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In this Nov. 13, 2016, file photo, an Iraqi Christian soldier from the Nineveh Plain Protection Unit fixes the bell of the St. Addai church, which was damaged by Islamic State fighters during their occupation of Keramlis village.(Photo: Hussein Malla, AP)

Stephen Rasche says the next six weeks will be critical for saving some of the worlds oldest Christian communities from extinction.

Rasche is coordinating atask force trying to return tens of thousands of Christian families to the ancient Iraqi towns from which they were driven by ISIS three years ago.

U.S. and Iraqi forces drove ISIS out of the region last fall, but the string of historic Christian towns in the northern tip of Iraq that have now been liberated stand in varying states of destruction. The towns now face a critical need over these next 60 days at the latest really at the end of September to get in enough work and enough of a core group of the population back so that it can demonstrate a viability for the recovery of the town, said Rasche, who works forthe Catholic Archdiocese of Irbil and is nowchief coordinator of a newly formed Nineveh Reconstruction Committee, a coalition of the major Christian denominations in the region.

Rasche and others involved in the reconstruction say time is of the essence for rescuing a community that was among the first converted to Christianity by the Apostles in the decades after the death of Jesus Christ.

Christianity in Iraq is on the brink of extinction. They have gone from 1.5 million people to somewhere south of 200,000, said Andrew Walther, the U.S-based vice president of communications for the Knights of Columbus, which recently announced a $2 million infusion to rebuild the town of Karemles.With the new school year coming and these towns having now been liberated (from ISIS), people'sattitude is well, we are either going to return home now or we are going to leave forever.

The effort is based on rebuilding one town at a time, providing design assistance, building supplies and other support to help residents repair their war-damaged homes enough to return from their exile in Kurdistan. And it is remarkably cheap. For many residents, a few thousand dollars will be enough to restore their home to livability and allow them to return though ultimately government support will be needed for infrastructure like water an power systems and to guarantee long-term security for the communities.

The recipients of the aid are overwhelmingly but not exclusively Christian. The aid project is also servinga smattering of other persecuted religious minorities, including Yezidis and Shabak Muslims.

Iraqi Christians attend a mass at the Church of the Immaculate Conception on July 24, 2017, in the predominantly Christian Iraqi town of Qaraqosh. Cardinal Philippe Barbarin, who said he was split between "sadness" and "hope," attended a mass for the "renaissance" in Qaraqosh, which housed one of the largest Christian communities in Iraq before its capture by the Islamic State group.(Photo: Safin Hamed, AFP/Getty Images)

The first $2 million tranche of funding for the project came from the Hungarian government this spring. Thatdownpayment has alreadyreturned about 1,000 Christian families to the town of Teleskov, the northern-most boundary of the August 2014 ISIS offensive that chased more than 100,000 Christians out of the Nineveh Plain.

The evangelical relief group Samaritans Purse its focusing its effort in the town of Qaraqosh, where it hopes to help rebuild about 600 homes. The life of Christians who fled who are now in Irbil, who left their homes, I would say life is not great for them, said Aaron Ashoff, the groups regional director for Europe and the Middle East. What is the future for Christians who would return to the historic Christian communities in Ninevah, we dont know. But if they want to return to these communities, we are going to help them.

But these efforts are racing against time. The Iraqi school year begins in October, and Rasche says families currently living as refugees in Kurdistan are unlikely to return to the area once the school year has begun, uprooting their children again.

And after three years away, if the families do not return this year, they may simply give up hope of ever returning to Iraq, said Joop Koopman, spokesman for Aid to the Church in Need, a worldwide Catholic organization that is another major donor to the reconstruction effort.

If a significant number of Christians dont return soon, it may dash the hopes of any renaissance for the Nineveh plains," Koopman said.

Most of the Christian refugees have been living in Irbil, where the local Catholic diocese has provided millions of dollars of rental and food assistance.

The churchs charity has been a lifeline for the Christian community, but it also been a barrier to government support.

It essentially ended up that the Christians, having been supported in some fashion by global Christians, were judged to be in a category where they didnt need any more help from the U.N. and the State Department, Rasche said this week in an interview from Teleskov.

We sat in meetings where people told us if we laid off on the amount of aid that we were providing so that their standards dropped then the U.N. would be happy to step in.

Walther and others who have advocated on behalf of the Iraqi Christians say the Obama administration was reluctant to address their plight.

The archdiocese of Irbil has received no direct government funding from the U.S. or U.N., Walther said. He blamed the Obama administrations mindset that people get aid on basis of immediate need only, and the rationale is that you dont want to discriminate against any individual. While that principle makes some sense, Walther said, it does not take into account the prospect that an entire community might be extinguished.

Iraqi Christians attend a Holy Mother Mary mass at the church of Mart Shmoni in Arbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq, on May 31, 2017.(Photo: Safin Hamed, AFP/Getty Images)

Julian Dobbs, an Anglican bishop who heads a relief group called Barnabus Aid, said he has already seen a dramatic shift in tone from the Trump administration, indicating that persecuted Christians will see much more support.

Under the previous administration, I was told personally by the State Department that they had absolutely no determination to assist Christian minorities in Northewestern Iraq, Dobbs said. By contrast, the Trump administration has repeatedly referred to Iraqi Christians as victims of genocide who are entitled to special protection.

ISIS is clearly responsible for genocide against Yezidis, Christians, and Shia Muslims in areas it controls or has controlled, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Tuesday. The protection of these groups and others subject to violent extremism is a human rights priority for the Trump administration.

The U.S. House also passed a bill in June that would require the State Department to address the needs of Iraqi and Syrian religious minorities targeted by ISIS, and to allow federal relief dollarsto flow through church-based charities.We are our brothers and sisters keeper," said the bill's lead sponsor, Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., in an interview."These people a large number have been slaughtered, the women have been raped, the men beaten, their churches destroyed and we have not helped them.

His Democratic co-sponsor, Rep. Anna Eshoo of California, said there is a bedrock American principle of separating church and state, which makes it hard for the U.S. government to provideaid targeted to a specificfaith group. "But freedom of religion is also a great American value and a great export of ours," she said, "and theywere specifically targeted because they are Christians and Yezidis."

State Department spokesperson Pooja Jhunjhunwala said that while U.S. humanitarian aid is based solely on need, regardless of ethnic or religious affiliation, the department has provided more than a billion dollars in aid to Iraqis, which includes aidto members of minority communities.

In addition, separate from U.S. humanitarian and stabilization assistance, since 2008, the Department and USAID have provided more than $100 million in assistance specifically for Iraqs religious and ethnic minority communities, Jhunjhunwala said. We have also led international initiatives to highlight the plight of these minority groups.

Walther of the Knights of Columbus said helping the Iraqi Christians and other religious minorities is not just a humanitarianmandate "it is also important in order to ensure that ISIS' program of genocide and religious cleansing is not successful, even after they are defeated militarily."

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Christians in Iraq are 'on the brink of extinction.' Here's what faith groups are doing to fix that - USA TODAY

Thousands of Iraqis have fled an Islamic State-held town west of Mosul as Iraqi and coalition warplanes step up strikes ahead of a ground offensive to drive out the militants.

Tal Afar and the surrounding area is one of the last pockets of IS-held territory in Iraq after victory was declared in July in Mosul, the country's second-largest city. The town, about 93 miles east of the Syrian border, sits along a major road that was once a key IS supply route.

On Monday, hundreds of exhausted civilians were brought by Iraqi army trucks from the front line to a humanitarian collection point just west of Mosul. Many described a harrowing journey of a day or more from Tal Afar, with no food or water.

Jassem Aziz Tabo, an elderly man who arrived with his 12-member family, said he had left Tal Afar months ago and gone to a village on the outskirts to escape hunger, airstrikes and violence from the militants.

"Those who tried to escape were captured and shot in the head. They killed my son," he said. "He tried to escape, he was caught and they killed him."

He said severe shortages have caused the price of food to skyrocket in Tal Afar, which has been besieged by Iraqi forces for months, with 2.2 pounds of sugar selling for $50.

"There was nothing. We were eating pieces of bread with water," he said.

Alia Imad, a mother of three whose family paid $300 to a smuggler to lead them to safety, said there is no drinking water left in the town. "Most people drink water that's not clean. The majority are surviving on that and a bit of bread," she said.

The group she was with had come under fire during their escape from the militants, she said. A woman was killed, and they had to bury her by the road.

Lise Grande, the U.N. humanitarian coordinator, said conditions in Tal Afar are "very tough."

"Thousands of people are leaving, seeking safety and assistance. Families escaping northeast are trekking 10 and up to 20 hours to reach mustering points. They are exhausted and many are dehydrated when they finally arrive," she said.

Lt. Gen. Anwar Hama, of the Iraqi air force, told The Associated Press that airstrikes this week have targeted IS headquarters, tunnels and weapons' stores.

But Iraqi forces, closely backed by the U.S.-led coalition, are not expected to push into the town for another few weeks, according to an Iraqi officer overseeing the operation. He spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

Iraqi army, federal police and special forces units are expected to participate in the operation, as well as state-sanctioned mostly Shiite militias known as the Popular Mobilization Forces.

The militiamen largely stayed out of the operation to retake Mosul, a mostly Sunni city, but have vowed to play a bigger role in Tal Afar, which was mostly Shiite before it fell to IS, a Sunni extremist group. The militias captured Tal Afar's airport, on the outskirts of the town, last year.

Their participation in the coming offensive could heighten sectarian and regional tensions. Tal Afar was once home to Shiite and Sunni Arabs, as well as a sizable ethnic Turkmen community with close ties to neighboring Turkey. Turkish officials have expressed concern that once territory is liberated from IS, Iraqi Kurdish or Shiite forces may push out Sunni Arabs or ethnic Turkmen.

Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag said his country would be watching the operation closely.

"Tal Afar is a town where almost the entire population is Turkmen. We have always considered it a priority for the region to be cleared from (IS) and for it to be returned to its owners," Bozdag said after a Cabinet meeting Tuesday.

"Turkey has always said that the region's demographic and religious makeup must be taken into consideration," Bozdag said. The state-backed militias "should not enter the region."

On Monday, the Iraqi army began moving an armored brigade to the front line south of Tal Afar, while an infantry division was deployed about 19 miles to the town's east.

Brig. Gen. Abdul Hussein al-Khazali, deputy commander of the army's 15th division, said his forces were going to inch closer to Tal Afar village by village before they are ready to launch the final attack, partly to ensure they can protect fleeing civilians.

The United Nations says some 49,000 people have fled the Tal Afar district since April, compounding a humanitarian crisis that has lingered despite the cessation of major fighting inside Mosul. It says nearly a million people were displaced by the Mosul campaign.

Associated Press writer Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, contributed to this report.

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Thousands flee as Iraq steps up airstrikes on Islamic State-held town - Chicago Tribune

PH

A survey by the Pew Research Centre found that ISIS was named as the top threat by citizens in 18 countries, including the UK, France, Germany and the US.

Across Europe, 74 per cent said they view ISIS as a major threat to their country.

However, the terror group has a crumbling hold on territories in Iraq.

Iraqs Defence Ministry has completed preparations for retaking Tal Afar, ISIS last stronghold in the ancient Assyrian city of Nineveh.

The Iraqi Defence Ministry has said it is waiting for orders to launch operations for the enclave.

People with right-wing views were found to be more likely to see ISIS as a threat, researchers found.

The Pew survey also showed that people living in 13 countries, mostly concentrated in Africa and Latin America, felt climate change was the greatest threat they faced.

More than half of the respondents from the 38 countries polled thought cyberattacks by foreign powers were a cause for concern.

Japanese respondents said cyber attacks were the biggest the biggest cause for concern.

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In Greece and Venezuela, respondents said the condition of the global economy was the biggest threat they faced.

Hungary was the only country to view the influx of refugees as the biggest threat to worry about.

Researchers also found that attitudes varied towards the threat posed by Russian president Vladimir Putins regime.

The Pew report stated: While Russias power and influence are not named as the greatest threat in any of the countries polled in Europe or North America, there is particular concern in Poland (65 per cent).

GETTY

And 47 per cent in the US see Russia as a major threat, but there is a partisan divide: 61 per cent of Democrats say Russias power and influence is a major threat, compared with only 36 per cent of Republicans. Across all of Europe, a median of 41 per cent perceive Russia as a major threat.

Concerns over US influence have also risen since Donald Trump was elected President, it was found.

The report said: US power and influence is seen as a major threat by a median of 31 per cent across Europe.

Spain, however, is an outlier, with 59 per cent worried about the US In six European countries surveyed and Canada, worries about American power and influence are up since 2016.

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ISIS seen as biggest threat in world despite expected defeat in Iraq, new research reveals - Express.co.uk

At least 10 security personnel were killed on Wednesday in three attacks by Islamic State (IS) militants on military bases in Iraqs Salahudin province, an official said.

Six suicide bombers wearing explosive vests carried out a pre-dawn attack on military bases in Baiji town, about 200 km from here, leading to heavy clashes for several hours, Xinhua quoted the source as saying.

The clashes resulted in the killing of nine policemen and four suicide bombers, the source said, adding the clashes continued till afternoon as the police were still fighting two suicide bombers in the town.

The IS seized Baiji in June 2014, but the Iraqi security forces liberated the town in late 2015.

The liberation of the town gave the Iraqi forces complete control of the highway stretching from Baghdad to Baiji, and allowed forces to use Baiji as a launching pad for a further advance toward the IS stronghold in Mosul.

Baiji has been almost totally destroyed by previous battles despite more than a year-and-a-half of being freed from IS militants.

Inhabitants cannot return to the devastated town as security forces, including the Hashd Shaabi units, are stationed in some bases in the town.

IS militants attacked the posts of paramilitary Hashd Shaabi units in Zuwiyah area, about 30 km north of Baiji, but the forces fought back and prevented the group from taking the bases, the source said.

Initial reports said at least one Hashd Shaabi member was killed and three wounded.

The third attack occurred early in the morning on a Kurdish forces military base near Tuz-Khurmato town that left two Peshmerga fighters wounded and an IS militant dead and another wounded, the source said.

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10 security personnel killed in IS attacks on Iraq bases - The Hindu

DUBAI (Reuters) - OPEC member Iraq has formed a joint venture with a shipping company owned by Arab states to transfer, store and trade crude and oil products, according to official documents and industry sources.

Middle East oil producers are venturing into buying and selling oil to boost their incomes as a sharp drop in crude prices since mid-2014 has forced the industry to become more efficient and commercially focussed.

The venture, Al-Iraqia Shipping Services and Oil Trading (AISSOT), will handle a "plethora of activities ranging from trading of petroleum products, ship chartering, oil terminals, various marine services, and bunkering", according to a company statement sent to Reuters.

AISSOT is owned by state firm Iraqi Oil Tankers Co (IOTC) and Arab Maritime Petroleum Transport Co (AMPTC), a pan-Arab company in which Arab oil producers such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait hold a share.

IOTC owns a stake of 22.5 percent in AISSOT, according to a copy of the signed 20-year contract seen by Reuters.

"Formation of AISSOT is based on Iraqi Oil Ministry vision to further strengthen activities of two major entities i.e. AMPTC and IOTC in the field of shipping, marine services, and oil trading," the company said in a statement.

"It is also one of Iraqi Oil Ministrys initiatives to develop national oil companies to international levels."

AISSOT, which will soon start bunkering operations at ports in southern Iraq, is the second oil venture set up recently by the country.

State oil marketer SOMO and Russia's Litasco formed a joint trading company in Dubai to market crude and may expand into oil products and petrochemicals, industry sources said.

"The new venture will have exclusive rights for transportation of crude and refined products. It will develop other projects include trading starting with fuel oil and products and can eventually get into crude oil allocations," said an industry source familiar with the company's operations.

AISSOT will be based in Dubai with plans to open offices in Singapore and other hubs. It has around 25 employees now and intends to go up to 50 in Dubai by the year-end, the source said.

The company is in discussions to build a terminal storage facility in Iraq over the next few years that would handle crude and oil products, the source added.

According to AISSOT, the company "is in a position to invest in and gradually acquire a significant fleet to transport the majority of Iraqi crude oil to end users at competitive rates".

The company will also start a marine academy to train Iraqis, with the aim of eventually having up to 85 percent Iraqi nationals working on its ships.

AISSOT's co-owner AMPTC was established in 1973 by member countries of the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries. Saudi Arabia's government is the biggest shareholder in AMPTC with a 15.595 percent stake, while Iraq has 13.657 percent, according to the company's website.

Kuwait has 15.484 percent, the UAE 14.175 percent and Qatar 14.776 percent, along with other countries such as Libya, Algeria, Bahrain and Egypt.

Reporting by Rania El Gamal; Editing by Dale Hudson

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Iraq sets up oil shipping, trading joint venture - Reuters