MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Baghdad is surprised by US State Secretary Rex Tillerson's statements about "foreign fighters" fighting on the Iraqi side against terrorists, the press service of Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi said in a statement on Monday, citing a source close to the prime minister.
"Militia fighters [mentioned by Tillerson] are Iraqis, Iraqi citizens, who sacrificed their lives to protect their country and people. They are subordinate to Iraqi authorities in line with the law," the source was quoted as saying in the statement.
The Shiite Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF or Hashd Shaabi) is a state-sponsored militia integrated into the Iraqi Armed Forces. It has up to 100,000 members and has been subjected to criticism from Saudi Arabia and Turkey, among other Sunni states, for instigating sectarian discord in the areas liberated from Daesh, an allegation which has been repeatedly refuted by Baghdad.
