Abadi assured to protect civilian lives in Tikrit, we have information on Qassem Soleimani, says Kerry
The American Secretary of State John Kerry. File photo.
(IraqiNews.com) On Thursday, US Secretary of State John Kerry stated that the Iraqi PM Haider al-Abadi assured to protect the lives of civilians in Tikrit in the current military operations, pointing out that Washington has information about the participation of Iran’s Qods Forces commander Qassem Soleimani in the battles in the city, while he stressed that his country will not turn a blind eye on Iran’s activities in the region.
Kerry said during a joint conference with his Saudi counterpart Saud al-Faisal, held today in Riyadh and followed by IraqiNews.com, “The Iraqi PM Haider al-Abadi confirmed that the Tikrit liberation operation involves only Iraqi forces, and provided assurances to protect the lives of civilians.”
Kerry added that there are obvious moves by the Iranian forces in northern Iraq, and that the US has information about Soleimani taking part in the battles in Tikrit.
Washington does not coordinate with Iran in this aspect, he elaborated.
Kerry stated that the US top policy is to defeat ISIS and find a solution to the Syrian crisis, but not to turn a blind eye on Iran’s activities in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen.