Page 9 - Aruba Today

WORLD NEWS 9
Monday 28 September 2015

Iraq to share intelligence on IS with Syria, Russia and Iran

QASSIM ZAHRA Members of the Abbas combat squad, a Shiite militia group, carry a picture of spiritual leader mitted to working with Iraq
Associated Press Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani during a parade in Basra, 340 miles (550 kilometers) southeast of to defeat the extremists.
BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq’s Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2015. Iraqi security forces and allied Shiite militias are training “We recognize that Iraq
military said Sunday it will together to try to regain Iraqi cities under Islamic State control, officials said. has an interest in sharing in-
begin sharing “security and formation on ISIL with other
intelligence” information (AP Photo/Nabil al-Jurani) governments in the region
with Syria, Russia and Iran who are also fighting ISIL,”
to help combat the Islamic Warren said, using another
State group, a move that acronym for the militant
could further complicate group. “We do not support
U.S. efforts to battle the the presence of Syrian gov-
extremists without working ernment officials who are
with Damascus and its al- part of a regime that has
lies. A statement issued by brutalized its own citizens.”
the Joint Operations Com- U.S. Secretary of State John
mand said the countries Kerry, who met with Russian
will “help and cooperate Foreign Minister Sergei Lav-
in collecting information rov on the sidelines of the
about the terrorist Daesh U.N. General Assembly on
group,” using the Arabic Sunday, said in response to
acronym for the IS group. the Iraqi statement that “all
Iraq has long had close ties of the efforts need to be
with neighboring Iran and coordinated. This is not yet
has coordinated with Teh- coordinated.”q
ran in fighting IS — which
controls about a third of
Iraq and Syria in a self-de-
clared caliphate. Iran has
sent military advisers to Iraq
and worked closely with
Shiite militias battling the IS
group.
A U.S.-led coalition has
meanwhile been conduct-
ing airstrikes against IS in
Iraq and Syria as well as
training and advising Iraqi
forces, but U.S. officials insist
they are not coordinating
their efforts with Iran.
The U.S. also refuses to co-
operate with Syrian Presi-
dent Bashar Assad, who
Washington has insisted
should step down. Russia
and Iran have provided
crucial support to Assad
since Syria’s uprising began
in 2011.
The Baghdad-based
spokesman for the U.S.-led
campaign against the IS
group, Col. Steve Warren,
said the U.S. remains com-