US out to divide Iraq: Daily

Tehran, Jan 3, 1RNA -ˈIran Dailyˈ, reflecting on the recent trip of a top US official to Iraq to discuss arming of certain tribes, warned them that this move will foster mistrust in Iraq toward the US and make Iraqis surmise that US has an evil plot to divide their nation. The English-language paper on Saturday was referring to the visit of US Senator John McCain to Iraq to discuss the issue of arming certain tribes and to instigate Washington’s new dangerous game in the crisis-hit country. He met a number of leaders from certain ethnic groups in Anbar province who had recently sent a delegation to the United States without coordinating with the central government. The visit came as the Iraqi army backed by volunteer and tribal forces have made significant gains in the battle against ISIL in the north and west, inflicting heavy losses on the terrorist group in the provinces of Salahuddin, Diyala, Babil, and Anbar as well as Nineveh, the stronghold of the Takfiris, the paper wrote in its Opinion column. Victories in Anbar and Nineveh are expected to be repeated once certain political factions stop their destructive role in the fight against terrorism, the paper wrote. Some experts believe the US-led military coalition against ISIL failed to take out the terrorist group — rather it hindered the fight against it. Now issues such as establishing National Guard forces and supplying weapons to the tribes are on the agenda — two issues which are greatly expected to fuel sectarian violence and accelerate the partition of the country into three regions: Shia, Sunni and Kurdish, noted the paper. Reports from Iraq said US weapon airdrops have fallen into the hands of ISIL terrorists and even some unconfirmed reports suggested that US choppers have delivered arms to ISIL in a military base in Salahuddin, it criticized. Washington may reject the reports but it cannot deny what is going on in the ground and McCain’s mission, underscored the paper. There are indications that arming certain tribes and forming National Guard units will only expedite the disintegration of Iraq and fuel instability and insecurity, it noted. Iraq’s territorial disputes are mainly between Sunnis and Kurds and for this reason the issue is expected to play Sunnis and Kurds off against each other, which will harm the territorial integrity of Iraq, added the daily. The Shias, Sunnis and Kurds will not allow the US to implement its evil plot, believed the paper, urging Americans to acquire a more profound understanding of regional issues./end