Iraqi forces’ gains highly significant: Expert

Press TV has interviewed Zayd al-Isa, Iraq affairs expert in London, to discuss the latest gains made by Iraqi army forces, pushing back militants of the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group from the strategic city of Hit in Anbar Province.

The following is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: How significant are advances such as that of Hit?

Isa: I think it is highly significant and it is highly strategic as well. Hit is the third largest city in Anbar Province. It has been overrun and seized by ISIS for a long time. It actually represents the main link between Syria and the Anbar Province. It is a major supply route and basically retaking, clawing back Hit will cut off that supply line and will ease the immense pressure that Haditha which has been at the forefront of resisting ISIS ..., let’s bear in mind that Haditha never actually was seized by ISIS but it has been exposed to relentless assaults by the Takfiri group, Daesh group and this will basically ease the tension and the pressure of Haditha. It also will cut off the supply line toward Salahuddin which has been mostly liberated by the Popular Mobilization Forces which spearheaded and were at the forefront of actually recapturing Tikrit which is the second largest city in Iraq which was occupied by ISIS.

I think that is hugely significant but it is actually very important to move swiftly towards retaking, clawing back Fallujah. Fallujah is considered to be a bastion of ISIS. It is one of their most powerful strongholds and let’s not forget, it was the first city seized by ISIS in 2014 and it actually paved the way for ISIS and gave them the encouragement and the enticement to actually launch its lightning advance from Mosul towards Tikrit.

So I do believe that it is highly important because Fallujah is highly strategic ... Fallujah is basically considered the principle and the main Achilles heel for the defense of Baghdad. Let’s not forget each time that ISIS was actually surrounded and teetering on the brink of totally unraveling in other cities like Tikrit, Jurf al-Sakhar, Ramadi, they actually launched desperate attacks with suicide bombers towards Baghdad in order to deflect and ease the pressure on their forces which were unraveling in other cities.

That is why I think the overarching priority for the national security of Iraq is to go towards and liberate Fallujah rather than concentrate on Mosul. Mosul is a long distance, still it is a high priority but you have to secure and shore up and actually safeguard the defense of your capital city Baghdad and also to give the green light for the Popular Mobilization Forces which have been actually doing the enormous task of encircling Fallujah and it is high time that the government of Iraq stopped adhering to the calls coming from countries like Saudi Arabia which we have had Saudi ambassador saying that Fallujah is a red line, Fallujah is vetoed and that was one of the principle reasons for the Saudis who were at the forefront of financing, backing and offering logistical and military support for ISIS to actually enter the so-called US-led coalition in order to draw and to put vetoes and red lines actually prohibiting and insisting that Fallujah and Anbar should not be liberated or won back by the Popular Mobilization Forces.

We had the Saudi ambassador from Baghdad accusing those forces bluntly and in shameful way from Baghdad of being sectarian and adamantly defiantly refusing any participation for those forces in Iraq.

That was flagrant and blatant meddling and a flagrant violation of the norms of the protocols and diplomatic norms and it is such a shame that the response from the Iraqi foreign minister was at best mild but at worst actually trying to sweep the whole issue under the carpet. We have heard the ambassador tweeting on his Twitter saying that the encirclement of Fallujah is totally inhumane and actually launching a major campaign to offer supplies to people that they claim that they are stuck in Fallujah, so they are utilizing although they do not give a damn about the suffering of people ...

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