Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi on Monday, said country’s top security officials from Baghdad had a meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus, and also hinted its Iraqi biggest role in Syria fighting Islamic State militants and groups amid the United States troop’s pullout announcement.
According to news reports, Iraqi PM said, “This issue has a lot of complications,” referring to the US President Donald Trump’s shock announcement this month to withdraw its troops from Iraq’s neighbours.
Mahdi said: “If any negative development takes place in Syria it will affect us. We have a 600 km (400 mile) border with Syria and Daesh (Islamic State) is there.”
The Iraqi officials had visited Damascus to “gain the initiative, not just deal with the consequences” of any Islamic State activity which was emboldened by the US troops withdrawal. The visit took place on Saturday, between both countries top delegates.
Mahdi said it has sought itself to move forward from its current arrangement with the war-torn country Syria, under with it aired off several air strikes against the terrorists in Syrian territory, but did not gave any further details.
While responding to a question over possibility of its increased involvement against terror, Mahdi said, “There are groups operating in Syria, and Iraq is the best way to deal with this.