An Iraqi conspiracy claims America supports Islamic State – to divide and weaken the country – a rumor which could damage U.S. efforts against the terror group.
Islamic State captured the provincial capital city of Ramadi last month in Iraq’s western Anbar province. Displaced residents spoke to The Wall Street Journal from meager conditions, living under a Baghdad overpass. They agreed: The terrorists’ victory in Ramadi should be blamed on U.S. assistance for jihadis.
“We all know that America is providing ISIS with weapons and food, and that it is because of American backing that they have become so strong,” a 50-year-old Ramadi man told the WSJ.
Despite the lunacy of the conspiracy, it serves to explain Iraqis’ perception the U.S. is doing very little to beat Islamic State, particularly in comparison to efforts against al-Qaida in Iraq.
The U.S. launches an average of 12 airstrikes against Islamic State per day. But during the first 30 days of the invasion of Iraq in 2003, the military averaged a total of 691 strikes.
This conspiracy theory could damage U.S. strategy to rehabilitate Iraqi forces, reports the WSJ. President Barack Obama recently announced a plan to deploy 450 more U.S. military personnel into Anbar to train Sunni tribesmen against the Islamic State, despite also admitting there’s no complete strategy for defeating the group.
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