Iraq Warns of ‘A Thousand Bin Ladens’ in SOS Plea to World for Help Stopping Isis Advance

THE INDEPENDENT: The Iraqi ambassador to the US has issued a desperate plea for international assistance dealing with the rise of Sunni militants across his country, warning that a failure to do so will lead to the emergence of “a thousand [Osama] bin Ladens”.

Comparing the threat to Iraq from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isis) with that to Afghanistan from al-Qa’ida, Lukman Faily has told a number of US media outlets that he wants to issue “an SOS, not just for us, but for the whole globe”.

The ambassador’s comments come as President Barack Obama considers the intervention options available to the US, from drone strikes to providing Special Forces training.

And while Mr Faily agreed that Iraq does not need to see the US put “boots on the ground”, the immediacy of the threat means there is not time for “long discussions” as to which measures will be taken. » | Adam Withnall | Tuesday, June 17, 2014