US seeks de facto partitioning of Iraq: Activist

Press TV has conducted an interview with Sabah Jawad, the director of Iraqi Democrats against Occupation in London, about Shia volunteer forces, also known as the Popular Mobilization Units, converging on the Iraqi city of Ramadi to help security forces fight the ISIL Takfiri terrorists who have reportedly seized the city.

The following is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV:  There are few issues I would like you to address, first being the fact that a growing number of different groups – the Shias, the Sunnis, and volunteers from local tribes - have been assisting and aiding and joining the Iraqi military in its fight against the ISIL. Give us your thoughts on the issue.

Jawad: Well the main course here we are talking about is Popular Mobilization Force actually which has a track record of success against ISIS. We have seen them operating military in Diyala, in [Jofra], Sukkur, and Amirli and in Salah al-Din Province, and they scored huge military victory against the Takfiri terrorists.

However, because of the political setup in Iraq and prime minister is looking for a consensus on these forces operating against ISIS as well as the American pressure prevented these forces which is very effective force to continue the achievement they had earlier in Ramadi and in Anbar Province as well.

That is why we have this huge setback in Ramadi today because [of] the lack of actions by the prime minister, by the local government in Anbar which actually demanded before the last few days that the Popular Mobilization Force should not enter Ramadi or Anbar Province as well.

And actually these areas are targeted by the American administration for training of forces and to create a third military force in Iraq. As you know, the Congress passed a resolution and the intention of the Americans is actually a de facto partition of Iraq i.e. they wanted to create three entities in Iraq, one Sunni, one Shia, one Kurdish and also to deal directly with the Peshmerga forces in northern Iraq where they could receive weaponry and aid from the United States and from Europe without going through the proper channel, Iraqi central channel and also they want to create similar environment in the so-called Sunni area as well.

So there is a de facto partition of Iraq because Americans want to stay there for a long period of time in future. They had to leave in 2011 because the Iraqis refused to give them immunity and to give them military bases and they had to leave and now they came back on the pretext of the fight against terrorism which they created themselves in the first place.   

AHK/NN

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