Iraqi Foreign Minister: The International Coalition Came Late to the War

Ibrahim al-Jaafari, the Iraqi Foreign Minister, spoke about Iraqi militia groups at the 10th Manama Security Conference organized by the International Institute for Strategic Studies in collaboration with the Bahraini Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Iraqi Foreign Minister stated, "The international coalition came late to the war. It was the Iraqi and popular forces who have been fighting against ISIS and terrorism for years." He continued, "I am not a member of these groups, but I support them because they participated in the defense of Iraq. We must speak about them with integrity." He referred to the listing of these groups as terrorist organizations by some countries, saying, "The law in Iraq explicitly prohibits cooperation with terrorist groups. However, some groups that are labeled as terrorist in certain countries have a popular base, participated in elections, and have representatives in parliament. Therefore, they are also present in the government." He identified ISIS as a real threat in Iraq that could pose a danger to other countries tomorrow. He stated that ISIS currently represents terrorism and that one should not look for other groups. Al-Jaafari remarked, "Terrorism began in America." He indicated that when he speaks of Iraq, he means a place for the presence of "depth of culture, depth of law, depth of human rights, and women's rights," stating, "This history is under attack from dark groups that ISIS currently represents." He referred to the Syrian crisis, saying, "From the beginning, we knew that the situation in Syria would spill over to neighboring countries." He added, "The transfer of terrorism occurs when there is a social base." The Iraqi Foreign Minister said, "Terrorism did not start in Iraq and will not stop there. It began in the early part of this century in America and has spread to other areas, from Afghanistan to the Philippines, and then to Iraq." He emphasized, "The war against terrorism did not start in Iraq and will not end in Iraq." He considered the global nature of the ISIS threat and noted the presence of many citizens from various countries, including Western nations, in this group. "We need air and military assistance," the Iraqi Foreign Minister continued. "ISIS has no religion; it makes no distinction between young and old, men and women, Muslims and non-Muslims." Al-Jaafari stressed, "ISIS has nothing to do with Islam; it does not adhere to any religion. There may be ISIS groups with different ideologies emerging in various regions, including Christian, Buddhist, and Hindu. However, these religions have no connection to terrorism." He stated, "Islam is a religion of peace. It begins with peace and ends with peace." He asserted that respect for human rights and women's rights would stop ISIS, saying, "We must genuinely condemn ISIS. We must stand alongside countries that are afflicted by this scourge. Now is not the time for division. We are looking for common ground. ISIS does not exempt any place. Terrorism wants to go everywhere." He emphasized the need to repeat the experience of global unity against the Nazi threat during World War II in the fight against ISIS. The Iraqi Foreign Minister described his country's relations with neighbors as "good" and deemed discussions of differences as incorrect. He referred to the capture of Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city, by ISIS, the destruction of the city, the genocide and displacement of its inhabitants, and the sale of Yazidi women by this militia group, pointing to the actions of the new Iraqi government to combat this phenomenon. He stated, "What the government did was engage with the infrastructure. The presidency adhered to a 21-point agreement based on which a government was formed with representatives from all segments of society. It also improved and strengthened its relations with the Kurdistan Regional Government." Al-Jaafari emphasized that Iraq needs global military support. He said, "Iraq is currently engaged with ISIS internally through its own forces. Our forces, including the army and Peshmerga, are fighting. However, we need air and military assistance." He also mentioned Iraq's need for humanitarian assistance, adding, "We need humanitarian and medical help as well. We need assistance to rebuild the destroyed areas so that the displaced can return to their homes." He introduced the discourse of peace as the discourse of the new Iraqi government, which, according to him, preserved the unity of his country.