According to the information office of Mustafa Kadhimi, the PM and also the commander of the armed forces visited the headquarters of the Hashd al-Shaabi organization on Saturday evening and was welcomed by the organization’s chief, Falih Fayadh, Iraqi official news agency reported.

In a speech to a number of the organization forces and its leader Fayadh, Kazemi said: "We are about to launch a final strike to eradicate the IS which is working to re-organize its remaining elements, while Hashd al-Shaabi fighters alongside their brothers in the army and other armed forces are at the forefront of the attack against the terrorist group which should wait for us as the time for fighting is looming.”

The new Prime Minister emphasized that the Hashd Al-Shaabi Law no. 40 of 2016, will support and defend the organization, noting that Hashd Al-Shaabi is the national forces which has made sacrifices to the nation and will remain immortal in the memory of the people of the country.

In addition, Kazemi warned against "the presence of ruinous voices in an attempt to create a gap between the government and Hashd al-Shaabi’ and noted that Hashd was formed in response to the fatwa of Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Al-Sistani, the Supreme Shiite Leader in Iraq, and stressed that belittling the group, its sacrifices and its martyrs is unacceptable.

The Iraqi prime minister stressed his support for Hashd al-Shaabi, within its legal and official framework, and promised the organization’s leadership to make further visits to its headquarters in the future to learn about their needs and coordinate military operations against the IS terrorist group.

In another part of his speech, Kadhimi described the al-Shaabi forces as "the light of the Iraqi eye and described their belief as loyalty to the country and the religious authority," and considered the meeting with its leaders as a source of pride.

The Prime Minister emphasized that Hadad Al-Shaabi has done a lot of efforts and that everyone confirms its special activities against terrorism, adding that the existence of Hashd al-Shaabi is a needle in the eyes of IS terrorist gangs which are working to establish a base in Iraq.

The General Commander of the Iraqi Armed Forces, who was wearing the special clothing of Hashd al-Shaabi, said that the defense of the organization is within the framework of the law and underscored that the country's power and sovereignty comes from the security services, the army and Hashd al-Shaabi.

Kadhimi ultimately noted that security forces and Hadad al-Shaabi will soon launch a large-scale military operation to destroy IS and reiterated that Iraq’s fight against terrorism will not last long, however, the battle against economic reform and corruption will be long.

Reporter’s code: 50101