Iraq: PMU enters Sinjar again to counter Turkish attack!
ISWNews Analysis Group: According to local reports, Hashd al-Shaabi (PMU) forces have returned to the town of Sinjar, west of Mosul to regain security in the area.
On February 11, Hashd al-Shaabi (PMU) forces consisting of three brigades including 9,000 to 10,000 troops were deployed in the Sinjar region and surrounding areas by order of Mustafa al-Kadhimi, commander-in-chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces.
According to reports, after dispatching Hashd al-Shaabi forces to the area, Abdul Aziz al-Muhammadawi (Abu Fadak), deputy head of Hashd al-Shaabi forces organization, and his entourage visited the town of Sinjar, Tal Afar and surrounding areas and met with local people.
Following Erdogan’s threats of a possible Turkish attack on Sinjar under the pretext of PKK presence in the region, one of the PMU commanders in Sinjar said:
“A few days ago, we were informed from Baghdad that we were preparing to repel any Turkish attack on Sinjar, and in this regard, the PMU forces were sent to Sinjar with about 10,000 fighters.”
“According to the information we have, Turkey intends to attack Sinjar and deploy Peshmerga forces [affiliated with Barzani (PDK)],” he said.
Following the implementation of the agreement reached on October 9 between the Iraqi federal government (Kadhimi government) and the northern region of the country (Kurdistan Democratic Party (PDK)) over the Sinjar region to implement a joint administration and expel PKK-affiliated militants and also the retreat of Hashd al-Shaabi forces at a distance of 5 km from this area, this is the first time that Hashd al-Shaabi (PMU) forces return to the area.
Also, considering the increase of ISIS attacks in different parts of Iraq and the announcement of the Pope’s visit to Iraq on March 5 and his possible visit to the town of Qaraqush on the outskirts of Mosul, Another reason for the increase of PMU forces in the Sinjar region is to ensure the security of the region against any terrorist threats.
In general, the various brigades of the Hashd al-Shaabi (PMU) forces play a very important and significant role in ensuring the security of the different regions of Iraq and in the fight against terrorism and ISIS.
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