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WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Top U.S. national security officials agreed on Wednesday on a proposed range of options to present to President Donald Trump aimed at deterring any attack on U.S. military or diplomatic personnel in Iraq, a senior administration official told Reuters.

FILE PHOTO: A man looks at the damage after the Iraqi military said rockets fell inside Baghdad's Green Zone, Iraq November 18, 2020. REUTERS/Khalid al-Mousily/File Photo

The meeting was spurred by an attack on Sunday in which rockets landed in Baghdads heavily fortified Green Zone compound targeting the U.S. Embassy and causing some minor damage, the Iraqi military and the embassy said.

The so-called principals committee group, including acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and national security adviser Robert OBrien met at the White House, said the official, who requested anonymity.

A range of options would be presented soon to Trump, said the official, who would not describe the content of the options or say whether they included military action.

Each one is designed to be non-escalatory and to deter further attack, the official said.

After the meeting, Trump, without giving evidence, said on Twitter that the rockets on Sunday were from Iran and we hear chatter of additional attacks against Americans in Iraq.

Some friendly health advice to Iran: If one American is killed, I will hold Iran responsible. Think it over, Trump said.

The Iraqi military blamed Sundays attack on an outlaw group.

U.S. Central Command said that Sundays attack was almost certainly conducted by an Iranian-backed Rogue Militia Group.

While this 21 rocket attack caused no U.S. injuries or casualties, the attack did damage buildings in the U.S. Embassy compound, and was clearly NOT intended to avoid casualties, it said in a statement.

Another U.S. official, also speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that after the meeting of senior leaders, the strategy was to be vocal about Sundays attack but there was not a move towards using military force. The official added that the calculus could change if there were future attacks, especially if they harmed Americans.

In recent days there has been increased concern and vigilance about what Iranian-backed forces might do in the lead up to the anniversary of a Jan. 3 U.S. drone strike in Iraq that killed top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, the official said.

Washington blames Iran-backed militia for regular rocket attacks on U.S. facilities in Iraq, including near the embassy. No known Iran-backed groups have claimed responsibility.

The senior administration official said the aim of the White House meeting was to develop the right set of options that we could present to the president to make sure that we deter the Iranians and Shia militias in Iraq from conducting attacks on our personnel.

An array of militia groups announced in October that they had suspended rocket attacks on U.S. forces on condition that Iraqs government present a timetable for the withdrawal of American troops.

But a rocket strike on the U.S. Embassy on Nov. 18 was a clear sign that Iranian-backed militias had decided to resume attacks on U.S. bases, according to Iraqi security officials.

Washington, which is slowly reducing its 5,000 troops in Iraq, threatened to shut its embassy unless the Iraqi government reins in Iran-aligned militias.

Reporting By Steve Holland. Additional reporting by Idrees Ali; Editing by Grant McCool

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Top U.S. officials agree options to give Trump for any attacks on Americans in Iraq - Reuters

Iraq is banning air travel to or from eight countries to guard against the spread of a new variant of the coronavirus, and is ordering public venues like shopping malls and restaurants to close, a cabinet statement said on Tuesday.

The two-week travel prohibition comes into effect on Dec. 24 and covers Britain, South Africa, Australia, Denmark, Iran, Japan, Belgium and the Netherlands. It could be extended depending on the spread of the virus variant in those nations.

Iraqi citizens in those countries will be allowed to return, subject to a two-week quarantine on arrival.

All land borders with neighbouring nations will also be closed to travellers for two weeks, though the transport of commodities will be permitted, authorities said.

The government ordered malls, restaurants, clubs and other social venues to close for two weeks from Dec. 24.

Iraq has recorded 586,503 cases of Covid-19, including 12,725 deaths, according to the health ministry.

The ministry said it had reached an agreement with Pfizer to import 1.5 million doses of its Covid-19 vaccine, which would arrive in the country early next year.

Read more:
Iraq bans air travel with eight nations over new variant of virus - Hindustan Times

Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Mustafa al-Kadhimi delivers a speech during the vote on the new government at the parliament headquarters in Baghdad, May 7, 2020. (Iraqi Parliament Media Office/Handout via Reuters)

On October 15, 2003, Iraq began to distribute new dinar bills, graced with the likeness of an ancient Babylonian ruler and a tenth-century mathematician. By January 15, 2004, new dinars replaced the two types of notes that were in circulation. Old Saddam dinars were swapped for new dinars at a one-to-one rate, and each so-called Swiss dinar fetched 150 new dinars. Bank accounts and contracts were converted at the same rates, and Iraqi salaries began to be paid in crisp new notes. The new currency became convertible into foreign currencies at market rates.

Iraqs currency swap was heralded with great fanfare in Baghdad and Washington. As President George W. Bush put it: The new currency symbolizes Iraqs reviving economy.

Not so fast. Iraq has lacked law and order, let alone the rule of law. Without these, we should never have expected the new notes to ignite an Iraqi Wirtschaftswunder. They most certainly have not.

Indeed, the neoconservative Paul Wolfowitz, the former Deputy Secretary of Defense and engineer of the Iraq War infamously predicted on March 27, 2003, in front of the U.S House Appropriations Committee that Theres a lot of money to pay for this . . . the oil revenues of that country could bring between $50 and $100 billion over the course of the next two or three years . . . Were dealing with a country that can really finance its own reconstruction, and relatively soon. Anyone who believed in this nonsense must put great faith in the Tooth Fairy.

Just look what has happened to Iraqs junk currency, the Iraqi dinar. On Saturday, the Central Bank of Iraq announced a whopping 20 percent devaluation of the dinar. So, next weeks Hankes Currency Watchlist, which is nothing more than a rogues gallery of junk currencies, will include the Iraqi dinar:

This brings me back to September 2003, when I recommended that Iraq replace the dinar with the U.S. dollar. If dollarized, Iraq would then have returned to a regime that it used from 1916-31, when the Indian rupee was its legal tender. The adoption of a stable international currency would have avoided the pitfalls of Iraqi central banking and would have immediately provide Iraqis with stable money. And, while stable money might not be everything without it, everything is nothing.

Link:
Another Junk Currency, the Iraqi Dinar, Bites the Dust - National Review

If I would have never met Luke, CreatiVets would have never existed," said Richard Casper. "I know Luke has saved lives. We know it."

HOUSTON Music can help to heal even the deepest wounds of war. With the help of some famous songwriters, military veterans are sharing their pain through song.

CreatiVets, the non-profit organization that makes it all happen, started offering music therapy to veterans in honor of Kingwood native Luke Yepsen.

The U.S. Marine Corps. Lance Cpl. was killed in Iraq 14 years ago this week.

He 100 percent saved my life, said CreatiVets Co-Founder Richard Casper of Yepsen.

Every Dec. 14, Casper flies to Houston and visits Yepsens grave at the Houston National Cemetery.

I talk to Luke, and I say, heres whats happened this year," Casper said.

USMC Lance Cpl. Yepsen was the gunner for Caspers Humvee squad in Fallujah, Iraq in 2006. The Marines patrolled a stretch of road looking for improvised explosive devices.

On Dec.14, 2006, we saw an IED on the road and we blocked it off to protect everyone around. And then I say, Luke get down in the truck, Casper said.

He remembers seeing Yepsens legs fold down into the Humvee, which signaled that the 20-year old gunner was in a sitting position.

And then I see him scoot back up, but thats because they keep coming forward to us, and he keeps doing his job, and I was like, man, Luke. Just get down. And he got down and he got back up one last time, and thats when we heard the shot, and then he just fell into the truck," Casper said. "And that was it. I mean, we did what we could do, but he ended up dying that day.

Casper said Yepsen was shot once in the lungs by a sniper.

I recall thinking, like, was this my fault? Thats a big reason why I was afraid to come at first, said Casper of his initial visit to Houston. Because I didnt know his family. I was in charge of him when he died. So who knows what they thought about me?

Casper, an Illinois native, said he suffered from survivors guilt. Its common among military veterans. The overwhelming and painful memories triggered anxiety and pushed Casper into depression.

I didnt want to talk about that with anybody. I didnt want to talk about Luke with anybody. Im 6-foot-5. Combat Marine. Went to war. I rode Harleys. Have tattoos. I did not want to cry in front of people. I was not vulnerable," Casper said.

Yet. Years after Yepsens death, Casper connected with a country music songwriter. The two agreed theyd try to find the words for Caspers unbearable pain.

And I was like this happened to me. This happened to me. This is Luke. And we put together a song and a half, and I said, you did in three hours what I couldnt do in an entire year," Casper said.

Thats how Casper formed the idea for CreatiVets. He got veterans to Nashville, Tenn., to share their stories -- stories veterans may not know how to tell or process.

And we have these songwriters that do it for a living that can tell a love story a thousand different ways. Why cant they tell my story? Casper said.

The nonprofit is at the mercy of donations. CreatiVets covers all expenses for veterans who agree to allow a songwriter to tell their story. The process is done backstage at the Grand Ole Opry. So far, more than 100 stories are now songs. You can listen to them on just about every music platform, including through Alexa devices. All you have to say is, "Alexa, play music by veterans."

Youre getting a look into our world which nobody gets into. So we have family members and people who were like, I didnt know my husband felt that way. But theyre having conversations because now theres a song that connects them," Casper said.

CreatiVets is expanding its reach and hopes to connect with depressed or suicidal veterans in the comfort of their own home.

Yeah. It just kind of worked out, said Kyle Yepsen. Lukes older brother now works for CreatiVets as development director. I hope he would be proud. I think he would. I think he would see that I finally found my true calling.

So many lives helped, healed and saved, all because Luke Yepsen lived.

If I would have never met Luke, if he would have never died beside me, CreatiVets would have never existed. I would have never had the troubles I had. So I just want the world to know that your life is so important. I know Luke has saved lives. We know it," Casper said.

More than 100 veterans are waiting for their turn at the music therapy. CreatiVets relies on donations. If you can help a veteran heal, consider making a donation.

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Kingwood Marine killed in Iraq inspires nonprofit that saves vets through music therapy - KHOU.com

Erbil, Kurdistan Region of Iraq Fears are growing of a full-fledged war between Turkeys outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and forces of the ruling Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in this autonomous region of northern Iraq.

Tensions between the two sides are increasing amid a military standoff on the Iraq-Turkey border, with civilians on both sides strongly rejecting any possible intra-Kurdish confrontation.

The tensions initially began when the KRG-led Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) accused the PKK of assassinating Ghazi Salih, a security official working at the Sarzer border crossing in Duhok province on October 8.

The PKK, however, denied responsibility.

The situation intensified when the PKK on October 29 claimed responsibility for a successful sabotage action on a KRG pipeline to Turkey near Mardin province, suspending oil exports.

The KRG said it strongly condemns the terrorist attack targeting the pipeline and warned it will never allow threats against its interests and the livelihood of the peoples of the Kurdistan Region.

The PKK has an estimated 5,000 fighters stationed largely in Iraqi Kurdistans rugged mountainous areas. The group is designated a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the European Union, and the United States. Decades-long clashes between Ankara and the PKK have led to tens of thousands of deaths in both Turkey and northern Iraq.

KDP President Masoud Barzani accused the PKK of infiltrating Kurdish villages and two days later planting a bomb in Duhok that killed a Peshmerga fighter and wounded two others. The attack was condemned by the US, France, and the federal Iraqi government.

Barzani accused the PKK of disrespecting the KRG by invading villages under its control and imposing taxes on locals infringing on its sovereignty and oppressing residents.

The history witnesses that we have deemed Kurdish-Kurdish war haram [religiously banned], Barzani said on November 2. However, this stance should not be mistranslated and exploited to challenge the legal authority of the Kurdistan region and to try to impose an illegal armed will on the people of Kurdistan.

Barzani also alleged that during the height of the fight against ISIL (ISIS), PKK fighters invaded the border areas and some other places while KRGs Peshmerga forces were battling the armed group on the front lines.

The PKK has dismissed all claims and vowed to defend itself against any move by Peshmerga troops.

The PKK-KRG armed standoff is reminiscent of fighting between the two in northern Iraq in the 1990s that killed hundreds of civilians and troops battling for territorial control. Two decades on, a renewed escalation has sparked panic among locals who live in the border areas and who fear history may repeat itself.

The PKK says the KRGs troop deployments to Duhok provinces Zebari and Gare districts are to attack its fighters. The KRG says the Peshmerga are returning to their own bases now that the anti-ISIL campaign is done.

The KRG is carrying out serious military activities in areas where the PKK is present, Murat Karaylan, a member of the PKKs executive council, told Sterk TV in October, adding the armed group is not seeking war.

According to Karayilan, however, a conflict is going to occur from these provocations, referencing the KRGs buildup of soldiers along the border.

PKK official Murat Karaylan, centre, with fighters on Mount Qandil in 2017 [ANF News]Reving Heruri a KDP lawmaker and head of the Peshmerga Committee in Iraqi Kurdistans parliament dismissed Karayilans claims.

The KDP has the right to carry out activities to protect the lives of our people. We are not going anywhere to fight the PKK, but to protect our people, he told Al Jazeera.

The troop deployments to the border areas of Duhok and Erbil provinces are to secure the lives of locals and to prevent them from fleeing their villages, forced on them by others, Heruri said. We hope no party will make any other mistake to stand in the way of them.

Hundreds of villages have been emptied amid months of fighting between Turkeys military and the PKK. Ankara regularly bombs PKK positions in northern Iraq, and has conducted multiple operations against the armed group along the border.

Chamanke town has become the flashpoint of the Kurd-Kurd confrontation. Aland Amir, mayor of the town where a clash took place on November 4, said 35 villages in the region are occupied by the PKK.

Villagers are not allowed to go back to their areas that have fallen under PKK control, unless they pay them tax, Amir told Al Jazeera.

The PKK has become a serious threat to our region. Our people are always subject to getting killed amid the Turkey-PKK crossfire, he said. Turkish bombs are expected to drop anytime. If the PKK leaves then Turkey will not bomb. The more they stay, the worse our people will go through. We ask them to go back to their country and fight their battle on their land, not ours.

Dilshad Khidir lost his mother, brother, and three cousins in a Turkish air strike on their village of Zargali in Erbil province in 2015. He now lives in Sulaimaniyah provinces Raniya district with his father, who was wounded in the attack.

Khidir said his family has endured much under the mercy of the hovering of planes and bang of bombings, and urged the PKK to leave the surroundings of our village so we can return home and resume our life on our land.

Had the PKK not sheltered in our village, this would not have happened to us, he said.

Khidir said he was happy to see the KRG moving to restore its authority and return services, stability and security to our region.

We do not wish to see any intra-Kurdish conflict. We are sick and tired of war Turkey will never come to our region from hundreds of miles to bomb us if the PKK is not here, he added.

The aftermath of a Turkish air strike that killed Dilshad Khidirs mother, brother and three cousins and destroyed their house on August 1, 2015 in the village of Zargali [Courtesy: Dilshad Khidir]Fayaq Gulpi is head of the Democratic Politics Academia in the Kurdistan region and a former PKK official in close contact with its leadership. He said the KRG has amassed troops at border areas close to PKK bases, something that has seriously worried and angered the PKK.

According to what I have learned from PKK officials, they do not want to engage in any war and they say they never initiate conflict but are ready to defend themselves if attacked, Gulpi told Al Jazeera.

The PKK and the KRG must exercise maximum restraint and put the interests of the Kurdish nations before their own interests. Any conflict will bring a lose-lose situation to both sides. I am smelling a war about to break out.

Gulpi accused Turkey of being a major player in this game and warned the two Kurdish sides must not fall into the Ankara trap.

Turkey has said it is determined to take the measures it deems necessary for its border security no matter where it may be.

At Erbils downtown bazaar, shop owners gather to discuss the possibility of all-out conflict between the KRG and PKK.

Enough with intra-Kurdish war. We are Kurds. We are brothers. We share the same fate and blood. President Barzani has declared Kurdish-Kurdish war haram, so do we, said shop owner Shazad Najat.

Another businessman, Shaaban Abdulaziz, added both Kurdish sides need to bury the hatchet.

A veteran Peshmerga soldier, who refused to be named fearing what he said would be retribution from the PKK stooges who are everywhere angrily said: The PKK is executing a foreign agenda. They do all it takes to abort our achievements and successful experience of ruling in the Kurdistan region. They are a terrorist organisation and the KRG should not engage in any dialogue with terrorists.

If they really fight for the greater rights of the Kurds in Turkey, which they all the time claim of doing, they must take this battle back to their own country, or lay down arms and fight for the rights of Kurds in a democratic process, just as the HDP [the Peoples Democratic Party, the largest pro-Kurdish party in Turkey] does.

Lahib Higel, a senior analyst at the International Crisis Group in Iraq, told Al Jazeera it was unlikely a full-scale war would develop because both sides have more to lose than to gain.

Should a war break out similar to what we saw in the early 90s, it is likely to be devastating for the PKK as it will draw Turkey further in through its support of the KDP, she said.

But Higel added that the government in Baghdad should step in to help restore peace.

The Iraqi government, she said, should seek all possibilities to cease hostilities through dialogue with Turkey, the KRG and PKK affiliates in Iraq.

Original post:
Kurd vs Kurd: Fears of full-scale war rise in northern Iraq - Aljazeera.com