TEHRAN — Major General Hossein Salami, commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), stated on Sunday that Iranian forces support Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Force (PMF), also known as Hashd al Sha`abi in Arabic, to counter terrorism and combat foreign occupation.

Meeting PMF leader Falih al-Fayyadh in Tehran on Sunday, General Salami praised the resistance organization for its strategic role in defeating the terrorist organization of Daesh (ISIL) and maintaining national security and stability. 

"The real political force is the field power, and the Mobilization Force is extraordinary in this sense. God willing, their power will be expanded as a defensive force based on great ideals, firm beliefs, internal unity and a high degree of discipline." 

Salami also described the resistance movement and the connection between the PMF and the people as the key to its success, saying, “You and all of us must be vigilant to prevent the people from being affected by the psychological warfare launched by the enemy. Even if you have left the difficult phase of the fight behind, you should never ignore the enemy's tricks.”

“Decline of the U.S. on the world stage occurred in Iraq”
 

He also said that an important part of what is now called the decline of the United States on the world stage occurred in Iraq. 

This means that the resistance formed in that country weakened the Americans, exhausted them, increased their costs, and allowed them to choose between two evils: stay and suffer harm, or leave and admit defeat, Salami explained.

The head of the IRGC further emphasized that the connection between the IRGC and the PMF is rooted in the sacred religion of Islam, regardless of geographical boundaries. 

"We are the continuous supporters of the Resistance Front and this great battle. We hope that the resolution of the Iraqi parliament on the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the country can be fully enacted, and that an independent, sovereign and secure Iraq will continue to exist and advance without an occupier,” the top general remarked. 

On January 3, 2020, the United States assassinated Iran's legendary counterterrorism commander, Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, and his Iraqi companions including PMF deputy leader Abu Mahdi Muhandis in a drone strike near Baghdad International Airport.

Two days later, the Iraqi Parliament unanimously passed a bill requiring all U.S.-led foreign troops to withdraw from Iraq. 

However, since then Washington has been delaying troop withdrawal, occasionally targeting counter-terrorism organizations. 

At Sunday's meeting, Falih thanked the Iranian nation and the IRGC for their support of the Iraqi people and the PMF. 

"Martyr Soleimani was the one who inspired the mobilization of the troops. Today, the PMF owes its existence to the efforts of General Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis,

who sacrificed their lives," he said, adding, "Any power or country that is friendly to Iraq will not be hostile to the PMF."

SA/PA