Iranian “martyrs” and the Islamic Republic of Iran deserve a share of the credit for their sacrifices to liberate Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city, from the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL), claimed former Shiite Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who currently serves as vice president of the country.

“We thank all those who … stood with Iraq in the face of the most severe terrorist attack, first and foremost the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Shiite politician Maliki wrote in a Facebook post on Tuesday, reports Rudaw.

The U.S. military has deemed Iran a leading state-sponsor of terrorism.

He reportedly “praised the Islamic Republic for its arms, supplies, and advice to the Iraqi armed forces during the nine-month long offensive.”

Moreover, the Iraqi VP sent his “salute to their [Iranian] martyrs” who mixed their “blood with the blood of their Iraqi brothers.”

The former PM also expressed gratitude towards the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS who backed Iraq’s military effort.

Iran-allied militias, including some allegedly affiliated with Hezbollah and the overall Baghdad-sanctioned umbrella organization of Shiite militias known as the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMU), participated in the U.S.-backed offensive to retake Mosul, ISIS’ capital in Iraq.

The U.S. military says it only supported PMU forces whose leaders have been vetted for human rights abuses, links to the government of Iran, and terrorist organizations, as required by U.S. law.

Without naming any particular militia, Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, the commander leading the coalition fight against ISIS, said, “Iraqi militia forces” deserve credit for the “hard-won victory” in Mosul.

Townsend declared:

Mosul would have been a challenging fight for any army, and the [U.S.-led] Coalition is proud to stand side-by-side with our Iraqi partners as they celebrate their hard-fought victory. A victory that has cost the lives of many brave Iraqis; soldiers, police, and civilians. People of all ethnicities and sects have suffered and sacrificed together, not only for their own country, but to help provide security to the region and the world.

“The global Coalition fighting ISIS congratulates Prime Minister [Haider] al-Abadi and the Iraqi Security Forces on their historic victory against a brutal and evil enemy,” he said, adding “Make no mistake; this victory alone does not eliminate ISIS and there is still a tough fight ahead. But the loss of one of its twin capitals and a jewel of their so-called caliphate is a decisive blow.”

In January, Gen. Townsend praised the PMU, also known as the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) and Hashd al-Shaabi, for their contribution to the Mosul operation.

The Iraqi Parliament legalized the Shiite militia force as a component of the Iraqi military late last year.

Shiite fighters formed the PMU in response to a fatwa (Islamic ruling) issued by Iraq’s highest Shiite cleric Ayatollah Ali Sistani in June 2014 calling on all able-bodied men to combat ISIS.