BAGHDAD, Iraq – Iraq’s foreign minister said that Baghdad will not allow any country’s interference over its sovereignty, including Iran, which backs Shiite militias involved in the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS).
“Iraq enjoys full sovereignty and it will not allow anyone to interfere in its sovereignty or internal affairs,” Ibrahim al-Jaffari told the pan-Arab Asharq Alawsat daily.
His statement came just days after Iranian presidential advisor Ali Younesi said Iran had once again become an empire, with Baghdad as its capital.
“If it is proven that someone is violating our sovereignty, we will not tolerate any country, be it Iran or any other,” Jaffari was quoted as saying.
Meanwhile, Iraqi leaders have confirmed the direct involvement of Iranian military advisors in the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS), with the former head of Iran’s elite Quds force Qassem Soleimani seen Tuesday on the outskirts of Tikrit, where the Iraqi army and Iranian-backed Shiite militias are fighting to evict the Sunni militants.
As Iraqi troops advance on Tikrit, Iraq’s Sunni Vice President Osama al-Nujaifi warned of reprisal and revenge attacks against civilians.
“We are worried by reports of torching homes and assaults on citizens in the al-Alam region in Salahaddin” province, Nujaifi said.
He urged Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and military leaders to protect civilians.
In recent days video footage has appeared on various social media sites showing Shiite militiamen beating unarmed civilians and burning down homes near Tikrit.
Iraqi MP and head of the parliamentary immigration committee Raad al-Dahlaki told Asharq Alawsat that the Iraqi army and its allied militia have conducted human rights violations in areas they have taken from ISIS.
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