British Ambassador to Baghdad Stephen Hickey said that the issue of ending missile attacks by armed groups against the international coalition is an urgent priority. This came in a Tweet for the Ambassador on his Twitter page.
The Iraqi Minister of the Interior, Othman Al-Ghanimi, met the British ambassador last Saturday, as it was emphasized - in a statement to the Interior - on strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries in line with the foundations of respect and mutual interests.
I had a fruitful meeting with the Minister of Interior, His Excellency Othman Al-Ghanmi.
The issue of ending rocket attacks by armed groups against the international coalition to fight ISIS remains an urgent priority, as well as ensuring accountability in the killing of Iraqi demonstrators. pic.twitter.com/ftaXbrlVJD
- Stephen Hickey (@sblhickey) July 5, 2020
The importance of security coordination and intelligence cooperation was also mentioned, stressing the importance of exchanging security experiences.
For his part, the British ambassador expressed his happiness to meet the Minister of the Interior, stressing his country’s endeavor to develop joint work between the two countries.
On Monday morning, the security media cell in Iraq denied what was reported by various media outlets about a missile that landed near the Baghdad International Airport terminal. "We call on all media outlets to be accurate and take information exclusively from the security media cell."
An Iraqi source had announced earlier, that "a missile landed in the vicinity of Baghdad airport, and that it did not explode."
It is noteworthy that Britain is part of the international coalition to fight the US-led organization, and several military bases in Iraq hosting the coalition forces have been attacked by armed forces during the past months.
And at the end of last month, the Iraqi army's anti-terrorist forces arrested a number of members of the "Hezbollah" brigades that are part of the Popular Mobilization Authority in Baghdad, and the Katyusha missile platform, which the authorities said was used to bomb a US base in the vicinity of Baghdad International Airport, and other government buildings and sites, was confiscated. The items were later released.
Since October 2019, more than 33 missiles have targeted Iraqi facilities hosting diplomats or foreign soldiers, as well as the US embassy in Baghdad, and have recorded six attacks in the past two weeks alone.