Iraq Pm Arms Tribes İn Fight With Anbar Militants

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has ordered the arming of tribes in the western province of Anbar to counter the militant Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), an Iraqi lawmaker said Saturday.



"Tribes that fight against ISIL side by side with the army must be armed," Abbas al-Bayati, a member of the Iraqi parliament's security and defense committee, told Anadolu Agency.



ISIL is waging an insurgency against the central government in Anbar, parts of which have become inaccessible to the Iraqi army and police.



Apart from Iraq, ISIL has managed to control parts of Syria where they also wage a fierce dual fight against the Syrian opposition and the Syrian army.



Al-Bayati, a member of the State of Law Coalition, which is headed by al-Maliki, conceded that the fight against ISIL in Anbar "isn't an easy one".



"The movement won't end in Anbar because it has sleeper cells in other provinces," al-Bayati said.



Anbar has been stricken by gory tension for several months now initially between Sunni residents complaining of marginalization and the government.



The Iraqi army has launched a military offensive into the province to flush out ISIL militants from the area.



Since the military offensive began last December, hundreds of civilians have been killed or injured and thousands displaced, according to government officials.



Al-Maliki, whose term came to an end a few weeks ago, said his government would rebuild districts destroyed by ISIL militants in the Anbar province.



By Adnan Jassim



englishnews@aa.com.tr



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