Ibrahim Jafari:

Iraq Defending Entire World against ISIL

Rasa - Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jafari underlined the importance of the ongoing battle to retake the strategic northern city of Mosul from the ISIL terrorist group, saying that the country is defending the entire world against terrorists.

News ID: 424416

Date: 19 October 2016 - 21:45

RNA - "We are not only doing this to defend ourselves; we are doing this for all the countries of the world," Jaafari said, presstv reported.

Many believe that the recapture of Mosul, which fell to ISIL in 2014, would signal the terror outfit’s defeat in Iraq.

Elsewhere in his comments, Jafari warned that ISIL is trying to use civilians as human shield in a bid to prevent the advance of Iraqi forces in Mosul.

"Iraqi military forces are ... ensuring the least possible losses and damage will occur," he said, adding, "We did this in Fallujah and also for Mosul because we know that our opponents are trying to use civilians as human shields to hamper our progress.”

Iraq needs foreign support due to the high costs of its battle against ISIL, Jafari further said, noting that the liberation of Mosul needs double efforts.

Local Iraqi sources estimate that the number of those transferred to central Mosul to be used as human shields by ISIL stands at 25,000.

ISIL militants came from about 100 countries and their radical ideology spread to conflict zones when governments failed to stand up to them, the top Iraqi diplomat pointed out.

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