The Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units continued to swear allegiance to Iran, according to a new article in Iran’s state media IRNA.

“The head of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) – known as Hashd al-Shaabi – says the group remains faithful to their brothers in the Islamic Republic of Iran,” the article read.

The statement was made by Faleh Al-Fayyad, the head of the PMU, at a meeting in Diyala province in Iraq. The meeting was held to commemorate the defeat of ISIS in this area in December 2014. ISIS invaded Iraq in June 2014 and was not expelled from most of Iraq until 2017.