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by Our Foreign Desk
IRAQI Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi rejected weekend criticism from US Defence Secretary Ash Carter over the fall of Ramadi to Islamic State (Isis), suggesting that he had “incorrect information.”
Mr Carter told the CNN news show State of the Union on Sunday that Iraqi forces had “vastly outnumbered” Isis fighters but still “showed no will to fight” and fled their advance on Ramadi.
Mr Abadi’s spokesman Saad al-Hadithi said that the Baghdad government was surprised by the US politician’s comments.
“Carter was probably given incorrect information because the situation on the ground is different. We should not judge the whole army based on one incident,” said Mr Hadithi.
He added that the government believes the fall of Ramadi was due to mismanagement and poor planning by some senior military commanders in charge.
Shi’ite MP Hakim al-Zamili, who heads the parliamentary defence and security committee, called Mr Carter’s comments “unrealistic and baseless.”
“The Iraqi army and police did have the will to fight Isis in Ramadi, but these forces lack good equipment, weapons and aerial support,” he said.
Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander General Qassim Soleimani was more forthright, telling the daily newspaper Javan that the US hadn’t done “a damn thing” to stop the extremists’ advance on Ramadi.
“Does it mean anything other than being an accomplice in the plot?” he asked, accusing the US of showing “no will” in fighting Isis.
“Today, there is nobody in confrontation with Isis except the Islamic Republic of Iran and nations who are close to Iran or supported by Iran.”
