Iraqi official urges Iran, Syria to secure borders
Source: Reuters
MANAMA, Dec 9 (Reuters) - The Iraqi national security adviser on Saturday accused Iran and Syria of deliberately failing to secure their borders with Iraq, saying 90 percent of suicide bombers entered the country from Syria. Mowaffak al-Rubaie said Syria and Iran were harbouring militants and allowing them to cross into Iraq, and accused unspecified neighbouring states of exacerbating sectarian violence in Iraq by helping insurgents. "Ninety percent of the suicide bombers actually land at Damascus airport and they disappear after that and cross the border into Iraq," Rubaie told reporters at a security forum in Bahrain. Many delegates, including Iraq's neighbour Saudi Arabia, have warned of sectarian violence in Iraq spilling over into other states in the region. Rubaie said this would take place if Iraq's neighbours continued to support extremists. "Our neighbours are not helping...Some (militants) are tolerated in the northwest of Iran and they are crossing the border...There is some help and assistance, military and logistical, from our neighbours to fuel the sectarian violence," he added. The United States and its allies have accused Iran and Syria of sponsoring sectarian violence, a charge rejected by both countries. U.S. and Iraqi officials have also said Damascus is doing too little to prevent foreign Islamist fighters and weapons from crossing across its long, porous border with Iraq. Syria says sealing the border is impossible and Iraq must do more to patrol its side. Sectarian violence has continued largely unabated in Iraq. More than 2,900 U.S. troops have died and tens of thousands of Iraqis have been killed since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that removed Saddam Hussein from power.
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