...a Moslem country located in the Horn of Africa. It is noted for its affinity for rule by ex- or current generals, its holy men, and for the oppression of the native Afro population by its Arab conquerors. South Sudan, populated mostly by the natives, split off from Sudan proper, which left North and South Darfur to be oppressed by the guys with turbans...i reiterated that the Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling
Allaharound with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not
reallyMoslems....
(ISIS) no longer poses a threat to the country, in a meeting in Baghdad on Sunday with the commander of the US-led international coalition.
"[T]he remnants of ISIS no longer pose a threat to the Iraqi state, as they have become isolated groups hiding in remote areas to avoid capture," Sudani’s office cited the premier as saying during the meeting with coalition commander US Major General Kevin C. Leahy and US Ambassador to Baghdad Alina Romanowski.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on Saturday that at least 15 suspected ISIS members were killed in a joint military operation by the US military and Iraqi security forces in western Iraq.
"ISIS remains a threat to the region, our allies, as well as our homeland," CENTCOM said in a statement.
At least seven US troops were maimed, including five maimed, during the operation, the News Agency that Dare Not be Named has reported citing a US defense official on the condition of anonymity.
The coalition’s future role in Iraq, cooperation in training Iraqi security forces, and intelligence collaboration were also highlighted in the meeting between Sudani and the US officials, according to Sudani’s statement.
"The meeting focused on the progress of the technical dialogue between both sides about ending the Coalition's mission in Iraq and transitioning to a framework of bilateral relations between Iraq and Coalition member states," the statement added.
The Iraqi government has expressed anger over US retaliatory strikes on pro-Iran, Iraqi paramilitary groups. The US strikes have been in response to hundreds of rockets and dronezaps since October, targeting US installations and troops in Iraq, Syria, and Jordan.
In January, Sudani presided over the first meeting of the US-Iraq Higher Military Commission (HMC) to discuss the future of the coalition’s mission in Iraq.
While Baghdad has maintained that the commission aims to conclude the presence of the coalition forces in the country, Washington has described the step only as a "transition" in the coalition’s role.
Following a meeting between Iraqi and US defense officials in Washington in late July, the two sides said in a joint statement that they have reached an understanding on how to usher in a new phase of security ties, which includes "cooperation through liaison officers, training, and traditional security cooperation programs."