The ISIS terror group’s kidnapping of several civilians from Iraq’s Najaf in the Anbar region has stoked tensions between the two provinces.
Parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi held talks on Tuesday with Najaf deputy Governor Hashem al-Karaawi and a delegation from the abductees’ relatives.
Halbousi urged “solidarity to preserve the victory against ISIS that was achieved through the unity of the Iraqi people.”
He warned that ISIS wants to stoke sectarian strife, saying it targets all civilians without discrimination.
ISIS kidnapped the civilians while they were on a fishing trip near al-Tharthar lake in Anbar. Last week, the group abducted and killed 19 Najaf residents in various regions of Anbar.
Halbousi vowed that the criminals will be legally prosecuted.
The speaker said that the operations command in the central Euphrates region and some Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) units should be held responsible for the kidnapping. Najaf officials, however, held the Anbar authorities accountable for ISIS’ violations.
Karaawi told Asharq Al-Awsat that the delegation filed a complaint to Halbousi from Najaf against Anbar, its people, local authorities and tribes.
He said that the ISIS crimes took place within Anbar’s borders and the locals had made a very modest reaction to the incidents.
They should have instead taken necessary security and social measures after the crimes took place, he remarked. The security forces should have protected the civilians and the Anbar tribes should have condemned these acts and visited the families of the victims.
He revealed, however, that after paying a visited to Anbar that its elders and senior officials will head to Najaf in the next two days in order to meet with the families.
Najaf and Anbar are keen on preventing ISIS from stirring sectarian strife once again, he stressed.
Furthermore, Karaawi said that Halbousi ordered the security forces to launch wide-scale military operations to pursue ISIS remnants in Anbar.
Meanwhile, the Anbar police intelligence chief said that ten suspects have been arrested in connection to the ISIS kidnapping and murders.
