UN Council backs Iraq government against militants

United Nations: The UN Security Council on Friday gave strong backing
to an Iraqi government campaign to retake provincial strongholds from
al Qaeda-linked militants.



The 15-nation council agreed a statement backing Prime Minister Nuri
al-Maliki amid mounting concern over the battle for Anbar province,
which runs from the western suburbs of Baghdad up to the border with
Syria.



The council condemned attacks by militants of the Islamic State of
Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and praised the “great courage” of the Iraqi
security forces in Anbar.



“The Security Council expresses its strong support for the continued
efforts of the Iraqi government to help meet the security needs of the
entire population of Iraq,” said the statement.



The council urged “Iraqi tribes, local leaders, and Iraqi security
forces in Anbar province, to continue, expand and strengthen their
cooperation against violence and terror and it stresses the critical
importance of continued national dialogue and unity.”



Gunmen seized Fallujah, just west of Baghdad, and parts of the Anbar
provincial capital Ramadi last week, the first time militants have had
such power in major cities since the insurgency following the 2003
US-led invasion.



Tribal fighters and police retook two areas of Ramadi on Friday as part of a fightback.



While rights groups have highlighted the impact on the longer
suffering population of the province, the United States has increased
pressure on Maliki's government to focus on political reconciliation, as
well as the military operations, to end the standoff, which comes three
months from a key national election