Iraq rejected as meddling in its internal affairs a call by Saudi foreign minister for dissolution of pro-government volunteer forces fighting the Takfiri ISIL group.

Iraq rejected as meddling in its internal affairs a call by Saudi foreign minister for dissolution of pro-government volunteer forces fighting the Takfiri ISIL group.

Iraqi National Security Advisor Faleh al-Fayyad said Saudi FM "Adel al-Jubeir’s remarks in which he called for the dismantling of the Popular Mobilization Units reflect the scope of his narrow-mindedness."

The top Saudi diplomat accused the Popular Mobilization Units (Hashid Shaabi) of fueling sectarian tensions in Iraq, calling for their dissolution.

"Such comments are not beneficial to bilateral relations (between Baghdad and Riyadh). It is outside the purview of Jubeir or anyone else to debate the issue,” Fayyad said in an exclusive interview with al-Sumaria television network.

“The world has begun to realize that Hashid al-Shaabi is a key factor in the fight against terrorism. The force crushed Daesh, which operates to cause sectarian tensions in Iraq and is poised to kill 70 percent of the Iraqi population,” al-Fayyad stressed.

Earlier, Iraqi Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmad Jamal strongly condemned Jubeir’s comments as “meddlesome.”

In a statement released on Wednesday, Jamal expressed Baghdad’s distraught over Saudi Arabia’s repeated intervention in Iraq’s domestic affairs, calling on Riyadh to stop Saudi nationals from joining ISIL terrorists.

“Hashid al-Shaabi is an official party that incorporates various walks of the Iraqi nation. It is part of the national Iraqi defense forces, under the control of the National Operational Command, and receives its budget from the Iraqi government," the statement said.

Hashid al-Shaabi's "fighters, together with brave army soldiers and other Iraqi armed forces, are fighting Takfirism, which all know where its roots and objectives are who its sponsors are,” it added.