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President Trumps son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner visited Iraq Monday at the request of Gen. James Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Kushner visited Iraq in his typical preppy garb and photos of him looking out of place in the wartorn country of Iraq were ridiculed Saturday on Twitter as #KushnerAtWar trended on the social media site.

QAYYARAH WEST, IRAQ APRIL 04: In this handout provided by the Department of Defense (DoD), Jared Kushner, Senior Advisor to President Donald J. Trump meets with Service Members at a forward operating base near Qayyarah West in Iraq, April 4, 2017. (Photo by Dominique A. Pineiro/DoD via Getty Images)

QAYYARAH WEST, IRAQ APRIL 04: In this handout provided by the Department of Defense (DoD), Jared Kushner, Senior Advisor to President Donald J. Trump, meets with service members at a forward operating base near Qayyarah West in Iraq, April 4, 2017. (Photo by Dominique A. Pineiro/DoD via Getty Images)

Kushner, who has no foreign policy or military experience, has been tasked with several important issues for the Trump administration such as Middle East peace and liaison to both China and Mexico. White House spokeswoman Hope Hicks told CNNthat the goal of Kushners visit to Iraq was to get an update on anti-ISIS efforts from U.S. andIraqi officials.

The Trump son-in-law also reportedlypushed the Trump administration to strike Syria on Thursday, representing a win for the lifelong Democrat over White House chief strategist Steve Bannon.

ERBIL, IRAQ APRIL 04: In this handout provided by the Department of Defense (DoD), Jared Kushner, Senior Advisor to President Donald J. Trump, Marine Corps Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Tom Bossert, the presidents homeland security advisor, and Douglas A. Silliman, U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Iraq, and Lt. Gen. Stephen J. Townsend, commander, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve, meet with the President of Iraqi Kurdistan Masoud Barzan near Erbil, Iraq, April 4, 2017. (Photo by Dominique A. Pineiro/DoD via Getty Images)

QAYYARAH WEST, IRAQ APRIL 04: In this handout provided by the Department of Defense (DoD), Jared Kushner, Senior Advisor to President Donald J. Trump, poses for a photograph with military officials and service members at a forward operating base near Qayyarah West in Iraq, April 4, 2017. (Photo by Dominique A. Pineiro/DoD via Getty Images)

QAYYARAH WEST, IRAQ APRIL 04: In this handout provided by the Department of Defense (DoD), Jared Kushner, Senior Advisor to President Donald J. Trump walks with military officials and service members at a forward operating base near Qayyarah West in Iraq, April 4, 2017. (Photo by Dominique A. Pineiro/DoD via Getty Images)

QAYYARAH WEST, IRAQ APRIL 04: In this handout provided by the Department of Defense (DoD), Jared Kushner, Senior Advisor to President Donald J. Trump meets with Service Members at a forward operating base near Qayyarah West in Iraq, April 4, 2017. (Photo by Dominique A. Pineiro/DoD via Getty Images)

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Photos Of Jared Kushner In Iraq Get Ridiculed Online - Daily Caller

Gunfire, no food, no water. Iraq is the most dangerous place. I will never go back, said Sathish in broken English when asked about his experience in Erbil, Iraq.

Sathish is among the 33 migrant workers who were rescued from Iraq earlier this week by efforts made by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the NRI cell of Telangana. Most of these men belonged to Telangana. None of the people rescued were highly qualified. Most of them could hardly speak any language other than Telugu.

These men were duped by employment agents who promised them attractive jobs in Iraq in exchange for a few thousand to Rs 1 lakh remuneration. Only after they reached Iraq did they realise that there were no employers waiting for them. Since their visa was valid only for 15 days, they were left to fend for themselves.

Kalyan, another person who was rescued, said, I am safe and alive. That is all that matters now. I went there to improve my future prospects, but we did not even have food to eat. It was very dangerous and I was scared enough to feel that I might die. All we could arrange to eat was bread. On some days, we could not buy bread as we had no money.

Sathish told The Sunday Guardian, I could hear the sound of gunfire. I did not know there was a war going on there. We had to sleep on empty stomach in hiding. We faced a lot of challenges, but we finally made it back home.

Sources said that some of the people rescued were exposed to conflict areas and had to live in confinement. But who captured them or where they were detained could not be known. Not all of them were taken to areas where the on-going civil war has larger effects. But almost all of them had no means of livelihood and had to rely on odd-jobs to arrange for their food and drinking water.

Some of the people rescued were exposed to conflict areas and had to live in confinement. But who captured them or where they were detained could not be known.

Not all of them were taken to areas where the on-going civil war has larger effects. But almost all of them had no means of livelihood and had to rely on odd-jobs to arrange for food and drinking water.

E. Chitti Babu, section officer at the NRI cell, Telangana, said, Some of them were stranded for over two years. The workers had been asking for help for the past five months. The rescue was initiated once the Indian authorities intervened after Telangana minister K.T. Rama Rao and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj directed the Indian embassy to look into the matter.

A survivor said, We did any work we could find to collect enough money to buy food. We sold empty bottles to earn money and looked through garbage for edible leftovers.

Earlier in 2015, 11 nurses from Kerala were rescued from Kirkuk in northern Iraq.

In 2014, the Iraqi insurgency escalated into a civil war with the conquest of Mosul and Tikrit and major areas in northern Iraq by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS). The most recent update on the ongoing conflict comprises the battle of Mosul that started in 2016 and has continued through February and March between Iraqi government forces with allied militias, the Kurdistan Regional Government, and international forces to retake the city of Mosul from the ISIL.

Mosul is only 95km from Erbil, capital of the autonomous state of Kurdistan, which also serves as the defacto capital for all western political and military movements since the actual capital, Baghdad, is currently unstable and unsafe. An estimated 400,000 civilians are still trapped in the conflict areas. However, with strong checkpoints, Erbil is largely considered safe.

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Gunfire, no food, say survivors from Iraq - The Sunday Guardian

Sulaymaniyah, Iraq, 08 April 2017 The Iraq: Youth and Coexistence forum engaging youth in the search of ideas for Iraqs post-Daesh future convened today in Sulaymaniyah in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, the fifth stop of cross-country meetings and one which is gaining more significance as the triumph over the terrorists in Mosul is approaching.

The Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General (DSRSG) for Iraq for Political and Electoral Affairs Mr. Gyrgy Busztin, stated in an opening address that unity is key to peace and prosperity and provides hope for the future generation, with peaceful coexistence serving as the main pillar of national unity.

I confidently hope that all the territory and population of Mosul city as well as all other parts of Iraq would be liberated very soon from the captivity of the extremist terrorist group and rescued from the brutality of their heinous crimes, Mr. Busztin said.

A total of 80 youth in the age group of 18-35 from Sulaymaniyah, Erbil and Halabja Governorates participated in the forum, which the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) organized in cooperation with the Iraqi Al-Amal Association. The meeting in Sulaymaniyah is the fifth of a series of cross-country youth forums intended to give a voice to youth for their crucial role in charting the road to peaceful co-existence in a future Iraq. With these kind of fora, the young generation of Iraqis across different ethnic and sectarian backgrounds has the opportunity to deliberate post-conflict issues, engage on national reconciliation and voice their opinion.

The opening session was attended by member of the board of Al-Amal Association Ms. Amena Goyani, and DSRSG Busztin, who stressed the importance of this forum convening in Sulaymaniyah, which he described as the cultural capital of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

This meeting is of deep significance, as it does represent fraternity among the youth from diverse communities in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and further their willingness to discuss coexistence in a post-Daesh Iraq, the DSRSG said. We are fully aware that comprehensive and frank discussion among all segments of society is essential in order to face the heritage of the past, address the threat of the present, and build a common future for Iraq.

The cross-country forums were first launched in Basra on 28 January 2017, and brought together about 120 participants from the four southern governorates of Basra, Missan, Dhi Qar and Muthanna. The second followed in Erbil on 19 February with 135 participants from Ninewa Governorate. The third was held in Najaf on 18 March, with 115 participants from the Najaf, Karbala, Babel and Qadissiyah Governorates taking part, and the fourth was on 25 March in Diyala Governorate where 68 youth participated. Other conferences are to follow in the Governorates of Baghdad, Kirkuk and Salaheddin, culminating in an overarching national conference in Baghdad in May to be attended by representatives of the youth to incorporate recommendations from these forums in the decisions that support the process of reconciliation and coexistence.

As with the format for all the conferences, the participants in the Sulaymaniyah forum broke up into working groups to deliberate and respond to questions about what they would like to see in a future Iraq and how they can contribute. At the end of the meeting, the participants debated their responses and adopted a set of recommendations.

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UN at Iraq: Youth and Coexistence Forum in Sulaymaniyah: Near Defeat of Daesh Makes Reconciliation More ... - ReliefWeb

Shia militia flags hang from a mosque in Mosul. (photo credit:SETH J. FRANTZMAN)

NIMRUD, Iraq -The floating bridge that spans the Tigris River south of Mosul was built after Iraqi security forces cleared Islamic State terrorists from the area last year. Today it has a checkpoint at each end run by the Iraqi Army. But attached to the bridge is a large flag with the image of the Shia Imam Ali (601661 CE). A sword dripping in blood hangs below him. It symbolizes the vengeance of Hussein, a reference to the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, who was murdered in 680.

When the Mosul offensive began last October, Qais al-Khazaali, a leader of the Asaib Ahl al-Haq Shia militia promised that the battle against the black flag of ISIS would echo the ancient martyrdom that led to the creation of Shia Islam. But things would go differently this time. Hussein would triumph and the Sunni extremists with their black flag would be sent to their graves. For many Shia this is a just revenge, similar to the Soviets raising the Red Banner over the Reichstag in 1945. ISIS carried out unspeakable crimes against Shia at places such as Camp Speicher in Tikrit in 2014. It cleansed them from areas under its control.

A few months ago someone circulated a meme on Facebook showing Eddard Stark from Game of Thrones holding the Ya-Hussein flag that the militias often adorn their checkpoints and vehicles with. Winter is coming, said the meme. The media was comical but not the message: There is a new power growing in Iraq. The sword of the Shia militias has been drawn and it shall not be sheathed. Driving from Erbil in the Kurdish region to West Mosul today requires traversing at least 10 checkpoints, many of them manned by local Shia militias affiliated with the Hashd al-Shaabi or Popular Mobilization Units (PMU). They arent all Shia or Arab; there is an Assyrian Christian affiliate, Shia Turkmen, Sunni tribes, and other minorities such as the Shabak have their own Hashd. But the vast majority are Shia and the Shia flags symbolize the militias power and religious affiliation. The PMU is made up of various large militias including Kataib Hezbollah, the Badr Organization and the Imam Ali Battalions.

Since last year they have been incorporated officially into the security apparatus of the Iraqi state. This is a reminder of how the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps functions. It is also how Hezbollah has come to dominate politics in Lebanon. The recipe is the same: First, create a political party. Then create a religious militia to go with it. Then get the government to recognize and accept the militia as part of the defensive forces of the state. In Iran this started with the 1979 revolution. In Lebanon it began after the Israeli invasion in 1982 and has grown incrementally since 2006.

ISIS has fueled the power of Hezbollah, allowing it to pretend it is protecting Lebanon from Islamist extremists and extend its power into Syria. In Iraq the Shia militia origins may date to the 1980s, but their current power derives entirely from the war on ISIS that began in June 2014. When the Iraqi Army disintegrated, they stepped into the breach. Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani issued a fatwa calling on Iraqi citizens to defend the country from ISIS. Hundreds of thousands flocked to the flag over the next two-and-a-half years. Now that tide of men and arms has reached Mosul.

Locals claim the Shia militias are abusing people who flee Mosul, accusing them of being members of ISIS. I tried to enter the Hamam al-Alil displaced persons camp just south of Mosul and was turned away brusquely by the militias. Later we were told there had been an incident in the camp whose entrance is controlled by the PMU but whose residents are Sunni Arabs. The PMU have even posted a giant sign declaring that they are confirming the safty [sic] of the camps, giving aid equally. They specify no shooting in the air for any reason. Hundreds of thousands have fled Mosul for camps like this. Some are run by the UNHCR, but the militias play an outsized role on the roads leading to them.

One teenager from a village occupied by the militias who fled to the Kurdish region says he despises Iran, which supports the militias. He opposes the Shia who he says have no place in northern Iraq. He claims they are handing out Hussein flags and Shia religious books to children, trying to convert them. His sentiments are shared by almost every Sunni I spoke to, including Kurds and Arabs who see an Iranian hand planting itself firmly around Mosul. Many say there is no difference between the religious extremism of ISIS and the militias. If those sentiments are even partially representative, it is only a matter of time before a new round of violence breaks out. If ISIS gave the militias an excuse to expand their power to Mosul, a historically Sunni city, attacks on Shia symbols may only increase their power as they portray themselves as cracking down on Sunni Islamist terrorism.

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A hitchhiker's guide to the militias that now dominate much of Iraq - Jerusalem Post Israel News

From the moment in early 2014 that fighters from the Islamic State (also known as ISIS) surged into Fallujah and seized the citys dam, Mohammed Amin feared the worst. As a farmer who was heavily dependent on an aging network of canals that flow east out of the Euphrates River, Amin knew how easily the jihadists might sabotage his crops. And so when the group slammed the Fallujah dam shut that August, flooding much of Baghdads agricultural belt and halting an Iraqi army advance, Amin was better prepared than most. I kept my seeds, my fertilizer, everything up high. I had this feeling, he said.

But what neither he nor his neighbors, all farmers working the land in the shadow of a notorious former U.S. prison, could have anticipated was the long-term environmental damage that ISIS might inflict on the area, even in defeat. After being driven from Fallujah in May 2016, the jihadists blew six of the dams ten gates, forcing officials to cut flow into the canals. Nine months later, and still without water, swaths of eastern Anbar Province are bone dry. Dirty water, low water, bad canals: we thought wed seen everything, Amin said, staring out over his parched fields. Now its even worse, though. After those animals, theres no water at all.

Much of the reporting on ISIS hasunderstandablycentered on the human toll of its terror. But Iraqs two great rivers have also been hit hard, and the consequences are likely to last well beyond the groups eventual demise. Already beset by an array of problems, the Euphrates and Tigris have been dirtied with corpses, sullied with munitions waste, and littered with defunct water infrastructure over the past three years. For a country that depends on these famed waterways to irrigate over 80 percent of its agriculture, the additional woes have pushed Iraqi farmers to the brink. The people have survived, but with no water and all this damage,

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The Dangerous State of Iraq's Rivers Letter From Abu Ghraib - Foreign Affairs (subscription)