Photonews Logo Photonews logo
  • Home
  • Pakistan
    • Punjab
    • Sindh
    • Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
    • Azad Jammu Kashmir
    • Balochistan
    • Gilgit – Baltistan
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Videos
    IShowSpeed Daniel La Belle race
    Videos

    IShowSpeed Beats Daniel La Belle in 40-Meter Race, Hits 41M Subscribers

    June 24, 2025 2 Min Read
    Cardi B new single Outside
    Videos

    Cardi B’s ‘Outside’ Single Sparks Buzz Over Offset and Stefon Diggs

    June 20, 2025 2 Min Read
    Squid Game Season 3
    Videos

    Squid Game Season 3: Final Trailer Unveils Epic Plot

    June 14, 2025 2 Min Read
  • Sports
  • Technology
  • Offbeat
  • Blog
  • Contact
Reading: Iran’s role worries anti-IS coalition: US general
PhotoNews Pakistan PhotoNews Pakistan
Font ResizerAa
Search
  • Home
  • Pakistan
    • Punjab
    • Sindh
    • Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
    • Balochistan
    • Azad Jammu Kashmir
    • Gilgit – Baltistan
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Videos
  • Sports
  • Technology
  • Offbeat
  • Blog
  • Contact
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
© 2022 Photonews. All Rights Reserved.
PhotoNews Pakistan > World > Iran’s role worries anti-IS coalition: US general
World

Iran’s role worries anti-IS coalition: US general

Web Desk
By Web Desk Published March 7, 2015 5 Min Read
Share
SHARE

Washington DC: The US military’s top officer said Friday Iran is bolstering the firepower of Shia militias in Iraq but it remains unclear if Tehran is a help or a hindrance to the fight against Islamic State group.

General Martin Dempsey, speaking to reporters aboard his plane en route to a visit to Bahrain and Iraq, said he would raise his concerns about Iran’s influence in talks with Iraq’s leaders — days after Baghdad launched a large-scale operation to recapture Tikrit from the Islamic State group.

The Shia militias, armed and advised by Iran, are playing a major role in the Tikrit offensive.

But the US-led coalition — which has no dealings with the Shia fighters — has been markedly absent from the operation and allies fear Iran’s activity could aggravate sectarian tensions.

Dempsey said US-led air strikes in recent months to the north near Baiji had put pressure on the IS extremists, laying the ground for the offensive on Tikrit.

“The Tikrit operation is only possible because of the air campaign we’ve been running around Baiji,” where the IS failed to retain control of oil refineries, Dempsey said.

“But I’m trying to get a sense for how our activities and their activities are complementary,” said Dempsey, referring to Iran’s support for the Shiite militias.

He said that “we’re alert to the challenges of having Iran supporting Shia militia,” and Tehran’s influence had sparked concerns in the anti-IS coalition, which includes Sunni Arab countries that view Iran as a threat.

It was not clear if Iran shared the same strategic goals as the Washington-led coalition, he said.

The international coalition was committed to a “unified” Iraq that represented the Sunni and Kurdish communities as well as the larger Shia population, he said.

“I want to make sure that those efforts can truly be complementary. If they can’t, we’re going to have a problem, ” he said.

Tehran has provided the Shia militias with artillery, training, “some intelligence,” overhead surveillance “of the kind they’re capable of providing,” he said.

But there was no sign that Iranian troops were directly “in the fight,” he said, adding he would ask about that in his meetings in Iraq.

“One of the things that the Iranian influence does is it probably makes the Shia militia more militarily capable. Undoubtedly,” the general said.

“But it also makes our coalition partners a little concerned.”

Dempsey said “the only one that can balance that is the prime minister of Iraq,” Haider al-Abadi.

“I want to get his views on how he is seeking to balance that concern.”

He said it was only a matter of time before IS jihadists lost the battle for Tikrit.

“The numbers are overwhelming,” Dempsey said, adding that “hundreds” of IS fighters were facing an estimated 23,000 Iraqi army and Shia militia troops.

It was the first time that the Iraqi army and Shia militia “have been so intertwined in an operation,” he said.

Columns of Iraqi military trucks and armored vehicles were lined up along the main road to Tikrit, and it resembled a rush hour traffic jam in Washington, “bumper to bumper,” he said.

But he said the real test would come after the town is recaptured, and how the Iraqi government treats the mostly Sunni population in the area.

“The important thing about this operation in Tikrit is less about how the military aspect of it goes, and more about what follows,” he said.

If Sunnis are allowed to return to their homes and “feel like the government is following an offensive with reconstruction and humanitarian assistance, then I think we’re in a really good place,” Dempsey said.

But if Sunnis are mistreated or forced out, and if the Baghdad government fails to deliver humanitarian aid, “then I think we’ve got a challenge in the campaign,” he said

Share This Article
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Whatsapp Whatsapp LinkedIn Email Copy Link Print
Leave a comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Posts

Trump Tariffs Rate Chart Trump tariffs China

Trump Signals No Tariff Pause Extension, Plans Letters with Trade Penalties

Pakistan China Regional Bloc

Pakistan and China Plan New Regional Bloc to Replace SAARC

Daniil Medvedev Wimbledon 2025

Daniil Medvedev Suffers Shock Wimbledon First-Round Exit to Benjamin Bonzi

Pakistan Stock Exchange

Pakistan Stock Exchange Hits Record High at 125,627 to Close Fiscal Year 2025

Meta AI 1 billion users

Facebook Requests Camera Roll Access for AI-Powered Story Suggestions in 2025

Post Archives

More Popular from Photonews

Karachi maid Shehnaz theft
Sindh

Karachi Maid Shehnaz Arrested for Rs50M Theft, Owned Luxury Cars and Properties

2 Min Read
Indian players delivered dominant centuries at Headingley, with Yashasvi Jaiswal scoring 101, KL Rahul posting 137, Shubman Gill compiling 147, and Rishabh Pant achieving 134 and 118 in the two innings
Sports

India Makes History as First Team to Lose a Test Match Despite Five Centuries

3 Min Read
Sony lawsuit PlayStation pricing
Tech

Sony Faces Class Action Lawsuit in Netherlands Over PlayStation Digital Pricing

2 Min Read
Entertainment

Diljit Dosanjh Addresses Sardaar Ji 3 Ban in India Over Hania Aamir Casting

Punjabi singer-actor Diljit Dosanjh addressed the controversy surrounding his film Sardaar Ji 3, which will not…

June 26, 2025
Entertainment

Netflix’s ‘Steve’ Starring Cillian Murphy Set for October 2025 Release

Netflix has revealed the first official image from Steve, an upcoming feature film starring Cillian Murphy…

June 24, 2025
Sports

Mike Tyson Stars in Going Public Finale, Challenges Startups on X Originals

Boxing legend Mike Tyson, now 56, is stepping into the world of investments. On June 24,…

June 25, 2025
Top NewsWorld

U.S. Airstrikes Failed to Destroy Iran’s Nuclear Sites, U.S. Intelligence Assessment Reveals

A preliminary U.S. intelligence assessment revealed that US airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, conducted alongside a…

June 25, 2025
PhotoNews Pakistan

Always Stay Up to Date

Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!

Categories

  • World
  • Pakistan
  • Punjab
  • Sindh
  • Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
  • Balochistan
  • Azad Jammu Kashmir

 

  • Top News
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Sports
  • Videos
  • Tech
  • Offbeat
  • Blog

© 2024 Phototnews
All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?