Iraq Latest - Kbucket

Publisher: BBC

Author:

9 Jul 2016

John Prescott: Ex-deputy PM says Iraq War was illegal

John Prescott, who was deputy prime minister when Britain went to war with Iraq in 2003, says the invasion by UK and US forces was "illegal". Lord Prescott said he now agreed "with great sadness and anger" with former UN secretary general Kofi Annan that the war was illegal. He also praised Labour's Jeremy Corbyn for apologising on the party's behalf. Lord Prescott also said Prime Minister Tony Blair's statement that "I am with you, whatever" in a message to US President George W Bush before the invasion in March 2003, was "devastating".

John Prescott, who was deputy prime minister when Britain went to war with Iraq in 2003, says the invasion by UK and US...

Tags:

uk, united nations, usa

Publisher: Alaraby

Author:

3 Jul 2016

Scores killed in two separate Baghdad bombings

Two separate bomb attacks have killed at least 75 people and wounded more than 130 people in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, early on Sunday, the deadliest single attack in the capital this year. The first attack was a massive car bomb that rocked the Karrada district, a crowded commercial area frequented by young people and families after sundown during the holy month of Ramadan. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the Karrada attack. IS often targets civilians in Baghdad's mostly Shia neighbourhoods.

Two separate bomb attacks have killed at least 75 people and wounded more than 130 people in the Iraqi capital Baghdad,...

Tags:

isis, shia, suicide bombing

Publisher: Aljazeera

Author:

17 May 2016

Dozens killed in bombings in Iraq’s Baghdad

Three bombings in Baghdad have killed at least 70 people and wounded more than 100, police and medical sources say, as a wave of violence continues unabated in the Iraqi capital. A suicide bombing on Tuesday in a marketplace in the northern, mainly Shia district of al-Shaab killed 38 people and wounded over 70, while a car bomb in the nearby Sadr City neighbourhood left at least 19 more dead and 17 wounded.

Three bombings in Baghdad have killed at least 70 people and wounded more than 100, police and medical sources say, as a...

Tags:

shia, suicide bombing

Publisher: Aljazeera

Author:

17 May 2016

Dozens killed in bombings in Iraq’s Baghdad

Three bombings in Baghdad have killed at least 70 people and wounded more than 100, police and medical sources say, as a wave of violence continues unabated in the Iraqi capital. A suicide bombing on Tuesday in a marketplace in the northern, mainly Shia district of al-Shaab killed 38 people and wounded over 70, while a car bomb in the nearby Sadr City neighbourhood left at least 19 more dead and 17 wounded.

Three bombings in Baghdad have killed at least 70 people and wounded more than 100, police and medical sources say, as a...

Tags:

shia, suicide bombing

Publisher: Aljazeera

Author:

27 Mar 2016

ISIL suicide attackers storm army base in Iraq

Suicide attackers from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) have stormed one of the biggest army bases in Iraq and killed at least 18 soldiers, according to a military source. All 10 ISIL fighters who entered the Ain al-Assad military base in Anbar province on Saturday were killed, the source told Al Jazeera.

Suicide attackers from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) have stormed one of the biggest army bases in...

Tags:

isis, suicide bombing

Publisher: Aljazeera

Author:

26 Mar 2016

Suicide bomber kills dozens at football stadium in Iraq

A suicide bomber has blown himself up at a football stadium south of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, killing at least 29 people and injuring 60 others. The blast in Iskandariya, a mixed Sunni and Shia Muslim town, happened in the early evening on Friday at the end of an amateur football game, Falah al-Khafaji, the head of security for Babel province, said.

A suicide bomber has blown himself up at a football stadium south of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, killing at least 29...

Tags:

suicide bombing

Publisher: Alaraby

Author:

9 Mar 2016

Muqtada al-Sadr threatens to storm Baghdad’s Green Zone

Powerful Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has threatened to send his supporters to "storm" Baghdad's Green Zone, home to the country's government headquarters and foreign diplomatic missions. Sadr made the threat on the back of a worsening political crisis in the ranks of the ruling National Alliance over quotas in the expected cabinet reshuffle.

Powerful Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has threatened to send his supporters to "storm" Baghdad's Green Zone, home to the...

Tags:

power struggle, protests

Publisher: Aljazeera

Author:

7 Mar 2016

At least 60 killed in Iraq suicide bombing

A suicide bomber has killed at least 60 people and wounded dozens more by driving his explosives-laden fuel truck into a security checkpoint south of Baghdad. The suicide bomber attacked the checkpoint on Sunday on a strategic highway near Hilla, 90km from the Iraqi capital, reports said. Another 70 people were wounded in the blast, police officials said.

A suicide bomber has killed at least 60 people and wounded dozens more by driving his explosives-laden fuel truck into a...

Tags:

isis, suicide bombing

Publisher: Aljazeera

Author:

3 Feb 2016

ISIL suicide bomber kills Iraqi troops near Ramadi

Fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group have killed 18 Iraqi soldiers in a suicide car attack north of Ramadi, continuing their counterattack after being driven from the city by Iraqi troops last month.

Fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group have killed 18 Iraqi soldiers in a suicide car...

Tags:

isis, suicide bombing

Publisher: Alaraby

Author:

3 Feb 2016

Top Iraqi politicians: we created sectarian firestorm

Former deputy prime minister Bahaa al-Araji has said that the politicians who took over the country after the US occupation are the main cause of widespread sectarianism tensions in Iraq today. "The politicians that came after the [US] occupation have created the sectarianism in Iraqi society. When we political leaders and parties arrived on the scene we had no popular support," the leader in the Shia Sadrist Movement said on Monday in a televised interview.

Former deputy prime minister Bahaa al-Araji has said that the politicians who took over the country after the US...

Tags:

secterain violence

Publisher: Alaraby

Author:

1 Feb 2016

Over 1000 ‘disappearences’ blamed on militias in Salahuddin, Iraq

Armed militias continue to commit abuses in areas of Salahuddin province, according to official reports which allege forced disappearences carried out by the groups. Officials say that around 1000 people have been arrested by militias after the areas were liberated, and their whereabouts remain unknown.

Armed militias continue to commit abuses in areas of Salahuddin province, according to official reports which allege...

Tags:

iraqi security, militias, terrorism

Publisher: Aljazeera

Author:

2 Jan 2016

Iraq death toll mounts amid battle for Ramadi

At least 980 Iraqis lost their lives in violent attacks during the month of December 2015, around 90 more than November, the UN has announced, amid an offensive by the Iraqi military to retake Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province. The UN said the worst-affected province was Baghdad with 261 killed, followed by Nineveh with 68.

At least 980 Iraqis lost their lives in violent attacks during the month of December 2015, around 90 more than November,...

Tags:

civilian deaths, iraqi security

Publisher: Aljazeera

Author:

23 Dec 2015

ISIL ‘caliphate’ shrank by 14 percent in 2015: monitor

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has lost about 14 percent of its territory in 2015, while Syria's Kurds have almost tripled theirs. Iraq's government managed to claw back some six percent of its territory from ISIL in the past year, IHS Jane's said, while Iraqi Kurds regained two percent of their lands. The biggest territorial loser among the main factions in the Syrian conflict was the Syrian government, which lost 16 percent and is now left with around 30,000 square kilometres, according to the think-tank, less than half the area controlled by ISIL and a fraction of Syria's total area of about 185,000 square kilometres.

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has lost about 14 percent of its territory in 2015, while Syria's Kurds...

Tags:

isis, kurds

Publisher: Aljazeera

Author:

17 Sep 2015

ISIL strikes Baghdad with dual suicide bombings

Two suicide bombers targeted Iraqi police checkpoints in commercial areas in central Baghdad during rush hour Thursday, killing at least 21 people, officials said. The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) swiftly claimed responsibility for the attacks. Iraq is going through its worst crisis since the 2011 withdrawal of U.S. troops.

Two suicide bombers targeted Iraqi police checkpoints in commercial areas in central Baghdad during rush hour Thursday,...

Tags:

isis, suicide bombing

Publisher: Washington Post

Author:

7 Sep 2015

Iraq has finally started using the F-16 fighter jet in combat operations

The Iraqi military has used the F-16 fighter jet in combat operations for the first time, more than a year after Iraqi officials began pressing Washington to deliver them to assist in the fight against Islamic State militants.

The Iraqi military has used the F-16 fighter jet in combat operations for the first time, more than a year after Iraqi...

Tags:

iraqi military, isis, usa

Publisher: NYTimes

Author:

31 Aug 2015

Protests in Iraq Bring Fast Promises, but Slower Changes

For five Fridays now, thousands of Iraqis - mostly, but not entirely, youthful and secular - have gathered in central Baghdad s Tahrir Square to demand change. At first, the demands were small - improve electricity amid a summer heat wave - but the list has grown longer and more complex: Fix the judiciary, hold corrupt officials accountable, get religion out of politics.

For five Fridays now, thousands of Iraqis - mostly, but not entirely, youthful and secular - have gathered in...

Tags:

corruption, democracy, protests

Publisher: Aljazeera

Author:

16 Aug 2015

Iraq probe implicates Maliki over Mosul’s fall to ISIL

An Iraqi parliamentary committee says that former prime minister Nouri al-Maliki and other officials were to blame for allowing the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) to overrun Mosul last year, and has called for them to face trial.

An Iraqi parliamentary committee says that former prime minister Nouri al-Maliki and other officials were to blame for...

Tags:

isis, maliki

Publisher: NYTimes

Author:

11 Aug 2015

Iraqi Parliament Unanimously Approves Government Overhaul

Iraq s Parliament unanimously passed measures on Tuesday that are meant to transform Iraq s corrupt political system. Yet by eliminating several high-level positions and doing away with sectarian quotas in political appointments, the measures risk further alienating the country s Sunni minority while the government is struggling to defeat the Sunni militants of the Islamic State.

Iraq s Parliament unanimously passed measures on Tuesday that are meant to transform Iraq s corrupt political system....

Tags:

corruption, reforms, shoa leaders, sunni

Publisher: NYTimes

Author:

9 Aug 2015

Iraq’s Premier, Facing Protests, Proposes Government Overhaul

Facing widespread protests against government corruption and poor services, as well as a crucial call for change from the country s top Shiite cleric, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi proposed on Sunday to radically reshape the dysfunctional political system of Iraq that has been entrenched since the American-led invasion in 2003.

Facing widespread protests against government corruption and poor services, as well as a crucial call for change from...

Tags:

corruption, protests, reforms, shia leaders

Publisher: Aljazeera

Author:

3 Jun 2015

Dozens die in air strikes on ISIL in Iraq’s Hawijah

Dozens of people are reported to have been killed in air strikes targeting the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in Hawijah in Iraq, reports say. Sources told Al Jazeera that civilians were among at least 70 people killed in the air strikes on a warehouse controlled by ISIL. The US military said coalition forces conducted 18 air strikes targeting ISIL in 10 Iraqi cities since Tuesday morning, as well as four air strikes against the group in Syria.

Dozens of people are reported to have been killed in air strikes targeting the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant...

Tags:

air strikes, civilian deaths, isis

Publisher: VOA News

Author:

27 May 2015

Iran Challenging Regional Balance of Power

Fallujah, Mosul, Tikrit, Ramadi: One by one, key Iraqi cities fell to Islamic State militants as Iraqi security forces failed to hold their ground. In their place, Iranian-sponsored Iraqi Shi ite militias, who once battled U.S. soldiers, have emerged as among the strongest ground forces capable of pushing back the extremists. And now, in the battle to retake Ramadi, just as in the battle to recapture Tikrit, Washington has been put in the curious position of providing air strikes to cover Iraqi paramilitary forces supported by Tehran for decades considered an adversary of the United States and U.S. allies in the region.

Fallujah, Mosul, Tikrit, Ramadi: One by one, key Iraqi cities fell to Islamic State militants as Iraqi security forces...

Tags:

iran, isis, usa

Publisher: Aljazeera

Author:

25 May 2015

ISIL fighters set Iraq’s Beiji oil refinery ablaze

Fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group have set large parts of Iraq's largest oil refinery on fire, in an effort to thwart advances by Iraqi security forces. Black plumes of smoke could be seen coming from parts of the sprawling complex on Monday as the Iraqi army backed by Shia militias advanced to within 2km of the facility, which lies about 200km from the capital Baghdad.

Fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group have set large parts of Iraq's largest oil refinery...

Tags:

iraq security, isil, oil

Publisher: NYTimes

Author:

21 May 2015

How ISIS Expands

A central goal of the Islamic State is expansion. This week, the group, also known as ISIS or ISIL, took over key cities in Iraq and Syria. It aims to build a broad colonial empire across many countries. A year after announcing its expansion goals, it is operating or has cells in more than a dozen countries.

A central goal of the Islamic State is expansion. This week, the group, also known as ISIS or ISIL, took over key cities...

Tags:

isis

Publisher: NYTimes

Author:

17 May 2015

Key Iraqi City Falls to ISIS as Last of Security Forces Flee

The last Iraqi security forces fled the provincial capital of Ramadi on Sunday, as the city fell completely to the militants of the Islamic State, who ransacked the provincial military headquarters, seizing a large store of weapons, and killed people loyal to the government, according to security officials and tribal leaders.

The last Iraqi security forces fled the provincial capital of Ramadi on Sunday, as the city fell completely to the...

Tags:

iraqi military, isis

Publisher: NYTimes

Author:

9 May 2015

After Iraqis Wrest Tikrit From ISIS, Sectarian and Tribal Tensions Persist

The battle for Tikrit and its surrounding villages, which pro-government forces won more than a month ago, was seen as a crucial test of the ability of the Iraqi government and its partners - including Shiite militias, Iranian military advisers and the American-led coalition - to win back territory from the Islamic State. After the victory, an equally important challenge remains: stabilizing the Sunni-dominated area, and repopulating it, without recreating the sectarian animosities that helped the Islamic State seize the territory in the first place.

The battle for Tikrit and its surrounding villages, which pro-government forces won more than a month ago, was seen as a...

Tags:

iraqi military, isis, secterian violence

Publisher: Aljazeera

Author:

17 Apr 2015

Deadly blast hits US consulate in Erbil

A car bomb at the entrance to the US consulate in the capital of Iraq's Kurdistan region, Erbil, killed at least one person and wounded five others, the local mayor said. "A car bomb exploded outside the entrance to the U.S. consulate," Nihad Qoja, the mayor of Erbil's city centre, told Reuters news agency on Friday. "It seems the consulate was the target." Qoja added.

A car bomb at the entrance to the US consulate in the capital of Iraq's Kurdistan region, Erbil, killed at least one...

Tags:

bombing, usa

Publisher: Aljazeera

Author:

17 Apr 2015

Iran accused of sending 30,000 troops to fight in Iraq

Kurdish authorities in Iraq have accused Iran of sending 30,000 soldiers and military experts to fight the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group. Shakhawan Abdullah, the head of the Iraq's parliamentary security and defence committee, told Al Jazeera on Sunday that Iranian soldiers were operating in a number of Iraqi cities and fighting on Iraqi soil.

Kurdish authorities in Iraq have accused Iran of sending 30,000 soldiers and military experts to fight the Islamic State...

Tags:

iran, kurds

Publisher: NYTimes

Author:

15 Apr 2015

Tensions Flare Between Iraq and Saudi Arabia in U.S. Coalition

A remarkable clash between two key American allies in the Middle East burst into the open here on Wednesday as the Iraqi prime minister publicly criticized the Saudi air campaign in Yemen and a top Saudi official retorted that there was no logic to those remarks. The exchange, driven by sharply opposing views of Iran in the region, reflected the challenges facing the Obama administration as it tries to hold together a diverse coalition, including Sunni Arab states and Shiite-dominated Iraq, in the fight against the Islamic State, also known as ISIS. Iran is a sometimes patron to Iraq but an ideological archrival to Saudi Arabia.

A remarkable clash between two key American allies in the Middle East burst into the open here on Wednesday as the Iraqi...

Tags:

iran, saudi arabia, yemen

Publisher: Washington Post

Author:

29 Mar 2015

Iraqi army weighs cost of U.S.-led strikes in Tikrit as militiamen leave

Since U.S. planes joined the battle to retake Tikrit last week, commanders here say the strikes have killed top Islamic State leaders and reduced the capacity of the militants to move. However, the decision to call in strikes is also a gamble - because it has drastically reduced the manpower of pro-government forces.

Since U.S. planes joined the battle to retake Tikrit last week, commanders here say the strikes have killed top Islamic...

Tags:

iraqi army, usa

Publisher: NYTimes

Author:

26 Mar 2015

3 Shiite Militias Quit Iraqi Siege of ISIS Over U.S. Air Role

Three major Shiite militia groups pulled out of the fight for Tikrit on Thursday, immediately depriving the Iraqi government of thousands of their fighters on the ground even as American warplanes readied for an expected second day of airstrikes against the Islamic State there. The militia groups, some of which until recently had Iranian advisers with them, pulled out of the Tikrit fight in protest of the American military airstrikes, which began late Wednesday night, insisting that the Americans were not needed to defeat the extremists in Tikrit.

Three major Shiite militia groups pulled out of the fight for Tikrit on Thursday, immediately depriving the Iraqi...

Tags:

air strikes, iran, iraqi military, usa

Publisher: Intercept

Author:

13 Mar 2015

Atrocities committed by US Trained Iraqi forces – Again

U.S.-backed forces in Iraq are committing the same type of horrific war crimes - wanton killings of prisoners, beheadings, torture - as the Islamic State fighters on the other side of the front line. That s because torture, rather than being an aberration, was embedded in a strategy that was described, at the time, as the Salvadorization of Iraq - the use of dirty-war tactics to defeat an insurgency.

U.S.-backed forces in Iraq are committing the same type of horrific war crimes - wanton killings of prisoners,...

Tags:

iraqi military, isis, war crimes

Publisher: NYTimes

Author:

11 Mar 2015

Iraq Offensive Makes Gains, but ISIS Hits Back Elsewhere

Militant fighters of the Islamic State mounted one of their fiercest assaults in months on Wednesday, setting off 21 car bombs in the city of Ramadi, even as the group lost ground in an Iraqi government offensive in Tikrit, security officials said.

Militant fighters of the Islamic State mounted one of their fiercest assaults in months on Wednesday, setting off 21 car...

Tags:

iraqi military, isis

Publisher: Aljazeera

Author:

8 Mar 2015

Fierce clashes as Iraqi forces move on ISIL-held Tikrit

Iraqi troops have continued fierce battles with Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) fighters on the outskirts of Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit, as they try wrest control of the city from the armed group, security officials said. Army forces and Shia militia exchanged fire with ISIL fighters in clashes on Sunday in the western section of al-Dour, on the southern edge of Tikrit, officials told the Reuters news agency.

Iraqi troops have continued fierce battles with Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) fighters on the outskirts of...

Tags:

iraqi military, isis

Publisher: Aljazeera

Author:

4 Mar 2015

Iraqi forces ramp up offensive to recapture Tikrit

Iraqi forces have continued their offensive to retake the city of Tikrit, seized by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) last June, with troops claiming "gains" in the fighting, security forces told Al Jazeera. "They haven't yet gone into Tikrit. That's really because this is going to be a difficult fight, and that is because it is the biggest city they have tried to take back and it's full of ISIL fighters and is laid with explosives and that is one of the major worries."

Iraqi forces have continued their offensive to retake the city of Tikrit, seized by the Islamic State of Iraq and the...

Tags:

iraqi military, isis

Publisher: Aljazeera

Author:

2 Mar 2015

Iraq launches offensive to take back Tikrit from ISIL

Iraq has launched a military offensive against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in the latest attempt to oust the armed group from the strategic province of Salaheddin, which includes the ancient city of Tikrit. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abbadi arrived on Sunday in the northern city of Samarra in Salaheddin to oversee the military operation, and vowed to "liberate" the province "from the tyranny of the terrorists".

Iraq has launched a military offensive against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in the latest attempt to...

Tags:

iraqi military, isis

Publisher: Washington Post

Author:

16 Feb 2015

Iraq’s pro-Iranian Shiite militias lead the war against the Islamic State

Shiite militias backed by Iran are increasingly taking the lead in Iraq s fight against the Islamic State, threatening to undermine U.S. strategies intended to bolster the central government, rebuild the Iraqi army and promote reconciliation with the country s embittered Sunni minority. With an estimated 100,000 to 120,000 armed men, the militias are rapidly eclipsing the depleted and demoralized Iraqi army, whose fighting strength has dwindled to about 48,000 troops since the government forces were routed in the northern city of Mosul last summer, according to U.S. and Iraqi officials.

Shiite militias backed by Iran are increasingly taking the lead in Iraq s fight against the Islamic State, threatening...

Tags:

iran, isis, shia, usa

Publisher: NYTimes

Author:

16 Feb 2015

Sunni Lawmakers to Boycott Iraqi Parliament Over Shiite Militias

After the abduction and murder of a Sunni tribal leader last week, Sunni lawmakers, in an effort to pressure the government of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to curb the growing influence of Shiite militias, said Sunday that they would boycott sessions of Parliament. The boycott of Parliament was supposed to last a week, lawmakers said. Sunni political leaders have blamed the militias for the death of the tribal leader Sheikh Qasim Sweidan al-Janabi, who was abducted, along with his son, a nephew and several bodyguards, from a checkpoint in southern Baghdad on Friday. No one has claimed responsibility for the killings, but suspicion fell on the militias when the bodies of Mr. Janabi, his son and the bodyguards were found dumped in the Shiite-majority neighborhood of Shaab, lawmakers said.

After the abduction and murder of a Sunni tribal leader last week, Sunni lawmakers, in an effort to pressure the...

Tags:

secterian violence, shia

Publisher: Aljazeera

Author:

10 Feb 2015

Kurds ‘recapture’ scores of Kobane villages from ISIL

Kurdish sources have told Al Jazeera that Syrian Kurdish forces backed by moderate Syrian rebels have recaptured more than 120 villages around the long-contested town of Kobane from the armed Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group.

Kurdish sources have told Al Jazeera that Syrian Kurdish forces backed by moderate Syrian rebels have recaptured more...

Tags:

isil, kobane, kurds

Publisher: Aljazeera

Author:

6 Feb 2015

Baghdad decade curfew lifted

Iraq is to permanently lift a decade-old curfew on Baghdad beginning on Saturday, according to state TV. Brigadier General Saad Maan, the spokesman for the Baghdad Operation Brigade, said on Thursday that the directive to end the nightly curfew was given by Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abbadi.

Iraq is to permanently lift a decade-old curfew on Baghdad beginning on Saturday, according to state TV. Brigadier...

Tags:

iraq security

Publisher: NYTimes

Author:

5 Feb 2015

Jordan Executes 2 Prisoners After ISIS Video of Pilot’s Death

Lieutenant Kasasbeh's tormentors burned him alive inside a cage, a killing that was soon described as the most brutal in the group's bloody history. Jordan responded rapidly, executing Sajida al-Rishawi, who was convicted after attempting a suicide bombing, and Ziad al-Karbouli, a top lieutenant of Al Qaeda in Iraq, before dawn on Wednesday, according to the official news agency Petra.

Lieutenant Kasasbeh's tormentors burned him alive inside a cage, a killing that was soon described as the most brutal in...

Tags:

execution, hostages, isis

Publisher: NYTimes

Author:

1 Feb 2015

ISIS Says It Has Killed 2nd Japanese Hostage

The Islamic State claimed to have beheaded a Japanese journalist in a video released Saturday night, the culmination of a two-week-long drama that appears to have cost the lives of two Japanese men. The video of the killing of the journalist, Kenji Goto, came two days after a deadline set by the extremist group expired, and the Jordanian government did not give in to its demand that a convicted would-be suicide bomber be exchanged for Mr. Goto s life.

The Islamic State claimed to have beheaded a Japanese journalist in a video released Saturday night, the culmination of...

Tags:

be heading, isis, terrorism

Publisher: Times of India

Author:

28 Jan 2015

Kurds celebrate ousting Islamic State fighters from Kobani

Jubilant Kurdish fighters ousted Islamic State militants from the key Syrian border town of Kobani on Monday after a four-month battle a significant victory for both the Kurds and the US-led coalition. The Kurds raised their flag on a hill that once flew the Islamic State group's black banner. On Kobani's war-ravaged streets, gunmen fired in the air in celebration, male and female fighters embraced, and troops danced in their baggy uniforms.

Jubilant Kurdish fighters ousted Islamic State militants from the key Syrian border town of Kobani on Monday after a...

Tags:

isis, kobane, kurds

Publisher: The Guardian

Author:

23 Jan 2015

Mosul residents describe “hell” of Isis occupation as Kurdish fighters close in

Kurdish fighters backed by coalition air strikes have seized large swaths of territory from Islamic State fighters in northern Iraq, including a road used by Isis to supply the key city of Mosul. "I don t think anyone would envy the situation the people of Mosul are in," Masrour Barzani, the head of Kurdistan s regional security council, said on Wednesday. "The terror of Isis is too much for anyone to handle."

Kurdish fighters backed by coalition air strikes have seized large swaths of territory from Islamic State fighters in...

Tags:

air strikes, isis, kurds

Publisher: Washington Post

Author:

9 Jan 2015

The U.S. military is back training troops in Iraq, but it’s a little different this time

Years after the U.S. military tried to create a new army in Iraq at a cost of over $25 billion American trainers have returned to help rebuild the country s fighting force. But this time, things are different. With the Iraqis dependent on their own logistics, there is a shortage of weapons and ammunition available for training.

Years after the U.S. military tried to create a new army in Iraq at a cost of over $25 billion American trainers have...

Tags:

iraq military, usa

Publisher: Aljazeera

Author:

9 Jan 2015

US coalition drops nearly 5,000 bombs on ISIL

US-led aircraft have dropped nearly 5,000 bombs against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) targets in Iraq and Syria, as Washington said it was reviewing several incidents in which civilians may have been killed. According to statistics released by the Pentagon on Wednesday, the US and its allies dropped 4,775 munitions and carried out 1,676 strikes against the armed group.

US-led aircraft have dropped nearly 5,000 bombs against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) targets in Iraq and...

Tags:

air strikes, civilian deaths, isis, usa

Publisher: Jerusalem Post

Author:

30 Dec 2014

The religious cleansing of Middle East Christians

The fate of struggling Christians in Muslim-majority countries in the Islamic heartland has shifted from persecution to an existential struggle. Anti-Christian violence in 2014 saw a transformation from under-told news coverage, to routine reports of radical Islamists seeking to obliterate Christianity's presence.

The fate of struggling Christians in Muslim-majority countries in the Islamic heartland has shifted from persecution to...

Tags:

christians, isis, islam, persecution

Publisher: NYTimes

Author:

16 Dec 2014

Iraq’s Premier Has Narrowed Nation’s Divide

In nearly every way, Mr. Abadi has so far been a different leader than his predecessor, Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, despite their common Shiite political bloc. And though the obstacles facing his government are vast, and he faces political challenges within his own party, his early performance has encouraged a wide array of Iraqi and Western officials.

In nearly every way, Mr. Abadi has so far been a different leader than his predecessor, Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, despite...

Tags:

abadi, iraq security, maliki

Publisher: BBC

Author:

14 Dec 2014

‘Hundreds’ more UK troops to be sent to Iraq

Hundreds of British troops will be sent to Iraq in the New Year, Defence Secretary Michael Fallon has said. The deployment - to help train local forces - will be in the "very low hundreds" but could also include a small protection force of combat-ready soldiers, he said.

Hundreds of British troops will be sent to Iraq in the New Year, Defence Secretary Michael Fallon has said. The...

Tags:

military aid, uk

Publisher: Aljazeera

Author:

14 Dec 2014

How Iraq’s ‘ghost soldiers’ helped ISIL

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abbadi's campaign to purge the country's security forces of corrupt commanders and "ghost soldiers" should have a positive impact on the performance of Iraqi troops fighting the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), security officials and lawmakers say.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abbadi's campaign to purge the country's security forces of corrupt commanders and "ghost...

Tags:

iraqi army, isis

Publisher: Aljazeera

Author:

25 Nov 2014

Iraqi forces reclaim two key towns from ISIL

Iraqi forces have mounted their biggest operation since June, reclaiming two towns in the eastern province of Diyala from Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) fighters. In the province's south on Sunday, Iraqi troops and Shia militias retook the town of Sa'adiya and were moving towards nearby villages. In the north, Kurdish Peshmerga forces retook the town of Jawlala and were securing the area.

Iraqi forces have mounted their biggest operation since June, reclaiming two towns in the eastern province of Diyala...

Tags:

iraqi army, isis

Publisher: Aljazeera

Author:

20 Nov 2014

Deadly suicide attack hits Iraq’s Erbil

A suicide attack has left at least six people, including the attacker, dead in Erbil, the capital of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region. Dozens of people were also wounded when the attacker tried to drive his vehicle into the governorate building, only to be cut down by guards' gunfire on Wednesday. Three civilians and two police officers were among the dead, in the first attack to target the city's centre in seven months.

A suicide attack has left at least six people, including the attacker, dead in Erbil, the capital of Iraq's autonomous...

Tags:

civilian deaths, suicide bombing

Publisher:

Author: Al Jazeera English

13 Nov 2014

Iraqi PM removes dozens of commanders

Iraq's prime minister has dismissed several top military commanders in a move seen as his boldest since he came to office in September. Haider al-Abadi's decision, aimed at boosting the morale of an army battling armed groups, came following a probe into claims of corruption, prompted by military defeats that enabled fighters of the Islamic State in Iraq and Levant (ISIL) to seize large expanses of the country.

Iraq's prime minister has dismissed several top military commanders in a move seen as his boldest since he came to...

Tags:

corruption, iraq military, reforms

Publisher:

Author: Bill Moyers

10 Nov 2014

What Could Possibly Go Right?

The author gives a historical analysis on how wars escalate and how this latest US military endeavour into Iraq to fight ISIS has similarities to Vietnam and other wars.

The author gives a historical analysis on how wars escalate and how this latest US military endeavour into Iraq to fight...

Tags:

analysis, isis, us military

Publisher:

Author: NYTimes

3 Nov 2014

Iraqis Prepare ISIS Offensive, With U.S. Help

Iraqi security forces, backed by American-led air power and hundreds of advisers, are planning to mount a major spring offensive against Islamic State fighters who have poured into the country from Syria, a campaign that is likely to face an array of logistical and political challenges. The goal is to break the Islamic State s occupation in northern and western Iraq, and establish the Iraqi government s control over Mosul and other population centers, as well as the country s major roads and its border with Syria by the end of 2015, according to American officials.

Iraqi security forces, backed by American-led air power and hundreds of advisers, are planning to mount a major spring...

Tags:

isis, military support, usa

Publisher:

Author: The Guardian

31 Oct 2014

Foreign jihadists flocking to Iraq and Syria on ‘unprecedented scale’

The United Nations has warned that foreign jihadists are swarming into the twin conflicts in Iraq and Syria on "an unprecedented scale" and from countries that had not previously contributed combatants to global terrorism. A report by the UN security council, obtained by the Guardian, finds that 15,000 people have travelled to Syria and Iraq to fight alongside the Islamic State (Isis) and similar extremist groups. They come from more than 80 countries, the report states, "including a tail of countries that have not previously faced challenges relating to al-Qaida".

The United Nations has warned that foreign jihadists are swarming into the twin conflicts in Iraq and Syria on "an...

Tags:

al qaeda, isis, jihadist

Publisher:

Author: Al Jazeera English

22 Oct 2014

As Iraqi Army forces try to rally on the outskirts of Baghdad after two weeks of retreat, it has become increasingly clear to Western officials that the army will continue to suffer losses in its fight with Sunni militants and will not soon retake the ground it has ceded. Recent assessments by Western officials and military experts indicate that about a quarter of Iraq s military forces are "combat ineffective," its air force is minuscule, morale among troops is low and its leadership suffers from widespread corruption.

As Iraqi Army forces try to rally on the outskirts of Baghdad after two weeks of retreat, it has become increasingly...

Tags:

corruption, iraqi army, militants

Middle East Public date: 24.08.2017 23:12:18

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