ISIL A Threat To Iraq’s Stability
Iraq’s notorious rebel fighters seized the country’s second-largest city of Mosul.
The rebel fighters popularly known as the Islamic State of Iraq or ISIL made advances in the city where hundreds of rebels launched an assault on Mosul, creating clamor and mass displacements in the city.
Before they gained control of the city, the rebel group took control of the governor’s headquarters and TV stations.
The rebel fighters belong to the jihadist Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.
The recent terroristic moves are not something new for ISIL – the group is known for its insurgency operations in Nineveh and other provinces.
Mosul is the second city to be seized by ISIL militants this year. The Iraqi government lost control of Fallujah earlier this year.
With the raging aggression in Mosul, the International Organization for Migration estimates that the number of people displaced by violence in Mosul and surrounding areas of Ninewa governorate in recent days may have reached 500,000.
US Condemns Deadly Assault In Mosul
In a press Statement, US Department Spokesperson Jen Psaki said the United States is deeply concerned about the events that have transpired in Mosul.
Ms. Psaki highlighted that the situation remains extremely serious.
However, Washington and Baghdad are tracking events closely to push back against the aggression.
ISIL A Threat To Iraq’s Stability
According to Ms. Psaki, the militants continue to gain strength from the situation in Syria, from which it transfers recruits, sophisticated munitions, and resources to the fight in Iraq.
Ms. Psaki underscored that that ISIL is not only a threat to the stability of Iraq, but a threat to the entire region.
The aggression in Mosul calls also for the the need for Iraqis from all communities to work together to confront this common enemy and isolate these militant groups from the broader population.
US Helps Iraq Counter ISIL’s Aggression
The Washington announced that it is providing an additional $12.8 million to international organization partners working to meet the needs of internally displaced persons and conflict victims in Iraq.
The new assistance will provide immediate relief by supplying food, shelter, and medicine for Iraq’s rapidly growing population of displaced people.
This additional support includes $6.6 million to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for essential humanitarian supplies like blankets, tents, and hygiene items and providing $6.2 million to other international organizations for food and clean water, core relief items, and urgent medical care for the affected.
Since 2010, the United States has contributed to the United Nations, other international organizations, and nongovernmental organizations more than $1.1 billion in humanitarian assistance for Iraqi refugees and internally displaced people. The United States will continue to stand with the Iraqi people to forge a peaceful, prosperous, and democratic future.
US Troops Left Iraq
In December 2011, the last convoy of U.S. soldiers pulled out of Iraq.
The move signaled the end of nearly nine years of war that cost almost 4,500 American and many of thousands of Iraqi lives.
The war was launched in March 2003 with the aim to oust President Saddam Hussein.
During the war, more than 170,000 American troops were in Iraq at more than 500 bases.
