Paris (AFP) – Iraq’s allies Tuesday pledged support in retaking the city of Ramadi from Islamic State.
The US-led coalition, which has been carrying out air strikes against IS, also called for the “speedy launch” of efforts to resolve the Syrian crisis, saying this was crucial to tackle the group rampaging through Syria and Iraq.
US Deputy Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, standing in for the hospitalized John Kerry in Paris insisted the coalition had made “real gains” and said the Islamic State now had 25 percent less territory than when the air strikes began in August.
Experts say the militant group now controls an area the size of Italy across Syria and Iraq.
Baghdad has been fighting to wrest back Ramadi, the capital of Iraq’s largest province Anbar, since the shock loss to IS last month — the worst defeat for the coalition since it formed nearly a year ago.
Under the emergency plan adopted by Abadi’s cabinet, the Iraqis hope to mobilize and arm the Sunni tribes of Anbar province
Abadi also plans to ensure all Sunni and Shiite militias are operating under Baghdad’s authority, to avoid stoking ancient sectarian tensions between the two sects
The loss of Ramadi as well as the historic Syrian city of Palmyra days later raised questions about the effectiveness of the coalition’s strategy.
But Blinken insisted: “In Iraq right now we have the right strategy, a combination of air strikes, training and effective global partners.”
Abadi warned that the jihadist onslaught in his country was not just an issue for Iraq.
“There is a lack of intelligence, we are trying very hard on our part but this is a transnational organization… This is a failure on the part of the world.”
And while the focus of the Paris meeting was the crisis in Iraq, the ministers also talked about neighboring Syria where IS is wreaking havoc.
They said that with the “continued deterioration of the situation in Syria and the inability and unwillingness of (Bashar al-Assad’s) regime to fight Daesh (IS)” it was urgent to find a political solution in Damascus.
In a joint statement, the 20 or so coalition representatives called for the “speedy launch of a UN-facilitated, genuine and inclusive political process” in Syria.
The suicide attack against the police base slowed an operation to retake Ramadi, but Abadi said his troops’ counter-offensive was “advancing quite quickly.”
He insisted “Iraqis are prepared to fight” and said he was “investigating why some local commanders issued commands for the forces to withdraw” during the IS attack on the city.
He said small numbers of fighters took control of mosques, using loudspeakers to issue threats against troops, striking fear into the population and security forces.