Iraqi president hails Iran’s military support through Qasem Soleimani

Iraqi president hails Iran’s military support through Qasem Soleimani

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“We have been in need of these (Iranian) supports and their (Iran’s) capabilities and expertise, which have had an influential role in our victories in the war against Daesh.” Masum told Tasnim news in an exclusive interview.

BAGHDAD—Iraqi President Fuad Masum has hailed neighboring Iran for its support to Iraqi troops in the fight against ISIS, saying that the presence of Iranian military advisers was part of foreign military backing for Iraqi troops.


“We have been in need of these (Iranian) supports and their (Iran’s) capabilities and expertise, which have had an influential role in our victories in the war against Daesh.” Masum told Tasnim news in an exclusive interview. 


He was quoted as saying: “The presence of General Suleimani is also in line with plans for the presence of foreign military advisors in Iraq. The US and other European countries have also military advisors in Iraq, so one cannot say that Iranian military advisors are not allowed in Iraq. This is a common issue in our view, and Iran has the same rights as the other countries.”


Masum goes on to say that: “The Iranian nation is a friend and brother nation. We have a lot in common with our brothers in Iran. Cultural commonalities and hundreds of kilometers of common border necessitate taking more important steps to strengthen Baghdad-Tehran relations,” he concluded.


The Iraqi president tells Tasnim—a news outlet close to the Iranian army—that the Shiite force known as Hashd al-Shaabi has been pivotal in the fight against ISIS and has prevented the extremist group from reaching the Iraqi capital.


“Without Hashd al-Shaabi, Daesh could have reached Karbala and even Baghdad,” Tasnim reports.


“Hashd al-Shaabi forces should be given more attention. There are a number of forces that are not officially members of Hashd al-Shaabi and are less committed to the law; this issue needs more attention. Hashd al-Shaabi has been a basic force in the fight against terrorists and has served Iraq a lot, but at the same time, there needs to be a special military organization of its forces to prevent the membership of other people in its body, so that the image of its real forces would not be harmed.”


According to the interview, Masum stressed that Iraq’s “independence and territorial integrity is of paramount importance and must be observed by everybody under any conditions.”


The Iraqi president says that ISIS ideology and sleeper cells must be destroyed too in order to fully defeat the group.


“Daesh will not be destroyed only with a military defeat, as its hidden cells that are inspired by the same terrorist and Takfiri ideologies will remain in Iraq,” he said. “We will need an appropriate security plan inside the country, and at the same time regional and international cooperation with the other countries.”


On Baghdad’s relations with Tehran the Iraqi Kurdish president says that the two countries “have gone beyond ordinary political relations, and we have taken advantage of these ties to achieve our purposes. We have always gained benefits from ties with Tehran, either during our struggles against Saddam’s dictatorship or after 2003.”


“We see no obstacle to Iraq becoming a major trade market for Iran, and as I said before, it is important for us to make use of Iran’s economic capabilities and experience,” he says.