Shia volunteers converge on Ramadi to dislodge ISIL

Shia volunteer forces, also known as the Popular Mobilization Units, have converged on the Iraqi city of Ramadi to help security forces fight the ISIL Takfiri terrorists who have reportedly seized the city.

Shia volunteer forces, one of the volunteer groups who have joined the Iraqi army to fight the Takfiris, were dispatched to Ramadi, after Iraq’s Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi called on them to join the fight for driving out Takfiri militants from the provincial capital of al-Anbar.

Hadi al-Ameri, who also serves as the leader of Iraq’s Badr paramilitary group, said that he had previously suggested the participation of the Popular Mobilization Units in the process of providing security in Anbar Province. The officials in the province, however, had not taken up his offer, he added.

Ameri "holds the political representatives of Anbar responsible for the fall of Ramadi because they objected to the participation of Hashed al-Shaabi in the defence of their own people," Badr's TV channel al-Ghadeer said.

Jaafar al-Husseini, a spokesman for Keta’ib Hizbullah or Hezbollah Battalions, one of the leading Shia paramilitary groups in Iraq, also said that fighters from the group are ready to join the fight against the Takfiri militants in Ramadi.

"Tomorrow, God willing, these reinforcements will continue towards Anbar and Ramadi and the start of operations to cleanse the areas recently captured by Daesh (the Arabic name of the ISIL) will be announced," Husseini said.

According to a Sunday announcement by Muhannad Haimour, the governor’s spokesman in Anbar, Ramadi has “fallen” to ISIL terrorists.

ISIL confirmed the complete seizure of the city in an online message, claiming the terrorists have taken over the 8th Brigade army base as well as tanks and missile launchers in Ramadi.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi also on Sunday ordered the Iraqi army to "hold their positions" in the strategic city in a bid to obstruct ISIL’s advances.

"There is continuous air cover that will help ground troops there hold their positions while waiting for support from other forces and the Popular Mobilization Units," Saad al-Hadithi, a spokesman for the premier, said.

Reports also said that at least 500 people lost their lives in two days of fighting over the strategic city.

The northern and western parts of Iraq have been in chaos since ISIL started its campaign of terror in early June 2014.

Since then, Iraq’s army has been joined by Kurdish forces, as well as Shia and Sunni volunteers in operations to drive the ISIL terrorists out of the areas they have seized.

 IA/NN

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