Hashd al-Shaabi says it protected Iraq during Syria war

BAGHDAD

The Hashd al-Shaabi, a largely Shia fighting force incorporated into the Iraqi army last year, has played an “important role” in preventing the spread of terrorism in Iraq, a group spokesman told reporters on Monday.

According to Hashd al-Shaabi spokesman Ahmed al-Assadi, the group played a central role “protecting” Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad from the Daesh terrorist group during the six-year conflict in neighboring Syria.

“Groups affiliated with the Hashd al-Shaabi helped prevent the spread of terrorism into Iraq by fighting in Syria for the last six years,” al-Assadi admitted at a Baghdad press conference.

“If these forces had not been active [in Syria], the country would have fallen to Daesh,” he said. “The landscape of the Middle East would be considerably different now.”

Al-Assadi also noted that the Hashd al-Shaabi now planned to take part in an upcoming military operation aimed at recapturing Iraq’s northwestern Tal Afar district from the infamous terrorist group.

“Most of the groups affiliated with the Hashd al-Shaabi are set to take part in the upcoming Tal Afar campaign,” he said.

A predominantly Turkmen region, Tal Afar was captured by Daesh -- along with vast territories in northern and western Iraq -- in mid-2014.

However, the Hashd al-Shaabi’s anticipated participation in the Tal Afar campaign has sparked fears of possible sectarian conflict.

In the past, the Shia fighting force has faced accusations of having committed abuses against Sunni civilians in areas of Iraq under its control.

*Reporting by Idris Okuducu; Writing by Sibel Ugurlu