Iraq will not be “regional conflict zone,” says prime minister
Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi said on Tuesday that his country will not be turned into “a regional conflict zone,” calling on the international community to support Baghdad in the post-Islamic State era.
“We informed the American side of Iraq’s priorities regarding the foreign military presence on our territory,” Abdul Mahdi said in his weekly speech, noting that Iraq “cannot afford the devastation caused by Islamic State terrorist group.”
“Iraq has provided a great service to the world by eliminating Islamic State,” he said, urging the international community to return the favor and support Baghdad in this post-IS era.
Between June 2014 and December 2017, Islamic State seized large areas of Iraq and led a campaign of widespread violence and systematic violations of international human rights and humanitarian law.
The jihadist group had seized large swathes of Syria and Iraq in 2014, when it proclaimed a “caliphate” and imposed its rule over some 10 million people.