Iraqi Shiite militia creates brigade to liberate Golan Heights from Israel

Sputnik
Thu, 09 Mar 2017 16:40 UTC

© AFP 2017/ JACK GUEZ

The Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba movement, Iraq's Shiite militia organization, has formed a brigade to liberate the Golan Heights from Israel, spokesman for the movement, Seyed Hashem Moussavi said on Wednesday.

"After recent victories (in Syria), we have established the Golan Liberation Brigade," al-Moussavi said at a press conference, as quoted by the Tasnim News Agency.

He added that "if the Syrian government requests, we are ready to take actions to liberate Golan."

According to the spokesman, the Golan Liberation Brigade is made up of highly-equipped and well trained special forces.

The movement is a paramilitary group, part of the Popular Mobilization Units, an Iraqi state-sponsored organization composed of some 40 militias, formed in opposition to the Islamic State (Daesh) terrorist group.

Israel occupied the Golan Heights in the 1967 Six-Day War with Syria and annexed the territory in 1981. The international community has not recognized the Israeli annexation.