The Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament, Muhammad al-Halbousi, warned that the Islamic State organization still poses a serious threat to the country, and said that France had promised to provide military and economic support to Iraq to strengthen its presence in it.
Al-Halbousi said - in an interview with the writer Georges Malbrino, and published by the French newspaper "Le Figaro", during his visit to France last week - that "ISIS still poses a danger, especially ideologically, although we defeated it militarily; His ideas still stand.” Moreover, the organization, which maintains its pockets in the desert, can storm the cities again.
Therefore, defeating it and destroying it requires continuing the struggle against the causes of its appearance.”
Al-Halbousi continued, "The armed groups affiliated with the Islamic State should be pursued, and the capabilities of the Iraqi security forces should be strengthened at the same time, without neglecting the improvement of the economic situation."
Al-Halbousi: The Iraqi state lacks sufficient means to enable it to fight the factions outside its control (Al-Jazeera)
Shiite factions
On how to assess the danger posed by the pro-Iranian factions, through which they challenge the authority of the state and attack American soldiers, Al-Halbousi replied, "This is another threat, as the state is the party that should exercise governance, without there being a sectarian tendency. By exercising governance or owning weapons, its victims will seek to obtain weapons, and thus, return to the mistakes of the past with ISIS.”
Regarding the ability of the government and Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi to fight these factions, Al-Halbousi said, "The state lacks sufficient means to fight the factions outside its control. Since the victory over ISIS in 2017, the ability of our security forces to operate has not been sufficiently strengthened. The presence of these factions, which participated in the war against ISIS, protect the areas in which they are spread.”
Al-Halbousi added, “Some political parties as well as external actors provide support to these militias. We are in need of any force except for those under the authority of the state. The stability of the country’s sovereignty can only be imagined under the Iraqi flag. As for Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi, he needs to time and support, especially since Iraq's problems are linked to the regional situation, and their solution requires solving the problems of the entire region."
Al-Halbousi considered that the Iranian nuclear file is very important to Iraq (Anatolia)
nuclear Iran
In the same dialogue, Al-Halbousi commented on the expected repercussions of the nuclear agreement between the United States and Iran, saying that this file is very important, and it is necessary to integrate the Iraqi file into the ongoing negotiations between Iran and the great powers, especially since Iraq is often the arena for settling Western accounts with Iran. .
On the existence of a change in Iran’s behavior in Iraq since the death of the Quds Force commander in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad, Al-Halbousi said, “Iranian policy is not linked to a specific person. Close relations with Iraqi politicians, but Iran exercises great influence inside Iraq with international approval, including the United States during the era of George Bush Jr. On the other hand, the neighboring Arab countries see that their interests are limited inside Iraq. Iraq threatens its neighbors, knowing that terrorism and sectarian issues affected Iraq before they spread to the Middle East.
With regard to the Iraqi parliament’s vote on the law, which provides for the departure of US forces from Iraq and the start of the withdrawal, Al-Halbousi confirmed that the Sunni and Kurdish representatives refused to vote on this law, noting that Iraq still needs US forces and the international coalition against ISIS.
He warned that the coalition's withdrawal may exacerbate the risk of the organization's return in some areas, pointing out that "the Shiites own weapons, which feeds them the possibility of facing threats, while the Sunni population in the areas liberated from ISIS disarmed, which makes them seek to ensure their security from Through the Iraqi security forces or the international coalition.
Regarding the possibility of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) replacing the United States militarily, Al-Halbousi stressed that the international presence enhances security in the region, refusing to leave the scene for any unwanted foreign forces or any party other than the Iraqi state.
Al-Halbousi added, "The Kurds enjoy their autonomous region, and they also have independent security forces, and the Shiites have forces and weapons, while the Sunnis lack weapons. I do not call on the Sunnis to arm themselves, but I refuse to live in conditions where others take up arms at a time when they seek Sunnis bring peace. Accordingly, the persecution of which they are victims can lead to an explosion."
Al-Halbousi pointed out that he asked France to provide military and economic support to Iraq, as well as to strengthen its presence there, especially in light of the country's need for assistance, and to carry out projects in the field of services and energy that require French expertise.