Iraq Seeking Iran’s Continued Aid in War on ISIL

Iraqi Vice-President Osama al-Nujaifi underlined that his country needs Iran’s assistance in its fight against Takfiri terrorists.
“We certainly need Iran’s help in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL),” al-Nujaifi said in a meeting with Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani in Baghdad on Wednesday.

The Iraqi vice-president pointed to the critical conditions of extremism in the region, specially Iraq, and said, “Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar Al-Abadi is looking for political understanding in Iraq.”

Larijani, for his part, pointed to the presence of ISIL terrorists in Iraq, and said, “Terrorism is an important issue and everyone should pay special attention to it.”

“Unfortunately some countries spread terrorism in the region and have supplied terrorists with weapons for many years …,” he added.

He reiterated that the experience of terrorism in Afghanistan shows that US military presence in any country ends in the emergence of terrorist groups in the same country.

Larijani said that Iran does not believe in the US-led anti-ISIL coalition, and continued, “Terrorism has created a rift among Muslims and these conflicts waste the energy of the regional countries and eventually benefit the US and the Zionist regime, now the question is what has been the incentive of the United States in forming this coalition.”

The Iranian parliament speaker underlined that fighting against ISIL needs special forces and training.

Earlier today, Iraqi President Fouad Massoum thanked Tehran for its continued support for Baghdad in the ongoing war on the Takfiri terrorists, saying that Iran was the first country to rush to Baghdad’s aid when ISIL attacked the Muslim nation.

“Iran was the first country that backed up Iraq against the terrorists’ invasion at a time when we needed possibilities to fight the terrorists,” President Massoum said in a meeting with Larijani in the Iraqi capital.

During the meeting in Baghdad, Massoum stressed the necessity for the expansion and strengthening of the relations between Iran and Iraq in all fields, and called for continued meetings between the two countries’ high-ranking officials to confer on ways to settle the regional problems.

Also today, Larijani underscored the country’s support for those world states, specially the ones in the region, that take real and practical measures against terrorism.

“We have adopted practical measures in fighting terrorism and if other countries take practical measures in this regard too, we will support them,” Larijani said in a joint press conference with his Iraqi counterpart Salim al-Jabouri in Baghdad.

Larijani who was earlier this week in Syria and Lebanon before visiting Iraq, underlined that the three countries’ determination to fight terrorism is appreciable.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran supports the determination of these governments to fight terrorism,” he added.