Abadi Urges US-led Coalition to Prevent ISIL Escape to Syria

Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi said on Tuesday it was the duty of the US-led coalition to prevent militants of the so-called ‘Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant’ (ISIL) terrorist group from escaping into nearby Syria from the northern Iraqi city of Mosul.

The coalition is providing air and ground support to Iraqi government and Popular Mobilization forces that launched an offensive on Monday to retake Mosul, ISIL’s last major urban stronghold in Iraq which it captured in 2014.

“It is the responsibility of the coalition to cut the road to Syria for Daesh,” Iraqi state television quoted Abadi as saying, using an Arabic acronym for ISIL.

Forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said earlier on Tuesday that the coalition is planning to allow safe passage into Syria for ISIL militants fleeing the battle for Mosul.