Removal of Hashd al-Sha’abi Chief Iraq’s Internal Issue

Iran says Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi’s decision to sack Falih Alfayyadh, national security adviser and head of Hashd al-Sha’abi, is an internal matter.

“This is an internal Iraqi issue in which we do not interfere,” Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qasemi told Iran’s Arabic-language Al-Alam television network, Press TV reported on Saturday.

“For us as neighbors, a safe, unified and progressive Iraq is a priority over all else,” he said. Hashd al-Sha’abi is an Iraqi force backed by Iran and was instrumental in defeating the self-styled Islamic State terrorist group.  Alfayyadh was removed on Friday, with Abadi’s office stating that the decision had been taken due to his involvement in “political and partisan work”. The decision has been attributed largely to Baghdad’s efforts to form a new government following parliamentary elections in May.  Senior cleric Muqtada Sadr’s bloc came first in the polls, while the alliances led by Hadi al-Amiri and Prime Minister Abadi finished second and third. Before Abadi’s decision, reports surfaced alleging that Alfayyadh was working with other heavyweight political groups to establish the largest parliamentary bloc with expected influence in the make-up of the next government.