Iraq PM to visit Iran for talks on anti-ISIS war: office
ISIS spearheaded an offensive that overran a third of Iraq last year
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi will travel to Iran on Wednesday for talks on the war against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) jihadist group, his office said.
He will meet with supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other Iranian officials to discuss issues including “international efforts to confront (ISIS) terrorist gangs,” a statement on Abadi's website said.
ISIS spearheaded an offensive that overran a third of Iraq last year, sweeping Baghdad's forces aside, and the jihadists proved they are still capable of gaining ground when they overran Anbar provincial capital Ramadi last month.
With its forces in disarray last June, Baghdad turned to volunteer forces that are dominated by Iran-backed Shiite militias for support, and they have proved instrumental to Iraqi gains against ISIS.
But the U.S., which is leading an international coalition carrying out air strikes against ISIS in Iraq and Syria, is wary of cooperating with some of the militias that fought against its forces in past years.
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