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When lookingatIraq, itis easy to understand why this country has been atthe forefront of world news for more than a decade:itrepresents one of the most complex geopolitical pictures in the region.

I will try here to analyze and understand the landscape of the U.S. and international coalition within the context of Iraq and the fight against the Islamic State group (ISIS), even though we are probably at leasta year away from the country's full liberation since Tal Afar, Qaim, Hawega, and small pockets remain under ISIS's control.

From the perspective of the U.S.andcoalition members, the liberation of Mosul means the end of the demi-state entity of ISIS.The militant group's containment will remain an important goal for the United States, especially with the previous expansionist threat it posed inLebanon,Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

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The U.S.regards the problem of ISIS in terms of geopolitical regional considerations, while Iraqis only look at the situationfrom a purelynational or local perspective. After the liberation of Mosul, the U.S. mightturn its attention and focus towards Syria, where it is trying to oust ISISfrom Raqqa, the group's de facto capital,on top of the complexitiesand anticipated ramifications of the civil war.

To Americans,the Iraqi political equation relates more to how close or far Iraqis are from their allies and enemies, such asIran,in the region.

A view of Mosul's Old City through an Iraqi forces sniper hole in the wall of a frontline position in Adedat, a neighbourhood in the Old City of west Mosul, the last area of the city under Islamic State control, June 22, 2017. Martyn Aim/Getty

On the Iraqi side, alack ofcommon visiontoward the U.S.does not help either partyto strengthen our relationship.This begs the question:what is the nature ofBaghdad and Washington relations following encompassing security, military and political cooperation following the liberation of Mosul?

The U.S. will not wait for Iraq to provide an answer to this question, but will workquietly to push the country toward security and political stabilityespecially since the U.S.knows the extent of the rift created by ISIS's occupationand, before it, a decade-long insurgency.

In comparison with Iraq'smilitary advancement, the currentpolitical discourse has stalled. This is a result of different internal and geopolitical visions within the country's political arena. This weakness reflects the depth of the complexity and breadth of the parties involved . Stakeholders seetheliberation of Mosul as a crossroad thatdivides betweenthe history of the Islamic State group's rise and the politics thatencouraged its spread, and the future of Iraq in the context of ISIS's desires and determination to increase its influence in the country.

To protect against an ISIS revival, the Iraqi government, the United Nations, andfriendly countries like U.S. and Iran must focus the dialogon unifying the visions between the different parties in Iraq.Knowing that infrastructure and energy sources in the western regions (Sunni lands) are poor will make the pursuitto divideIraq into federal units counterproductive. It is important to remember that Sunni strength liesin Iraq being a united, cohesive country, likewise for the Kurds and their independence project.

A member of the Iraqi forces walks past a mural bearing the logo of the Islamic State (IS) group in a tunnel that was reportedly used as a training centre by the jihadists, on March 1, 2017, in the village of Albu Sayf, on the southern outskirts of Mosul. Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP/Getty

The Iraqigovernment isfeeling the repercussions of attrition in their fight against terrorism, as well asfacing severe challenges (security, political and economic) thatlimittheir focusto a few priorities.

Regarding the recent tensions between Iraq and Turkey, and Ankara'sinterference in Iraq, the containment of Turkeys expansionist approach might be a focus of the U.S.It understands that the political volatility in Turkey will have a direct impact on the course of events during the liberation of Iraq and Syria from ISIS.

Here, Turkey will try to cement its military presence to bea permanent player in the Iraqi and Syrian discussion around Mosul and others cities like Raqqa, because of itsview thatthatthe Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) isa national security threat.

The strength of the Peshmerga fighters in the liberation of Mosul would be a positive element in the consolidation and unity of Iraq buttheirwillingness to cooperate with Baghdad on the control of areas they have liberated within the conflict and disputed zones will depend on how far it goes to achieving their ultimate goal:an independent Kurdistan.

Kurdish peshmerga women fighters during combat skills training at their camp in Sulaimaniya, northern Iraq, on September 18, 2014. Ahmed Jadallah/reuters

Here is a golden opportunity for the Kurdish leadership in Iraq to work with other Iraqis to build on the foundations of a new, mutually beneficialstrategy with the central government and all of the country's communities. Will coexistence and common development with the south be their project? Or will they bank on further trenches being built, resulting in a zero sum game?

The participation of Kurdish Peshmerga forces in the liberation of Nineveh Province will bolster international support forthe Kurds' cause, especially within U.S. Congress.

All Kurdish eyes will be on Washington D.C. after the September independence referendum to see what freedom and maneuvering that Kurdish players will be granted on the global stage.

Geopolitics remains an important factor within Iraq and the region;the U.S. and President Trump should not losesight of that.

Lukman Faily was the Iraqi Ambassador to the United States between 2013 and 2016. He also served as Iraqs Ambassador to Japan from 2010 to 2013.

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US Victory Against ISIS In Iraq Must Not End With Trump Abandoning Baghdad - Newsweek

The Army on Thursday announced that 2,100 soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division will deploy to Iraq this fall.

The soldiers are with 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division at Fort Polk, Louisiana. They will deploy in support of Operation Inherent Resolve as part of the regular rotation of forces, according to the Army.

The 10th Mountain soldiers will replace those from 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division.

"Our soldiers have spent the last year preparing for this mission and are ready to handle any threat anywhere. Without their sacrifice and efforts, our unit would not be the combat focused force it is," said Col. Brian Sullivan, the brigade commander, in a statement. "I want to extend heartfelt gratitude to our soldiers and their families for everything they have done and continue to do."

This will be the Army's first brigade-sized deployment as part of the Associated Units Pilot Program, a program that pairs active Army units with Army Reserve and National Guard units so that they can train and potentially deploy together.

Soldiers from 3rd BCT have trained with soldiers from the 36th Infantry Division of the Texas Army National Guard since March 2016, according to the Army.

The brigade will maintain a presence at Fort Polk to train for future deployments and continue their partnership with the 36th Infantry Division, officials said.

"During the last several months, the Patriots have worked hard and completed multiple training events to include a Joint Readiness Training Center rotation in preparation for this important mission," said Maj. Gen. Walter Piatt, commander of the 10th Mountain Division, in a statement. "I am extremely confident and proud of the entire 3rd Brigade team."

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Army announces Iraq deployment for 2100 soldiers - ArmyTimes.com

A Yazidi woman who was held prisoner by Isis for nearly three years has returned to her hometown to "take revenge" on the militants.

Heiza Shankal was kidnapped along with thousands of other Yazidi women and children when Isis swept across Iraq in a brutal campaign in August 2014.

Around 50,000 members of the long-persecuted religious and ethnic group were trapped when Isis besieged Mount Sinjar.

Yazidi women speak of rape and beatings at the hands of Isis

Adult men were murdered, boys were captured and separated to be trained as child soldiers, and the women and girls were sold into sexual slavery.

"When the massacre took place in Shankal [the Kurdish name for Sinjar] and Isis kidnapped children and women, I was one of those who was taken away," Ms Shankal said in an interview with Arab24.

Her account suggests she was one of thousands of Yazidi women taken as sex slaves, who were bought and sold at several markets in the so-called caliphate.

"I was sold and bought," she said.

When she was finally freed, she "arrived at the hands of the comrades" and they brought her back to Sinjar, her hometown.

There, she joined a women's resistance unit to fight Isis.

"I was surprised to see a military force for protecting Shankal, so I decided to join the unit and take revenge," she said.

"I am carrying this weapon to take revenge from Abu Hassan, Abu Yusuf and Abu Sa'ad, who tortured me and tortured many mothers."

An estimated 9,900 Yazidis were killed or captured when Isis took over Mount Sinjar in the summer of 2014.

Of those, 3,100 were murdered, often in brutal ways such as beheading or being burned alive.

Excerpt from:
Former Isis 'sex slave' returns home to northern Iraq take revenge on the group - The Independent

ERBIL, Iraq (Reuters) - The president of Iraq's autonomous region of Kurdistan has called a parliamentary and presidential election for November which could help ease a long-running political row as the Kurds push for independence from Baghdad.

The elections will follow an independence referendum set for Sept. 25, a move that will strain Iraq's frayed federal unity and annoy neighbors Syria, Turkey and Iran, who also have sizable Kurdish populations.

The political developments take place as Iraqi government forces push back Islamic State militants from territory in northern Iraq, a campaign in which Kurdish peshmerga forces have played a vital role.

The Kurdistan region last held a presidential election in 2009 and a parliamentary election in 2013. President Masoud Barzaniwon the 2009 poll but has said he will not stand again.

His term of office expired in 2013 and has been extended twice, during which time Kurdistan has suffered bouts of unrest and political disarray. The parliament has not met since October 2015.

An aide to Barzani said the election was set for Nov. 1.

"All concerned parties are committed to do the necessary work and will support and co-ordinate with the Kurdistan Higher Independent Election Commission and Referendum to implement this decree," Erbil-based Rudaw TV quoted a decree as saying.

Following the 2013 parliamentary election, Barzani formed a broad-based government led by his Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) with the Gorran (Change) movementholding a number of posts,including the parliamentary speaker.

In an escalating political crisis, four Gorran ministers were removed from the cabinet in October 2015 and the speaker of parliament was barred from entering the capital. The KDP accused Gorran, which had demanded a reduction of Barzani's powers, of orchestrating violent protests in which party offices were attacked.

The Kurdistan parliament has not sat since. However, the KDP said this week it woulddrop its conditions for reconvening the parliament to help the independence referendum succeed, including allowing the speaker, Yousif Mohammed, to return.

Earlier this month, Barzani told Reuters there was no turning back on the bid to achieve an independent Kurdish state, but he would pursue it through dialogue with Baghdad and regional powers to avoid conflict.

Parties such as Gorran and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) all favor independence but not necessarily under the leadership of Barzani and the KDP.

Barzani has accused the Shi'ite Muslim-led Iraqi government, backed by Iran, of not sticking to a constitutional agreement of allowing the Kurds to have greater powers under a federal state set up after the U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003.

About 5 million Kurds live in majority Arab Iraq, which has a population of more than 30 million. Most are in the north.

Reporting by Angus MacSwan; Editing by Andrew Heavens

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Iraq's Kurds, seeking independence, call vote hoping to ease row - Reuters

Myers flushes it down with two hands in the first half of Thursdays game against Iraq Photo by MUSONG R. CASTILLO

TAIPEI Gilas Pilipinas showed remarkable improvement on the thing it was miserable at just the day before, and the Filipinos learned precisely what Chot Reyes likes and what can set him off.

The Filipinos were respectable from three-point range as what they are really capable of and broke away early from Iran for an 84-75 victory which could have been a lot more one-sided had Reyes not disciplined some of his players during the very physical Jones Cup encounter at Taipei Peace Basketball Hall here.

Reyes ordered Christian Standhardinger back to the locker room with 4:55 left after his 6-foot-7 Fil-German center got slapped for a second technical foul, and Carl Cruz finished what had been a brilliant game on the bench after decking Iraqs dirty-playing center early in the fourth.

Still, the Philippines bounced back from a lethargic shooting night that resulted in an 83-72 loss to South Korea on Wednesday night, connecting on a 7-for-21 clip against the Iraqis with Cruz, RR Pogoy and Matthew Wright hitting two apiece.

That put the Philippines at 4-2 and it stayed alive in the medal hunt after Canada 150 drubbed the Koreans, 98-72, earlier on Thursday for the solo lead at 5-1.

Thats not the way we play Gilas basketball, Reyes said after the game.

The Iraqis were downright dirty right from the start, and Reyes feels that thats still not an excuse for his players losing their heads in a critical juncture of the contest.

I dont care if we lost the game, I told them that in the huddle, Reyes said. Thats not the way we play basketball. I will not tolerate that.

Cruz played almost 20 minutes and finished with 10 points in his worthiest game, but after decking Navid Khajehzadeh with an elbow to the back of the head in one defensive play, Reyes promptly called it a night for the former Far Eastern ace.

Standhardinger, meanwhile, got into a trash talking match with 7-foot center Karrar Hamzah early and clearly lost focus in the second half.

After the Filipinos had opened up a 73-58 lead with a Mike Myers basket, a TV timeout was called and Standhardinger was whistled for his second deliberate foul when he hit Dhulfiqar Al-hchaimi.

It wasnt enough that he was tossed out of the contest by the referees as Reyes sent him to the locker room.

Iraq is bracketed with the Philippines in the Fiba-Asia in Lebanon from August 8-20, and Reyes admitted that, while they learned something from facing the Iraqis, he also exposed some of their strengths.

Its going to help us down the line. But in as much as it is going to help us, it is going to help them as well, Reyes said.

The scores:

GILAS PILIPINAS 84 Myers 16, Ravena 13, Pogoy 12, Cruz 10, Jalalon 10, Wright 8, Standhardinger 4, Jose 4, Ferrer 3, Paras 2, Parks 2.

IRAQ 75 Mayfield 29, Al-hchaimi 17, Abdullah 8, Khajehzadeh 7, Ismael 4, Hameed 4, Alazawi 3, Aljuboori 3, Al-tameemi 0, Talib 0, Hamzah 0.

Quartes: 15-19, 36-22, 63-49, 84-75.

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PH bamboozles Iraq - Inquirer.net