I read with interest the article “Weak link in fight against Daesh” (Nov. 14) by Abdulrahman Al-Rashed. I blame the Iraqi politicians for working against their country’s interests at the behest of Iran, which is playing a sectarian game in the region and trying to divide the Middle East along sectarian lines.

I agree with the writer that Baghdad is the weakest line in the ongoing fight against Daesh. Iraqi leaders need to implement inclusive policies to reduce the Sunni and Shiite schism, which has been widened because of former Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki’s sectarian policies and increased Iranian interference in Iraqi politics.

Had there been no strife between various communities in Iraq, they would have taught Daesh a lesson without any foreign help. I strongly believe that there is still time left to counter Daesh in Iraq and elsewhere. Unity of purpose is very important to fight terrorists. All stakeholders should do away with the approach of seeing regional developments through the sectarian prism. Daesh may be inherently anti-Shiite but it has no sympathies toward the Sunnis either. As a matter of fact, Sunnis are at the receiving end because they don’t adhere to Daesh’s deviant ideology.

Taheer Ahmed

Riyadh