MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Naufel Alhassan noted that the vast majority of foreign fighters in the group's ranks arrived through Turkey, which is "not a secret, everybody knows that."
"We keep hearing good words from Turkey, but we would like them to translate those words into actions, because playing with dangerous organizations like Daesh is going to fire back on them," Alhassan said.
In December, Turkey deployed some 150 troops and 25 tanks to a base in the Iraqi Nineveh province, without Baghdad’s approval. Ankara claimed its troops had entered Iraq to protect Turkish instructors deployed at the base earlier to train local militias, fighting against Daesh.
Iraq is confident it will defeat Daesh terrorists, but the international community needs to address the root causes of terrorism, Naufel Alhassan told Sputnik.
"We have no doubt we are going to defeat Daesh. But the question is that we need all world's help," Alhassan said.
He called on the international community to address the root causes of terrorism, namely ideology, economic factors behind the rise of IS and sectarian polarization.
"It is no longer representing a threat to Iraq or Syria. It is a threat for the entire world, that is why we work with all countries who are really willing to stand with us against this common enemy. We are part of the international coalition, and we are working with them, they help us liberate many cities, and also provide air cover, and on the other hand we are working with other friends and partners to defeat Daesh and to focus on rebuilding Iraq."
