BAGHDAD
Arab League Secretary-General Nabil al-Araby said Sunday Iraq was making "progress" in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or the ISIL terror group.
Addressing a press conference in Baghdad alongside foreign ministers of Mauritania, Kuwait and Iraq, al-Araby said "the Iraqi government overcame an impasse and made progress against the ISIL. But the government should continue its fight against the ISIL not just militarily, but also ideologically and financially."
Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jafari said his government always wished to avoid getting foreign troops on its soil, even in its struggle against the ISIL.
The Iraqi army has been engaged in battles with the ISIL since the extremist group took control of Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city, in mid-June, in addition to other large swathes of the country.
The militant group has also made rapid gains in Syria. More than 180,000 refugees from the Syrian town of Kobani alone have crossed into Turkey since Ankara opened its border crossing on September 19. The town has been under a relentless ISIL attack.
According to the U.N., at least 24,015 civilians have been killed or injured in Iraq during the first eight months of 2014.
www.aa.com.tr/en
