Iraqi militia objects to new NATO plan, calling it 'combat' mission

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – As Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi returned to Iraq from Brussels amid mounting protests against a chronic lack of services, one of the leading Hashd al-Shaabi (PMF) Shia militias announced its objection to the presence of NATO forces on Iraqi territory.

"The presence of any military forces on the ground in Iraq requires a parliamentary mandate, and we reject the presence of any combat force on the ground," Asaib Ahl al-Haq spokesperson Naim al-Aboudi told Russian state-owned media outlet RT.

"The presence of these forces is a violation of the sovereignty of Iraq, and Iraq does not need any force, it has an army, police and mass mobilization."

This is not the first time that the Iran-backed militia has threatened foreign forces, especially US forces. The movement's leader, Qais al-Khazali, previously vowed to target them if they did not leave Iraqi territory.

The characterization of the proposed NATO deployment as a "combat force" is not in line with what Abadi had described in Brussels on Thursday in response to a question by Kurdistan 24, when he said, "This is for non-combatant forces, only for training and logistical support."

Abadi's comments are consistent with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, who announced the previous day that Canada will lead the alliance's new training mission in Iraq.

“It will be a non-combat mission of several hundred trainers who also establish professional military schools and academies for the Iraqi forces,” he added.

On Friday, The Defense Post reported that Abadi said Iraq would "not tolerate a Turkish incursion across its border but would work with the NATO member state to ameliorate its security issue."