Iraq in Crisis- Merged Superthread

[tomahawk6]

I guess he will be held in Iraq,until the administration decides how they want to handle this.This may just be the first US citizen to surrender.

 

[CougarKing]

Speaking of which, please note the incident reported on this other thread that involved a USMC artillery unit in Iraq.

Defense News

The Pentagon is planning to send more combat troops into Iraq
Andrew Tilghman, Military Times 12:45 p.m. EDT March 25, 2016

The Pentagon will likely send more troops into Iraq in the coming weeks to support operations against Islamic State militants in Mosul, the military's top officer said Friday.

Marine Corps Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that he and Defense Secretary Ash Carter will recommend to the White House expanding the U.S military footprint there as Iraqi forces undertake a complicated, large-scale offensive to oust ISIS from its stronghold in the country's north.

“We have a series of recommendations that we will be discussing with the president in the coming weeks to further enable our support for the Iraqi security forces,” Dunford said during a press briefing. “The secretary and I both believe that there will be an increase to the U.S. forces in Iraq in the coming weeks but that decision hasn’t been made."

(...SNIPPED)

 

[CougarKing]

The slow grind towards the heartland of IS territory:

Associated Press

Trapped civilians stall Iraqi forces battling IS in Anbar
Susannah George, The Associated Press
The Canadian Press
April 1, 2016


BAGHDAD - Tens of thousands of trapped Iraqi civilians have stalled the government's advance in the battle against the Islamic State group in the western Anbar province, the spokesman for Iraq's elite counterterrorism said Friday.

The civilians are trapped between the Iraqi forces' lines and the IS extremists hunkered down in the centre of the town of Hit, 85 miles (140 kilometres) west of Baghdad, the official told The Associated Press.

Meanwhile, IS claimed responsibility for two suicide car bombings that killed 11 security forces late Thursday night southeast of the city of Mosul, which is controlled by IS.

Early Thursday morning, Iraqi forces re-launched an offensive on Hit under cover of heavy U.S.-led coalition airstrikes, said the counterterrorism chief, Sabah al-Numan. Over the past week the coalition launched 17 airstrikes in and around Hit, according to Pentagon statements.

(...SNIPPED)

 

[CougarKing]

The latest IS atrocity:

Associated Press via New York Times

Iraqi police find 2 mass graves in Islamic State-free Ramadi
By Sinan Salaheddin (Associated Press) | Updated April 20, 2016 - 3:47am

BAGHDAD — Iraqi police on yesterday unearthed two mass graves in the western city of Ramadi, with bodies of about 40 people killed by Islamic State militants during the militant Sunni group's reign of terror in the city, officials said.

The officials said IS militants who were captured and arrested after Iraqi forces routed the extremists from the Anbar provincial capital led authorities to the site of the mass graves, inside the city's soccer stadium.

Bodies of women and children were among those found in the two graves, along with bodies of men in civilian clothes, said the officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to reporters.

(...SNIPPED)

 

[The Bread Guy]

A couple of related stories ...

• "A series of deadly attacks by ISIS operatives in and around Baghdad may be a sign that the militants are “reverting to their roots” as a terrorist organization, the top US commander for the Middle East said Wednesday ..." - more on recent bombings in/around Baghdad here (Google News)
• "U.S. commanders in Iraq are urging the Iraqis to keep up the fight against the Islamic State group rather than consolidate their military forces in Baghdad to protect against an uptick in terrorist attacks.  The debate comes as the Islamic State group, also known as ISIS or ISIL, has shifted tactics and begun launching more terrorist attacks against civilian targets. ..."

 

[CougarKing]

Already posted in the Pan-Islamic Civil War thread, but worth reposting here: a major turning point and a sign of redemption for the Iraqi Army?

Washington Post

Iraqi forces claim victory over the Islamic State in Fallujah

By Loveday Morris and Mustafa Salim June 17 at 2:16 PM

BAGHDAD — Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Friday declared victory over the Islamic State in Fallujah after a day of rapid advances as security forces pushed deep into the city center, dislodging the militants who have controlled it for nearly 2½ years.

In a televised address, Abadi said that some “pockets” of resistance remained in the city, about 45 miles west of Baghdad, but that it was largely under the control of security forces. Earlier in the day, Iraqi forces raised the country’s flag over the local council building, while commanders reported that they had retaken a string of neighborhoods as the militants abandoned their positions.

The Islamic State has been “broken” in the city, said Col. Abdelrahman al-Khazali, a police spokesman.

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[The Bread Guy]

I'm no IED expert, but I think this might help ...

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi ordered security services on Sunday to stop using fake bomb detectors at checkpoints after a bombing killed at least 120 people in Baghdad in an attack claimed by Islamic State.

Reacting after the deadliest attack so far this year, Abadi also ordered a new investigation at the interior ministry into "corrupt deals" to buy ADE 651 devices developed as lost golf balls finders and sold to Iraq and other nations as hand-held bomb detectors.

A police officer earlier confirmed to Reuters that these devices, commonly known as the "magic wand", were still in use five years after the scandal about the sale to Iraq broke out.

The British businessman who sold the detectors to Iraq and other countries, James McCormick, was sentenced in 2013 in Britain to 10 years in jail for endangering lives for profit.

McCormick earned more than $40 million from sales in Iraq alone, British police said at the time. His customers also included the United Nations ...

Go war marketeers!

More backstory on the fake detectors from the BBC here.

 

[CougarKing]

Child soldiers used by both sides in Iraq:

Canadian Press

HRW: Iraqi militias recruiting children ahead of Mosul push
The Canadian Press
August 30, 2016

IRBIL, Iraq — Iraqi militias are recruiting children from camps for civilians displaced by conflict ahead of the long-awaited operation to retake militant-held Mosul, according to a report from Human Rights Watch Tuesday.

Citing testimony from witnesses and relatives, HRW said two tribal militias in the Kurdish region of Iraq recruited children from a camp south of Irbil and drove them away to a town near Mosul.

The group said the recruits are intended to reinforce frontline positions against the Islamic State group in Nineveh province, where Mosul is located.

IS uses children as both frontline fighters and suicide bombers in Iraq and Syria. The group maintains an army of child soldiers, which it calls "cubs of the caliphate." Islamic State videos have shown boys killing IS opponents through beheadings and shootings.

(...SNIPPED)

 

[The Bread Guy]

Prepare to move -- move now ...

• "Iraq launches Mosul offensive to drive out Islamic State" (Reuters)
• "Battle for Mosul: Iraqi forces close in" (CNN)
• "Iraq forces launch military campaign to liberate Mosul from Islamic State" (Associated Press)
• "How Iraq Plans to Take Back Mosul From ISIS" (New York Times)

op:

 

[tomahawk6]

The assault on Mosul seems to be going well supported by 90 Iraqi/coalition aircraft.I think the IS has pulled many of its fighters out of the city leaving behind their most fanatical fighters.It may well degenerate into classic block by block fighting.If that happens the real losers will be the civilian population.

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/10/17/middleeast/mosul-isis-operation-begins-iraq/

 

[jollyjacktar]

If that happens the real losers will be the civilian population.
http://edition.cnn.com/2016/10/17/middleeast/mosul-isis-operation-begins-iraq/

As always, they're the poor bastards who get it in the neck.

 

[The Bread Guy]

This appears to be a bit of a bolt out of the blue ...

Parliament in Iraq has voted to ban the sale, import and production of alcohol, with backers of the move arguing that its availability contradicts Islam and is unconstitutional.

Opponents argue that the vote infringes constitutional guarantees of freedom of religious belief for minority groups such as Christians.

They say they will appeal against the surprise decision in the courts.

An official said that the ban was a last-minute move by conservatives.

Since the fall of Saddam Hussein, activities perceived to be contrary to the moral code of Islam have come under repeated attack, with alcohol shops targeted in Baghdad and other cities.

While alcohol is not commonly found in restaurants and hotels in Iraq, correspondents say its consumption is relatively widespread in the scores of small shops and bars in Baghdad.

Correspondents say the new law has been passed at a time when attention is focused on the battle to wrest control of Mosul from the militant group known as Islamic State ...

 

[SeaKingTacco]

Well, who would have seen that coming?

 

[dimsum]

Well, who would have seen that coming?

Surely not I.  :

 

[The Bread Guy]

Meanwhile ...
"Analysis: Which Iraq will triumph in Mosul?"

 

[The Bread Guy]

Alcohol ban law firing alright, law - STOPS!

Iraqi President Fuad Masoum has refused to approve the law banning alcohol which has recently been passed by the parliament.

Ameer Kinani, an advisor to the Iraqi president, said in a press conference that after the bill of prohibiting alcohol was passed by the Iraqi parliament, it was sent to the Iraqi president for approval. The president, however, has refused to approve the law, he said, noting that the president is defending the rights and freedom of the Iraqi people as prescribed in the federal constitution.

The Iraqi parliament passed a law on October 22 which prohibits the import, production and sales of alcoholic beverages. The law however angered many in the country’s Christian community who rely on the business ...

 

[tomahawk6]

French Army Caesar artillery battery supporting Mosul operation as part of TF Wagram..

https://www.yahoo.com/news/south-mosul-french-guns-back-iraqi-forces-163257942.html


"We are providing permanent support to the Iraqi troops, 24 hours a day," says Captain Alexandre, whose full name is being withheld for security reasons.

The captain is in charge of five CAESAR artillery vehicles -- trucks mounted with eight-metre-long 155mm howitzers, which have been deployed previously on French military operations in Afghanistan and Mali.

The guns are each operated by five soldiers and can fire up to six times a minute.

"We have different types of munitions: explosives that can neutralise or destroy; but also that can light up the battlefield or blind with a curtain of smoke," the captain says.

About 100 French troops have been deployed since early September as part of the task force, mainly from artillery units.

Its commander, Colonel Benoit, says the name of the task force is especially appropriate.

"Wagram is a reference to the Napoleonic battle of 1809, a victory in which the use of artillery was decisive and which was won by the Grande Armee, which was also a coalition," the colonel says.

The French soldiers are based at Qayyarah, which lies about 60 kilometres (40 miles) south of Mosul and is the main staging point for the southern front.

 

[daftandbarmy]

Looks like we'll have quite a while to figure this all out:


BBC: UK ambassador - Gulf crisis 'could last 10-15 years'

https://www.iiss.org/en/expert%20commentary/blogsections/2015-23ef/february-9d08/gulf-crisis-could-last-10-15-years-d803

 

[Journeyman]

BBC: UK ambassador - Gulf crisis 'could last 10-15 years'

Sounds like a bit of an optimist. 

 

[Eye In The Sky]

Few more recent developments. 

Iraqi Shi’ite militias [PMF] say offensive toward Tal Afar started

ISIL captures Iraq town of Rutba as Mosul battle rages

Iraqi Forces Battle ISIS in Western Town, Far From Mosul

* Rutba or Ar Ruthbah is in Western Anbar, basically SW of Al Qaim in the middle of BFN.  Primarily Sunni area.