Maliki Implicitly Accuses Saudi of Backing ISIL for 'Sectarian' Reasons
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on Thursday accused neighboring states of backing a powerful jihadist group that is operating in the country, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
"Some states do not want ISIL, especially on their territory, but they want ISIL in Iraq" for "sectarian" reasons, Maliki said in an interview broadcast on Iraqiya state television.
"We know the details of ISIL and its foreign ties and the ties of states to it, and the funding that comes to it," Maliki said.
The premier was apparently referring to Sunni-majority Gulf states including Saudi Arabia, Iraq's neighbor to the south.
Militants in Iraq have been bolstered by widespread discontent among members of the country's Sunni Arab minority, who say they are marginalized and unfairly targeted with heavy-handed security measures, and by the bloody civil war in neighboring Syria.
In a sign of the reach of militants and the weakness of security forces, the city of Fallujah -- just a short drive from Baghdad -- and shifting parts of Anbar provincial capital Ramadi, to its west, have been held by anti-government fighters since early January.
Maliki said in the interview that except for Fallujah, Anbar province was under government control, though militants in fact hold areas outside the city.
Of the situation in Fallujah, he said: "God willing, it will end soon."
Nationwide, violence has killed more than 710 people since the beginning of the month, and over 1,700 so far this year, according to Agence France Presse figures based on security and medical sources.
Source: Agence France Presse
| Copyright © 2012 Naharnet.com. All Rights Reserved. | https://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/120544 |