U.S. airstrikes in Tikrit helped Iraqi security forces and Iran-backed militias take control of the city from the Islamic State group, but many men on the ground aren’t thanking America. Often, they accuse it of working against them.
“This is the victory of Hadi al-Ameri and God. The Americans had nothing to do with it,” said 36-year-old Badr Organization veteran Ali Jawad, The New York Times reported Thursday.
“Thank God and Hadi al-Ameri, and also the Iranian advisers who helped us. All [the Americans] did was bomb the wrong side and kill federal policemen the other day,” added 24-year-old car mechanic Mohammad Takrif.
Some militiamen even accused the U.S. of working with the Islamic State group.
“The Americans supported Daesh, not us. I saw them dropping supplies to Daesh with my own eyes,” said 40-year-old Adel Mehsan, the New York Times reported.
Iraqis on the ground said the U.S. airstrikes may have helped, but that weeks of stalemate were all part of a larger plan.
“Yes, the international coalition helped, but not really in a good way. Without them, we would have liberated Tikrit by Tuesday. They caused a big confusion with our plan,” said Muen al-Khadimy, a senior official in the Badr Organization, The New York Times reported.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest hailed Islamic State’s loss of Tikrit as proof the Obama administration’s strategy is working.
“What is clear is that over the last five days, this strategy of backing up Iraqi security forces that are multisectarian in nature with coalition airstrikes is a pretty powerful combination,” Mr. Earnest said, The Associated Press reported Wednesday.
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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