Iraq FM: Give us military aid, not troops
Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari says his country needs more logistical aid, not foreign troops, to fight the Daesh terrorists in the country.
"We need equipment, training and intelligence, but not ground troops or bases from this or that country," ," said Jaafari, who is in New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly.
He denied any suggestions that foreign troops would be needed to defeat Daesh; however, he wanted the so-called US-led coalition to bomb more Daesh targets in his country to help local forces on the ground against the extremist group, adding that the US and its allies were not doing enough.
"The frequency of the air force campaign fluctuates and I hope it will get higher frequency in the future," Jaafari said.
Speaking at American policy-making think tank Council on Foreign Relations on the sidelines of the General Assembly, Jaafari said, "The Iraqi military has made some significant victories. They have pushed terrorists (back) ... and forced them to go back up north towards Mosul. The Iraqi military has been winning."
Asked about increased Russian military involvement in the region, Jaafari said Baghdad had not received any Russian military advisers to help its forces.
“I have no knowledge of Russian military experts in Iraq to coordinate with Iraqi forces."
However, he acknowledged Russian advisers were giving support to neighboring Syria in its fight against Daesh.
He said Baghdad supported "all efforts to end the crisis in Syria."
“With regard to Russia playing a role in alleviating the crisis in Syria, we support all efforts to alleviate [it]," he said.
Jaafari’s remarks come after former US Army General David Petraeus told a Senate panel earlier this week that Washington should increase its military presence in the Middle East by sending combat advisers to Iraq and expanding its role there.
General Petraeus recommended that Washington increase its presence among the Iraqi Security Forces, Sunni tribal forces and Kurdish Peshmerga by embedding American advisers among them.
US media say there are currently some 3,500 US troops in Iraq.
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