Iraq's war against IS terrorism | Updates and Discussions

[Hindustani78]

Last Updated: Friday, October 21, 2016 - 12:05

Kirkuk: Gunmen wearing suicide vests attacked government targets in the Kurdish-controlled city of Kirkuk and killed 16 at an Iranian-run construction site further north on Friday as troops advanced on jihadist bastion Mosul.

There was no immediate claim for the attacks but nearly all such raids have been carried out by the Islamic State group, which is attempting to defend its last major Iraqi tronghold against a massive military offensive.

In one attack, three bombers infiltrated a power plant being built by an Iranian company near Dibis, a town about 40 kilometers (25 miles) northwest of Kirkuk, the mayor said.

"Three suicide bombers attacked the power plant at around 6:00 am (0300 GMT), killing 12 Iraqi administrators and engineers and four Iranian technicians," Dibis mayor Abdullah Nureddin al-Salehi told AFP.

A police lieutenant colonel confirmed the casualty toll.

The mayor said the attack led to clashes with security forces, who managed to kill one of the bombers before he detonated his vest. The other two blew themselves up once they were surrounded, he said.

Hours earlier, a commando of suicide bombers armed with rifles attacked multiple locations in Kirkuk, an ethnically divided city 240 kilometers (150 miles) north of Baghdad, security sources said.

A Kurdish intelligence officer said four suicide bombers attacked the main police headquarters in the city at around 3:00 am (2400 GMT Thursday).
"The security forces managed to shoot one of them dead, the other three blew themselves up," he said.

Several other targets in the south of the city were attacked by what the officer said were members of Islamic State, sparking clashes with security forces that were still ongoing five hours later.

A Kirkuk official told AFP that a total curfew was slapped on the city.

AFP

First Published: Friday, October 21, 2016 - 12:05

 

[Hindustani78]

Kurdish Peshmerga fighters position behind dirt barriers built along the front line with militants from the al-Qaeda-inspired ISIS and the Levant (ISIL), in Mariam Bek village, between the northern cities of Tikrit and Kirkuk, Iraq. File photo


http://www.thehindu.com/news/intern...-police-compound-in-kirkuk/article9250609.ece

The attack comes as the Iraqi government and Kurdish forces are making a major push to drive IS from Mosul.
Militants armed with assault rifles and explosives attacked a police compound in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk early on Friday in an assault that was quickly claimed by the Islamic State group and likely aimed at diverting the authorities’ attention for the battle to retake the IS-held Mosul.

Multiple explosions rocked the city and gun battles were underway, said witnesses in Kirkuk, speaking on condition of anonymity as they were concerned for their safety.

IS said its fighters were behind the attack, which the extremist group said targeted the Iraqi government. The claim was carried by the IS-run Aamaq news agency and could not immediately be verified.

Local Kurdish television channel Rudaw aired footage showing black smoke rising over the city as extended bursts of automatic gunfire rang out. The TV, however, quoted Kirkuk Gov. Najmadin Karim as saying that the militants have not seized any government buildings.

There were no immediate reports of casualties.

The attack comes as the Iraqi government and Kurdish forces are making a major push to drive Islamic State militants from Iraq’s second-largest city of Mosul.

Kirkuk is an oil-rich city some 290 kilometers (180 miles) north of Baghdad that is claimed by both Iraq’s central government and the country’s Kurdish region. It has long been a flashpoint for tension and has been the scene of multiple attacks by Islamic State militants.

Iraqi and Kurdish forces backed by U.S.-led coalition support launched a multi-pronged assault this week to retake Mosul and surrounding areas from IS. The operation is the largest undertaken by the Iraqi military since the 2003 U.S-led invasion.

Iraqi officials said they had advanced as far as the town of Bartella, nine miles (15 kilometers) from Mosul’s outskirts, by Thursday.

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/worl...ays-sending-aid-for-10000-to-iraqs-mosul.html

REUTERS
Published Oct 21, 2016, 8:23 pm IST
Updated Oct 21, 2016, 8:23 pm IST
The 20-truck convoy is carrying supplies including dried food, clothing and several hundred tents and beds.

Iraqi and Kurdish forces have seized territory around Mosul in recent days in preparation for a long-anticipated offensive on the last major stronghold held by Islamic State in Iraq. (Photo: AFP)


Ankara: The Turkish Red Crescent is sending trucks of aid to northern Iraq with enough food and humanitarian supplies for 10,000 people displaced by fighting in Mosul, the president of the agency said on Friday.

Iraqi and Kurdish forces have seized territory around Mosul in recent days in preparation for a long-anticipated offensive on the last major stronghold held by Islamic State in Iraq. Turkey has warned of a potential wave of refugees.

"In the first stage, we are sending this aid to the nearly 30 villages around Mosul that have been liberated. There are 3,000 to 4,000 people on the move from those villages, the trucks aim to reach them," Kerem Kinik, president of the Turkish Red Crescent, told Reuters.

The 20-truck convoy is carrying supplies including dried food, clothing and several hundred tents and beds. It also has enough clothing for as many as 35,000 people.


Kinik said between 150,000-400,000 people could ultimately be displaced from Mosul and that additional camps, on top of more than 40 already in place, were being built by Turkish aid agencies in northern Iraq in preparation.

"In a bad scenario, a new refugee camp, one for 100,000 people, could be built. The current camps are for 20,000 people," Kinik said, adding that the Red Crescent was working in coordination with northern Iraq's regional government and with the United Nations' humanitarian arm, OCHA.

Reuters / Thursday, October 20, 2016
An IED planted by Islamic States fighters explodes in front of Iraqi special forces vehicles in Bartella, east of Mosul, Iraq. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic

Reuters / Thursday, October 20, 2016
An Iraqi special forces soldier fires an RPG during clashes with Islamic States fighters in Bartella, east of Mosul, Iraq. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic

Reuters / Thursday, October 20, 2016
Members of the Peshmerga forces are seen inside a military vehicle north of Mosul, during an operation to attack Islamic State militants in Mosul, Iraq. REUTERS/Ari Jalal

Reuters / Thursday, October 20, 2016
An Islamic State suicide bomber attacks an Iraqi special forces unit with a car bomb during clashes in Bartella, east of Mosul, Iraq. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic

 

[Hindustani78]

https://www.navytimes.com/articles/...avy-sailor-killed-in-northern-iraq-bomb-blast

By: Staff report, October 21, 2016 (Photo Credit: Todd Warshaw/Getty Images)
The Defense Department released the identity of the sailor killed by an explosion on Thursday amid the U.S.-backed effort to retake Mosul from Islamic State fighters.

Chief Petty Officer Jason Finan, a 34-year-old from Anaheim, California, died “of wounds sustained in an improvised explosive device blast” in northern Iraq, DoD said in a news release.

"The entire Navy Expeditionary Combat Command family offers our deepest condolences and sympathies to the family and loved ones of the Sailor we lost," said Rear Adm. Brian Brakke, the head of NECC, in a statement Friday.

Finan had been assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 3.

 

[GiannKall]

https://www.navytimes.com/articles/...avy-sailor-killed-in-northern-iraq-bomb-blast

By: Staff report, October 21, 2016 (Photo Credit: Todd Warshaw/Getty Images)
The Defense Department released the identity of the sailor killed by an explosion on Thursday amid the U.S.-backed effort to retake Mosul from Islamic State fighters.

Chief Petty Officer Jason Finan, a 34-year-old from Anaheim, California, died “of wounds sustained in an improvised explosive device blast” in northern Iraq, DoD said in a news release.

"The entire Navy Expeditionary Combat Command family offers our deepest condolences and sympathies to the family and loved ones of the Sailor we lost," said Rear Adm. Brian Brakke, the head of NECC, in a statement Friday.

Finan had been assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 3.

One dead American RIP. How many millions of Iraqis have died?

 

[Serpentine]

It's so horrible to watch, they are just kids.

https://twitter.com/x/status/789592255074041856

 

[f1000n]

Sunnis... Locals...

 

[Osman Pamukoglu]

One dead American RIP. How many millions of Iraqis have died?

Iraqis shouldn't be terrorists.
Lets not blame everything on the Americans
There's no helping these type of people.

It's so horrible to watch, they are just kids.

https://twitter.com/x/status/789592255074041856

I don't care!!!! Keep them out of Turkey

 

[Hindustani78]

http://zeenews.india.com/news/world...ded-in-isis-raid-in-iraqs-kirkuk_1942402.html

Last Updated: Saturday, October 22, 2016 - 13:22

An ongoing attack by the Islamic State group in the Iraqi city of Kirkuk has killed at least 46 people, mostly members of the security forces, security and medical sources said Saturday.

"We have 46 dead and 133 wounded, most of them members of the security services, as result of the clashes with Daesh (IS)," an interior ministry brigadier general told AFP.

The toll was confirmed by a source at the Kirkuk health directorate.

The brigadier general also said at least 25 jihadist attackers had been killed since the raid was launched early Friday.



AFP

First Published: Saturday, October 22, 2016 - 13:22

 

[Hindustani78]

Iraqi forces signal the capture of the main church in Bartella on the outskirts of Mosul.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/intern...ary-carter-arrives-in-iraq/article9255545.ece

U.S. Defence Secretary Ash Carter arrived in Iraq on Saturday to meet his commanders and assess the progress in the opening days of the operation to retake the northern city of Mosul from Islamic State militants.

Mr. Carter will meet Iraqi leaders and military commanders to determine how the fight is going and whether or not any changes, increased resources or other assistance is needed.

His meetings in Turkey signalled moves to tamp down escalating tensions between Turkey and Iraq over Turkish military operations in northern Iraq. The divide has only grown as the operation to retake Mosul began to take shape.

There are some 500 Turkish troops at a base north of Mosul who have been training Sunni and Kurdish fighters since last December. Baghdad says the troops are there without permission and has called on them to withdraw. Ankara has refused, and insists it will play a role in liberating the city.

The U.S. service member killed earlier this week was the fourth U.S. combat death in Iraq since the U.S. began military operations against the Islamic State in August 2014. It was the first since the Mosul operation began, and the service member was working with Iraqi special forces northeast of Mosul and serving as an explosive ordnance disposal specialist.

IS assault kills 14 in kirkuk

Meanwhile, IS attacked targets in and around the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk on Friday in a coordinated assault that killed at least 14 people.

Mr. Carter is expected to meet with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi as well as other top officials.

The U.S. estimates there are between 3,000 and 5,000 IS militants in the Mosul area, but some of the top leaders have likely fled the city. A key factor will be how long those mid-level commanders stay in the city, or if they decide to leave.

The U.S. is uncertain how hard IS will defend Mosul. But, once the fighting gets to the centre of the city, IS will have certain advantages that are more favourable for the use of snipers and the restriction of vehicle movement.

More than 4,800 U.S. troops are in Iraq and there are more than 100 U.S. special operations forces operating with Iraqi units. Hundreds more U.S. forces are playing a support role in staging bases farther from the front lines.

 

[Hindustani78]

By: Staff report, October 21, 2016 (Photo Credit: Navy)
Navy Expeditionary Combat Command released the identity and information about an Navy explosive ordnance disposal technician killed Thursday in an explosion, amid the U.S.-backed effort to retake Mosul from Islamic State fighters.

Chief Petty Officer (EOD/EXW/SW/PJ/DV) Jason Finan, a 34-year-old from Anaheim, California, died “of wounds sustained in an improvised explosive device blast” in northern Iraq, DoD said in a news release.

"The entire Navy Expeditionary Combat Command family offers our deepest condolences and sympathies to the family and loved ones of the sailor we lost," said Rear Adm. Brian Brakke, the head of NECC, in a statement Friday.

Finan, a master explosive ordnance disposal technician was assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 3 and was serving in an advisory capacity to the Iraqi coalition force supporting Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq.

Finan joined the Navy in 2003 and served aboard the aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan from 2004 through 2006, when he was selected for training as an explosive ordnance disposal technician, according to Navy records.

Attending dive school first, he spent the next year in training at the Naval School Explosive Ordnance Disposal at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida.

His entire career as an EOD tech has been spent with EODMU 3 in Coronado. Along with the warfare qualifications listed above, Finan is an Iraq veteran who earned the Navy Marine Corps commendation for his service in combat. His awards:

Navy Marine Corps Commendation w/ Combat V
Army Commendation Medal
Navy Marine Corps Achievement Medal (two awards)
Army Achievement Medal
Combat Action Ribbon (two awards)
Joint Meritorious Unit Award
Good Conduct Medal
Nationai Defense Service Medal
Afghanistan Campaign Ribbon
Iraq Campaign Ribbon
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Sea Service Deployment Ribbon
NATO Medal
Rifle Expert Medal
Pistol Expert Medal

 

[Irfan Baloch]

Barzani's Peshmerga are one of the most incompetent forces in Iraq, but thanks to being a western favorite, they are covered extensively. Iraqi forces have advanced in too many areas without even one single US strike, yet Peshmerga can't advance an inch without heavy US air support.

Shia military forces asie... Iraqi forces dont have a respectable record themselves. abandoning their positions and running away leaving equipment has happened many times. without Iranian help or help from shia oriented private armies... Daesh would have overrun Baghdad.

Iraqi forces signal the capture of the main church in Bartella on the outskirts of Mosul.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/intern...ary-carter-arrives-in-iraq/article9255545.ece

U.S. Defence Secretary Ash Carter arrived in Iraq on Saturday to meet his commanders and assess the progress in the opening days of the operation to retake the northern city of Mosul from Islamic State militants.

Mr. Carter will meet Iraqi leaders and military commanders to determine how the fight is going and whether or not any changes, increased resources or other assistance is needed.

His meetings in Turkey signalled moves to tamp down escalating tensions between Turkey and Iraq over Turkish military operations in northern Iraq. The divide has only grown as the operation to retake Mosul began to take shape.

There are some 500 Turkish troops at a base north of Mosul who have been training Sunni and Kurdish fighters since last December. Baghdad says the troops are there without permission and has called on them to withdraw. Ankara has refused, and insists it will play a role in liberating the city.

The U.S. service member killed earlier this week was the fourth U.S. combat death in Iraq since the U.S. began military operations against the Islamic State in August 2014. It was the first since the Mosul operation began, and the service member was working with Iraqi special forces northeast of Mosul and serving as an explosive ordnance disposal specialist.

IS assault kills 14 in kirkuk

Meanwhile, IS attacked targets in and around the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk on Friday in a coordinated assault that killed at least 14 people.

Mr. Carter is expected to meet with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi as well as other top officials.

The U.S. estimates there are between 3,000 and 5,000 IS militants in the Mosul area, but some of the top leaders have likely fled the city. A key factor will be how long those mid-level commanders stay in the city, or if they decide to leave.

The U.S. is uncertain how hard IS will defend Mosul. But, once the fighting gets to the centre of the city, IS will have certain advantages that are more favourable for the use of snipers and the restriction of vehicle movement.

More than 4,800 U.S. troops are in Iraq and there are more than 100 U.S. special operations forces operating with Iraqi units. Hundreds more U.S. forces are playing a support role in staging bases farther from the front lines.

it is surprising to see that a church survived the terrorism of the ISIS scum

 

[Hurshid Celebi]

would have overrun

For sure. Founded by the CIA and led by elite ex Saddam officers.

Bro. Irfan. No surprise for me. Isis scum is watching his masters voice : " No violence vs. Yezid and Christians".

Otherwise 500 Million USD propaganda budget vs. Islam would fail.

Why a Yezide woman got a peace price ? Not one thousands muslim NGO s?

Please analyze. All territory left without combat from ISIS was occupied from US ally PKK/ YPG.

Same happens now in Mosul. West front is open and they can easy travel through PKK area to Raqqa.

Great show

 

[Irfan Baloch]

For sure. Founded by the CIA and led by elite ex Saddam officers.

funded by those who have no value for life of people in the middle east.

the making of ISIS is special in a way that it comprises of eryone who fit the job description regardless of religious, ethnic, sectarian affiliation people were selected on the basis of how useful they are to make this ISIS brand synonymous with brutality and savagery

the same CIA made a failed coup attempt against Erdogan but Turkey has (hopefully) recovered from it and I was wishing that Turks carefully reconsider their alliances and "allies" and put their own interests and security of their people first rather than what others want. Erdogon showed willingness to talk to Syrian regime and even approach Russians .. that pissed off the Saudis and Americans and the coup was plotted. . but thankfully failed.. I think it was a time that Iran and Turkey should have approached each other regarding Iraq since it is in their own interest to bring peace there and reconcile their differences.. but I am wishing for too much (cant help it because Turkey and Iran are our dear friends we identify much more than our Arab masters)

 

[Hindustani78]

One dead American RIP. How many millions of Iraqis have died?

United States is helping Iraqi Central Government to regain control of the territories which is being occupied by the Baathists.

 

[f1000n]

seems like abadi used the opportunity to return PMF and Iraqi army to kerkuk