by MEMRI
This force, he said, "has detailed plans" for action, but requires the authorization of the Syrian government to be present in the Golan.
On
March 8, 2017, Hashem Al-Mousawi, the spokesman for the Iran-backed
Iraqi Shi'ite militia Al-Nujaba, gave an interview to the Iranian news
agency Tasnim, highlighting the militia's activities in Iraq and Syria.
He accused Saudi Arabia and the U.S. of being responsible for ISIS's
actions, stressing that Iran is the only country that has helped his
militia. He also said that Iraqi-Saudi relations were like "a failed
marriage," adding that "we do not want a separation between Iran and
Iraq."
Al-Mousawi
said that his militia would not allow foreign forces to remain in
Mosul, and revealed that the American administration had heavily
pressured the Iraqi government to prevent the Shi'ite Popular
Mobilization Units (PMU) militia from entering Sunni cities liberated
from ISIS. He also said that the U.S. had demanded to appoint a civilian
governer in Mosul, but that their demand had been rejected.
Al-Mousawi
warned Turkey that if it did not withdraw from Bashiqa in northern Iraq
his organization would take military action against it, adding that
Al-Nujaba opposes the presence of former Iraqi prime minister Tariq
Al-Hashimi – a Sunni currently living in exile – at conferences
organized by Turkey to discuss Iraq's fate.
He
also stressed that his militia forces have been in Syria for four years
and do not intend to withdraw until after "the terrorists" leave, and
expressed fear of ethnic cleansing in the Shi'ite villages of Fu'ah and
Kefraya in Syria.
Additionally,
Al-Mousawi announced that his militia has established the "Golan
Liberation Army," which he said "comprises special forces that have
received training and equipment." This force, he said, "has
detailed plans" for action, but requires the authorization of the Syrian
government to be present in the Golan. Al-Mousawi admitted that his
militia is directly tied to the PMU and the Iranian resistance axis, and
said that the militia was expanding its activity to combat Israel on
the Golan Heights because "Israel is fundamentally [responsible for] the
destruction of Iraq… and took steps to destroy our
infrastructure." He also warned the Saudi-led Arab coalition in Yemen
not to advance on Iran, because Iran is "a powerful country."
Al-Nujaba And The Iranian Connection
The Al-Nujba militia was established by
Akram Al-Ka'bi, who left the Iranian-backed Shi’ite Iraqi militia Asaeb
Ahl Al-Haqq and moved to Syria to supervise Al-Nujaba's activity, which
includes participating in combat to defend the Assad regime. In an
interview with the Iraqi daily Al-'Alam Al-Jadid, Al-Ka'bi said
that Iran supports his organization both militarily and logistically,
and stressed its close ties with Qassem Soleimani, commander of the
Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’s (IRGC) Qods Force, and with
Hizbullah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah.[1]
According to reports on Syrian opposition websites, militiamen are
trained by the IRGC and Hizbullah, and are deployed throughout Syria –
in Al-Raqqa, Aleppo Province, and Damascus.[2]
Published images indicate that the militia operates Iranian drones (see
images below). Additionally, in light of its close ties with Iran's
Qods Force, the militia published a song praising Qassem Soleimani. To
view the video, click here.
Al-Nujaba militia leader Al-Ka'bi (left) with Iran's Qods Force commander Qassem Soleimani (Al-aalem.com, April 20, 2015)
Al-Nujaba logo, which is similar to logos used by the IRGC and other resistance organizations (Alnujba.org, October 9, 2014)
Following is a translation of the interview with Al-Nujaba spokesman Hashem Al-Mousawi, which has been reordered by topic: [3]
Al-Nujaba Spokesman: "We Demanded That [Saudi Foreign Minister] Al-Jubeir Take Back The Gifts He Had Given Iraq"
"In this [interview] I will discuss the
events in the region and in Iraq. Terrorism wishes to besmirch Islam and
destroy the infrastructure of Islamic countries. The sectarian wars in
the region are meant to destroy [these countries]. That is why foreign
media refer to the regional war as a sectarian one [between Sunnis and
Shi'ites]. We are a united nation in Iraq fighting against terrorism.
ISIS is the standard bearer of sectarianism, and its goal is to destroy
the sanctities of Islam.
"Many cities have been liberated and ISIS
has lost many leaders, most of them Saudi. During the recent visit by
[Saudi Foreign Minister] 'Adel Al-Jubeir [to Iraq], we demanded that he
take back the gifts he had given Iraq.
"In Mosul, ISIS destroyed all its
documents within two days, killed its injured, and set up gallows for
those who surrendered. ISIS elements wish to flee to Syria and establish
an autonomy there. But America wants to send all the terrorist elements
to Yemen and Syria, so that terrorism spreads throughout the entire
region. America also wants to revive terrorism in Africa.
Hashem Al-Mousawi being interviewed by Tasnim
"The war in Mosul is easy because the
terrorist groups [there] have been eliminated. In accordance with our
plan, we cut Tal Afar off from Mosul, and this was the death of ISIS. In
response, the enemy sent over 30 martyrdom vehicles and suicide drones,
[but] we managed to deal with them."
"Iran Is The Only Country That Helped Us And Sent Us Its Military Advisors"
"We accept refugees regardless of
religion. The images and videos attacking the PMU and the [Iranian-led]
resistance are part of a media war waged by terrorist elements.
"We assess that the war in Mosul will end
within days. American forces are in Mosul to steal the Iraqi people's
victory in this war. When ISIS stole Syria's oil from the Ayn Al-Assad
base, America merely [stood by and] observed.
"ISIS benefits from American weapons,
Saudi vehicles, and Qatari food [rations]. When Mosul was captured [by
ISIS], we expected the establishment of an Arab coalition, but sadly,
[the Arabs] only looked on. Their excuse was that Iraq obeyed Iran, even
though Iran is the only country that has helped us and sent us its
military advisors, led by [IRGC Qods Force Commander] Qassem Soleimani.
We asked Arab countries, 'Why do you take a stand against us because of a
single Iranian military advisor, but say nothing about the thousands of
American military advisors? Alternatively, why don't you send [us your
own] military advisors?' The Arab media fought us, calling us a militia
while referring to ISIS as 'the Islamic State.'"
Iranian Yasir drone used by the Al-Nujaba militia (Dana.ir, March 25, 2015; Abna, Iran, December 23, 2014)
"America Heavily Pressured The [Iraqi] Government To Prevent The PMU From Entering Tal Afar And Mosul"
"America heavily pressured the [Iraqi]
government to prevent the PMU from entering Tal Afar and Mosul. [In
response,] we prevented American forces from entering liberated areas in
Iraq.
"ISIS uses civilians as human shields. The
[Iraqi] security forces absolutely do not damage infrastructure.
[This,] unlike America, which destroyed over 6,000 homes while
liberating Al-Ramadi.
"We closed the Syrian-Iraqi border, [but]
an Iraqi airstrike in Syria worried [Saudi Foreign Minister] 'Adel
Al-Jubeir, who wished to put an end to it, yet we persisted..."
"We Will Not Allow Foreign Forces To Remain In Mosul..; We Do Not Want A Separation Between Iran And Iraq"
"Saudi-Iraqi ties are like a failed
marriage. We hope [the Saudis] officially recognize the political
process in Iraq and work with us from that angle. We will not allow
foreign forces to remain in Mosul.
"So long as there are no sectarian
motives, we support all efforts to preserve the political process in
Iraq, but totally reject interference in Iraqi affairs. We certainly
will not agree to Iraq becoming a wrestling arena for other countries.
We do not recognize Al-Jubeir's visit [in Baghdad] as a step that will
improve the situation in Iraq. Iraq has complicated problems and we want
[the Saudis] to leave Iraq and its people alone. [But] we do not want a
separation between Iran and Iraq...
"America wants to appoint a non-military
governor in Mosul. The Iraqi regime rejected this. There is another
group named Ninveh that wants to control this area. We will not allow
them to.
"Militarily speaking, we [Al-Nujaba] have
achieved victory in Mosul. We will not participate in a future political
process and we want nothing from Mosul other than to liberate it. After
that, we will carry out our ideological and cultural work.
"America wants to save the leaders of ISIS
from Iraqi elements, which is why we have severed the aid routes [to
them]. The decision by ISIS leaders to enter Al-Raqqa [in Syria] took
place before we entered those areas. America intends to create new
fronts in Sinai and Africa..."
If Pressuring Turkey To Withdraw From Bashiqa Yields No Results, "We Will Take A Military Move"
"As for the Turkish military presence in
Bashiqa [in northern Iraq], the Iraqi parliament called the presence of
Turkish forces [there] 'occupation.' We have applied pressure on Turkey
to withdraw. If this pressure is fruitless, we will take a military
move. Turkey prevented the PMU from being present in Tal Afar, using the
excuse of [preventing] a sectarian war...
"[Turkey's President] Erdogan deceived
[the president of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, Mas'oud] Barzani, but the
Turkish delusion was buried on the outskirts of Sinjar. With no
authorization from the central [Iraqi] government, Barzani retaliated in
Kobane and later in Sinjar, in order to become a hero for the Kurds.
But the Kurdish parties do not want this dictator. The Turks and
Americans want these Kurdish conflicts to persist.
"As for the influence Mosul's liberation
had on Iraq's parliamentary elections – currently, Iraqi conferences are
taking place in Turkey, attended by terrorist elements who fled [Iraq],
such as [former Iraqi Vice President] Tariq Al-Hashimi. We do not
accept this..."
"Al-Nujaba Has Been In Syria For Four Years... We Will Not Leave Until All The Terrorists Do"
"Al-Nujaba has been in Syria for four years. Turkey stole Syria's equipment, infrastructure, and intelligensia.
"Food and medicine shortages, as well as
frequent attacks in the area of the [Shi'ite villages of] Fu'ah and
Kefraya [in Syria], worry us, since it is possible that ethnic cleansing
could take place...
"Regarding the renewed fighting in Rif
Aleppo, one of our top priorities is to remove the siege from Fu'ah and
Kefraya. International pressure is being applied to remove this siege
because some countries want it to continue in order to promote their own
political interests...
"The violence and crimes committed by
[Turkish President] Erdogan against his [own] people could repeat
themselves in Fu'ah and Kefraya. That is why we asked the Syrian foreign
minister to rejoin the Arab League, so that we can show the world what
is happening in Fu'ah and Kefraya. The illusion of the Ottoman Empire
has collapsed in Syria...
"We will not leave Syria until all the
terrorists do. We are fighting in Syria for the different sects and
religions and we absolutely do not want population transfers."
"We Have Created The Golan Liberation Army... If The Syrian Regime Asks Us To, We Are Ready To Act To Liberate The Golan"
"After the recent victories, we created
the Golan Liberation Army. This army has been trained and has detailed
plans. If the Syria regime asks us to, we are ready to act to liberate
the Golan [from Israel] along with our allies. We will not allow Arab
and Islamic countries to be smaller in size than Israel...
"The Golan Army comprises special forces
who have received training and equipment. They have not [yet] entered
any war [against Israel] and have been busy only with ending regional
wars. There is a need for authorization from the Syrian government so
that the Golan Army can be present there [in the Golan]...
"Regarding the Golan Army, we are part of
the PMU, and before that we were part of the resistance [axis]. So long
as there is a threat in the region, we will not lay down our weapons.
"Israel is fundamentally [responsible for]
Iraq's destruction. That regime took steps to destroy our
infrastructure and scientists. Whether Iraq is on Trump's list or not,
we consider [the U.S.] a supporter of regional terrorism..."
"We Advise The Anti-Yemen Coalition... Not Advance On Iran, Which Is A Strong, Developed Country"
MEMRI
Source: https://www.memri.org/reports/spokesman-iran-backed-iraqi-shiite-militia-syria-we-have-established-golan-liberation-army
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