Baghdad: Members of Sunni tribes in Iraq’s Al Anbar province say they want to form a tribal army to fight Daesh militants, a media report said on Monday.
“We want to establish a tribal army in Al Anbar,” said Ahmad Jasem, a resident of Anbar, Press TV reported citing the Kurdish newspaper Rudaw. “We, the people of Al Anbar, will be able to liberate our region from [Daesh].”
Sunni tribes such as Al Bu Nimr have been helping the Iraqi army in its battle against the Daesh militants operating in restive Al Anbar province. In response, the terror group has killed hundreds of tribesmen in recent months.
“We and the Iraqi army have been in the same position for one year and the army hasn’t been able to finish this war,” said Hamid Jubair, another resident of the province.
Sabah Karhut, the head of the Al Anbar provincial council, said last week that a tribal army would be formed in the province, adding that the tribal army would cooperate with Iraqi government forces.
Iraqi army soldiers, backed by volunteer forces, have been fighting the militants for nearly six months now.
Al Anbar province, which borders war-ravaged Syria, has been a major stronghold of Daesh and continues to be largely controlled by the group.
