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Thousands more join Iraq army to fight against ISIL

Iran Press TV

Tue Jun 24, 2014 5:32PM

A large number of Iraqi volunteers have rushed to military recruitment centers to join the battle against militants from the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL).

On Tuesday, hundreds of volunteers gathered at the Federal Police Command headquarters in the capital Baghdad to receive application forms and go through required medical tests.

Security officials in Basra say up to 100000 people in the province have registered to fight alongside government troops.

This comes as Iraq's top Shia cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani has called on all Iraqi people and political factions to unite and support the government and army in their battle against the terrorists.

Meanwhile, Iraq's army spokesman says security forces have the upper hand against the militants from the ISIL. General Qassim Atta says troops, in their latest battles, have conducted anti-terror operations against the Takfiri militants in several locations across the country.

Iraqi media say over a dozen Takfiri militants have been killed as army warplanes pounded multiple targets in the town of Baiji --- home to the country's largest oil refinery. The area has seen fierce clashes over the past days.

The government troops say they have also killed around 80 ISIL militants in the central city of Hillah and the northern city of Balad. Balad is located in Salahuddin Province and was recaptured on Monday.

An unspecified number of the ISIL militants were also killed in the eastern Diyala province.

Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has recently lashed out at Saudi Arabia for supporting the ISIL terrorists, who are perpetrating genocide against the Iraqi nation.

Riyadh's support for the ISIL makes the Al Saud regime responsible for the "crimes that may qualify as genocide: the spilling of Iraqi blood, the destruction of Iraqi state institutions and historic and religious sites," Maliki said in a statement last week.

JR/NN