Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki has accused Saudi Arabia and Qatar of declaring war on Iraq and supporting global terrorism. The Iraqi leader blamed the two countries for orchestrating the latest wave of bloody violence to hit Iraq this year.
In a heated attack on Iraq’s Sunni Gulf neighbors, Prime Minister
Maliki leveled a number of accusations at Qatar and Saudi Arabia
in an interview with France 24. He said both countries are
supporting extreme sectarian groups within Iraq, with a view to
destabilizing the country and are “attacking” Iraq through Syria.
“I accuse them of inciting and encouraging the terrorist
movements. I accuse them of supporting them politically and in
the media, of supporting them with money and by buying weapons
for them,” Maliki told FRANCE 24.
“I accuse them of leading an open war against the Iraqi
government,” said Maliki, adding that Saudi Arabia and Qatar
not only supported terrorism in Iraq, but also sponsor terrorism
worldwide.
He went on to warn the Gulf States that their support of global
terrorism “will turn against them” and Iraq does not
intend to retaliate because it does not wish to “widen the
arena of confrontation.”
Addressing allegations he is marginalizing Iraq’s Sunni
population, Maliki said such accusations come from sectarians
with foreign agendas spurred on by Saudi and Qatari support. Both
countries are “buying weapons for the benefit of these
terrorist organizations,” he said.
Iraq has been hit by a wave of bloodshed over the past year, with
January registering as the most deadly month in the country since
April 2008. Suicide bombings and sectarian conflicts across the
country claimed the lives of over 1,000 people in January and
over 700 in February.
On Saturday violence left 15 people dead, including a
parliamentary election candidate and four children, security and
medical sources report. Iraq will hold elections this year on
April 30 and Maliki has been pushing security forces to bring
violence in the country to heel in the run-up.
One of the main conflict areas in the country is the province of
Anbar where anti-government militants seized control of the city
of Fallujah in December. Since then government forces have been
unable to get the city back from the rebel fighters.
In connection with its ongoing fight against insurgency, Iraq
will hold an international counter-terrorism conference this
Wednesday in Baghdad. Attendees will discuss issues of arming,
supporting, funding terrorist groups and training camps in some
countries.