Iraqi Political Leaders Pledge to Unite Against ISIL
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Influential political leaders in the Iraqi capital Baghdad agreed to get united in the battle against Takfiri militants from the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and to completely expel the terrorists from the Arab country.
The leading Iraqi politicians agreed to preserve unity in the current critical situation and focus on fight against the ISIL.
The gathering was held in the house of Ibrahim al-Jaafari, the head of the National Iraqi Alliance.
“The meeting was successful and the participants discussed the formation of the future government. There were two different views regarding the future government. The first one was the formation of the new government and holding the first parliamentary session which was supported by Muqtada Sadr, Ammar al-Hakim, the Kurds, and Annajifi. The second one, which was supported by State of Law Coalition, called for the postponement of the formation of the new government until the full liberation of the Iraqi soil,” a well-informed source told Tasnim in Baghdad.
The source also told Tasnim that the political leaders at the meeting discussed the ways to confront the ISIL and also seeking military aid from the United States. They also decided to ask Washington to fulfil its commitments based on Iraq security pact and to defend the Iraqi nation against the terrorist groups.
The participants also discussed the mechanism to elect the prime minister in Iraq.
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, the Speaker of Council of Representatives of Iraq Usama al-Nujayfi, Deputy Prime Minister Ross Nouri Shawis, Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Barham Salih, and the Head of Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq Ammar al-Hakim were among the prominent Iraqi figures attending the meeting.
Following the recent assaults by the ISIL militants on northern cities in Iraq, a national campaign has been launched by Iraqi people to fight and eradicate the terrorists. After the Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani’s religious decree (Fatwa) which called on Iraqis to take up arms against terrorists, nearly 1.5 million Iraqis have volunteered to join the battle against the al-Qaeda-linked militants. The volunteers consist of people from all walks of life including retired officers.
The Takfiri (extremist) terrorists are said to have entered Iraq from neighboring Syria and Saudi Arabia to destabilize the Arab country.
