Russia is not planning to launch an air campaign in Iraq, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, who oversees the defense industry, said in an interview with the Kommersant newspaper Monday.
“There is no provision for operations involving our forces in Iraq, it was not even discussed,” Rogozin said in the interview, which followed his visit to Baghdad.
Rogozin stressed that the Iraqi authorities are strongly opposed to the deployment of a military contingent on their territory.
“They are especially irritated when troops enter the country under the pretext of escorting humanitarian convoys,” he told Kommersant.
Rogozin also said that Baghdad is concerned that Islamic State fighters may cross into Iraqi territory as Russia continues it air strikes in neighboring Syria.
The Islamic State is a terrorist organization banned in Russia.
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