Iraq president: Cooperation will end ISIS threat

Masum tells Amanpour in a CNN interview that cooperation between his country and the U.S. could end the ISIS threat:

If there is cooperation and coordination between Iraq and the United States, and the neighboring countries, I believe that that organization can be quickly wiped out.

Masum makes an appeal to NATO for help to fight ISIS:

From here, and through this interview with you, I request … support for Iraq, to fight those terrorists, because Iraq now is in a fragile situation, very vulnerable situation. And when that organization defeats Iraq, it can proceed to other countries. We need several things: we need expertise, we need know-how, we need some types of weapons that can be only obtained through agreements. But individuals, or boots on the ground – maybe we don’t need that.

He confirms that the operation to free the northern Shiite Turkmen town of Amerli from an ISIS siege was a cooperation between U.S., Iraqi and Iranian forces.

Gradually we are hopeful that we will wipe that organization completely in Iraq, and follow them wherever they are – even if we have to follow their sleeping cells in many other countries.

The effort against the group must extend to Syria:

It is important to strike ISIS wherever it is, because if ISIS takes over Syria then the danger will remain. If we can follow ISIS into Syria, we can do that through cooperation with other powers in Syria until we wipe it out.

Iraq’s new government will offer the country a new direction:

In the next few days…the formation of the new government will be declared. It will be inclusive of Shiites, Sunnis, and all other components of Iraq.