Nineveh governor: We are against Iranian forces in Mosul

Nineveh governor Atheel al-Nujaifi says the advance of Iranian forces into the governorate to crack down on Islamic State group (formerly Isis) fighters will turn the conflict with the militants into an Iraqi-Iranian war.

Speaking to al-Araby al-Jadeed, Nujaifi says he told the Iranians he is against them entering Nineveh, calling on the US-led coalition to take over the mission in curbing the IS presence. He also says he is against receiving Iranian weapons.

"We are racing against time to liberate Mosul. We have 10,000 fighters who are ready and have trained for seven months in various combat techniques, particularly guerrilla warfare. But these fighters lack the weapons to spearhead a battle," said Nujaifi from his residence in Erbil to which he fled in June when Mosul fell to IS militants.

We are racing against time to liberate Mosul. - Atheel al-Nujaifi.

He also criticized the Ministries of Interior and Defence for failing to provide the Popular Mobilization forces with the necessary weapons.

Iranian-backed militias, the Popular Mobilization forces, along with local fighters from the tribes in Saladin, continue to lead a war with IS militants to recapture Tikrit. International and local media outlets said Iranians were seen in the battles, notably led by the head of the Revolutionary Guards' elite Quds Force Qasem Soleimani. Other media reports said militias affiliated with Iran carried out sectarian and confessional acts against Sunni residences.

Nujaifi voiced concerns about the Iranians entering Tikrit and Mosul.

A first step

"The liberation of Tikrit could pave the way for the replication of the same scenario in Mosul where the Popular Mobilization forces, backed and armed by regional countries, are present. This will stir up negative reactions among the citizens and we do not want any confrontation between these forces and the locals. We need weapons to make it to Mosul before they do," he said.

Nineveh's governor said he was confident the militia fighters and the Iranians would advance into Mosul for sure, with the Iraqi government remaining reluctant to arm the forces his administration has trained and prepared over the past few months.

The airstrikes carried out by the US in Iraq, including Tikrit, facilitates the movement of Iraqi and Iranian militias, restricting the movement of IS fighters and wearing them down. Otherwise, the Iranians would not have had the courage to bring in more fighters from Iran to Tikrit and other conflict-torn regions, he said.

The Iranians did not only send fighters but they also pushed their allies to do so. Iraqi sources said about 800 Hizballah fighters went to Iraq, to participate in the battle to liberate Mosul.

"The Popular Mobilization forces should remain disciplined as they enter Mosul because the IS has told Mosul locals about the Iranian intervention, urging the locals to cooperate with it against Iran," Nujaifi told al-Araby.

He continues: "I have raised my concerns about the Iranian forces entering Mosul to the Iranian ambassador to Iraq, Hassan Danaei-Far. I told him Mosul should be liberated by locals, and he agreed with me. But I do not know if Iran will act otherwise."

According to Nujaifi, Saladin governorate welcomed the Popular Mobilization forces and Iran's entrance because its locals were unable to liberate it. However, "we want Mosul to be liberated by the coalition, not Iran. We count on the coalition to bring a better future to the region," he said.

I told him Mosul should be liberated by locals and he agreed with me. - Atheel al-Nujaifi.

Nujaifi said he had received armament offers from Iraq, but he turned them down because Iran wanted the deals to be conducted directly with him, not through the Iraqi government. "We wanted the armament offers to be passed down through official channels, ie. the Iraqi Ministries of Interior and Defence. Any other form of Iranian armament will have negative repercussions for Nineveh because it will further expand Iranian influence in the city," he believes.

IS on the verge of collapse

The governor of Nineveh also said that "The IS is retreating and will collapse within weeks. The militants will withdraw from Mosul very soon and I do not expect problems to emerge from the very first day. They will start appearing later because the militias that will enter Mosul will be unable to seize control of the city if the locals do not cooperate," he said, speaking about his expectations of the Mosul battle.

"We do not need heavy weapons. We only need weapons to face IS. We will not use artillery so IS fighters are expected to remain steadfast for some time and to use booby-trapped cars. So we need shoulder-fired missiles," he said.

This is an edited translation from our Arabic edition.