U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Talks to Alhurra-Iraq About Fight Against ISIL
Alhurra-Iraq had an in-depth interview with U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Stuart E. Jones, during which he discussed the U.S.’s relationship with the Iraqi government and the fight against Daesh (the Arabic term for ISIL). He stated that the U.S. is providing airstrikes against Daesh, in conjunction with Iraqi ground forces. He added that the U.S. is also supplying intelligence, technical advice and assistance to Iraqi commanders. During the interview, Amb. Jones also addressed the U.S.’s financial aid to Iraq, stating, “the United States is also providing assistance to the government at many levels…As you know Daesh has pushed over 2 million people out of their homes and we’ve provided $200 million to support those people who’ve been displaced.”
Amb. Jones talked about the status of the operation, commenting, “the airstrikes have shown to be very successful against Daesh, and it really changed the momentum in the fight against Daesh.” He also stressed the fact that the U.S. is only one country in the larger coalition against the terrorist group, “I think it is in everyone’s interest in Iraq to combat Daesh… We need to combine our forces, we need to combine our efforts to defeat Daesh. There is a 60 country coalition that is aimed at defeating Daesh.”
He did address the concerns by some Iraqis about a growing U.S. military presence in Iraq, “There will be no US bases in Iraq. We will have a certain number of soldiers here who will help Iraqi security forces train their soldiers, as they reconstitute certain elements of their forces. We will be present on Iraqi bases, but we will have no U.S. bases…That is not what this is about. This is about supporting the government of Iraq to defeat Daesh. And once Daesh is defeated, then we will leave.”