Ahlul Bayt News Agency - Iraq’s Defense Minister Khalid al-Obeidi has requested support for the Iraqi armed forces from the country's most senior Shia cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani.
The Iraqi Defense Ministry said in a statement issued on Monday that “Khaled al-Obeidi visited this morning the shrine of Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him) with the governor of Najaf, Adnan Zurfi, and a number of officers,” online newspaper Iraqi News reported on Monday.
“After the visit, Obeidi delivered a message to the representative of the highest religious authority, Ali al-Sistani, requesting support for the armed forces,” the ministry added in the statement.
Obeidi arrived in the province of Najaf on Monday morning and discussed the province's security situation with Zurfi.
The development came as Iraqi security forces along with Shia volunteer fighters managed to liberate a number of strategic sites in the Hamrin Mountains area in northeastern Iraq.
“The forces have killed dozens of terrorists during fierce clashes in the area,” a senior leader of the Shia volunteer forces said.
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