Iraqi Shi’ite militias have been notified by the US forces to evacuate several military fortresses in eastern Mosul, north of Iraq, said a local source according to basnews.com.
At least five military fortresses are under the control of Iranian-backed Hashd al-Shaabi around Bartella (some 20 kilometers east of Mosul), said Ali Mulham, a Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) representative in the area.
He told BasNews that the US forces are expected to be stationed in the military fortresses after Hashd al-Shaabi’s evacuation.
Mulham claimed that the Shi’ite militias are given less than 24 hours to move their equipments out.
It was not clear if the US army is moving troops from Syria to the region as part of its plan to withdraw from Syria, or it is another relocation of troops to limit Iran’s hegemony on the region.
