June 29, 2014
Residents and merchants in Iraq’s central province of Babil have agreed to stop importing commodities from neighboring Turkey and Saudi Arabia due to the support of Ankara and Riyadh for the latest violence sweeping Iraq.
Babil Governor Sadeq al-Sultani said on Saturday that the decision has been taken in response to the stance of the two countries toward Iraq and their support for the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) terrorist group.
Sultani further noted that the local government in Babil is boosting imports from Iran.
The development came on the same day that the ISIL militants in the Turkmen region of al-Sa’diye in Diyala fled toward Hamrin Mountains situated near the Iranian border with Iraq.
Iraqi armed forces along with tribal groups from Diyala have started a massive operation against the ISIL terrorists in the region.
Also on Saturday, Iraqi army, backed by thousands of tribal gunmen and volunteer forces, managed to retake control of the volatile city of Tikrit from the al-Qaeda-linked militants.