UNSC denounces ISIL attacks in Iraq's Ramadi, Fallujah

UNITED NATIONS

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Friday strongly condemned the attacks by the militant group the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in Ramadi and Fallujah in Iraq’s Anbar province, in an attempt to destabilize the country and the wider region.

Zeid Ra'ad Zedi Al-Hussein, the permanent representative of Jordan to the UN holding the rotating presidency of the UNSC for January, read out a presidential statement following an emergent meeting on the situation in Iraq summoned upon the call of the Security Council presidency.

"The Security Council condemns the attacks that are being perpetrated by Al-Qaeda affiliate, the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), against the people of Iraq in an attempt to destabilize the country and region, said the statement, adding that the Security Council recognized that Iraqi security forces, local police and tribes in Anbar Province are "showing great courage" as they fight to defeat ISIL in their cities. 

The most powerful UN body called on the people of Iraq to continue, expand and strengthen their cooperation in fighting against violence and terror, and expressed its strong support for the continued efforts of the Iraqi government to help meet the security needs in Iraq.

The 15-nation body also expressed strong support for Iraqi government efforts to help meet the security needs of the entire population, acknowledging the efforts of the security forces and local police, whose members were being targeted and killed in the ongoing attacks.

In the statement, the Security Council voiced concern over the impact of the violence on civilians, and pushed for the safe passage of civilians trapped in conflict areas, as well as the safe return of internally displaced people as conditions allow.

The Council stressed the importance of continued national dialogue and unity, an inclusive political process, the holding of free and fair elections in April 2014 and the right to peaceful protest as guaranteed under the Iraqi Constitution.

“This is vital to underpin a unified national stance against terrorism”, noted the Council.

It reiterated that “ISIL” was subjected to the arms embargo and assets freeze imposed by resolutions 1267 (1999) and 2083 (2012), and underlined the importance of the measures’ prompt implementation.

The UNSC also reaffirmed its support for the independence, sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of Iraq, reiterating that no terrorist act could reverse the path towards peace, democracy and reconstruction in the country.

“The Security Council reaffirms the need to combat by all means, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts, and that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed," added the statement. 

The Council further urged the states to ensure that measures taken to combat terrorism comply with all their obligations under international law, in particular international human rights, refugee and humanitarian law.

Iraq's predominantly-Sunni Anbar province has been rocked by violent clashes that broke out after Iraqi security forces dismantled a months-old anti-government sit-in outside Ramadi in late December.

The sit-in dispersal came two days after Sunni lawmaker Ahmed al-Alwani, a prominent anti-Maliki protest organizer, was arrested by Iraqi forces during a raid on his Ramadi home. Six people were killed in the raid, including al-Alwani's brother.

Local tribesmen later expressed their support for local police against Al-Qaeda-linked gunmen who claimed that they had established control over the province's two main cities, Ramadi and Fallujah.

Tribal chiefs, however, oppose the presence of army troops in the area and have vowed to fight off any military forces dispatched to the province.

According to the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq, the recent violence claimed a total of 8,868 Iraqi lives last year, including 7,818 civilians and civilian police personnel, the highest annual death toll for years.

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