US May Strike Iraq if Group Disarmament Fails – Expert
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The US may begin striking weapons depots and the leaders of armed groups in Iraq if the country’s authorities fail to independently resolve the issue of transferring weapons to state control, Esam al-Faili, a professor of political science at Baghdad’s Al-Mustansiriya University, told Sputnik. «There are political forces that want to transfer weapons through dialogue. However, if the Iraqi government is unable to resolve this issue on its own—through negotiations or confrontation—then the United States may resort to striking weapons depots, and possibly also some leaders,» al-Faili said. Commenting on Iran’s position, the expert linked the recent visit of Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf to the previous visit of Ismail Qaani, commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). According to him, Tehran views its allied forces in the region as one of the most important elements of its influence. Al-Faili believes that Qaani sought to convey a message to Iraqi armed forces that neither the surrender of weapons nor direct clashes were permissible. Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi previously stated that the country’s political forces agreed on the need to concentrate weapons exclusively in state hands and that the authorities were developing mechanisms for their transfer without allowing armed conflict.
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