Iraqi Prime Minister Hayder Abadi today reiterated his opposition to the use of any foreign combat troops in Iraq, saying that “no ground troops from any superpower, international coalition or regional power will fight here.”
Absent from Abadi’s comments are the foreign troops already in Iraq, which include a small number of Australian troops, US military advisers, and an unknown number of Iranian Quds Force fighters.
Abadi’s comments rather reflected an opposition to sending such troops of offensive missions to retake lost territory, and came with a warning for Sunni tribal leaders to give up on the idea of foreigners retaking the ISIS-held territory for them.
Ultimately, foreign troops are likely to be more of a case-by-case basis for the Abadi government, with discreet aid from Shi’ite ally Iran undoubtedly much more welcome than troops from Saudi Arabia, or other Gulf nations which have suggested involvement, but which aren’t on good terms with Iraq’s ruling Shi’ite government.
