The United States must help the Iraqi army save the country from a complete takeover by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, says David Tafuri, former rule of law coordinator for Iraq at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.
"The Iraqi army is going to have to be in the lead and play a major role. That means they're going to have to be reinforced,'' Tafuri, a partner at
Patton Boggs LLP, told "The Steve Malzberg Show" on
Newsmax TV.
"The U.S. has had a long history here in Iraq, spent a lot of time building up the Iraqi army. Some engagement by the U.S. and support is going to be needed.''
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He said the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) will not stop its bloody rampage through key Iraqi cities until it is confronted militarily, which the Iraqi army has been unable to do.
"It's very unlikely that they could take Baghdad, but the Iraqi army has really failed to prove itself so far. We don't really see it being reinforced yet,'' Tafuri said.
"I do expect Prime Minister [Nouri al-] Maliki in Baghdad will reinforce it, but that may not be enough to clear ISIS out of places where they are already.
"They're becoming entrenched there, so they need outside help. The prime minister needs outside help, and he's asked for it.''
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