Iraqi Political Measures Parallel to Fighting Terrorists

Local Editor

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki stressed Thursday that political measures are needed alongside military action to repel a terrorist offensive that is threatening to tear Iraq apart.

He spoke as British Foreign Secretary William Hague urged Iraqi leaders to unite in the face of the onslaught, led by the so-called "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant" [ISIL], that has killed nearly 1,100 people and displaced more than half a million more.

Iraqi forces launched a helicopter-borne assault aimed at opening the way to retaking militant-held Tikrit, while the autonomous Kurdish region further staked its claim to the disputed city of Kirkuk.

Sayyed Moqtada al-Sadr meanwhile vowed to "shake the ground" under the feet of the advancing militants.

He said foreign powers "and especially forces of the occupier and regional states should take their hands off" the country, referring to the US.

But in an apparent effort to restrain worsening sectarian tensions, Sadr insisted that the militants did not represent Iraqi Sunnis, whom he said had suffered "marginalization and exclusion."

Later on Thursday, a suicide bomb in Baghdad martyred 19 people.

"We should proceed in two parallel tracks," Maliki told Hague, on a surprise visit to Iraq.

Along with military operations, authorities must continue "following up on the political process and holding a meeting of the parliament [on time] and electing a head of parliament and a president and forming the government."

In an interview with the BBC, Maliki said the Syrian air force had carried out strikes against militants on the Syrian side of the al-Qaim border crossing, controlled by ISIL.
He added that Iraq had purchased several used Sukhoi fighter jets from Belarus and Russia.

Maliki said Baghdad had not requested the Syrian strikes, but he "welcomed" any such move against the ISIL-led militants.

On Thursday, Iraqi forces swooped into Tikrit by helicopter, taking control of a strategically located university after clashes with militants, officials said.
A senior army officer said the assault on Tikrit, which has been held by militants since June 11, would open the way for the city and surrounding areas to be retaken.

Washington has urged Iraq's fractious leaders to unite in the face of the militants, and Hague echoed that message Thursday, saying the "urgent priority must be to form an inclusive government."
"It is vital to demonstrate to the world that Iraq is uniting in the face of this threat," he said after meeting Iraqi leaders. "This is the best way to receive international support."

Kurdish regional president Barzani toured Kirkuk Thursday, in his first visit since the takeover, to inspect forces deployed to defend the city against militants to the west and south.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team