(MENAFN- Jordan News Agency) Chairman of the Joint-Chiefs-of-Staff and King's Adviser for Military Affairs, Lit. Gen. Mashal Zabin, held talks with Iraqi Prime Minister, Haidar Abadi, on means to cement military cooperation between Jordan and Iraq and counter-terrorism efforts. The army chief told the Iraqi premier that Jordan is keen on Iraq's unity and stability and voiced the Kingdom's backing of Iraq in fighting the terrorist Daesh gang. The Iraqi prime minister hailed Jordan's stance towards Iraq in the current difficult conditions and offered his country's condolences to the Jordanian people over the killing of Jordanian pilot Muath Kasasbeh by the terrorist Daesh gang.
During his several-hour working visit to Baghdad, the army chief held talks with the Iraqi Minister of Defense, Khaled al-Obiedi, and discussed with him issues of concern to the armies of the two countries.
In a joint press conference with the Iraqi minister, Al-Zabin said he was in Iraq to deliver a message from His Majesty King Abdullah II that Jordan and Iraq are in the same trench fighting terrorist organizations and defeating them wherever they are. Responding to a question on recent reports that Jordan deployed additional units on the eastern borders, Al-Zabin said armies move according to military needs and that any Jordanian army movement inside Jordanian territory is a sovereign Jordanian decision.
He said the Jordan armed forces are capable of dealing with any threat from anywhere in less than an hour, saying:" We don't need to move army units in the meantime because our borders are 100 percent secure and anyone tempted to attack Jordanian will die." The Iraqi defense minister said Zabin's visit to Iraq came in the right time in light of escalation in terrorism against Arab and Muslim countries. He added Jordan and Iraq maintain high-level coordination in the fight against terrorism.
Al-Obiedi said the Iraqi army has been preparing since months to liberate Mosul from the terrorist Daesh gang and when the offensive's requirements are completed, the Iraqi army will launch Mosul liberation battle. He asserted that the Iraqi army is ready to start the ground offensive to recapture all regions controlled by the terrorist group.
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