- Sputnik International
World
Get the latest news from around the world, live coverage, off-beat stories, features and analysis.

Cameron: Action Against Islamic State in Iraq Needs to Be Coordinated with Sunnis

Subscribe
A military campaign against the ISIL (the Islamic State) should necessarily be coordinated with the Iraqi Sunni community, said UK Prime Minister David Cameron on Friday.

Updated on 3:27 p.m. Moscow Time

MOSCOW, September 26 (RIA Novosti) - The government of Iraq needs to defend the Sunni community and military action against the Islamic State (IS) in the country needs to be coordinated with Sunni ground forces, UK Prime Minister David Cameron told the British parliament Friday.

"Iraq should not rely on proxies to support Sunnis," Cameron said, adding that "airstrikes alone are insufficient" and "military action must be coordinated with credible Sunni ground forces."

"There needs to be a will by the Iraqi government to defend the Sunni community," the British Prime Minister stressed during the parliamentary debate on UK's potential involvement in international airstrikes against IS positions in Iraq.

"We need to make sure the government in Iraq is not only supporting the Shia community but bringing together Shia, Sunni and Kurds," Cameron noted.

The IS, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) or the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), has been fighting the Syrian government since 2012. In June 2014, the IS extended its attacks to northern and western Iraq, declaring an Islamic caliphate on all the territories under its control and forcing thousands of people, mostly religious minorities, to flee.

The rapid advance of IS extremists prompted the United States to establish a multinational coalition to fight against the IS. Washington has carried out a number of airstrikes against IS positions in Iraq and Syria. Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates have reportedly taken part in the most recent attacks.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала