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Former US envoy to Iraq: ISIL is "new version of al Qaeda"

World News

07-07-2014 | 10:53

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Former US envoy to Iraq: ISIL is "new version of al Qaeda"

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Former US Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker said that the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) is "a new version of al-Qaeda," adding that the group is "far bigger, far better organized, better funded, better equipped than al Qaeda that carried out the 9/11 terrorist attack."

In an interview with CNN on Friday, Crocker said that the US administration "should consider launching targeted airstrikes against the group’s strongholds."

"This applies to both Syria and Iraq," he added.

He also noted that the Islamic state may have done the US administration "a favor" by erasing the Iraqi-Syrian border, adding that "Washington must go after their targets wherever they are."

Last week, the extremist group announced the establishment of a "caliphate," which is an Islamic state extending across the region, adding that it would now be known as the Islamic State, rather than the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.

After 40 years working in the Middle East region, Crocker said he came out with two major lessons: Be careful what you get into, and be even more careful what you get out of.

"Disengagement can result in graver repercussions than engagement," Crocker said, adding that in his point of view, the U.S. "didn't do either very well in Iraq."

ISIL has controlled large swaths of territory across northern Iraq after seizing the city of Mosul on June 10.

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