A top leader of Iraq's Popular Mobilisation paramilitary organisation said on Monday that Baghdad had turned to Russia because the US-led coalition was not serious about fighting the Daesh group."To this day, we have not seen a really serious effort to fight Daesh," Hadi Al Ameri said in the holy city of Najaf.
"There are some who try to contain Daesh but not really eliminate them and prevent those fighters from returning to Europe, which is where they came from," he said.
| Can't argue with the man: when you're right, you're right... |
| So he has an ulterior motive. So does everyone else in Iraq... |
Russia's airforce began air strikes in Syria last week. Moscow says it has been targeting Daesh but Washington and its allies say Russia does not distinguish between Daesh and other groups and
| You have to have fallen off the turnip truck late last night to miss what Russia is doing in Syria... |
| It's the 'strong horse' argument again... |
"They are currently recruiting fighters from 108 countries in the world and all of them are going through Turkey, with the coalition's knowledge," he said.
"We told America" 'if you are serious about fighting Daesh, you have to stop those arrivals, which are wreaking carnage and destruction on Syria and Iraq'," he said.
The US-led coalition - which also includes France and Britain - has carried out more than 7,000 strikes on Iraq and Syria since August 2014.
| That's fewer than 20 a day... |
| They're slow to return because–among other reasons–they have no expectation of support, and virtually no air cover. |