Commander of the coalition forces for a European website: Iraqi forces helped prevent attacks target

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[size=52]Commander of the coalition forces for a European website: Iraqi forces helped prevent attacks targeting bases containing foreign forces[/size]

[size=45]Translated by / Hamed Ahmed[/size]
[size=45]In an interview with the European news site Err News, the commander of the international coalition forces in Iraq and Syria, General Joel Fowell, said that the Iraqi security forces helped prevent and thwart attacks that armed factions intended to carry out against bases containing foreign forces in Iraq, calling on the Iraqi government to provide more of cooperation in this field, stressing that once the ISIS threats are eliminated and the army’s capabilities are built in a better way, then the coalition’s mission in the country will end.[/size]
[size=45]General Fowell said that the coalition mission in Iraq is mainly focused on defeating ISIS and building and enhancing the capabilities and effectiveness of the Iraqi security forces and assisting them through trainers and advisors from multiple countries of the coalition forces. The American forces participate in providing assistance with this mission in developing the performance of the Iraqi forces.[/size]
[size=45]Regarding the attacks on military bases in Iraq, General Fowell said, “The American government’s position is clear that these attacks must not be repeated, as they undermine the coalition’s mission and put people’s lives at risk.” We, for our part, will respond at the time and time we choose.”[/size]
[size=45]The coalition forces commander went on to say, “I would like to remind everyone that we are here at the invitation of the Iraqi government. All coalition forces are at the invitation of the government in order to help our partners from the Iraqi forces defeat ISIS.” But there are members of the government, and this is an example of democracy, who do not want us here, but at the same time there are members of the government who want us to stay in the country.”[/size]
[size=45]General Fowell says that some calls for the coalition to leave the country are premature because when we finish our main mission in eliminating ISIS and when the capabilities of the Iraqi forces are better, then we will finally reach the turning point in our mission and leave to return to our countries.[/size]
[size=45]Regarding the cooperation of the government and the Iraqi security forces in responding to and reducing attacks on military bases, General Fowell said, “When the attacks began for the first time during the month of October, neither we nor the Iraqi security forces focused our attention on them, and we asked the Iraqi side to help us reduce These attacks. We cannot do anything because we are confined inside the base and we do not have patrols. Our main mission is to provide advice from inside the bases to the Iraqi forces in their war against ISIS. That is why we cannot go outside the base wall to search for areas where attacks can be launched. There are more than 250,000 Iraqi soldiers on a security mission, and we asked them to help, and they did.”[/size]
[size=45]The general added, “I know the capabilities of the Iraqi army because we have coordination in carrying out operations against ISIS.” I know that they will be able to seize the equipment through which the missile attacks are carried out and the launch pads, and they found it because they carried out an inspection and search operation in an area on the outskirts of the city and found it in a geographical area with difficult terrain.”[/size]
[size=45]He went on to say, “We asked them for help because we cannot detect all these sites in Iraq.” We are a small coalition with a limited mission, but the number of Iraqi forces is large and the country is their country, so we asked them to do that, and the Iraqi security forces and counter-terrorism forces carried out what the Prime Minister asked of them to thwart these attacks and reveal the sites from which the attacks were carried out, and they succeeded. To some extent, this was achieved based on security information. According to our estimates, there would have been more attacks and more casualties had it not been for the assistance provided by the Iraqi security forces.”[/size]
[size=45]General Fowle said that there are armed factions that call themselves resistance forces, considering that, in their view, we are occupation forces. This is not true. We are here at the invitation of the Iraqi government, and if they want us to leave, they must ask us to do so, not through attacks.[/size]
[size=45]He explained this by saying, “We have many problems here because our mission as a coalition has not ended yet, and therefore we face challenges regarding the presence of elements within the Iraqi security system represented by the Popular Mobilization Forces who participated in carrying out these attacks.” We are working with the Iraqi government to negotiate this issue to reduce these attacks. There were some arrests, and perhaps this is not enough. It is a challenge related to the political aspect within the government, but we call on the government to make more efforts. I believe that the Prime Minister is doing everything he can to curb this problem.”[/size]
[size=45]The commander of the coalition forces says that he wants to remind that the targeted bases are Iraqi military bases, not American ones, and there are Iraqi forces there as well, and there are foreign forces from other countries in these bases. Therefore, when these bases are targeted, the lives of Iraqis and other forces are also at risk.[/size]
[size=45]General Fowle added, “We are still working closely with our partners in Iraq, including federal forces, Kurdish security forces, and other security formations, through our efforts to enhance the capabilities of these forces by sharing with them security information about the whereabouts of ISIS and helping to eliminate the organization’s threats. I believe that the Prime Minister’s policy is Iraqi Muhammad Shiaa Al-Sudani, since he assumed his position in 2022, has been focused on strengthening these security relations and has been serious about our mission.”[/size]
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