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Iraq accepts international support in its war against IS

Iraqis should dismiss criticism against the US role in the war against the Islamic State, because this war is international and the country needs any help it can get, whether foreign or local.

Iraq's army chief General Babakir Zebari (R) meets with U.S. Army General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, at the defence ministry in Baghdad November 15, 2014. The top U.S. military officer, Dempsey, arrived on Saturday in Baghdad on an unannounced visit as U.S. commanders prepare to expand American assistance to Iraqi and Kurdish forces battling the Islamic State.   REUTERS/Stringer (IRAQ - Tags - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS MILITARY) - RTR4E9AP
raq's army chief General Babakir Zebari (R) meets with U.S. Army General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, at the defence ministry in Baghdad, Nov. 15, 2014. — REUTERS

Some Shiite circles in Iraq are unhappy about the US role in the war against the Islamic State (IS), and some politicians are saying that Washington is offering aid to IS in its battles.

A leader in the Popular Mobilization Units, for instance, announced March 23 that they do not need the help of the international alliance’s air force in the Tikrit battle, as he believes Americans are supporting IS.

During a news conference in Najaf on March 5, Stuart Jones, the US ambassador to Iraq, denied the talk about US support for IS, as has the Iraqi Ministry of Defense. On March 20, the ministry revealed that a military committee conducted investigations in the bombing of the Iraqi army’s camp in Anbar on March 11; the investigations disproved that the international alliance aircraft raided the camp and confirmed that IS, in fact, bombed it.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi denied claims of a US involvement with IS, saying: “The US aircraft do not take action unless the Iraqi government approves. There is no evidence that any US aircraft aided the terrorist IS organization.”

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