By Simon Louis (JO:)
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made an unannounced go to to Iraq on Friday to fulfill Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani for discussions on the way forward for neighboring Syria.
Blinken is touring the area following the fast collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s authorities within the face of advancing Syrian opposition factions.
Assad’s ouster took Washington abruptly, and President Joe Biden’s outgoing administration is urging the victorious rebels, with whom it has been struggling to determine contact, to create a authorities that shuns Islamist factions and contains minorities Syrians.
Blinken visited the US embassy in Baghdad and mentioned he spoke with Soudani concerning the scenario in Syria.
The 2 males mentioned “the idea of many nations within the area and past that as Syria strikes from Assad’s dictatorship to, hopefully, a democracy, it’s doing so in a manner that, “in fact, protects all minorities in Syria, which produces an inclusive and non-sectarian authorities,” Blinken mentioned, including that Syria mustn’t develop into a “platform for terrorism.”
“Nobody is aware of the significance of this higher than Iraq, due to the continued presence of ISIS or Daesh in Syria, and we’re decided to make sure that Daesh can not re-emerge,” he mentioned. -he declared, referring to the Islamic State group.
A U.S. official advised Reuters that Washington noticed this second as a chance to additional push again Iran’s affect within the area.
Iraq, which is run by a coalition of predominantly Shiite political events and armed teams near Iran, is a significant participant in Tehran’s so-called Axis of Resistance, which incorporates Hamas in Gaza and Lebanese Hezbollah, and has skilled setbacks since The occupying Zionist entity’s response. Hamas assaults of October 7, 2023.
Iraq selected to not permit Shiite militias to intervene in Syria as Sunni rebels superior and ultimately captured Damascus final weekend, regardless of Baghdad’s fears of attainable spillover of the unrest.
1000’s of Sunni fighters left Syria for Iraq after the 2003 U.S. invasion and fueled years of sectarian massacres earlier than returning in 2013 underneath the title Islamic State to beat a 3rd of the nation.
Syrian opposition factions led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham have disavowed al-Qaeda and the Islamic State and say they don’t have any ambitions in Iraq.
As rebels superior in Syria, Iraq amassed 1000’s of fighters from its typical military to its border in addition to the In style Mobilization Forces, a safety company bringing collectively lots of the Iran-aligned armed teams that beforehand fought in Syria.
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