Maliki: I Won’t Quit for US Military Aid

Spokesman: US Should Immediately Attack ISIS

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has ruled out resigning from his post in return for US military aid in the ongoing battle with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

The ISIS takeover of a large portion of Iraq has the Obama Administration looking to intervene, but also looking to get rid of Maliki, who they blame for the sectarian tension in the nation.

Maliki’s spokesman insists that the US should stop worrying about Maliki and instead launch immediate operations to save the Iraqi government, insisting Maliki “never used sectarian tactics.”

Yet Maliki has repeatedly used the military against Sunni protesters, and charged Sunni MPs with any clout as “terrorists.” It was in the context of these moves that violence was growing across Iraq for months before ISIS even started taking over territory. Since then, it’s only gotten worse.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.