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by: Carl Willis, Tom Regan Updated: Aug 2, 2017 - 9:46 AM

COBB COUNTY, Ga. - Police worked into the night Tuesday examining remains discovered in the same area where an Iraq war veteran disappeared 3 years ago.

Early Wednesday morning, Channel 2's Tom Regan confirmed that the remains belonged to a human.

A tip led Cobb County police to a Kennesaw neighborhood.

Channel 2s Carl Willis watched as investigators worked to determine if the remains found belong to Chase Massner.

"I've got a bad feeling," neighbor Amanda Gillette told Willis, after seeing a large number of police officers respond to the same home where Massner was seen leaving years ago.

Family and friends of Chase Massner who disappeared more than a year ago are hoping a new search this weekend will reveal clues about what happened to him.

"We did receive some sort of tip that led us to come back out here today and gave us some reason to start digging in the backyard. And once the detectives did the digging, that's when they located the remains," Alicia Chilton, with the Cobb County Police Department, said.

But police aren't sure if they have animal remains or the remains of Massner, a father and husband who was 26 when he disappeared in 2014.

Family members said he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and had been treated for anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.

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But they said it was unlike him to not communicate with family.

Groups have organized and searched each year since. Then the tip that led police right back to Farmbrook Trail.

"This is unnerving, unsettling, crazy. I hope to get answers soon," Gillette told Willis.

"It's hard to think I stay at this house and there's all this crazy stuff going on," neighbor Amanda Moore said.

Police told Willis the remains have been taken to the medical examiner's office for testing.

They say a positive match would mean a heartbreaking end to this case but closure for a family seeking answers.

"I can only imagine how difficult is it to lose a loved one and not have any idea where they are and what happened to them," Chilton said. "The most important thing right now is that we want to identify what we collected."

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Remains found in area where Iraq War vet disappeared | WSB-TV - WSB Atlanta

Tony Blair presided over the UKs decision to join the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA

Tony Blair should not face prosecution for his role in the 2003 Iraq war, the high court has ruled.

The lord chief justice, Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd, and another senior judge, Mr Justice Ouseley, said on Monday that there was no crime of aggression in English law under which the former prime minister could be charged.

The decision blocks an attempt by a former Iraqi general, Abdulwaheed al-Rabbat, to bring a private war crimes prosecution against the former Labour leader.

The two judges recognised that a crime of aggression had recently been incorporated into international law, but said it did not apply retroactively.

The offence is not on UK statute books and it was for parliament to decide whether or not to do so, their judgment noted.

A recent supreme court case entitled Jones had ruled there was no crime of aggression in English law, Thomas said.

That judgment rejected an appeal by anti-war protesters that the damage they caused in 2003 was justified because they were preventing the greater crime of aggression in Iraq.

There is no prospect of the supreme court departing from the decision in Jones, Thomas added.

Earlier this month, lawyers for Rabbat argued that Westminster magistrates court was wrong to prevent the case from proceeding.

Michael Mansfield QC said the offence of waging an aggressive war had effectively been assimilated into English law.

The Chilcot inquirys conclusion that the invasion of Iraq was unnecessary and undermined the United Nations required the prosecution of Tony Blair, Mansfield told the high court.

The aim of the case was to force Blair as well as the former foreign secretary Jack Straw and the former attorney general Lord Goldsmith to answer for their actions in court.

Mansfield argued that the international crime of a war of aggression had been accepted by then UK attorney general Sir Hartley Shawcross QC in the 1940s, at the time of the Nuremberg trials of Nazi war crimes.

The attorney general, Jeremy Wright QC, who intervened in the case on behalf of the government, contended that the claim was hopeless and that the crime of aggression was unknown to the law of England and Wales.

In their judgment, Thomas and Ouseley conceded: We see the force of Mr Mansfields contention that if there is a crime of aggression under international law, there should be a means of prosecuting it as otherwise the rule of law is undermined.

Prosecution before an international court nonetheless presented significant practical difficulties, said the judges.

Within the UK, however, the clear principle is that it is for parliament and parliament alone to decide whether there should be a crime of aggression in domestic law.

Rabbat lives in Muscat, Oman, does not possess a passport and cannot travel to the UK. Responding to the judgment, Imran Khan, the solicitor who represented the general, said: [He] is extremely disappointed with the judgment of the high court in London which brings to an end the hope of prosecuting Tony Blair, Jack Straw and Peter Goldsmith for the crime of aggression in invading Iraq in 2003.

The invasion and subsequent occupation resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of individuals as well as the displacement of over 4 million others including General al-Rabbat who has had to seek sanctuary and refuge in another country.

Iraq has been left decimated and in a state of chronic instability. Despite all of this, and the clear findings of the Chilcot inquiry which laid bare the conduct of those that should be held to account, the high court has confirmed that there is to be no accountability. Those responsible are to remain unpunished. This is not justice.

Khan said the government had been given de facto domestic immunity because as long as it fails to enact legislation which makes the crime of aggression a domestic criminal offence, any leader can act as he/she chooses knowing that whatever action they take, it can be taken with complete impunity.

Other countries, including Germany, Kosovo, and Serbia, have enacted domestic legislation, Khan said. The failure of the British government to give tangible commitment to the prosecution of the crime of aggression undermines the rule of law. It sets a dangerous precedent in times of global insecurity and sets an example to the rest of the world of how to commit the most serious of crimes and get away with it.

It is now the responsibility of the UK parliament to end this deplorable state of affairs and introduce legislation which ensures that the crime of aggression can be prosecuted in the criminal courts here.

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Tony Blair prosecution over Iraq war blocked by judges | Politics ... - The Guardian

KABUL, Afghanistan The Islamic State group targeted the Iraqi Embassy in Kabul on Monday, with a suicide bomber blowing himself up outside the gates, followed by three gunmen who stormed into the building. The assault set off a four-hour firefight that ended only after Afghan security forces said they had killed all the attackers.

Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish told reporters that two Afghan employees of the Iraq Embassy died in the attack. Three police were injured, he said.

As the attack unfolded there were conflicting reports of casualties, with a witness saying he saw bodies of at least two policemen lying on the road outside the embassy soon after the attack began.

In its claim of responsibility, the Islamic State group said its fighters had killed seven guards but the militant group often exaggerates its claims on the number of casualties inflicted. The IS attack likely meant to distract attention from the militants massive losses in Iraq and Syria in recent weeks.

Also, IS said only two of its followers were involved in the attack, not four as Kabul officials said, adding to the conflicting reports.

Earlier Danish said only one policeman was wounded and that there were no fatalities among the security forces or civilians. Danish told The Associated Press over the phone that all the embassy staffers were safe but that the building had suffered extensive damage with windows broken and several rooms badly burned.

It wasnt until the attack ended that both the embassy and the interior ministry realized two of their Afghan staff had died in the daring assault.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani condemned the attack and said it was the governments responsibility to provide protection to international missions.

In Baghdad, Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmad Jamal condemned the assault as a terrorist attack.

The attack began with a big explosion that rocked central Kabul shortly before noon, followed by gunfire that lasted for several hours, and two or three more subsequent large explosions.

Police quickly cordoned off the area, barring reporters from coming too close to the scene.

The Afghan Interior Ministry said a suicide bomber first started the attack, blowing himself up at the embassy gate, after which three attackers stormed inside.

Earlier, Afghan officials who spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to talk to the media, had said a car bomb started the assault. Later on, it became clear the suicide bomber was on foot and not driving a car.

The ministry statement said Afghan security forces quickly deployed to the scene, rescuing all the embassy diplomats and employees and taking them to safety.

While the attack was still underway, the Islamic State affiliate in Afghanistan claimed responsibility in a statement carried by the IS-linked Aamaq news agency.

A police officer in the area, who identified himself only as Abdullah, said the gunfire was initially intense but later became more sporadic. The area was surrounded by armored vehicles and a large contingent of police and Afghan soldiers.

At least one eyewitness, a store owner who goes by the name of Hafizullah many Afghans use only one name said he saw the bodies of two policemen on the ground before armored personnel carriers and police arrived to cordon off the area.

More than an hour into the attack, witnesses reported hearing another powerful explosion and said they saw black smoke billowing skyward. It wasnt immediately clear what had caused the later explosion.

The explosion was so strong. I was so afraid, said Maryam, a woman crying near the site of the attack said. She said she works at the nearby office of Afghanistans National Airline Ariana.

The Iraq Embassy is located in a part of the city known as Shahr-e-Now, which lies outside the so-called green zone where most foreign embassies and diplomatic missions are located and which is heavily fortified with a phalanx of guards and giant cement blast walls.

By comparison, the Iraqi Embassy is located on a small street in a neighborhood dominated by markets and businesses.

After Iraqi forces, backed by a U.S.-led coalition, recaptured the city of Mosul from the Islamic State group earlier in July, the Iraq Embassy had called reporters to its offices in Kabul to express concerns that the local IS affiliate might stage large-scale attacks elsewhere to draw away attention from the militant groups losses in Iraq. (AP)

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IS attackers target Iraq Embassy in Afghanistan - The Philadelphia Tribune

HIGHLIGHTS

Large-scale fighting is over for now, but civilians face diversifying risks.

Returnees face insecurity, community distrust and low employment.

Donors pledge an additional $200 million in Washington, but more funds are still urgently needed to keep the response on track.

Massive destruction in West Mosul leaves 200,000 homeless

FIGURES

Number of people in need 11m

Number of people targeted for assistance 6.2m

Number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) 3.3m

Number of IDPs who live outside camps 2.5m

Number of affected ppl within host communities 3.2m

Number of returnees 2m

Number of Syrian refugees 0.23m

Protection problems shift

Diversifying risks compromise safety for civilians across Iraq

Large-scale fighting in Mosul is over, but the life-threatening risks faced by Iraqi civilians continue and become more diversified. There is widespread contamination through sophisticated explosive devices, pockets of volatility and reports of violence countrywide. The fear of retributive acts amongst displaced people hinders the communities capacity to return home and restart their lives.

Clearance of explosive hazards will take years

After decades of war, the sheer volume of explosive devices renders Iraq one of the most heavily contaminated countries in the world. Explosive hazards pose life-threatening risks to civilians fleeing their homes, and returning to their areas of origin. Cities like Mosul that experienced intense fighting are littered with unexploded artillery, pressure plates and complex booby traps. In urban areas improvised explosive devices (IEDs) are buried in the rubble, slowing clearance and preventing people from returning. In rural areas, contamination of farmers fields poses lethal risks to labourers and children in particular. The complexity and diversity of IEDs requires specialist mine clearance operators, which is costly and time consuming.

The management of explosive hazards is a critical step in creating the conditions for sustainable return, but explosive hazards must be destroyed one-by-one. The sophistication of devices and extent of contamination make this a lengthy process. For food production to regain the level required to feed the people of Iraq, clearance operations in agricultural areas could take years. In Mosul alone, early estimates indicate that the clearance of explosive hazards may take over a decade.

Insecurity and asymmetric attacks continue

In addition to larger areas, pockets of volatility persist across the country as asymmetric attacks by Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) members continue to put civilians at risk from targeted body-borne and vehicle-borne IED attacks. There is also concern that people are in danger of being caught in outbreaks of fighting. Imam Gharbi, a town south of Mosul along the Tigris river, was attacked and overrun by ISIL in early July, displacing more than 1,800 people in the first half of the month. Iraqi Security Forces regained control of the town at the end of July, but pockets of fighting continue, putting civilians remaining in their homes at ongoing risk from indirect fire and artillery bombardment.

People displaced from Imam Gharbi fled to the town of Qayyarah, others to Jhallale village, near the power plant in Qayyarah. Some went to Al Alam and other to Tikrit, Salah al-Din governorate. Many sheltered in derelict or unfinished buildings in Shirqat town. ISIL maintains a presence in Salah al-Din governorate and towns like Shirqat are subject to repeated outbreaks of insecurity. Civilians regularly face risks from small arms fire and targeted IED attacks by ISIL operatives, as well as danger to their lives if caught in the crossfire or by aerial bombardment during clashes between ISIL and security forces.

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Iraq: Humanitarian Bulletin, July 2017 | Issued on 1 August - Reliefweb

Sunni Arab militants from the al Qaeda splinter group known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS (also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or ISIL), have gained control of vast tracts of land along the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in Iraq, and are pushing south toward Baghdad. Its all part of a wider aim to establish an Islamic caliphate in Syria and Iraq andeventuallyfarther away in Asia and Africa. Over the centuries, however, the region once known as the radle of civilization has seen significant changes. A seventh-century split within Islam itself between Sunni and Shiite would only grow wider as the centuries wore on and the region known as Iraq was traded between great powers.

Early Caliphates - The idea of a Sunni-dominated Islamic caliphate harkens back centuries to two empires: the Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphates. A caliphate is an Islamic state led by a religious and political leader known as a caliph. Sunnis believe their leaders should be elected from among the political successors of the Prophet Muhammad, the nonhereditary elite known as caliphs. The Shiites, however, believe their leaders should come from the direct family line of Muhammad. That schism remains to this day and is a defining element of the sectarian violence in Iraq.

The Ottoman Empire - At the height of its expansion in the 16th and 17th centuries, the Ottoman Empirewhose leadership was Sunni and based in what is now Turkeycovered vast tracts of land in southern Europe, Asia, and North Africa. The empire allowed for multiple languages and religions and divided the area that is now Iraq into three provinces. The Kurds settled in Mosul, the Shiites in Basra, and the Sunnis in Baghdad. Like the British who followed them, the Ottomans sought to maintain the lands that would come to be known as Iraq as a predominantly Sunni-controlled region.

World War I Aftermath - World War I saw the end of several imperial powers, including the Ottoman Empire. The newly formed League of Nations, tasked with maintaining world peace, carved up the former Ottoman Empire and unified the three provinces under British rule, essentially demarcating the modern boundaries of Iraq. Displeased with this plan, the Shiites, Sunnis, and Kurds united for the first time to revolt against British colonial occupation, but they were unsuccessful in gaining full independence until 1932. In the decades that followed, Sunnis held political prominence through the monarchy and political leadership positions, including Saddam Husseins presidency beginning in 1979 SOURCE: INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF WAR

Toppling of Saddam Hussein - In 2003 the United States invaded Iraq and toppled the decades-long regime of Saddam Hussein. The violent insurgency that followed resulted in more than 4,000 U.S. deaths and hundreds of thousands of Iraqi casualties. By 2006 the insurgency appeared to have devolved into a civil war between Sunni and Shiite factions. That same year, the election of a new prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, who is Shiite, led to an unusual period of Shiite political dominance in Iraq and to claims of disenfranchisement by Sunnis, one key factor in the violent opposition to his leadership today. The year 2006 also witnessed the birth of the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI) as both a Sunni group (a renaming of al Qaeda in Iraq, and a precursor to ISIS) and as an Islamist-declared state in western Iraq. SOURCE: INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF WAR

The Rise of ISIS - Earlier this year, an al Qaeda splinter group based in Syria swept into Iraq with the aim of establishing an Islamic state in both countries, whichif successfulwould effectively erase the borders imposed by the West in the wake of WWI. In recent weeks, this Sunni Arab militia, called ISIS, has seized significant resources and conducted mass executions in its dramatic push toward Baghdad. While they have faced little opposition in the Sunni-dominated northwest, the encroachment of ISIS into Shiite-dominated southern territories is expected to result in significant bloodshed. JUAN JOS VALDS, LAUREN E. JAMES, AND EVE CONANT, NG STAFF. SOURCE:INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF WAR

The State premieres on Wednesday 23rd of August at 8.30pm on National Geographic.

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Iraq: 1200 Years of Turbulent History in Five Maps - National Geographic Australia