Addressing a Wednesday ceremony to mark martyrs General Qasem Soleimani, commander of Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp (IRGC), and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy head of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Unit (PMU), the former Iraqi PM underlined that al-Hashd al-Shaabi (PMU) and its companions could foil big conspiracies of certain countries against Iraq.

Thanks to the decrees issued by the highest source of emulation in Iraq and the sacrifices made by the martyrs, Iraq succeeded in overcoming foreign plots, al-Maliki said.

According to al-Sumaria TV network, al-Maliki lauded Iran’s assistance to Iraq, expressing surprise that “some want to describe Iran’s help to Iraq in the war against ISIS as intervention in Iraqi internal affairs.”

He also pointed to the fact that the martyrs sacrificed themselves to defend sanctities and the homeland of the Arab nation.

Al-Hashd al-Shaabi emphasizes on preserving unity in Iraq and is considered as a powerful deterrent force in the face of enemies of the Arab country, he added.

Lieutenant General Qasem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis along with eight other comrades, were targeted in the vicinity of Baghdad international airport on January 3, 2020. US President Donald Trump ordered the assassination, which was carried out by rockets of US military drones.

Iraqi cities have witnessed special events to mark martyrs Soleimani and al-Muhandis for two weeks, condemning the United States for perpetrating such heinous state-terrorism.

In response to the terrorist act by the United States, the IRGC fired dozens of ballistic missiles at the US military base of Ain al-Assad in Al-Anbar province, Iraq, on January 8, 2020.

Following the retaliatory attack, the Pentagon announced on various occasions that some 110 American troops suffered brain damage.

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