Iraqi expert underlines major challenges

Iraqi expert Wathiq Al Hashemi said that Iraq after the stage of ISIS will face serious challenges to eliminate dormant cells and sporadic attacks in places controlled by the Iraqi army, indicating that the first of these difficulties is the subject of princes of war, weapons scattered everywhere and armed groups.
He underlined the importance of social reconciliation inside the Iraqi community during the current period, saying that such reconciliation is critical point to eliminate ISIS as soon as possible and to contain the current demographic and geographical threats facing the country.
He pointed to the existence of Sunni parties calling for change in Mosul, while the biggest challenge is the existence of four million displaced in the country. He stressed that the economic situation poses serious challenge due to the low oil prices, while the government does not have a clear strategy to absorb them.
He revealed that the Iraqi forces were fully depending on the use of sonar to detect the explosives, while the authorities prevented its use after the bombing of Karrada, saying that the device came in the framework of a bad deal conducted by officials who were referred to the judiciary later.
He continued, “The Iraqi authorities turned to use several methods to protect the internal security, including the use of police dogs used currently in a large number of places in the country, while these dogs still need more efforts to be more active in detecting the explosives.” He blamed Iraq’s weather conditions for the inability of such dogs to perform their role, saying that they also need special kinds of food that are not provided in the checkpoints.
He added that the Iraqi parliament formed committees to monitor the work of these dogs, calling the authorities for ending the service of old ones and to replace them with younger dogs to be more active in detecting the explosives. He blamed the Lack of dogs’ care for Karrada bombing, saying that the car bomb was inspected by a police dog, while it failed to detect the explosive due to the lack of care. He added that the soldiers were feeding the dogs from their own food, saying that it is a big mistake and a manipulation of the citizens’ lives.
He added that Iraq’s security should be collective responsibility, calling Kurdistan’s government for performing a role in protecting the security of the country. He added that they should provide support for Baghdad’s government in the field of security.
Regarding the trenches drilled by the Iraqi forces in Najaf and Karbala, he said that such measures came due to the lack of security equipment in these areas so the local authorities turned to take such measures to prevent the infiltration of terrorist elements to these cities. He stressed the need for protecting the border area not to allow any extremist elements to enter the country during the coming period.