Iran reaffirms support for Iraq security, stability

A senior Iranian official says Iraq’s stability and security is key to regional security, stressing that the Islamic Republic will proceed with its support for the Iraqi government and nation.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran will continue to play its effective, constructive and supportive role [in favor of] the Iraqi government and nation,” Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said in a meeting with Barham Salih, the former prime minister of Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), in Tehran on Sunday.

The Iranian official stressed the importance of making more efforts to improve national unity and cohesion in Iraq through a balanced contribution of all tribal and ethnic groups to the country’s political process.

Salih, for his part, praised Iran’s role in supporting the Iraqi people, particularly the Kurds, in difficult conditions.

Noting that expansion of Iran-Iraq ties would serve the interests of the two nations, he called for further joint efforts to strengthen stability and security in the Middle East region.

Salih described extremism as a threat to the entire Middle East and urged regional countries to counter the phenomenon.

The UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) says a total of 812 Iraqis were killed and another 1,726 were injured in acts of terrorism, violence and armed conflict last month. According to the UN mission, the number of civilian fatalities stood at 535. Violence also claimed the lives of 277 members of the Iraqi security forces in April. A great portion of the fatalities was recorded in Baghdad, where 319 civilians were killed.

Northern and western parts of Iraq have been in chaos since Takfiri ISIL terrorists started their campaign of terror in early June 2014, when they took control of the second-largest city of Mosul before sweeping through parts of the country’s heartland. Since then, Iraq’s army has been joined by Kurdish forces, Shia volunteers and Sunni tribesmen in operations to drive ISIL out of the areas they have seized.