Paris, June 2 (IANS) Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Tuesday criticised Western powers for not doing enough to contain the Islamic State (IS) terrorists and described as a “failure of the world” the rapid advances made by the Sunni radical group in Iraq, media reports said.
“The (US-led coalition) air campaign is useful for us, but it’s not enough,” The Independent quoted the Iraqi prime minister as telling reporters here ahead of ministerial-level talks involving 20 countries trying to find ways to counter the IS.
Russia, Iran and Syria are not part of the talks.
“It is failure on the part of the world. We are trying to do our part, but Daesh (the Arabic acronym for IS) was not created in Iraq,” he added.
He urged the Western powers to deliver more intelligence. “It’s too little. Surveillance is very small. Daesh is mobile and moves in small groups,” al-Abadi said.
According to the BBC, the Iraqi premier also criticised the West over sanctions imposed on Russia and Iran.
He said the measures had made it difficult for Iraq to buy more weapons, forcing the country to “rely on ourselves”.
IS has recently gained ground in Iraq even as US-led coalition air strikes continue. Last month, the terrorist group seized Ramadi city in Anbar, Iraq’s largest province, as well as the strategically important Syrian town of Tadmur and the neighbouring ancient ruins of Palmyra.
According to officials, the meeting in Paris would focus on recapturing cities from IS and halting the group’s flow of funds and fighters.