Iraq Conflict - 6/13/17

Pentagon Admits to Hundreds More Troops in Iraq
2/3/16

Hundreds more American troops are serving in Iraq than previously acknowledged by the Pentagon, U.S. officials said Wednesday.

The Pentagon had said there were 3,550 U.S. forces on the ground in Iraq to train and equip local security forces in the fight against Islamic State.

[link to www.voanews.com]

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That's a lot of 'trainers'.
Of course, I mentioned earlier that they would engage in this stealth build up.
Earlier articles posted on this site show what the Pentagon initially claimed they were sending, and we see now what they in fact really did.
They're not so hard to figure out. They do the same shit over and over.

The Pentagon released 200 images of detainee abuse in Iraq and Afghanistan
2/5/16

After years of fighting a court order, the Pentagon on Friday released nearly 200 pictures related to U.S. military abuse of detainees in Iraq and Afghanistan. The photographs belong to a larger collection of as many as 2,100 images taken between September 11, 2001, and January 22, 2009, and are part of various investigations into military detainee abuse. Some of the images are reported to be even more disturbing than the notorious ones from Abu Ghraib, but they remain classified.
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The photo dump comes months after Defense Secretary Ashton Carter invoked his authority under a 2009 law, allowing him to conceal a photo for up to three years if its release could potentially endanger American lives. He decided to conceal all of the photos, except for the batch of approximately 200, suggesting their release no longer poses a security risk. The small declassification also follows a protracted legal battle over making the entire collection public.

[link to www.newsweek.com]

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I see no benefit whatsoever in releasing these now. We already know of the Gitmo and Abu Ghraib incidents, and so does the rest of the world.
I do see another possible reason, and that would be to pull another FF, and blame it on 'Muslim reaction' to the images. Something like that happened not too long ago.....

Isis in Iraq: The Kurds have fought off the jihadists, but fear they will be used as cannon fodder and then discarded
2/5/16

Though the outside world is well informed about the savage war being fought between Isis and the Kurds, there is much less awareness of the economic calamity that has devastated the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the disputed territories it has taken from Isis and the Iraqi government. The disaster stems from three main causes: the Kurdish leadership’s quarrel, since 2014, with Baghdad over oil exports, which led to the Kurds no longer getting a share of Iraq’s oil revenue; the rise of Isis and its capture of Mosul; and the fall in the price of oil sold independently by the KRG, which is today only $21 a barrel.

[link to www.independent.co.uk]

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19 ISIS militants killed in Iraqi army attacks near Ramadi
2/5/16

At least 19 militant fighters of the Islamic State (ISIS) were killed on Friday in renewed attacks by Iraqi army forces in Ramadi city of Anbar province.

[link to aranews.net]

At least 37 dead after a string of Daesh terrorist attacks in Iraq
2/5/16

Ismail al-Mihlavi, Anbar operations commander of the Iraqi army, told Anadolu Agency that Daesh launched an offensive on three army headquarters in Ramadi city with bomb-laden vehicles.

[link to www.dailysabah.com]

Iraq plays down fears of dam collapse
2/7/16

Iraq's minister of water resources has played down warnings that the Mosul dam will collapse.

He estimates there's a 'one in a thousand' chance of failure and says the solution is to build a new dam or install a deep concrete support wall.

The US military has warned that a collapse of the 3.6km hydroelectric dam located near Islamic State-held territory in the country's north would be catastrophic.

[link to www.skynews.com.au]

Iraq planning to build giant "wall" around Baghdad
2/7/16

BAGHDAD -- A spokesman for Iraq's prime minister said Sunday that a security wall is being built around Baghdad but that it is "not politically motivated" or aimed at "achieving demographic change."

Saad al-Hadithi spoke to The Associated Press after an earlier statement from the prime minister's office seemed to dismiss the idea entirely. "Baghdad is the capital for all Iraqis and it's not possible for a wall or a fence to isolate the city," the earlier statement said.

[link to www.cbsnews.com]

Troops Fully Recapture Ramadi, Iraq Says
2/9/16

Iraq first declared Ramadi liberated in December when Islamic State was pushed out of the center of the city. But it took until this week for Iraqi forces to say the city is completely in their hands.

U.S.-led coalition airstrikes helped the Iraqis drive out the militants.

[link to www.voanews.com]

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Ramadi is basically...not there anymore. Good job of 'liberating'.

Images of Ramadi (updating)


A member of the Iraqi security forces stands guard during a patrol in the city of Ramadi, April 29, 2015.
[link to s1.ibtimes.com]


Iraqi Security forces enter the heavy damaged downtown Ramadi, 70 miles (115 kilometers) west of Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, Dec. 27, 2015
[link to l2.yimg.com]


Iraqi security forces make their way during a patrol looking for Islamic State militants on the outskirts of Ramadi April 9, 2015.
[link to static2.businessinsider.com]

[link to cdn2.bigcommerce.com]

[link to newsinfo.inquirer.net]

[link to images.indianexpress.com]

[link to www.aljazeera.com]

[link to d.ibtimes.co.uk]

A Russian delegation headed by Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin will meet with Iraq’s leadership later this week during a visit to the country

Read more: [link to sputniknews.com]

Iraq to Focus on Recapturing Mosul
2/10/16

Iraq's ambassador to the United States tells VOA Iraqi forces will now focus on retaking Mosul after completely recapturing Ramadi from Islamic State.

Lukman Faily spoke to VOA Tuesday, saying that like the situation in Ramadi, the battle for Mosul is an Iraqi fight and not one for foreign forces.

"We have not asked the United States for troops and there was clear agreement from both capitals that the fight should be led by the Iraqis, Faily said. "We don't need boots on the ground or combat forces."

[link to www.voanews.com]

We'll keep an eye on that meeting and see what comes from it.

Iraqi officials and the Russian delegation currently visiting Baghdad will discuss possible deliveries of modern Russian weaponry to the Iraqi armed forces, member of the Iraqi parliament\'s foreign relations committee Iqbal Abdul Hussein said Wednesday.

Read more: [link to sputniknews.com]

Much to the annoyance of the 'coalition', no doubt.

Sunni Resentment Muddles Prospect of Reunifying Iraq After ISIS
2/12/16

The retaking of Ramadi, the provincial capital, has been held out as a vital victory by Iraqi officials and their American allies, and one of the most crucial first steps in the government’s reclaiming Anbar Province and other Sunni Arab places.

But even as military goals are being met, Sunni families like those of Ms. Muhammed and Ms. Nouri are still voicing their fear and resentment of the Shiite-dominated government in Baghdad, highlighting that the broader goal of political reconciliation is not yet being served. Their grievances today echo those that initially allowed the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, to prosper two years ago as it began seizing territory from the Iraqi government.

[link to www.nytimes.com]

Russia Cultivating Iraq Market For Jets, Military Hardware

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Russia Dmitry Rogozin in a visit to Baghdad offered to provide more military aid and step up commercial ties, potentially eroding U.S. influence in the war-torn country.

Rogozin led the largest Russian delegation in years with nearly 100 government and business officials.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari said on February 11 that discussions revolved around providing military assistance to defeat Islamic State militants who seized a third of Iraq in 2014.

[link to www.rferl.org]

Russia is making a huge effort to challenge US influence in Iraq
2/11/16

Rogozin said he had met with his country's envoy to the command center, thought to be a one-star general. He said through a translator that Moscow would continue providing Iraq with military equipment which had helped "raise the combat readiness of the Iraqi armed forces", but provided few details.

He told Russian news agency TASS he hoped military aid would help Iraq retake the northern city of Mosul and other areas held by Islamic State.

Frustrated with the pace and depth of the U.S.-led military campaign against the militants, Iraqi officials have said they would lean heavily on Russia in the struggle to defeat the Sunni Muslim jihadists. The command center has shared intelligence for air strikes in Iraq and neighboring Syria.

[link to www.businessinsider.com]
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And when Russian airstrikes start wiping out McCains Muji in Iraq, we'll hear Western media screaming bloody murder, just like in Syria.
Good.

Thousands of Iraqi migrants ask to be flown BACK to Iraq from Finland because they don’t like the country and it’s ‘too cold’ for them
2/12/16

A majority of the home-bound migrants have told immigration services they want to return to their families, but some expressed disappointment with life in Finland.
'Some say the conditions in Finland and the lengthy asylum process did not meet their expectations, or what they had been told by the people they paid for their travel,' said Tobias van Treeck, programme officer at the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
Nearly 80 percent of the migrants returning home are Iraqis. Just 22 of the 877 Syrians - whose country is racked by civil war - and 35 of the 5,214 Afghans who sought asylum in Finland last year have asked to return to their home country.

[link to www.dailymail.co.uk]

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Exclusive: U.S. Allies Now Fighting CIA-Backed Rebels
2/13/16

The presence of militias fighting on behalf of Assad—a dictator that the U.S. has pledged to depose—is yet another reminder of the tangled alliances that the United States must thread as it pursues seemingly contradictory policies in its battles against the self-proclaimed Islamic State. In Iraq, these Shia militias were battling on behalf of the U.S.-backed government. In Syria, they are fighting against an American-supported rebel coalition that includes forces armed by the CIA.

In other words: The forces the U.S. once counted on to take back Iraq’s cities are the same ones the Russians now are counting on to get Aleppo back. And those militias are fighting units of the American-backed Free Syrian Army—including the 16th Division, elements of Jaish al Nasr, and Sultan al Murad—according to Nicholas Heras, a research associate at the Center for a New American Security.

[link to axisoflogic.com]

3 Americans abducted in Baghdad freed by Iraqis
2/16/16

BAGHDAD --Three Americans abducted last month in Baghdad have been freed.

Three Iraqi officials, speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to brief the press, said the Americans were freed by the Iraqi intelligence service. They said the three were in good health.

U.S. officials confirmed to CBS News that the three were at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad for medical evaluation, and would be flown by the Department of Defense to Kuwait and then on to Germany -- presumeably to the American base at Landstuhl, where Americans freed from captivity are routinely taken.

[link to www.cbsnews.com]

Oil Freeze: Iraq Ready to Cap Output, Iran to Maintain Share
2/16/16

Saudi Arabia and Russia, the world’s biggest crude oil producers, joined Venezuela and Qatar in an agreement to freeze output in an effort to revive prices from a 12-year low. Whether the deal succeeds will depend on Iran, Iraq and other large exporters joining in.

[link to www.bloomberg.com]

Crude prices rise as investors await Iraq, Iran oil meeting
2/17/16

Oil prices rose in volatile trade on Wednesday, as investors looked for clues whether an agreement between major producers to support prices can hold.

Later on Wednesday, Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries President Mohammed al-Sada will discuss a plan to cap crude production with ministers from Iran, Venezuela and Iraq at a meeting in Tehran amid wide-ranging skepticism about the chances of such a plan.

[link to www.marketwatch.com]

Mass grave containing 50 bodies discovered in eastern Ramadi
2/16/16

On Tuesday the commander of Anbar Operations Major General Ismail al-Mahalawi announced, that the security forces discovered a mass grave containing the remains of 50 bodies, including children in eastern Ramadi.

[link to www.iraqinews.com]

Pentagon leery of political pressure to move quickly on ISIL stronghold
2/16/16

Perhaps the clearest indication of the concerns about rushing the Mosul operation came from Army Lt. Gen. Vincent Stewart, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, when he appeared before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Wednesday.
Asked whether the Islamic State could be dislodged from Mosul this year, Stewart responded bluntly: "I am not betting on that, Senator. I think it will be very difficult to both isolate and conduct a clearing operation that would look like a clearing of Mosul this year."
He also predicted the battle lines are likely to remain relatively static in Iraq over the course of the next year.

[link to www.politico.com]

'Highly dangerous' radioactive material stolen, sparking fears of Isis 'dirty bomb'
2/17/16

Iraq is searching for "highly dangerous" radioactive material stolen last year, according to an environment ministry document and seven security, environmental and provincial officials who fear it could be used as a weapon if acquired by Islamic State.

The material, stored in a protective case the size of a laptop computer, went missing in November from a storage facility near the southern city of Basra belonging to U.S. oilfield services company Weatherford (WFT.N), the document obtained by Reuters showed and officials confirmed.

A spokesman for Iraq's environment ministry said he could not discuss the issue, citing national security concerns.

[link to www.independent.co.uk]

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Stolen from a U.S.-based company, no less. Really.....

US wants NATO to step up fight against ISIL
2/17/16

"It is worth exploring how NATO, as NATO, could make an appropriate contribution, leveraging for example its unique capabilities, such as force generation," US Secretary of Defense Ash Carter said after meeting allies at NATO headquarters in Brussels last week and referring to NATO's know-how in drumming-up troops, planes and ships from allies.

Seeking to recapture the ISIL strongholds of Raqqa in Syria and Mosul in Iraq, Washington wants a bigger European response to the chaos and failing states near Europe's borders.

Carter's call for NATO's help came as defense ministers from the anti-ISIL coalition met last week at NATO headquarters in Brussels for the first time, albeit with NATO insignia removed from the walls.

[link to www.todayszaman.com]

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B-1 bombers are no longer flying over Iraq and Syria
2/20/16

Speaking through video conference from his headquarters in Qatar, Brown said that U.S.-air campaign over Iraq and Syria might lose a “little flexibility” with the B-1 benched, but has plenty of other aircraft to make up for the deficit.

The B-1, first fielded in the mid 1980s as a nuclear strike bomber and affectionately called “Bone” by pilots, has since become the workhorse of the United States’ low intensity conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and more recently, Syria. Capable of supersonic flight and staying airborne for long periods of time, the B-1 is able to carry 75,000 pounds of internally mounted munitions. That includes dumb bombs, GPS guided variants and cluster munitions.

[link to www.washingtonpost.com (secure)]

Missing radioactive material found dumped in south Iraq
2/21/16

A "highly dangerous" radioactive material that went missing in Iraq has been found dumped near a petrol station in the southern town of Zubair, environment ministry spokesman Ameer Ali said on Sunday.

Ali said it had not been damaged and there were no concerns about radiation from the material, the loss of which raised concerns it could be used as a weapon if acquired by Islamic State militants.

[link to news.yahoo.com]

Iraq's Abadi keeps Iran at arm's length in war on Islamic State
2/21/16

As fighting in Iraq raged last summer, Iranian Major-General Qassem Soleimani came across unexpected opposition to his plans to defeat Islamic State.

Soleimani is the commander of Iran's al-Quds brigade and has been a key figure in the fight against the Sunni Islamist group in Iraq. That fight has been led not by Iraq's army but by Iranian-backed Shi'ite militias.

But in August, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi told Soleimani that a planned assault on the Sunni city of Ramadi should be left to the Iraqi army, according to a government official and two diplomats.

[link to news.yahoo.com]

Stolen "highly dangerous" radioactive material that sparked fears it could fall into the hands of ISIS found dumped
2/21/16

The material, which uses gamma rays to test flaws in materials used for oil and gas pipelines in a process called industrial gamma radiography, is owned by Istanbul-based SGS Turkey, according to the document and officials.

The document, dated November 30 and addressed to the ministry's Centre for Prevention of Radiation, describes "the theft of a highly dangerous radioactive source of Ir-192 with highly radioactive activity belonging to SGS from a depot belonging to Weatherford in the Rafidhia area of Basra province".

[link to www.mirror.co.uk]