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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Arab leaders to back Kyiv while tying Russias invasion to a history of long-term wars that include Western military interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Look at how much suffering the long-term wars have brought to Libya, Syria, Yemen how many lives have been wasted by years of fighting in Sudan and Somalia, in Iraq and Afghanistan, Zelensky told the Arab League during a surprise appearance at its summit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. [E]very aggressor goes against the world and will be cursed by the people.

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Zelensky emphasized Ukraines need for assistance in rescuing Ukrainian children who have been deported to Russia. And he linked that request to a broader argument that combined moral and practical reasons for the Arab world to cooperate directly with Ukraine.

Russia is weak. We beat it even when it has more weapons in its hands, Zelensky said. Its aggressiveness does not come from strength, but from the understanding that the time of empires has passed. Thats because the time of free independent nations will never end, and Ukraine proves it.

Zelenskys appearance upstaged Russian President Vladimir Putin, who pledged his attachment of great importance to the development of friendly relations and constructive partner interaction with countries in the Middle East and North Africa in an open letter to the forum.

We intend to continue to actively support collective efforts for a peaceful settlement of serious regional problems, including the crises in Sudan, Yemen, Libya, and Syria, based on unconditional respect for state sovereignty and the principles of international law, Putin said, per the Kremlin text. We believe that the further development of multifaceted cooperation between Russia and the Arab countries fully meets our common interests and is in keeping with the goal of building a fairer and more democratic system of international relations based on the principles of multipolarity, genuine equality, and respect for each others interests.

Zelensky offered a bracing challenge to Putins posture, as he called for Arab leaders to sympathize with the hundreds of thousands of our children [who] are deported to Russia, separated from their relatives, and there in Russia theyre trying to teach our children to hate their natives and requested diplomatic aid in securing their return.

Unfortunately, there are some in the world and here, among you, who turn a blind eye to those cages and illegal annexations, he said. "I am here so that everyone can take an honest look. No matter how hard the Russians try to influence, there must still be independence.

Putin and other Russian officials often attempt to cast U.S. support for Ukraine as an example of pressure on Russia analogous to the invasion of Iraq or the overthrow of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. Putin made a more frank imperialist argument in the final days prior to the launch of the campaign to overthrow the Ukrainian government when he condemned the disease of nationalism that, in his view, laid the foundations of the modern Ukrainian state a century ago.

Why was it necessary to appease the nationalists, to satisfy the ceaselessly growing nationalist ambitions on the outskirts of the former empire? Putin complained in a February 21, 2022, address.

Zelensky, for his part, condemned the rabies of aggression on display in Putins invasion. I am more than sure that none of you will agree to surrender a third of your country to the invaders, he told the Arab League. I am more than sure none of you would watch without a fight how foreigners steal the children of your people . . . I'm more than sure that none of you would admit the military occupation of a nuclear plant to use it to blackmail the world with nuke disaster.

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The Ukrainian leader offered a flexible approach to aligning with Kyivs peace formula, proposing that they choose the point to help that you consider appropriate even if they cant embrace the entire formula.

And I will be grateful to each of you who will choose exactly the direction of rescuing people held in Russian captivity, he said.

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Zelensky links Russian invasion to Iraq and Afghanistan wars in ... - Washington Examiner

Hundreds were taken from a prison and executed by the armed group, according to the Iraqi government.

The remains of 605 people believed to have been killed by ISIL (ISIS) have been exhumed from a mass grave near a prison in northern Iraq over the past two years, a government agency has said.

The group, which took over vast swathes of Iraq and Syria in 2014, had taken the inmates from the prison in the northern area of Badush and killed them near a waterway, according to the Mass Graves Department at the government-linked Foundation of Martyrs.

The process of opening the graves took more than two years and resulted in the removal of 605 bodies, department chief Dhiaa Karim told a press conference in Baghdad on Sunday, held in participation with a representative from the state-linked Medical Legal Directorate (MLD), according to Iraqs state news agency INA.

The process of opening and excavating graves was carried out with the support of the International Commission on Missing Persons and the international investigation team after the issuance of the decision to open the graves, he said.

According to Karim, 401 body parts and 204 full bodies were recovered, and were handed over to the MLD for identification as they were exposed to events like floods and changes in the climate.

The state news agency said the bodies of 78 of the victims have been identified so far.

The Iraqi government declared military victory against ISIL in December 2017.

Iraq has since unearthed mass graves of people thought to have been killed by ISIL in several areas of the country.

Other mass graves have also been found over the years, remnants of violence from former authoritarian leader Saddam Husseins invasion of neighbouring Iran during the 1980s, the 1991 Gulf War, the 2003 United States-led invasion of Iraq, and years of sectarian bloodletting.

The decades of violence have meant that Iraq now has one of the highest numbers of missing persons in the world, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The United Nations has said over 200 mass graves have been linked to ISIL alone, containing thousands of bodies.

Families of the missing victims of the violence from ISIL and others have spoken out throughout the years, with many expressing frustration as the identification process could take years.

Meanwhile, state bodies like the Foundation of Martyrs have previously complained of financial hurdles and government red tape as some of the reasons behind the lengthy process.

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Iraq exhumes remains of 605 ISIL victims from mass grave - Al Jazeera English

A new report at Middle East Eye last week said that the Hashd al-Shaabi paramilitary umbrella group has doubled in size over the past two years, making it the third-largest force in the country, documents related to Iraqs draft budget seen by Middle East Eye suggest. The report claimed that these pro-Iranian militias that became an official state-backed paramilitary force in 2018 now need some 3.56 trillion Iraqi dinars ($2.7 billion).

The Hashd or PMU was raised in 2014 after the fatwa by Ayatollah Ali Sistani, which encouraged young men to defend Baghdad from the ISIS offensive that year. Huge numbers of men eventually flocked to the banners of various units. There were dozens of Hashd brigades, most affiliated with various existing militias. Groups like Badr date back to the 1980s. Some of the groups like Kataib Hezbollah are closely linked to Irans IRGC. Some of these groups have threatened Israel over the years, such as Asaib Ahl al-Haqs Qais Khazali and the Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba group.

What matters is that groups that had a few thousand men under arms ballooned into 100,000 fighters. Then they strong-armed the Western-backed Abadi government to make them an official force. Then, when Abadi was chucked out of power having been used by Iran, Qasem Soleimani and the Hashd to frustrate Kurdistans independence referendum in 2017 the Hashd or PMU came to control swaths of the state. This was the Iranian IRGC model, similar to Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen, but even more powerful in some ways.

Now the groups apparently want even more money for a shadow army of militias. Its not clear if these men are all actually under arms or they are ghost units units on paper that are used to siphon off and divert Iraqs limited state resources so that the money can flow to Tehran or to Syria where it is used to threaten US forces and Israel.

Of course, this is a classic Rumsfeld-style unknown knowns situation. If the PMU grows to 238,000 fighters, where will these men be used? However, it is not certain that these numbers accurately reflect the true number of personnel. The Hashd and other wings of the security forces have been suspected of inflating the number of people in their ranks to siphon off state funds for other uses, the article notes.

In recent years, Irans militias in Iraq have often threatened to join any war against Israel in the region. This could be part of Irans plan to unify the fronts against Israel, in which Iran uses Hamas, PIJ, Hezbollah and others as its frontline against the Jewish state. These are Irans potential cannon fodder, paid now from Iraqs budget. People in Basra cant get clean water, but Irans militias can get all the funding they need. Several years ago, these groups were involved in a crackdown on protesters in Iraq.

There have been allegations that Iran uses them in Iran as well against minority Kurdish communities. Tehran therefore may be building a shadow army in Iraq, or just stealing its resources, or preparing its militias for war against the US and Israel. Iran has already moved drones and missiles to Iraq to these militias. In May 2021, a drone was flown from Iraq targeting Israel.

Irans backing for groups like Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza and the West Bank may have a financial tail that leads back to Iraq. After all, if Iran can siphon off millions of dollars from Iraq to its militias, its plausible it can divert and redirect that to back PIJ. The overall context is that any expansion in resources for Iraqs pro-Iranian militias is bad news for Iraq, Iran, Syria, Lebanon and for the region.

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Why does Iran need 200,000 pro-Iran militiamen in Iraq? - analysis - The Jerusalem Post

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The Board of Governors of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has approved amendments to the Banks statutes to enable the limited and incremental expansion of its operations to sub-Saharan Africa and Iraq.

The decision, taken at the EBRDs 2023 Annual Meeting in Samarkand, reflects the growing economic links between the Banks current countries of operations and sub-Saharan Africa and Iraq and its potential for developing the private sector in those economies.

This is a very important moment for the Bank, EBRD President Odile Renaud-Basso said. Our distinct business model provides real added value which can complement the work of existing development partners and accelerate transition in sub-Saharan Africa and Iraq. This decision also reaffirms our shareholders commitment to the global development agenda.

Under the terms of the resolution adopted today, applications for recipient country status will be considered after the ratification and entry into force of the relevant amendment to Article 1 of the EBRDs statutes. Any applications received would be assessed through the Banks established governance procedures.

As such, the Bank does not envisage making any investments in these new countries before 2025, allowing more time to prepare for successful delivery when it does become operational there.

From 2025 to 2030, the EBRD will be able to invest in up to six countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

Preparatory analysis undertaken by the Bank has showed that the EBRDs mandate and business model would fit most appropriately in Benin, Cte dIvoire, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and Senegal, should they wish to apply. These six countries will be formally notified of the Governors decision.

Iraq will join the Banks southern and eastern Mediterranean (SEMED) region (Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia and the West Bank and Gaza), to which the country has strong economic links.

The EBRD started working in the SEMED region in 2011, where it has so far invested close to 19billion in 363 projects supporting the private sector and sustainable development.

The Banks most urgent and immediate priority remains supporting Ukraine, where the EBRD is the largest institutional investor, having committed to deploying 3 billion in 2022-23.

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EBRD shareholders back expansion to sub-Saharan Africa and Iraq - EBRD

MILWAUKEE Wisconsins Afternoon News host John Mercure has worn many hats in his journalism career, but few compared with his time embedded with a U.S. military group during the war in Iraq.

On May 15, 2023, which marked 20 years since his visit to Iraq, Mercure welcomed Cpt. Dan Buttery onto WAN to discuss their time together overseas and Butterys role as President and CEO for the Milwaukee County War Memorial Center.

Mercure explained that he applied with the Pentagon to be the lead TV journalist to represent the state of Wisconsin in Iraq. Thanks to his track record as an investigative journalist and connections with state politicians, he was selected to go into the heat of action along with a photographer to capture an authentic, first-person perspective in Iraq.

Many of the individuals in the unit he joined, which was led by Cpt. Buttery, were reserves who were activated due to the severity of the war.

They recalled some of the more intense moments of his stay, including a time when their Humvee came under fire while on the road. Cpt. Buttery explained that he tried to lighten the mood by suggesting they were bottle rockets until the group came upon a destroyed vehicle that was targeted by similar attacks.

Thats when I realized it was a war, Mercure said. We werent just playing something on TV.

Mercure also recalled another moment when he stood atop a tower overlooking an airfield with his photographer when guards rushed to the tower and warned them of a serious threat.

Suddenly, guards at the bottom of the tower said You got to get down, you got to get down. We think theres a sniper out there, hell take a shot at you in that tower, Mercure recalled. That was another moment that was like woah.'

The conversation turned to the War Memorial Center, which needs public support. Despite it being a private nonprofit, Milwaukee County owns the structure itself. They operated through a public/private partnership in which Buttery said his team funds approx. 80% of the operation.

To learn more about the War Memorial Center, click here.

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20 Years Later: Mercure reflects on days embedded in Iraq war with ... - WTMJ