A number of soldiers and officers in the 12th Division of the Iraqi army, stationed in Kirkuk in the governorate of Ta’mim, have announced their defection from the army.

The Commander of the first regiment of the 47th Brigade in the 12th Division, Colonel Saad Ibrahim Hassan Al-Azzawi, said that he defected along with more than twenty members of the 12th Division. Those who defected include five officers whose ranks range between lieutenant, captain and major.

According to Yaqeen news, Al-Azzawi explained that in front of God he bears no responsibility for the current government, which he described as a “militia government”. He called on fellow soldiers and officers to defect, so as to stop backing the government in its tyranny.

Al-Azzawi also remarked that some members of the ruling regime’s army feel that they are affiliated to Iran and that orders come to them from Tehran, not from Baghdad.