Daesh seeks to demoralize Iraqi army: Pundit

Press TV has conducted an interview with Nabil Mikhail, professor at George Washington University in Washington, to discuss the ongoing violence by the Takfiri Daesh terrorists in Iraq.

What follows is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: Give us your perspective of the rampant violence and horrendous crimes that the Takfiri terrorists are carrying out across Iraq?

Mikhail: I distinguish between two things: fighting inside the areas that are regrettably controlled by ISIL (Daesh) near Mosul and in north Iraq, and attacks in urban areas like big cities - Baghdad and others.

I believe the Iraqi army can start a campaign to eradicate ISIL from its strongholds in the north. So these tactics, all these bombs, all these terror attacks are aiming for one goal: to delay the mobilization of the Iraqi armed forces from launching an attack to retake the cities that ISIL seized last year. So I do not think that the goal is Baghdad as such. The goal is to demoralize the Iraqi army and to engage it in the wrong-path battle.

So I trust the Iraqi leadership to focus and keep its focus sharpened on the real battle against ISIL because ISIL is more than a militia. The Iraqis dealt with the militias over a period of 15 years and they have a good experience combating it. As the militia threat receded from Baghdad and other cities, ISIL emerged. There are many mistakes surrounding the fall of Mosul and it is not the time to talk about it now, but please keep focused on the real strategic goal to fight ISIL. 

Press TV: Also talk to us about the so-called US-led coalition that is battling the Takfiri terrorists in Iraq. There is a big question mark over the conduct of this coalition. Do you see it in that light as well?

Mikhail: Of course. This is a real strategic disaster. You do not have to be a professor of political science to say that the US-led campaign against ISIL is a real, real disaster. Again it is a long topic but let me tell you something: There are now new political and strategic factors emerging. Every American newspaper is talking about Putin’s support for the government of Syria by arming and deploying more weapons because the implication is that it is not going also to help strengthen Syria’s government defenses against the opposition, but for sure it will have a mission against ISIL.

I am quite sure that America’s strategic planners, whether in government or in the private sectors, in the academia and think tanks, are trying to figure out what is the strategic nexus that the Russians are going to employ and utilize between Syria and Iraq.

So you have a Russian strategy being formed, focusing on Syria and Iraq, and a big deal of bewilderment by many strategic planners from NATO, the West and the US as how to fight ISIL and what is Russia going to do. But just to conclude, Russia is changing the strategic reality of the fight against ISIL.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk