Mediaboss Marketing

Iraq is expected to be removed from President Donald Trumps travel ban list in a new executive order and for reasons that shouldve been perfectly obvious to the administration when the list was drafted in the first place.

According to the Associated Press, the decision was made following pressure from the Pentagon and State Department, while CNN reports that it was Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Secretary of Defense James Mattis, and national security adviser Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster who, in fact, advocated for Iraq to be removed from the list. Why would they pressure the White House to do such a thing? Because, for one, we currently have American troops fighting alongside Iraqis on the front lines in the war against ISIS. That the authors of the ban only took that into account after a federal court ruling forced them to recalculate their strategy raises the troubling prospect that there are people within the Trump administration who needed to be reminded that were still at war.

Among the most vocal critics of the original executive order were some veterans of the Iraq War, who implored the administration to make an exception for the Iraqi interpreters who have aided U.S. forces since the 2003 invasion. In a New York Times op-ed, Task & Purpose CEO and former Marine Zach Iscol, who earned a Bronze Star with Valor in the Second Battle of Fallujah, argued that Trumps order would be keeping out the very Muslims we do want here.

Meanwhile, in Iraq, where 5,000 American troops are currently deployed in the fight against ISIS, members of the Iraqi parliament responded by voting in favor of a reciprocal ban, with the hope of, as one MP put it, encouraging the new American administration to review this wrong decision. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi rejected the proposal, but in his first phone call with Trump, he reminded the president that Iraq and the United States are close battlefield allies and asked for his country to be removed the list. Whether this was news to the commander-in-chief, who once claimed to know more about ISIS than the generals do, is unclear.

Abadis request has now been honored, signaling that either the Trump administration no longer perceives Iraqi refugees as a threat to U.S. national security, or that it finally realized that Iraqs inclusion on the list would only hinder efforts to degrade and destroy one of the most formidable terrorist organizations in the world.

Central to the U.S. militarys strategy in Iraq is forging strong relationships with the local population, including both soldiers and civilians. Thats pretty much been the case since day one. When former and current military commanders raised concerns that the ban would put the lives of American service members in jeopardy, they werent just being whiny or politically correct. They were speaking from years of experience on the ground, where U.S. forces have relied, and continue to rely, on Iraqis for everything from intelligence gathering, to coordinating raids and airstrikes, to basic security. Soon after Trump signed the executive order, Iraqi soldiers fighting alongside American special operations forces in Mosul told The New York Times that they interpreted the ban as an insult.

[The Iraqis have] invited us into their country to help them, Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, told reporters on March 1. They are protecting us here and were fighting this enemy that threatens all of our countries together. So I would prefer personally not to see anything that would reflect on that except that we have a very strong partnership.

Iraq is just as much of a hotbed of terrorism than any of the other countries on the list. Recent fighting in the former ISIS strongholds of Fallujah and Ramadi has scattered hundreds of thousands of displaced Iraqis to the wind. The battle to retake Mosul, which is still raging, is displacing countless more. Theres no doubt that ISIS militants are among them, and that many have now absorbed back into the civilian population. Does that mean our country will be any less safe with Iraq not on the list?

Well, if the Bowling Green Massacre is the only example we have of Iraqi refugees carrying out a terrorist attack on U.S. soil, chances are well be fine. In fact, the Trump administrations changes to the immigration order come on the heels of a report by Homeland Security Department intelligence analysts that, according to the AP, found insufficient evidence that citizens of the seven Muslim-majority countries posed a terror threat to the United States.

if the Bowling Green Massacre is the only example we have of Iraqi refugees carrying out a terrorist attack on U.S. soil, chances are well be fine.

But, hey, you never know where the terrorists are going to come from. The Boston Marathon bombing was carried out by two Chechen-Americans. The San Bernardino attack was perpetrated by the American-born son of a Pakistani immigrant and a woman who was born in Pakistan and lived in Saudi Arabia before moving to the United States. Omar Mateen, who shot 49 people to death in an Orlando nightclub, was born in Queens, New York, and grew up in Florida. His parents were Afghans.

Its easy to justify putting Iraq on the list. In fact, in 2011, the year President Barack Obama withdrew all American troops from Iraq, the government temporarily introduced stricter screening procedures for Iraqi refugees applying for U.S. visas after two Iraqis living in Bowling Green, Kentucky, were arrested on terrorism charges (hence the Bowling Green Massacre). But its just as easy to justify including other countries where global jihadist networks have taken root, such as Pakistan, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt.

This led me to suspect that the refugee ban, as it was originally conceived, was intended more as a symbolic gesture than an earnest attempt to keep us, the American people, safe. The fact that Iraq is now being removed from the list only confirms that suspicion. In their rush to follow through with one of Trumps key campaign promises, the authors of the ban failed to heed the wisdom accrued by both the Pentagon and the State Department over more than 15 years of war, and the result was an executive order that was perilously out of touch with reality. Now, the federal court order has allowed enough time for some of that wisdom to seep into the White House.

Why wasnt it there in the first place? Maybe its because the two chief architects of the original ban, 31-year-old top Trump advisor Stephen Miller, and Stephen Bannon, the former CEO of Breitbart who now serves as the White House chief strategist, overestimate their knowledge of foreign policy. Or maybe its because theyre more focused on signaling to the world that the Trump administration will be tough on terrorism than they are on doing whats actually necessary to prevent an attack on American soil, which requires working in concert with the military commanders and State Department officials whose primary mission is to do just that.

Had the federal courts not overturned the original ban, wed now have a policy in place that wouldve made the difficult mission of driving ISIS out of Mosul, the Islamic States de facto capital outside of Syria, more difficult. So far, countless Iraqi soldiers have been killed or wounded trying to retake the city. American soldiers are right there with them. Fortunately, the generals in the Trump administration didnt forget that, and made sure their voices were eventually heard.

Excerpt from:
Iraq Will Be Removed From Trump's Travel Ban List, And We Have A Few Good Men To Thank - Task & Purpose

President Donald Trump is set to remove Iraq from the list of seven Muslim-majority countries included in his temporary travel ban, according to an Iraqi official who says the delay in issuing a new executive order is partly because Trump is considering adding further countries to the list.

The new order, expected to be released later this week, comes after a federal court suspended the initial ban, signed on January 27, a week after Trumps inauguration. It outlawed citizens of Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen from entering the U.S. for 90 days, with refugees suspended for 120 days and Syrian refugees barred indefinitely.

Read more: Iraqi leader tells Trump to remove country from the travel ban

Try Newsweek for only $1.25 per week

The Department of Defense and the State Department both lobbied Trump and his team to remove Iraq from the ban, according to the Baghdad-based official, speaking to Newsweek on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak on the matter. Reports have also emerged that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Secretary of Defense James Mattis and national security adviser H.R. McMaster also advocated for Iraqs removal. Ahead of the first Iraqi signal that it would be removed, U.S. officials on Wednesday told several publications that Trumps team had reached this conclusion. It is expected that the other six countries will remain on the travel ban list.Trumps team did not respond to Newsweek s request for comment at the time of writing.

I think it is sitting with the president to make the announcement now, the official says. Everybody has given the recommendation to take [Iraq] off, the DoD specifically, and the State Department also chipped in and supported it. The early signs are that...Iraq will be removed.

Members of the Iraqi forces watch Donald Trump giving a speech after he won the U.S. president elections in the village of Arbid on the southern outskirts of Mosul on November 9, 2016. He is set to remove Iraq from the list of countries subject to travel ban. Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP/Getty

Trumps administration was set to reveal the order on Wednesday but delayed its rollout. The positive reaction to Trumps speech to Congress on Tuesday was behind the delay, a senior White House official told CNN Wednesday. But the Iraqi official says it was for another reason. Iraqs removal may not be the only change made to the list. Trump is reportedly considering adding new countries to the list, he says.

There was an issue that they may want to add other countries, that was the problem, thats my understanding. Its not the Iraqi part.

The decision in January to include Iraq sparked outrage in Baghdad, with lawmakers quickly passing a motion for the government to implement a reciprocal ban of U.S. citizens entering the country, putting domestic pressure on unifying Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who personally lobbied Trump for Iraqs removal.

In a visit to the Department of Defense after issuing the order, Trump said the ban was essential to keep radical Islamic terrorists out of the country. Iraqis countered that they were a key ally in the campaign against ISIS and had not exported terrorism to the U.S., alleging that other countries excluded from the list, such as Saudi Arabia, had.

The souring of relations came at a crucial moment in the fight against ISIS, as Iraqi forces, backed by U.S. airpower and advisers, advanced in Mosul, the northern Iraqi stronghold of the Islamic State militant group (ISIS). U.S.-led coalition officials estimate that the liberation of the city remains months away.

The Iraqi official believes the removal of Iraq shows that Washington may have realized that from a military perspective [having it on the list] doesnt make sense for them, for cooperation, the official says. The order has already somewhat damaged the relationship, with Baghdad more likely to treat Washington with cautiousness and be less forward with the administration in future discussions, he says.

Read more:
Iraq to Be Removed From Trump's New Travel Ban List: Official - Newsweek

Iraqs crude exports rose 1 percent by volume in February, contrasting with a decrease in monthly shipments by Saudi Arabia after both countries agreed to OPECs plan to cut oil production in an effort to prop up prices and trim a global oversupply.

Exports increased to 3.85 million barrels a day last month, about 39,000 barrels a day more than in January, according to port-agent reports and ship-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. Shipments from the southern port of Basra grew by about 1 percent, and sales by the Kurdish Regional Government in the north of the country rose about 9 percent, the data show.

The most important business stories of the day.

Get Bloomberg's daily newsletter.

The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries is limiting output in the first half of this year to cut global crude stockpiles that are weighing on prices. The group agreed on Nov. 30 to decrease production by 1.2 million barrels a day, with 11 countries outside of OPEC pledging to reduce by about 600,000. Vessel-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg show that Saudi Arabia, the groups largest member, cut exports by about 2 percent in February to 7.04 million barrels a day -- supporting the kingdoms assertion that its paring output.

Iraq pledged to cut 210,000 barrels a day from its own production, compared with the level in October, the month that OPEC set as a baseline for its agreement. International Energy Agency data showed that Iraq reduced output by 110,000 barrels a day in January.

Sales in February fell short of the level in October, when the country shipped 3.91 million barrels a day, according to tanker tracking data. Exports maydecline to a seven-month low of 3.01 million barrels a day in March, compared withIraqs plans to ship about 3.64 million barrels a day last month, according to loading programs obtained by Bloomberg.

Loading programs give an indication of planned exports and can change if vessels are delayed or if ships are added to the schedule. As a result, the programs can differ from tanker-tracking figures.

Read the original:
Iraq's Oil Exports Are Up, Despite OPEC Output Cuts - Bloomberg

US to Remove Iraq From Travel-Ban List Wall Street Journal (subscription) WASHINGTONThe White House's decision to remove Iraq from a list of countries subject to a travel ban came amid concerns in Washington and Baghdad the ban would undercut relations with a critical ally in the fight against Islamic State. There was ...

See original here:
US to Remove Iraq From Travel-Ban List - Wall Street Journal (subscription)

The Islamic State mortar shell slammed into the ground in a puff of white smoke, exploding a mere 30yards away from the dirt path leading out of western Mosuls Al-Maamoun neighborhood.

Residents already fleeing the city realizedit was time to run.

Quick, quick, yalla, shouted an Iraqisoldier, frantically waving his arms at a gaggle of families struggling to push their belongings along the path.

Behind them, Al-Maamoun was shrouded in smoke, the rat-tat-tat of heavy machine guns echoing through the area.

Around now is when they start sending the [mortar fire]. There will be others. People have to hurry, the soldier said.

As Iraqi security forces have breached Islamic State-held neighborhoods of western Mosul, thousands of residents have seized the chance to escape in the ensuing chaos rather than stay while militants keep fighting.

The International Organization for Migration, one of several humanitarian agencies keeping track of population movements in the area, said in a report released Wednesday that some 21,000 peoplehad been displaced since the government offensive to take back western Mosul beganFeb. 19.

As the clashes have shifted past smaller areas into western Mosul proper, there has been a spike in displacement. Since Saturday, approximately 4,000 people have left the city eachday, the highest the rate has been since the campaign to drive the jihadists kicked off in October, according to the U.N.s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

In January, Iraqi troops backed by a U.S.-led international coalition drove the jihadists out of Mosuls eastern districts. The troops halted their campaign on thebanks of the Tigris River, which bisects the city,while they regrouped. They started thefresh assault in February with the aim of driving out Islamic State from its last major bastion in the country.

The U.N. estimates some 750,000 peopleremain in Islamic State-held areas of western Mosul. An estimated 400,000 of them may flee tocamps set up by the government as well as numerous aid agencies near Mosul, officials say.

Residents looking to leave Mosul face a journey that begins with a gantlet ofmortar fire, IEDs and sniper bullets.

At times, men, their faces tight with worry, cajole wearywomen and whimpering children through the active war zone their neighborhoods have become. Families walk past the bodies of Islamic State fighters as well as residents felled by the fighting.

Weve heard stories of people tranquilizing their kids or putting duct tape on their mouths to stop them from making any noise as they make their escape from Islamic State,Hala Jaber, Iraq press officer for theInternational Organization for Migration, said in an interviewWednesday.

Despite Iraqi forces this week declaring Al-Maamoun mostly secure, a video releasedMonday by Amaq, an agency affiliated with Islamic State, shows militants running through Al-Maamoun and the Uboor area of western Mosul, firing their weapons as they shout Allah Akbar [God is great].

Militants are seen in the video firing aDushka machine gun set up in the bed of a pickup truck and high-caliberrifles from inside houses.

Outside Al-Maamoun on Tuesday, it appearedthe neighborhood and its environs were still contested.

Residents often bury family members killed in the fighting in hastily dug graves in front yards or on the sides of the road.

Abu Barzan Hadidi, a 43-year-old taxi driver from Al-Maamoun, said he had just finished digging a grave for his daughter, Nadia Bilal, and his 1-year-old granddaughter, Hanaan.

I buried them with my own two hands, Hadidi said.

A mortar [shell] fell on them, he said. Her husband went ahead to the camps. He doesnt know yet.

He returned a shovel to the soldiers stationed near the dirt path out of Al-Maamoun, tears rolling down his nut-brown cheeks.

Hes not the only one who had to do this today, said one soldier as he watched Hadidi walk away, saying that he too had buried a corpse hours earlier.

Militants forced many residents to leave their cars, some destined to be used as car bombs.

After they leave their neighborhoods, those fleeing must traverse the sand-swept valleys and hills outside the city. They trudge through the desert, forming a dust-covered line that stretches for three miles before reaching a gathering area near the Baghdad-Mosul highway.

On Tuesday, many people struggledto roll pushcarts with older family members and baggage down a hill, passing near a tank that had fallen into a trench. An old woman, too tired to continue, sat cross-legged on the sand as family members tried to determinehow far they would have to go to reach military trucks transporting people to safety.

Abdullah Fathi, 17, struggled to push a blue cart carrying his grandmother, Farhah Amin,to a field hospital.

She fainted. She just couldnt take the trip, he said as a medical officer ordered staff to put Amin on a stretcher.

For many displaced people destined for camps, the main concern was food and water. People spoke of horrific levels of deprivation, with exorbitant prices in western Mosulmaking even the most basic of goods out of reach.

Moza Khudhayer, an outspoken matriarch of a family from the Uboor area of Mosul,sat on patterned thatch mats among her daughters and their children,relishing packets of biscuits and stew with rice given to them by aid groups.

The [Islamic State]killed us, may Allah kill them, she said. "Weve spent a month without gas, and we've eaten nothing.

In another area, a group of men squatted on the ground before a seated intelligence officerclad in the black uniform of Iraqs counter-terrorism service.

The men, whose ages ranged from teenagers with a wisp of facial hair to those sporting beards, had been separated from their families while they awaited security screening.

You, the one whos laughing, whats so funny? the intelligence officer asked a teenager who moments before had smirked. The teen quickly apologized.

Earlier, another group had lined up in single file, 10at a time, before another intelligence official with a laptop. They would go forward one by one and present their white government-issued rations card to the officer, who would tap their name into a security database.

Roughly 10%of the men we check are from Daesh, and they dont know we have all this material on them, said the intelligence officer, a captain who declined to give his name for security reasons. He used the groups Arabic acronym,which is considered a pejorative by its supporters.

We have a database with all the names of Islamic State members and collaborators, and when we took the eastern side we scooped up records kept by Islamic State. They had the full names of fighters, their nom de guerre, salaries everything.

Some of those who are caught, he said, pretend to have been forced to work with the extremistgroup, which had reigned over Mosul since June 2014 when it swatted away tens of thousands of Iraqi army troops.

Those who pass this screening are then sent to the nearby village of Hamaam Al-Alil for a more thorough check, said Brig. Gen.Salman Hashem, who oversees the aid distribution in the area. Those with clean records are then reunited with their families at one of the displacement camps.

Although figures on casualties among the displaced are not available, aid groups expect that as Islamic State is cornered in the city, it will get worse for civilians still in their grip.

Islamic State is not going to go away easily, Jaber said.Theyre going to play dirty, and theyre going to play dirty against the civilians.

Bulos is a special correspondent.

ALSO

Who's tracking casualties in Iraq? A California high school teacher

Two Taliban bombings in Kabul come after U.S. kills senior militant commander

Dozens dragged from their homes as police clear illegal settlement in West Bank

Excerpt from:
Iraq's offensive against Islamic State militants in western Mosul sends thousands on trek for safety - Los Angeles Times