Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 29
By Umid Niayesh - Trend:
Iraqi defense minister, Khaled al-Obeidi will visit Iran on Dec. 29 at the invitation of his Iranian counterpart Hossein Dehghan, the Islamic Republic's official IRIB news agency reported.25
Heading a military delegation, al-Obeidi will meet with senior Iranian officials to discuss issues of mutual interest between Iran and Iraq, as well as latest regional and global developments.
Boosting military cooperation and studying the ways to fight against terrorism will be on top of the agenda of the talks.
In mid-December Iraqi parliament speaker Salim al-Jabouri visited Iran and held talks with senior Iranian officials and lawmakers. Media outlet described the visit as part of the two sides' efforts to help Iraq in fighting against the IS (Islamic State, formerly ISIL or ISIS) group, as well as strengthening cooperation between the two countries.
The IS was created in 2003 in Iraq. Following the start of military confrontation in Syria between the armed opposition and the government forces, the IS penetrated the country in 2013.
Strengthening of the IS in Syria allowed it to return to Iraq, deploying military actions against government forces there.
Some western and Iraqi media have underscored the significant role of Iranian forces in fighting against the IS.
The media reports say Iranian forces have a decisive presence on the battlefield of the fight.
Meanwhile Iranian officials said the Islamic Republic gives only advice and organizational structure to the Iraqi forces.
On Dec. 27, the IS group killed a high-ranking general of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), Hamid Taghavi, in Samara city in central Iraq. IRGC announced that Taghavi was advising Iraqi troops and Shiite militias in the battleground.
Edited by CN
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