Press TV- Iraq�s Popular Mobilization Units has delivered a counterblast to the Turkish�president who had called the group of volunteers fighting Daesh�a �terrorist organization� and part of Iran�s regional policy.

The group, known as Hashd al-Sha�abi by its Arabic name, has�joined forces with the Iraqi government in the operations against Daesh terrorists.

Last November, the Iraqi Parliament approved a law, giving legal status to the fighters and recognizing�them as part of the national armed forces.


[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="555"] Hashd al-Sha�abi fighters wave the victory sign on board a pickup truck on their way to Tal Afar airport in the northern Iraqi city of Tal Afar on November 20, 2016. (Photo by AFP)[/caption]
On Wednesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made incendiary remarks about the fighters in an interview with Doha-based al-Jazeera television channel, calling the group a terrorist organization supported by Iran.

�Who are the Hashd al-Sha'abi? Who is backing them? The Iraqi Parliament supports Hashd al-Sha�abi, but, honestly, they are a terrorist organization and should be known who stands behind it,� he said�before adding he believed that the fighters were part of a �Persian expansion policy.�

The accusations�prompted�Hashd al-Sha'abi�spokesman Ahmad al-Assadi to issue an angry reposte�on Sunday, saying Erodgan had clearly targeted the Arab country and its leadership.

�Who has given Erdogan the right to intervene in Iraq�s internal affairs? Iraq is a democratic country with institutions elected by its people. No one has the right to intervene in Iraq�s domestic affairs,� he said.

As for the Turkish president's Iran bashing,�Assadi said, "The Iranian government is assisting Iraq in the fight against terrorism within legal frameworks.�

The Islamic Republic has been providing military advisory support to Iraq and Syria at the request of their�governments. Several�Iraqi leaders have said that had it not been for Iran's assistance, Daesh would have overrun Baghdad.

�Iran�s policy vis-�-vis regional issues is completely transparent and clear. It helps the new and democratic Iraq in the fight against Daesh,� Assadi said.

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Iraq and Syria, he�said, are now paying the price for Daesh�s reign of terror in the region as he took�an indirect jab at Ankara over its alleged�support for Takfiri�and other militant�outfits.

Erdogan�s comments surprised Iraqi�Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and prompted the Arab nation's Foreign Ministry to summon the Turkish ambassador to Baghdad and�hand him a formal protest note.

Diplomatic relations between Ankara and Baghdad have taken a nosedive since Turkey sent around 2,000 troops into northern Iraq in December 2015.

The deployment drew harsh criticism from Iraqi leaders and political parties, warning that it could trigger a war between the two neighbors.