Rubaie Stresses Iranians’ Superiority over Americans in Advising Iraqi Army

(FNA)- Former Iraqi National Security Advisor Muwafaq al-Rubaie hailed the Iranian military advisors for their higher efficiency and preciseness compared with their US counterparts in helping Baghdad's campaign against the terrorist groups.

"Despite their low number, the Iranian advisors have appeared more efficient, precise and flexible than the American advisors and this is what the Iraqi security forces and popular volunteer forces needed in their battles against the ISIL," Rubaie told FNA on Sunday.

"The US advisors showed inflexible in training the forces with combat and warfare techniques and skills but the Iranians believe that the military methods and equipment to fight the terrorist groups should change based on the time, place, population and other conditions," he added.

According to Rubaie, currently around 4,000 US advisors are present in Iraq, while their Iranian counterparts are no more than several hundred.

Iranian officials have on many occasions underlined the country's support for Iraq in campaign against the terrorist groups, specially the ISIL.

In relevant remarks in February, Iranian First Vice-President Eshaq Jahangiri in a meeting with Iraqi President Fouad Massoum renewed Tehran's support for Baghdad in its ongoing fight against Takfiri terrorists.

"Iraq's security means Iran's security and Iran is always beside the Iraqi government and nation in good and hard times," Jahangiri said during the meeting in Baghdad.

He pointed to the presence of ISIL terrorist group in Iraq, and said the Takfiri terrorists had tainted the image of Islam.

The Iranian first vice-president stressed that ISIL should be fought and defeated not just through military means, but its ideology should also be confronted and stopped and its financial backups should also be cut.

"The people of Iraq and Syria are in the frontline of war against the ISIL and the international community should support them in this regard."

The Iraqi president, for his part, welcomed the Iranian delegation, and reminded that "Iran and Iraq have lengthy common borders and the two countries have age-old relations …".

He pointed to the threat of terrorism, and said, "ISIL's threat is not restricted to Iraq and the Takfiri terrorists are threatening all the regional nations."

President Massoum, meantime, thanked Iran for helping Iraq in its fight against the ISIL, and expressed the hope that the two countries' relations would further expand in future.