ISRAEL AT WAR - DAY 66

search

US didn’t do ‘damn thing’ against IS in Ramadi, Iran commander says

Qassem Soleimani’s accusation come after Defense Secretary Ash Carter says fleeing Iraqi forces didn’t have will to battle jihadists

Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, attends a meeting of Guard commanders in Tehran, Iran, September 17, 2013. (AP/Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader, File)
Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, attends a meeting of Guard commanders in Tehran, Iran, September 17, 2013. (AP/Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader, File)

The chief of an elite unit in Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has accused the US of having “no will” to stop the Islamic State group after the fall of the Iraqi city of Ramadi, an Iranian newspaper reported Monday.

The comments by General Qassem Soleimani, the head of the Guard’s elite Quds force, come just after US Defense Secretary Ash Carter accused Iraqi forces of lacking the “will to fight” in an interview aired the day before.

It wasn’t clear whether Soleimani’s remarks came as a direct response to Carter’s, though tensions remain high between the two countries amid negotiations over Iran’s contested nuclear program.

The report in the daily newspaper Javan, which is seen as close to the Guard, quoted Soleimani as saying the US didn’t do a “damn thing” to stop the extremists’ advance on Ramadi.

“Does it mean anything else than being an accomplice in the plot?” he reportedly asked, later saying the US showed “no will” in fighting the Islamic State group.

Soleimani said Iran and its allies are the only forces that can deal with Islamic State group,

In this April 23, 2015 file photo, Iraqi security forces and tribal fighters regain control of the northern neighborhoods, after overnight heavy clashes with Islamic State group militants, in Ramadi, 70 miles (115 kilometers) west of Baghdad, Iraq. (AP Photo, File)
In this April 23, 2015 file photo, Iraqi security forces and tribal fighters regain control of the northern neighborhoods, after overnight heavy clashes with Islamic State group militants, in Ramadi, 70 miles (115 kilometers) west of Baghdad, Iraq. (AP Photo, File

“Today, there is nobody in confrontation with (the Islamic State group) except the Islamic Republic of Iran, as well as nations who are next to Iran or supported by Iran,” he said.

US officials, including Carter, have said Iraqi forces fled the Islamic State advance on Ramadi without fighting back, leaving behind weapons and vehicles for the extremists. So far, the American approach to the conflict has been to launch airstrikes as part of an international coalition it leads, as well as equipping and training Iraqi forces.

Iran meanwhile has offered advisers, including Soleimani, to direct Shiite militias fighting against the extremists. Iran has said it does not have combat troops fighting in Iraq, though some Revolutionary Guard members have been killed there.

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press.

read more:
Never miss breaking news on Israel
Get notifications to stay updated
You're subscribed
image
Register for free
and continue reading
Registering also lets you comment on articles and helps us improve your experience. It takes just a few seconds.
Already registered? Enter your email to sign in.
Please use the following structure: example@domain.com
Or Continue with
By registering you agree to the terms and conditions. Once registered, you’ll receive our Daily Edition email for free.
Register to continue
Or Continue with
Log in to continue
Sign in or Register
Or Continue with
check your email
Check your email
We sent an email to you at .
It has a link that will sign you in.