fight against Daesh terrorists by liberating the northern city of Tal Afar.
The Daesh militants made swift advances in northern and western Iraq in summer 2014, after capturing territories in Syria.
However, a combination of concentrated attacks by the Iraqi military and the popular forces, who rushed to take arms after top Iraqi cleric Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani issued a fatwa calling for fight against the militants, blunted the edge of Daesh offensive.
