Former Iraq PM calls for Shia intervention into Syria to oppose the ‘great sedition’

Iraq’s former prime minister has called for an intervention into Syria by Shia militias, following the loss of Iran’s influence and the expulsion of Iran-backed fighters from the country.

At the founding conference of the Karbala Tribal Council last Saturday, former Iraqi prime minister, Nouri Al-Maliki, claimed that “every day we see videos of massacres” against Shia Muslims in Syria, saying they are under attack and suffering oppression under the new Syrian authorities.

“Our brothers in Syria are sending videos pleading, asking: Where are Iraq’s Shias, the Popular Mobilisation Forces [PMF], Iran and the tribes?”

Referring to the overthrow of the Syrian President, Bashar Al-Assad, and his regime on 8 December and the former rebels’ subsequent establishment of their interim government, Al-Maliki called it a “great sedition” and urged the Iraqi Shias and PMF militias to support an intervention into Syria.

“They have not only shed blood but also violated people’s honour”, the former Iraqi premier said, warning that the “sedition will spread even to Iraq” if it is not opposed.

In that context, he claimed that there are elements within Iraq – namely “secularists and baathists” – who seek to replicate the events that took place in Syria over the past two months. “But as long as we are here and armed, they will regret it,” he said.

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