US condemns terrorist attacks, urges Iraqis to unite against ISIL

Washington: The US has condemned the terrorist strikes in Iraq, which it said are meant to sow fear and division among the Iraqi people. “The United States strongly condemns the terrorist attacks over the weekend and today in Iraq that are meant to sow fear and division among the Iraqi people,” State Department Spokesperson, Jen Psaki, yesterday said. “In Baghdad today, attacks on civilians, including a reprehensible attack on worshipers in a Shi’a mosque, exposes the depravity these terrorists represent. Over the weekend, vehicle and suicide attacks in Baghdad and Kirkuk also took the lives of numerous people and wounded many others,” she said. “We urge all Iraqis to unite ranks against ISIL and all extremist groups targeting innocent people going about their lives. We were encouraged by statements of condemnation from Iraqi political leaders across the political spectrum condemning these attacks, and will continue to support Iraqi efforts to isolate and defeat ISIL,” Psaki said. [caption id=“attachment_1665143” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. AP[/caption] Earlier in the day, US Vice President, Joe Biden called the Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Haider al-Abadi, and the Iraqi Council of Representatives Speaker Salim al-Jabouri, to discuss with them the current political situation in the country and the ongoing military actions against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Biden said that Iraq’s political progress to date has already brought about greater regional and international support and that effort to form a new government are an integral component of Iraq’s broader fight against ISIL, the White House said. PTI