06/03/2015, 00.00
IRAQ
Send to a friend

Anti-IS coalition determined to win, but Iraqi prime minister speaks of "failure"

For US undersecretary of State, the coalition had made "real gains," noting that the Islamic State (IS) group has lost 25 of the territory it controlled at the start of the air campaign. However, Iraqi PM Al-Abadi pointed out that foreign fighters outnumber Iraqis in IS ranks. Iran’s president said that some countries that supported IS miscalculated.

Paris (AsiaNews/Agencies) – In a statement at the end of the meeting that took place in France, the representatives of about 20 countries and international organisations involved in the US-led coalition against the Islamic State (IS) group pledged support for Baghdad’s plan for retaking Ramadi. They also reiterated the coalition’s desire and commitment to win the war against extremists. To achieve this, they are calling on the Iraqi government to bring in Sunni tribes, not just Shia groups.

US Deputy Secretary of State Anthony Blinken insisted the coalition had made "real gains," noting that 10,000 IS fighters were dead and the group now had 25 per cent less territory than before the air strikes began.

However, despite Blinken’s claims, the war will be long. In fact, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi described the fall of Ramadi as a "failure" for the global community. What is more, most IS fighters are now from Arab countries and the West.

In his view, Iraqi forces needed more and better weapons. But “We are not asking for arms,” he explained. Instead, “let us purchase arms easily," he pleaded, adding that most of his country's weapons contracts were with Russia or Iran, which are both under Western sanctions.

Noting that foreigners now outnumber Iraqis in IS, he went on to ask the international community to explain "why so many terrorists are from Saudi Arabia, why so many from the Gulf, why so many from Egypt, why so many from Syria, and Turkey and from European countries?"

In a similar vein, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani accused Arab and Western governments of backing the wrong side.

"Unfortunately some countries miscalculated and thought that terrorist groups would be a means for them to achieve their objectives, whereas sooner or later they were always going to be affected by the scourge of terrorism themselves," he said.

TAGs
Send to a friend
Printable version
CLOSE X
See also
Nur-Sultan, 231 Kazakhs repatriated from Syria over feared links with the Islamic State
16/05/2019 20:32
The Islamic State earns more than 100 million a year from trafficking looted antiquities and art
08/08/2017 19:58
Islamic State threatens coexistence even among Muslims
01/09/2014
The burkini affaire, a noose to strangle East and West
19/08/2016 19:17
For Yazidi who survived the Islamic State, al-Baghdadi’s death doesn’t cancel the jihadi madness
30/10/2019 19:25


Newsletter

Subscribe to Asia News updates or change your preferences

Subscribe now
“L’Asia: ecco il nostro comune compito per il terzo millennio!” - Giovanni Paolo II, da “Alzatevi, andiamo”