Iraq Calls Turkey Brotherly Country, Seeks ‘Uninterrupted’ Military Support Against ISIS

Iraq asked for "uninterrupted" military support from Turkey in its battle against Islamic State militants. Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari told a joint press conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in Ankara that ISIS forces pose a threat not only to Iraq but to Turkey as well. Jaafari called Turkey Iraq’s “brotherly country” and sought cooperation so that everyone was benefitted.

Iraqi officials announced a major operation to “liberate Anbar” Monday. Jaafari described the war as “hit-and-run,” adding the “difficult part of the business” is that the country is not fighting a regular army.

"Daesh [another name for ISIS] must be wiped out," al-Arabiya quoted Jaafari as saying. "In order to do this, we need arms and training. ... There is a need for a well-trained soldiers and police."

The Turkish foreign minister said Turkey planned to train Iraqi police. He said his country had provided Iraq “some military assistance” as well. However, Cavusoglu did not elaborate. He said Turkey already had trained 1,600 peshmerga fighters from Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region.

Turkey is often criticized for not being able to secure its border with Syria and Iraq. The Turkish border is often used by wannabe militants to join ISIS forces who have made significant gains in Iraq and Syria. Turkey, however, rejects the allegation and says it does everything possible to secure the border.

Turkey accuses western countries of failing to control the refugee crisis caused by the Syrian war. Yahoo News reported that around 1.8 million Syrian refugees have taken shelter in Turkey.