Minister calls for Iraq to join Saudi-led coalition

Head of the Iraqi Islamic Party Ayad Al-Samarrai has criticised his country for not joining the Saudi-led anti-terror coalition and stressed that Turkey planned to help Iraq secure the Nineveh province, the Anadolu Agency reported.

Al-Samarrai, a former parliament speaker, said: “It is not in Iraq’s interest to enter into any form of clash with any of the region’s countries because it is in urgent need of the support of all these countries.”

“Turkey does not want to give up its role which was laid on its shoulder as part of anti-Daesh coalition and, therefore, it wanted to help Iraq regain security in the Nineveh province.”

“The Turkish forces, which have been training the Iraqi forces for more than a year in Bashiqa camp, need other forces to protect them,” he said.

Al-Samarrai called on the governments in Baghdad and Ankara to sign an agreement that organises the mutual relations, maintains Iraq’s sovereignty and reassures Turkey.

He also said that Iraq should have joined the Saudi-led coalition which already includes 34 countries.

“If these countries do not want Iraq to be part of the coalition, they have to change their opinion and accept it,” he said, “but if Iraq does not want to joint, it has to change its mind and join it because it is part of the regional components.”