Anti-ISIS Sunni fighters complain of electoral exploitation

Shafaq News / Al-Hashd fighters in Diyala criticized on Tuesday the politicization of their file and turning it into an electoral tool in the governorate, demanding fairness with those who fought ISIS and officially integrating them into Al-Hashd Al-Shaabi formations.

One of the Hashd fighters, Murad Lahibi, 36, who does not receive any salary so far, along with thousands of his peers, said that the Al-Hashd Al-Ashaeri has become an electoral tool in Diyala among some parliamentarians to reserve early electoral votes.

In his interview with Shafaq News agency, he explained that the politicizing Al-Hash could led thousands of fighters to leave their sites due to the ignoring of the security authorities.

The former leader of Al-Hashd in Al-Azim, Muhammad Ibrahim Dhaifan, confirmed to Shafaq News  agency that the politicization of this file in the electoral and regional areas, calling on the security authorities to grant all Al-Hashd fighters monthly salaries away from the criteria of patronage.

Dhaifan, who is fighting without any revenue noted, "There are more than 400 fighters volunteered at the border posts between Diyala and Saladin for 5 years and provided dozens of victims during their response to ISIS attacks".

He pointed out that many Al-Hashd fighters neglected their families and left them under a hard life conditions for not leaving the combat sites despite their very difficult financial situation.

For its part, A member of the Parliamentary Security and Defense Committee for Diyala Governorate, Abd al-Khaleq Medhat al-Azzawi, supports the demands of Al-Hashd fighters, explaining in his interview to Shafaq News agency that" 6000 fighters are fighting in Diyala, some of them get salaries, and the largest part deployed within the Ministry of Defense and without salaries."

Al-Hashed Al-Ashaeri were formed in Diyala within the areas that ISIS invaded in 2014 to secure the areas from attacks and exposures.

Al-Hashed fighters were distributed within the regions of the outskirts of Al-Miqdadiyah and the districts of Al-Azim and Al-Mansuriya in the north and northeast of Diyala.

It's noteworthy that, Al-Kadhimi had set June 6 as a date for early elections, pledging to conduct a fair voting process.