VIDEO: Iraqi Young Men Prepare Heavy Weapons for War against ISIS in Mosul

Thu Aug 25, 2016 22:35:10

In Basra province, 550 kilometers south of Baghdad, these young men are playing a key role in the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS / Daesh / ISIL) terrorist group.

They’re members of the Shia popular mobilization forces known as al-Hashd al-Shaabi.

In their workshop they rehabilitate damaged weapons, hammering away on the heavy metal. Their mechanical skills are being put to the test, but they have expertise in all types of weapons.

“'The youth are working hard to supply members of al-Hashd al-Shaabi with well-maintained weapons to dislodge Daesh from Mosul,” says workshop boss Sheikh Abu Zahra al-Abadi.

Today, preparing a heavy machine gun, destined for the front lines in Mosul, in the country’s north.

Iraqi forces entered the key oil town of Qayara on the Tigris river on Tuesday, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) south of Mosul. It’s seen as a strategic launching area for efforts to retake the country’s second largest city which has been held by ISIS since 2014.

The country’s Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has pledged to drive ISIS out of Mosul this year.

S/SH 11

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