China backs Iraq war against militants: Official

China has said that it backs Baghdad’s efforts to maintain security and stability in Iraq amid Takfiri militants’ attack on the Middle Eastern country.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Friday that it was watching security developments in Iraq closely, offering any kind of help.

“China is paying close attention to the recent security situation in Iraq and we support the Iraqi government’s efforts to maintain domestic security and stability. We hope that Iraq can return to stability, safety and normality as early as possible,” said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying.

“For a long time, China has been giving Iraq a large amount of all sorts of aid and is willing to give whatever help it is able to,” Hua added.

She also noted that China had asked Baghdad to ensure the safety of Chinese nationals in the country.

Over the past days, Iraqi armed forces have been engaged in fierce clashes with the militants of the al-Qaeda-linked Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), who have threatened to take their acts of violence to other Iraqi cities, including the capital Baghdad.

On June 10, the militants took control of Nineveh province, including its provincial capital Mosul, in a lightning advance, forcing “over 500,000 people in and around the city” to flee, according to the Geneva-based International Organization for Migration (IOM).

On June 11, the militants stormed the Turkish consulate in Mosul and kidnapped 49 people, including the head of the mission. Reports said they had also abducted 31 Turkish truck drivers in the Iraqi city a day earlier.

Iraqi men from all walks of life are flocking to recruitment centers to join the army in its fight against the terrorists.