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Iraq summons UAE envoy over Shiite militia comments

Xinhua, February 27, 2016 Adjust font size:

Baghdad on Saturday summoned the United Arab Emirates envoy to protest the comments of the UAE foreign minister on Shiite militia forces fighting the Islamic State (IS) group, which were deemed as an interference in Iraq's internal affairs.

On Friday, UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah Bin Zaid said in a press conference in Moscow that there must be no differentiation between the IS group and those Iranian-backed Shiite militias, including Hashd Shaabi paramilitary groups.

The Iraqi Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it summoned UAE Ambassador Abdulla Ibrahim al-Shihi to hand him over an official letter of protest at the ill intended remarks of the UAE foreign minister over the Hashd Shaabi (Shiite militias)."

It said that the government-backed paramilitary Hashd Shaabi fighters are fighting Daesh (IS) terrorist gangs and have liberated many areas in Iraq from the extremist militants.

"The Hashd Shaabi (units) are working under the leadership of the prime minister, who is also the commander-in-chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces. Therefore, we reject comparing them with terrorist criminal gangs (IS)," the statement said.

The ministry also said that "UAE foreign minister's remarks constituted an obvious meddling in Iraq's internal affairs and a clear insult to security and military organizations." Endit