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Iraqi PM pledges punishment for IS killing of civilians, urging for more int'l support

Xinhua, July 20, 2015 Adjust font size:

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Monday pledged to punish the Islamic State (IS) militants for killing civilians, urging the international community to further support the country's war against terrorism.

Abadi's comments came during an official ceremony at Balad air base, some 80 km north of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, to celebrate the first delivery of four F-16 fighter jets which arrived in Iraq last week.

Abadi, who is also the commander-in-chief of Iraq's armed forces, was accompanied by Defense Minister Khalid al-Obiedi in meeting with the Iraqi air force leaders and the pilots of F-16 warplanes.

"The enemy (IS group) is cowardly targeting unarmed civilians, including the bombing of Khan Bani Saad ... Those terrorists will not get away without punishment," Abadi said.

On Friday, a suicide bomber detonated his truck that was loaded with three tons of explosives at a busy marketplace in the town of Khan Bani Saad in Diyala province, killing 100 people and wounding more than 133, while some 23 others went missing.

The casualties included many women and children who were shopping to prepare for Eid al-Fitr feast that marks the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

The IS militant group on Saturday claimed responsibility for the huge suicide truck bomb explosion, saying it's in revenge to earlier attacks by Shiite-dominated forces and air strikes on the IS-held town of Hawijh in the western part of the oil-rich province of Kirkuk in northern Iraq.

Abadi also called on the international community to offer "more support to Iraq, prevent the flow of terrorists, stop their smuggling of Iraqi oil and antiquities which contribute in funding terrorism."

"Iraq is ready to cooperate with the world states in the field of intelligence," Abadi added.

Last week, Abadi's office announced the arrival of four F-16 fighter jets from the United States in Balad air base in Salahudin province. It's the first batch of 36 jets that are ordered by the Iraqi government to boost the capabilities of the security forces in their fight against the IS militants. The terrorist group has controlled large swathes of territories in several Sunni provinces in the country.

The delivery came as the Iraqi authorities announced the start of a major offensive against IS militants to free key cities and towns in Anbar province from IS militants.

Iraqi security forces and allied paramilitary militias, known as Hashd Shaabi, or popular mobilization, have been fighting for months to retake control of key cities and towns in Iraq's largest province of Anbar. Endit