TIKRIT, Iraq (AP) — The commander of Iraq’s powerful Shiite militias says Iranian assistance to Iraqi forces in their fight against the Islamic State has been “unconditional.”
In an interview on the battlefield near the Iraqi city of Tikrit Friday, Hadi al-Amiri, who is also head of the Badr Organization political party, criticized those who “kiss the hands of the Americans and get nothing in return.”
Iraqi forces are currently engaged in fierce clashes to retake Saddam Hussein’s hometown from the Sunni militant group. Iranian advisers are playing a key role, guiding fighters on the battlefield. The U.S., which has been conducting airstrikes in Iraq since August, is not taking part in the operation to retake Tikrit.