Iraq's war against IS terrorism | Updates and Discussions

[Alienoz_TR]

https://twitter.com/x/status/525951376942465024

 

[Al-Kurdi]

https://twitter.com/x/status/525951376942465024

what a thick head, when Peshmerga entered they all fled with IS. Surely they deserve some punishment. His profile "Critical opponent of the global war against Sunnism."

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Interview: Iraqi army chief of staff on fighting ISIS
By Namo Abdulla 18 minutes ago

Kurdish Chief of Staff of the Iraqi army talks to Rudaw's Namo Abdulla about meetings with US President Barack Obama and other world leaders.
General Babikir Zebari, Chief of Staff of the Iraqi army, was among military chiefs who met in Washington on October 14 to discuss strategy against Islamic State.

This is the transcript of an interview he gave in the US capital to Rudaw’s Namo Abdullah:


Rudaw: Can you tell us what your meeting with US President Barack Obama and the military chiefs of about 20 other countries was about?

Babakir Zebari: We met with President Obama and the leaders of 22 coalition countries at the Pentagon. After dinner we had discussion into the late hours of the night. The official meeting was the next day. When half-way through, President Obama joined us for about an hour.

The goal of the gathering was how to eradicate ISIS in the region; how to deal with it in Syria and how to do it in Iraq. The priority is of course Iraq where there is a government, an army, and leadership. It is possible to know who you will talk to and plan with. Then if ISIS is defeated in Iraq, it will make the task easier in Syria. But despite that, they will not ignore Syria. They [the coalition forces] will target ISIS’s oil refineries and other sources of revenue in order to degrade their economy. And they will also target to kill them based on information they might collect from inside or from their own satellites and listening devices.

Another side of the discussions was about the division of tasks among the coalition and the freezing of their [ISIS] sources of income, training the Free Syrian Army [FSA] and which country is willing to train and arm them so that they can create an effective leadership and fight the Syrian regime. Four countries expressed willingness to receive the FSA and they were Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Qatar and Jordan.

On the topic of the war against ISIS, all the attended countries agreed unanimously that ISIS must be eradicated. They were all enthusiastic and agreed to work under the US leadership. And they all agreed that Iraq was the priority.

Rudaw: The coalition has now grown to more than 60 countries. But not only is ISIS not defeated, it is on the contrary advancing and gaining more territory in Anbar and other parts of Iraq?

Babakir Zebari: It is true. In some areas they have advanced but in many areas in central Iraq they have been pushed back. Amerli, Injana, Khalis, Muqdadaya, the Baghdad-Kirkuk road, the Baghdad-Tikrit road have all been taken back from them. ISIS’s initial might has been weakened since the coalition forces joined the fight earnestly. ISIS doesn't have the same strong strategy of the coalition forces.

When ISIS took over Mosul, Salahaddin and other areas, they came in control of vast areas and for that they needed manpower, so they called for volunteers. People joined the group for the money because ISIS had oil to sell for revenue. But now that source of revenue is gone and volunteers won't want to die. Therefore, I believe ISIS is facing trouble. ISIS also used to attack a specific area employing 80-100 well-armed vehicles but they can no longer use that tactic.

Rudaw: But a few days ago ISIS militants came very close to the Baghdad airport. They were only a few miles away and they were stopped by American apache helicopters?

Babakir Zebari: That is not true at all. They haven't even come close to Abu Ghraib which is very far from Baghdad. That is just rumour and not true. We even told the Americans that sometimes their information is not accurate.

Rudaw: The Obama administration announced the strategy of degrading and destroying ISIS. How possible is it to fulfil that strategy with air strikes alone?

Babakir Zebari: That is not possible. Unless you have ground troops there that land isn't yours. Therefore they rely on the Iraqi army and Peshmerga forces. They intend to strengthen and train both the Peshmerga and the Iraqi army for this task. They are not willing to send their ground troops and Iraq does not want it.

Rudaw: In 2011, right before the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, you said in a media interview that the Iraqi army needed until 2020 to be ready to defend Iraq. How long do you think it would take Iraq to have such an army?

Babakir Zebari: It was just a military plan we had drawn with NATO. It took us one year to draw such a long-term strategy for training the Iraqi army, officers, opening military academies and what needed to be done. It was an immaculate plan approved by the National Assembly and the cabinet. But unfortunately the Americans pulled out and the Iraqi government wasn't able to pursue the plan.

Rudaw: The question many people still ask is that how come ISIS, this group that the even the US was ignoring because it was too small to pose any serious threat, was able to take Iraq’s second largest city in the matter of a few hours?

Babakir Zebari: There were many causes for that disaster. There had been earlier groundwork for the attack on Mosul. Now we have no time to talk about them all. But it had taken from the time the Americans pulled out of Iraq until it happened.

Rudaw: Kurdistan Region President Massoud Barzani said that he had informed Iraqi Prime minister [Nouri al-Maliki] about the ISIS threat to Mosul. And even Mahdi Gharawi, one of your own generals, told Reuters that he had warned of the ISIS advance to Mosul but that no one had listened to him?

Babakir Zebari: President Barzani first spoke to me. When a few neighbourhoods of Mosul were taken, he told me to tell the prime minister to put aside political differences aside and prevent the attack on Mosul. He said that the fall of Mosul would be catastrophic for Iraq and all of us. He offered to send some Peshmerga brigades to assist the Iraqi army in the city because the army didn't have any reservists there.

Then I passed on this message to the defence minister who welcomed the offer and said it would be great help for us. The minister spoke with the prime minister but he rejected the offer. Then I called Mahdi Gharawi twice and told him that he was in trouble and that he should ask the prime minister for Peshmerga assistance because the Peshmerga were nearby. But he said, ‘No need for that, we can hold them [ISIS] back’ and I said, ‘No you can’t.’

Yes, President Barzani warned and offered assistance unambiguously but it was rejected. They [Baghdad] even said later on that the attack on Mosul was a plot. But who would want such a thing? Who would want ISIS to take Mosul, kill and disperse people and take their homes and property. What interests would the Kurdistan Region have in having ISIS as its neighbour? It makes no sense to prefer ISIS to the Iraqi government. But I think that is what the [military] leaders around Maliki used to tell him.

Rudaw: There are reports in the American media saying that the US military advisors in Iraq are hesitant about training the Iraqi army because they doubt their backgrounds and fear that the army has been infiltrated by terrorists and other elements, who could pose a threat to the Americans themselves?

Babakir Zebari: That is not true. Members of the Iraqi army are good people and they have been vetted.

 

[United]

Raed Jarrar, an Iraq political analyst, believes that "the US is stepping into an extremely bloody, complicated civil conflict. And we are funding, arming, Kurdish and Shia militias to attack Sunni areas. Iraqis will not see this as a fight against extremism, especially Iraqi Sunnis. They will see it as an attack against their neighbourhood. The US is only taking sides in a sectarian and ethnic conflict, supporting some extremist groups against other extremist groups."

 

[1000]

Raed Jarrar, an Iraq political analyst, believes that "the US is stepping into an extremely bloody, complicated civil conflict. And we are funding, arming, Kurdish and Shia militias to attack Sunni areas. Iraqis will not see this as a fight against extremism, especially Iraqi Sunnis. They will see it as an attack against their neighbourhood. The US is only taking sides in a sectarian and ethnic conflict, supporting some extremist groups against other extremist groups."

The US is not funding & arming militia's, they are funding government forces with a plan to create the national guard which has already started, the national guard draws locals to defend their cities and fight ISIS which will be Sunnis in this case. The locals in Anbar ( sahwat ) are being integrated in the national guard with people such as shaikh Ahmed abu Risha having a high position in the national guard. Ahmed Abu Risha - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Insight - U.S. scouts for Sunni allies on the ground in Iraq| Reuters

U.S. and Iraqi officials say it is not a rehash of the Awakening but will incorporate Sunnis into a "National Guard"

Raed shouldn't worry, opressed Sunnis will be the ones fighting ISIS on the front.

 

[Alienoz_TR]

IS pounds Shuala district of Baghdad, many casualties reported.

 

[Alienoz_TR]

Iraqi Soldiers near Camp Speicher, Tikrit. Morale is low.

 

[1000]

Iraqi Soldiers near Camp Speicher, Tikrit. Morale is low.

not morale but tired, lack of food/water and sleep.

@1:05
In Arabic : he has not eaten for 3 days.

They're resting, of course Alienoz doesn't need rest, he can jump 24/7.

 

[Malik Alashter]

Actually he is like his erdog support terrorist in hope they become a super duper power it's the wishful thinking but us the safavid will banish it D

 

[United]

The US is not funding & arming militia's, they are funding government forces .......................Raed shouldn't worry, opressed Sunnis will be the ones fighting ISIS on the front.

True very true US is arming so called government forces which in turn is arming and funding Shia militias...which will silently oppress Sunnis and which will create more dangerous groups like ISIS and this is the v reason of conflict....

as if there was no funding of government forces prior to all this.........how come all of a sudden millitias become brave warriors when USAF fly over there heads?

 

[1000]

True very true US is arming so called government forces which in turn is arming and funding Shia militias...which will silently oppress Sunnis and which will create more dangerous groups like ISIS and this is the v reason of conflict....

as if there was no funding of government forces prior to all this.........how come all of a sudden millitias become brave warriors when USAF fly over there heads?

Militias are funded and armed by Iran, using Iranian weaponry.

Militias were inactive prior to this, That's why...,

Anyway go blow urself up, easier for you to understand.

 

[Alienoz_TR]

Dozens killed in Iraq suicide attack
27 October 2014 Last updated at 14:28 GMT

The vehicle used in the attack is thought to have been captured from government forces
At least 24 people have been killed and dozens hurt by a suicide bomber driving a Humvee at a checkpoint south of Baghdad, Iraqi officials say.

The checkpoint - near the town of Jurf al-Sakhar - was manned by Iraqi security forces and Shia militiamen.

The attackers are believed to be militants from Islamic State (IS), who lost control of the town to government-led forces over the weekend.

Iraqi security forces have been trying to retake territory from the militants.

Jurf-al-Sakhar was seized by IS during a lightning offensive this summer that gave the group control over a broad swath of territory spanning parts of Syria and northern Iraq.

The town, 50 km (30 miles) south of Baghdad, is seen as a strategic buffer between the militants' strongholds in Sunni Arab-dominated Anbar province and Shia-dominated southern Iraq. It also lies along a major pilgrimage route used by Shia Muslims.

Government forces and allied militia have spent months trying to wrest control of the Sunni Arab town from IS. The Humvee used in the attack is likely to have been captured from government forces, reports say.

The US has been carrying out air strikes since August to help Iraqi and Kurdish security forces drive back IS.

BBC News - Dozens killed in Iraq suicide attack

 

[Alienoz_TR]

https://twitter.com/x/status/526746627554283522

After victory in key Iraqi town, time for revenge
(Reuters) - After helping government forces break Islamic State's grip over a strategic town just south of Baghdad on Saturday, Shi'ite militias decided it was time for payback.

A Reuters witness saw the fighters in green camouflage uniforms scream and swear at members of the Islamist group as they kicked and struck them with rifle butts in Jurf al-Sakhar.

As the angry crowd of militiamen around the unarmed militants swelled, shots rang out. The three men lay soaked in blood in the dirt with gunshot wounds to the head.

"Those dogs are Chechens. They don't deserve to stay alive. We took confessions from them and we don't need them anymore," said one of the Shi'ite militiamen.

The victory could allow Iraqi forces to prevent the Sunni insurgents from edging closer to the capital, sever connections to their strongholds in western Anbar province and stop them infiltrating the mainly Shi'ite Muslim south.

Asked why the three men were executed, an army officer in Jurf al-Sakhar said: "We don't need them anymore. Why should we keep them alive?"

Responding to the same question, a senior member of a local Shi'ite militia said: "When we liberated Jurf al-Sakhar we found the skeletons of innocent people they killed and never buried. They should face the same fate."

Islamic State, made up of Arab and foreign fighters, swept through the north of Iraq in June and controls large parts of the west as well.

Its fighters hold swathes of territory in neighboring Syria and the group seeks to create an Islamic caliphate in the heart of the Middle East.

The group has threatened to march on Baghdad, home to special forces and thousands of Shi'ite militias expected to put up fierce resistance if the capital comes under threat.

Jurf al-Sakhar looked like a ghost town. Many residents had fled the fighting. Islamic State fighters had for months used skilled snipers and roadside bombs to prevent Iraqi security forces and Shi'ite militias from advancing.

During that period Islamic State used secret tunnels built by Saddam Hussein to evade United Nations weapons inspectors to move and store weapons and supplies.

Iraqi forces brought in helicopter gunships and used rockets to build up pressure on the militants, who finally fled on Saturday.

DEAD SNIPER DANGLES FROM TREETOP

There were rows of abandoned houses in Jurf al-Sakhar, some still burning. Black smoke hung over the town, surrounded by farmland, irrigation canals and swamps which had made it difficult for Iraqi forces to make headway.

An Islamic State sniper who had attached himself with a rope to the top a date tree was slumped over and swinging back and forth after being hit by machinegun fire from a helicopter.

"This terrorist stopped us from making advances for the whole day and killed a lot of us," said another militia fighter who also asked not to be named, pointing to the insurgent's rifle on the ground.

"We could not stop him, only a helicopter could."

The bodies of more than 50 Islamic State fighters were scattered across Jurf al-Sakhar, on streets, in trenches, near houses and on the beds of pickup trucks, many of them charred.

The dead included 15 militants whose hands were tied behind their backs, lying in farmland.

The stench of death was everywhere as flies covered bodies.

Asked why government forces had not buried the bodies of men who were killed a day before, an Iraqi army colonel said: "Those terrorists do not deserve to be buried. Let the dogs eat their flesh. Many of our men were killed by them."

But then came a reminder of the determination of Islamic State militants to expand their reach to Baghdad in pursuit of a powerful caliphate.

As Iraqi government soldiers and militias savored their victory and were taking photographs of the bodies, mortars fired by Islamic State fighters who had fled to orchards to the west rained down on the town.

The blast hit the militiamen, killing dozens and scattering body parts. Soldiers who moments before were celebrating now screamed out in fear.

"Run to the ditch. Mortars. Mortars," yelled a militiaman. An army officer shouted at local militia leaders, berating them for advancing too fast, before helicopters had wiped out any pockets of resistance.

"OK, let's retreat," one of the militiamen shouted.

After victory in key Iraqi town, time for revenge| Reuters

 

[Oublious]

shia is good with backstabing...

 

[Alienoz_TR]

Suicide bomber kills 27 militiamen south of Iraqi capital
BAGHDAD Mon Oct 27, 2014

(Reuters) - A suicide bomber killed at least 27 Shi'ite militiamen outside the Iraqi town of Jurf al-Sakhar on Monday after security forces pushed Islamic State militants out of the area over the weekend, army and police sources said.

The attacker, driving a Humvee vehicle packed with explosives and likely stolen from defeated government troops, also wounded 60 Shi'ite Muslim militiamen, who had helped government forces retake the town just south of the capital.

...

On Monday night, a car bomb killed at least 15 people in central Baghdad, police and medical sources said. The attack took place on a street with shops and restaurants in Karrada district, home to both Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims as well as other sects and ethnic groups.

Suicide bomber kills 27 militiamen south of Iraqi capital| Reuters

 

[Alienoz_TR]

27 October 2014

In Fallujah, where casualties caused by the bombardment of the city have decreased along with the level of bombardment over the last two weeks, today's casualty report from the Fallujah General Hospital shows that at least 19 civilians have been killed and at least 39 wounded by the bombardment between yesterday evening and this morning.
A source at the hospital has announced that at least 1,442 have been killed and at least 3,422 have been wounded since the Anbar crisis began.
In Ramadi, a major military operation is underway in the western districts of the city. According to security sources they were able to advance but were met by fierce resistance by the ISIL gunmen.
In Baghdadi, a new three-front attack by the gunmen on the town was met with resistance by security and tribal forces. Seven members of one family were killed when their home was hit by a mortar round, while other mortar rounds hit a number of residences, causing major material damage but no human casualties.
In Hit, the gunmen are still holding the town, but there have been heavy clashes in the surrounding countryside.
A source within the Anbar Council revealed today that Anbar tribal leaders have met with the Iraqi National Security Adviser, Saleh Al-Fayadh. They agreed on the formation of new fighting units to be called 'The New Awakenings', so that they can retake the captured areas ofAnbar Province that are estimated 80% of the province's overall area.

Daily Updates from Anbar: 27 October 2014