WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Royce emphasized that Shiite militants have been accused of abuses and should not be associated with in a democratic Iraq.
"I am encouraged that Shia paramilitary units — many of them funded, armed and even directed by Iran — have stayed out of the fight for Mosul," Royce stated following a meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.
During Tuesday’s meeting, Royce and al-Ababi also discussed progress in combating Daesh and reaffirmed the US-Iraq partnership.
On October 17, Abadi launched the operation to retake the city of Mosul from Daesh with 4,000 Kurdish Peshmerga fighters and 30,000 Iraqi soldiers backed by the US-led global coalition against the terror group.
