The governor of Iraq’s Sunni heartland province of Anbar said he has secured a promise of US support in a battle against the Islamic State, reviving an alliance that helped thwart an earlier Sunni militant threat, from al Qaeda.
Ahmed Khalaf al-Dulaimi told a foreign news agency his request, made in meetings with US diplomats and a senior military officer, included air support against the militants who have a tight grip on large parts of his desert province and northwestern Iraq.
Dulaimi said the Americans had promised to help.
“Our first goal is the air support. Their technology capability will offer a lot of intelligence information and monitoring of the desert and many things which we are in need of,” he said in a telephone interview.
“No date was decided but it will be very soon and there will be a presence for the Americans in the western area.”
There was no immediate comment from US officials.