ISIL plotting to fuel divisions in Iraq: Iran VP
Iranian First Vice President Es’haq Jahangiri says the ISIL terrorist group is hatching plots to fuel ethnic and tribal strife in Iraq.
In a meeting with Iraqi Parliament Speaker Salim al-Jabouri in Baghdad on Monday, Jahangiri called on Shia and Sunni Muslims in Iraq to consolidate their unity.
He added that terrorist groups claiming to support a particular sect have inflicted heavy damage on the region.
The Iranian vice president further urged Iraqi political groups and movements to prevent the spread of extremism and violence in the country.
He emphasized that the fight against the ISIL Takfiri militants should not be confined to military approaches and should include ideological and material aspects as well, adding that financial support for the terrorist group must stop.
The heavily-armed ISIL militants took control of the northern Iraqi city of Mosul in June 2014 before sweeping through parts of the country’s Sunni Arab heartland. The Takfiris had earlier captured some areas in neighboring Syria.
The terrorists have been carrying out horrific acts of violence, including public decapitations, against all communities such as Shias, Sunnis, Kurds and Christians.
Iraqi soldiers, police units, Kurdish forces, Shia volunteers and Sunni tribesmen have succeeded in driving the ISIL terrorists out of some areas in Iraq. The Syrian army, backed by forces of the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah, has also made great advances in the fight against the Takfiris.
The Iraqi parliament speaker, for his part, said the Islamic Republic has been the main supporter of Iraq in the fight against terrorists.
Jabouri added that differences in the region would not be beneficial to any country but would only serve the interests of enemies.
He described Iran as a powerful country in the region and expressed hope that Tehran and Baghdad would make efforts to improve their political and economic relations.
Earlier in the day and in the presence of Jahangiri and Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, Iranian and Iraqi officials signed 10 documents and memoranda of understanding for the expansion of cooperation in various sectors in Baghdad on Monday.
Heading a politico-economic delegation, the Iranian first vice president arrived in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, on Monday to hold talks with the country’s senior officials.
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