Sunni disenfranchisement in Iraq must be addressed, whilst the US led coalition nullifies the immediate threat of Islamic State militants, US military officials said on Tuesday.
US military officials urged the Shi’ite majority Iraqi government to reach out to the disenfranchised Sunnis to ensure lasting stability in the region, reports Reuters.
“Quite frankly, we need to see in Iraq political outreach that addresses that some 20 million Sunnis are disenfranchised with their government,” said the director of the operations for the Pentagon’s Joint Staff, in a meeting with lawmakers on existential threats to the US.
The acting director for intelligence for the Pentagon’s Joint Staff, Mark Chandler, addressing a panel in the US House of Representatives, added,
“One of the things that really concerns me going forward is if the Shi’ite forces believe that they can control ISIL (Islamic State) without reconciliation with the Sunnis.”
US military officials urged the Shi’ite majority Iraqi government to reach out to the disenfranchised Sunnis to ensure lasting stability in the region, reports Reuters.
“Quite frankly, we need to see in Iraq political outreach that addresses that some 20 million Sunnis are disenfranchised with their government,” said the director of the operations for the Pentagon’s Joint Staff, in a meeting with lawmakers on existential threats to the US.
The acting director for intelligence for the Pentagon’s Joint Staff, Mark Chandler, addressing a panel in the US House of Representatives, added,
“One of the things that really concerns me going forward is if the Shi’ite forces believe that they can control ISIL (Islamic State) without reconciliation with the Sunnis.”