US officers rebuffed by Iraq’s Hashd al-Shaabi in Anbar

By Ali Jawad

BAGHDAD (AA) - U.S. military officers stationed in the western Iraqi province of Anbar were prevented from inspecting units of Iraq’s Hashd al-Shaabi on Tuesday, according to a Hashd commander.

In a statement, Qasim Musleh, the Hashd's head-of-operations in Anbar, described attempts by the U.S. officers to inspect his units as “provocative”.

Musleh accused the officers of seeking to collect "sensitive" information from Iraqi security forces deployed near the Syrian border.

"The [U.S.] officers were stopped from carrying out the inspection, which would have constituted a violation of Iraq’s national sovereignty,” he said.

A predominantly Shia fighting force, the Hashd al-Shaabi was established in 2014 to fight the Daesh terrorist group. In 2017, it was formally incorporated into the Iraqi armed forces.

According to Musleh, the U.S. officers “had tried to ask our units about flashpoints near the border, how much ammunition they carried, and what kind of weapons and personnel are kept at border checkpoints”.

U.S. officials based in Anbar have yet to respond to Anadolu Agency’s questions regarding Musleh's claims.

Hundreds of U.S. troops are currently stationed at Anbar’s Ain al-Assad Military Base.