Iraq has said that its military officials are
engaged in intelligence and security cooperation
in Baghdad with Russia, Iran, and Syria to
counter the threat from the Islamic State of
Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a pact that could
raise concerns in the US.
A statement from the Iraqi military's joint
operations command on Saturday said the
cooperation had come "with increased Russian
concern about the presence of thousands of
terrorists from Russia undertaking criminal acts
with [ISIL]".
The move comes as at the same time Russia
has stepped up its military involvement in Syria
in recent weeks, while pressing for Damascus
to be included in international efforts to fight
ISIL, a demand Washington rejects.
The announcement also reflects Iran's
increasing influence just four years after the
withdrawal of US troops from Iraq.
Russian news agency Interfax quoted a
military-diplomatic source in Moscow as saying
the Baghdad coordination centre would be led
on a rotating basis by officers of the four
countries, starting with Iraq.
The source added a committee might be
created in Baghdad to plan military operations
and control armed forces units in the fight
against ISIL.
Iraqi officials on Friday had denied reports of a
coordination unit in Baghdad set up by Russian,
Syrian, and Iranian military commanders aimed
at working with Iranian-backed Shia militias in
Iraq.
The armed groups, some of which have fought
alongside troops loyal to Syrian President
Bashar al-Assad, are seen as a critical weapon
in Baghdad's battle against ISIL.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari said in
New York on Friday that his country had not
received any Russian military advisers to help
its forces but called for the US-led coalition to
bomb more ISIL targets in Iraq.
Russian demand
Despite more than $20bn in US aid and
training, Iraq's army has nearly collapsed twice
in the last year in the face of advances by ISIL,
which controls large swaths of territory in the
north and west, as well as in Syria.
Western officials have said US Secretary of
State John Kerry wants to launch a new effort
at the UN General Assembly this week to try to
find a political solution to the Syrian conflict.
Diplomacy has taken on new urgency in light of
Russia's military build-up in support of Assad
and a refugee crisis that has spilled into
Europe.
Critics have urged US President Barack Obama
to be more decisive in the Middle East,
particularly towards the Syrian conflict and say
lack of a clear US policy has given ISIL
opportunities to expand
A Russian foreign ministry official told Interfax
on Friday that Moscow could "theoretically" join
the US-led coalition against ISIL if Damascus
were included in international efforts to combat
the armed group and any international military
operation in Syria had a UN mandate.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/09/iraq-liaising-russia-iran-syria-isil-150927032744633.html