‘Diabolical’ Arab countries behind Iraq strife: Maliki
21 Jan 2014 5:04 AM IST
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki blamed ‘diabolical’ and ‘treacherous’ Arab countries for a protracted surge in nationwide violence in a speech today, but stopped short of naming individual countries.
The premier said suicide bombers were coming to Iraq from as far afield as Morocco, Libya and Yemen, but did not single out countries he described as ‘evil’ which he said were supporting violent extremists in Iraq.
‘Iraq is the target for some countries that are backing terrorism, and backing evil,’ Maliki said in a speech in the southern city of Nasiriyah.
‘The world has united with us,’ he continued. ‘The (UN) Security Council, the European Union, and most Arab countries, except some diabolical treacherous countries.’
The Iraqi leader warned countries that supported violence in Iraq would also suffer, arguing ‘this evil has started to expand, and it will reach those same countries, as it reached others previously.’ Iraqi officials have alleged that Saudi Arabia and Qatar in particular have supported disaffected Sunni Arabs in western Iraq as they have staged anti-government protests in the past year.
The premier said suicide bombers were coming to Iraq from as far afield as Morocco, Libya and Yemen, but did not single out countries he described as ‘evil’ which he said were supporting violent extremists in Iraq.
‘Iraq is the target for some countries that are backing terrorism, and backing evil,’ Maliki said in a speech in the southern city of Nasiriyah.
‘The world has united with us,’ he continued. ‘The (UN) Security Council, the European Union, and most Arab countries, except some diabolical treacherous countries.’
The Iraqi leader warned countries that supported violence in Iraq would also suffer, arguing ‘this evil has started to expand, and it will reach those same countries, as it reached others previously.’ Iraqi officials have alleged that Saudi Arabia and Qatar in particular have supported disaffected Sunni Arabs in western Iraq as they have staged anti-government protests in the past year.
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