The commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps denied claims that Iran has dispatched forces to neighboring Iraq to take part in a massive operation to liberate Mosul from the self-styled Islamic State terrorists.
Speaking to reporters in Tehran on Thursday, Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari underlined that Iraqi fighters, including the Hashd al-Shaabi forces, also known as the Popular Mobilization Units, are powerful enough and do not need Iranian forces to help them, Tasnim News Agency reported.
The commander noted that Tehran’s support for Baghdad is confined to advisory assistance and no military troops have been dispatched to the Arab country.
According to the latest reports from Mosul, Hashd al-Shaabi voluntary forces on Tuesday continued to make gains against the IS terrorist group in west of Mosul, inching closer to the Tal Afar-Sinjar road.
The forces succeeded in cutting the road and fully retaking the villages of Kharab al-Jihash and Tal Abra.
The developments are part of the large-scale offensive which the Iraqi army, the voluntary forces and Kurdish fighters launched on October 17 to retake Mosul, which fell to IS in the summer of 2014.
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