US Secretary of State John Kerry backed the Iraqi prime minister on Friday in his efforts to resolve a mounting political crisis, underlining the importance of securing a “unified and functioning government” in the fight against the Islamic State.
Kerry also pledged US$155 million in new US aid to Iraq.
Making an unannounced visit to Baghdad, his first in two years, Kerry held discussions with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, as well as with the Iraqi Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Sunni speaker of parliament and a Kurdish regional leader, in what was designed as a show of support for the Iraqi government as it struggles with ongoing security, economic and political challenges.
He described al-Abadi’s effort to reshuffle his Cabinet as an internal matter, but said all sides in Iraq must put sectarian or personal interests aside for the sake of the nation’s future.
“It is important to have stability,” Kerry told reporters. “And it is important to have a unified and functioning government as soon as possible, so that these operations are not affected.”
Kerry’s trip coincides with military advances.
Iraqi forces say they entered the strategically important Islamic State-held town of Hit, Iraq, on Thursday, while the US is considering establishing more small military outposts to provide artillery support and other aid to Iraqi forces readying an assault on Mosul, Iraq, the Islamic State’s stronghold in the country.
However, al-Abadi faces challenges of his own. Al-Abadi proposed a new Cabinet line-up amid mounting pressure from supporters of a hard-line Shiite cleric, who last month staged rallies and a sit-in next to the government headquarters to demand reforms, but the move was quickly met with broad opposition, making it unlikely that al-Abadi would be able to obtain confirmations for the key political posts.
“We don’t play a role in that,” Kerry said, trying to emphasize neutrality, but he also said he had “no doubt” that al-Abadi was “extremely focused on making certain that there is a strong government in place” and hailed the Iraqi prime minister for demonstrating “critical leadership” in the face of enormous difficulties.
Such instability in Baghdad has already hampered al-Abadi’s ability to lead the fight against the Islamic State. Last month, al-Abadi pulled Iraqi troops back from the front in western Anbar Province, Iraq, to help maintain security in Baghdad amid mounting protests.
Iraq’s entrenched corruption is at the heart of the internal debates, a problem compounded by the country’s weakened economic state as a result of crumbled oil prices.
In August last year, al-Abadi proposed a reform package to combat corruption, cut government spending and merge ministries, but it has been stymied by sectarian tensions, the leader’s own missteps and struggles to contain the Islamic State. Islamic State forces swept across much of northern and western Iraq in the summer of 2014. While Iraqi authorities have waged a full-scale war, aided by US airstrikes, the Kurdish Peshmerga forces, Shiite militias and pro-government Sunni fighters, the militant group still holds significant territory.
Kerry said the war is being won, albeit slowly.
The Islamic State has lost 40 percent of its territory in Iraq, he said.
Oil revenue is down by almost one-third. Airstrikes on cash storage sites have cost the militants millions of US dollars, leading rank-and-file fighters to disobey orders, flee positions and hide among civilians as they have watched their paychecks dwindle and the group lose its aura of invincibility.
The Islamic State territories in Iraq and Syria are still a magnet for foreign fighters, and cells are expanding around the world.
Experts say the Islamic State’s staying power might be inspiring others, who have never been in contact with the group, to wage violence in its name. Recent attacks in Brussels, Paris and California underscore Western fears.
Kerry said the Iraqi Army is still “shaping the operation.”
He offered no time frame for when the actual assault might begin and he said that no additional US forces are being considered.
There are 3,870 US soldiers in Iraq, though the number fluctuates.
Republican US lawmakers on Friday criticized US President Joe Biden’s administration after sanctioned Chinese telecoms equipment giant Huawei unveiled a laptop this week powered by an Intel artificial intelligence (AI) chip. The US placed Huawei on a trade restriction list in 2019 for contravening Iran sanctions, part of a broader effort to hobble Beijing’s technological advances. Placement on the list means the company’s suppliers have to seek a special, difficult-to-obtain license before shipping to it. One such license, issued by then-US president Donald Trump’s administration, has allowed Intel to ship central processors to Huawei for use in laptops since 2020. China hardliners
A top Vietnamese property tycoon was on Thursday sentenced to death in one of the biggest corruption cases in history, with an estimated US$27 billion in damages. A panel of three hand-picked jurors and two judges rejected all defense arguments by Truong My Lan, chair of major developer Van Thinh Phat, who was found guilty of swindling cash from Saigon Commercial Bank (SCB) over a decade. “The defendant’s actions ... eroded people’s trust in the leadership of the [Communist] Party and state,” read the verdict at the trial in Ho Chi Minh City. After the five-week trial, 85 others were also sentenced on
Conjoined twins Lori and George Schappell, who pursued separate careers, interests and relationships during lives that defied medical expectations, died this month in Pennsylvania, funeral home officials said. They were 62. The twins, listed by Guinness World Records as the oldest living conjoined twins, died on April 7 at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, obituaries posted by Leibensperger Funeral Homes of Hamburg said. The cause of death was not detailed. “When we were born, the doctors didn’t think we’d make 30, but we proved them wrong,” Lori said in an interview when they turned 50, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The
RAMPAGE: A Palestinian man was left dead after dozens of Israeli settlers searching for a missing 14-year-old boy stormed a village in the Israeli-occupied West Bank US President Joe Biden on Friday said he expected Iran to attack Israel “sooner, rather than later” and warned Tehran not to proceed. Asked by reporters about his message to Iran, Biden simply said: “Don’t,” underscoring Washington’s commitment to defend Israel. “We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed,” he said. Biden said he would not divulge secure information, but said his expectation was that an attack could come “sooner, rather than later.” Israel braced on Friday for an attack by Iran or its proxies as warnings grew of