Iraqi Vice President: Islamic State Group Seeking Alliance with Al-Qaeda

Iyad Allawi, the Vice President of Iraq, stated on Monday that as Iraqi forces advance in Mosul, representatives of the Islamic State group (ISIS) have been negotiating with Al-Qaeda for a potential alliance. According to Reuters, Mr. Allawi also mentioned that he received this information through Iraqi and regional sources knowledgeable about Iraqi affairs. The Vice President of Iraq said that negotiations between representatives of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of ISIS, and Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of Al-Qaeda, 'are currently underway.' The report indicates that the Islamic State group separated from Al-Qaeda in 2014 and has since been competing for recruits and financial resources. This comes despite Ayman al-Zawahiri publicly criticizing the violent methods of the Islamic State group. However, Iyad Allawi emphasized that the potential nature of cooperation between the two groups is still unclear. The Islamic State group rapidly seized large areas of western Iraq, including Mosul, in 2014, with Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declaring a caliphate in Mosul's Al-Nuri Mosque that same year. The Iraqi government has taken measures over the past three years to combat this group and has retaken several cities previously under ISIS control. In this context, Iraqi forces began their operations to retake Mosul last fall, successfully liberating eastern Mosul last year, and operations to liberate western Mosul are ongoing. The Vice President of Iraq, referring to the Mosul liberation operations, stated: 'I do not think ISIS will vanish into thin air; rather, they will continue their activities secretly and as hidden cells across the world.' Previously, American and Iraqi officials stated that with the intensification of battles in Mosul, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has left the city and is hiding somewhere in the desert. In this regard, ISIS's use of chemical munitions aims to halt the operations of Iraqi forces. The Iraqi army has 'taken control of the governorate and the central bank in Mosul.' Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi 'has fled Mosul and is hiding in the desert.' The United Nations reported that 400,000 people are trapped in western Mosul. The Pentagon stated that ISIS has taken civilians hostage and placed them in the line of fire of coalition forces.