ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The Hashd al-Shaabi claimed on Friday their forces had killed dozens of ISIS militants in the Syrian town of Sousa town, one of the last towns still held by the extremists across the border. "With accurate intelligence, the artillery of the Hashd was able to carry out accurate strikes against a group of ISIS members who were planning to attack our units. In a preemptive operation, 35 terrorists were killed and wounded," read a statement from the Hashd al-Shaabi. They said ISIS tried to exploit bad weather to carry out an attack. The militias claimed to have killed several ISIS leaders – named as Abu Waddah and Abu Hamza who headed up the Abu Fattoum group – and caused “panic and withdrawal of the other members of the group." The Iran-backed Hashd have forces on the border with Syria, part of Iraq’s bolstering the security of the border to prevent jihadists crossing into Iraqi territory. Baghdad’s concern for its national security rose when the US announced they plan to pull out of Syria before the full defeat of ISIS. The Hashd said their forces on the border would continue to closely monitor the group's movements. ISIS is has been pushed into an estimated 15 square kilometres of territory in the Euphrates River valley near the border, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Its hold continues to weaken as the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) continues to advance. "The security situation is under full control and the Hashd al-Shaabi forces monitor the movement of the enemy on the Syrian side," the militia stated. Iraq’s National Security Advisor Falih al-Fayyadh, who is also the controversial nominee for interior minister, said Iraq has the consent of Damascus to strike ISIS inside Syrian territory.
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