BAGHDAD
A Shiite Islamist coalition in the Iraqi Parliament blamed the U.S. government for giving rise to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and using it as a tool to scare the masses.
"It is the U.S. administration which gave rise to ISIL, cultivated it and used it as a tool to terrorize the masses," the spokesperson for al-Ahrar bloc, Hussein al-Awadi, told The Anadolu Agency.
U.S. warplanes provided the ISIL militants with weapons and ammunition on multiple occasions, saying each time that it was "by mistake," Awadi said.
The Iraqi army, along with Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga forces and armed tribesmen, is backed by a U.S.-led international coalition that has carried out numerous airstrikes against ISIL in Iraq and Syria.
"The U.S. supported ISIL (in the beginning). But it rebelled later on and started to expand. That's when the U.S. resorted to remedying its image as if it had no part in the creation of this group," he added.
Awadi went on to say the U.S. established an "environment of chaos" in Iraq through "prolonging the war and leaving Iraq dependent on U.S. troops."
"Currently, the U.S. has its biggest embassy in Iraq, which is an indicator of how big of an invasion it is carrying out in the country. Lebanon and Syria are about to fall in to their (U.S.) trap. However, the wisdom and awareness of the Iraqi, Lebanese and Syrian people will foil this trap and game," he said.
Abadi's government brings about political reconciliation
Awadi praised the new Iraqi government under Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who, he said, reconciled different political parties in the country.
"The former government (under Nouri al-Maliki) was founded on tension. There was lots of tension and disagreement between the government and parliament, which also led to the loss of Mosul, Saladin and Anbar," he said.
Awadi said that the political conflicts during Maliki's term also led to the collapse of the military, and the troops failing to fight against ISIL in Mosul and other provinces.
"They just surrendered those places without putting up a fight. This was all because of the treason committed by the military leaders appointed by the former government. Commanders were not appointed on the merits of military professionalism and capabilities," he said.
Awadi said that the Iraqi military and security institutions were reformed (by the new government), and a significant number of cities were taken back from ISIL, citing in particular Jurf Al-Nasr.
The city in the central Babil province -- which Awadi said U.S. troops failed to enter for the past decade -- was liberated in late October 2014 by Iraqi troops "within four days."
Turkey-Iraq relations
Awadi also praised the long history of neighborly and friendly relations between Turkey and Iraq.
"During the term of the former government, relations had chilled and there was tension. The new government took steps to open a new page, and cooperate with its neighbors to fight against terror, and in other areas," he said.
"Turkey is a very good neighbor and it is a strong country which could prevent terror from entering Iraq. Thanks to the closeness between the two countries, we will embrace a new Middle East," he said.
Iraq has been gripped by a security vacuum since June 2014, when ISIL stormed the northern province of Mosul and declared what it called a "caliphate" in Iraq and Syria.
