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Iran and Russia Set Up HQ in Baghdad To Fight the Islamic State
24 October 2014
EIRNS—According to the Iranian Tasnim News Agency, "over 60 military experts from Russia and Iran created a joint operations headquarters in the Al Rasheed Hotel in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad.". The report said the "military experts would help Iraqi commanders in the campaign against the jihadists." Reportedly, the Iranian and Russian military experts are helping the Iraqi commanders in the fight against the Islamic State. The decision comes amid a series of meetings between Iranian and Russian officials. On Oct. 21, Secretary of Iran’s National Security Council Ali Shamkhani met his Russian counterpart, Nikolai Patrushev, in Tehran and denounced the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq: "The Islamic State was a result of wrong policies in supporting and arming the terrorist groups." And on Oct. 22, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian conferred with his Russian counterpart, Mikhail Bogdanov. Iranian state media said the men agreed that it was "necessary for countries to responsibly, transparently, and sincerely confront terrorism, stressing that recognized international laws should be observed in this regard." Meanwhile, Tehran has been hosting Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi, including an audience with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. |