Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani: ISIL threatening Samarra

Iraq’s most senior Shia cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani has warned that the ISIL Takfiri terrorist group is threatening the holy city of Samarra.

“Iraqi troops have achieved important victories in several areas on Daesh (ISIL) elements,” the cleric’s representative, Sheikh Abdel-Mahdi al-Karbalai, said in the holy city of Karbala on Friday.

Al-Karbalai added, “But this organization is today threatening areas containing holy shrines such as Samara.”

The city, located around 110 kilometers north of Baghdad, is home to the shrines of the tenth and eleventh Shia Imams, Ali al-Hadi (PBUH) and Hasan al-Askari (PBUH).

“Troops should exercise vigilance and caution as they face Daesh,” al-Karbalai added.

The ISIL terrorists control some parts of Syria and Iraq.

They are engaged in crimes against humanity in the areas under their control. ISIL militants have terrorized and killed people of all communities, including Shias, Sunnis, Kurds, and Christians.

The group has in recent weeks intensified attacks on Samarra. Seizing the city would strengthen the ISIL’s foothold in the north and threaten Baghdad.