By: Iraq News Agencies
BAGHDAD, Iraq: Iraqi PM Haidar al-Abadi on Saturday rejected a call by Muqtada al-Sadr to dissolve the Hashd al-Shaabi militia, Anadolu Agency said.
Speaking to supporters on Friday, al-Sadr called for dissolving the militia and merging its fighters in the Iraqi army.
“The Hashd al-Shaabi…is for Iraq and will not be dissolved،” al-Abadi said in a conference in the capital Baghdad.
“The next phase after liberating the land from ISIL is the battle of the unity of word،” he said.
The Hashd al-Shaabi militia was established in 2014 with the avowed purpose of fighting the ISIL terrorist group, which captured vast swathes of territory in northern and western Iraq.
Speaking to supporters on Friday, Sadr had called for dissolving Hashd al-Shaabi and absorbing its fighters in the Iraqi army.
Sadr issued the statement after his visit to Saudi Arabia, where he held talks with the kingdom’s leadership.
He met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah and discussed issues of common interest, Reuters news agency reported on July 30.
