Who's in Charge of the Fight Against ISIS in Tikrit? US Balks at Iraqi Plea for Intel on ISIS

For the first time since Iraqi forces launched an operation to recapture the city of Tikrit, Baghdad has asked the United States for intelligence to help beat back the Islamic State (ISIS) in a counteroffensive that’s stalled on the outskirts of the city, a senior U.S. military official in Iraq told Newsweek.

Yet in a sign of Washington’s unease with the major role being played by Iranian-backed militias in the battle against ISIS, U.S. officials balked at providing assistance, and instead demanded that Baghdad first appoint its own overall commander for the operation, part of which is being overseen by Iranian military advisers.

As it stands, nobody knows who’s in charge of the Tikrit operation, said this official, who spoke on condition of anonymity according to diplomatic protocol.

"As a matter of policy, the United States does not coordinate...anything with Iran," the official added. "The Iraqis have some homework to do on this before we are able to assist them in the area they've asked for."

Speaking by phone from his headquarters in Baghdad, the official said Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi asked for U.S. assistance in providing intel on ISIS’s defenses in Tikrit last Saturday.

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http://www.newsweek.com/tikrit-isis-iran-312719