Archive for the ‘Iraq’ Category

Isis suffers strategic reversals in Iraq and Syria – Irish Times

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Battlefield defeats in Iraq and Syria continued to splinter the so-called Islamic States hold on both countries on Thursday, with Mosul airport seized by advancing Iraqi forces and the town of al-Bab finally falling to Syrian rebels.

Backed heavily by Turkey, rebels said they had recaptured nearly all of al-Bab, which had remained Isiss westernmost stronghold throughout five months of intensive fighting and a key target of the war against the terror group.

The seizure of al-Bab came as the airfield on the western outskirts of Iraqs second city fell to Iraqi troops after a brief, but intense, battle. Its capture allows advancing government forces to consolidate a stronghold close to Mosul before launching an all-out push to retake it a move that would strip Isis of its last urban stronghold in Iraq.

By nightfall, troops were moving into the sprawling airfield to launch operations into the fortified western suburbs, where several thousand of Isiss most seasoned fighters have prepared for a last stand.

If the west of the city falls, the extremists presence in Iraq will be confined to a border area in the countrys northwest, which spills towards its last remaining centre of gravity, the Syrian city of Raqqa.

Backed by US jets and drones, national police forces were first into the Mosul airfield and had secured most of the runway by noon local time. Militants had laid mines throughout the disused complex and were clashing heavily with advancing forces, before capitulating late in the afternoon.

A spokesman for the Iraqi counter-terrorism forces, Sabah al-Numan, said: Our forces started a major operation this morning to storm the Ghazlani airport base and I can confirm that it is only a matter of time before we control the whole area.

The seizure of the base will give the forces and their US backers control of two large airfields near Mosul, the other one being the Qayyarah military base, to the south of the city.

In al-Bab, a Syrian rebel spokesman said mines had been laid every square metre throughout the centre of the city, which had been home to Isiss external operations arm that part of the organisation responsible for plotting a series of spectacular terror attacks in Europe.

Rebels advanced cautiously through central neighbourhoods as Isis members retreated to the west, where a series of towns and villages spreading towards Raqqa offer one of its last redoubts in Syria.

Outnumbered and outgunned in Syria and Iraq, Isis is expected to intensify the guerrilla campaigns that became its signature acts in both countries over the past 2 years, in which it ran rampant over a large swath of the region.

Mines, barricades, trenches and tunnels were littered throughout eastern Mosul, making heavy going for Iraqi forces, which eventually retook the area earlier this year after a three-month battle.

However, the west of the city is a more difficult landscape to take militarily. West Mosuls narrow streets will make the going tough for armoured vehicles, meaning a lot of the fighting will need to be done house to house.

Isis is known to have deployed dozens of suicide bombers along approaches.

A British jihadi, Jamal al-Harith, born Ronald Fiddler, is thought to have been among them and to have blown himself up in an area known as Abu Saif on Monday.

Aid organisations say as many as 750,000 civilians may still be in western Mosul. Mercy Corpss country director, Suad Jarbawi, said: We need to be nimble and ready to respond to the needs of the people wherever and however we find them.

In the battle for the eastern half of the city of Mosul we saw the overwhelming majority of civilians staying in their homes rather than fleeing. This was a marked departure from what weve seen in previous battles. However, we dont yet know what civilians in the western side of the city will choose to do.

As many as half of Mosuls remaining residents are thought to be under 18, and 160,000 have already fled the west of the city for newly erected refugee camps to the south. Iraqi forces have detained hundreds of military-aged men as they have fled, in an attempt to weed out any Isis members among them.

Iraqs prime minister Haider al-Abadi has demanded that troops be held accountable for any abuses. In the fight for the east of the city, relatively few allegations of abuse arose, with national police and soldiers winning the cautious trust of communities who, before the Isis takeover of Mosul in mid-2014, had been deeply wary of a security order imposed by Baghdad.

Guardian service

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Isis suffers strategic reversals in Iraq and Syria - Irish Times

Far from Brooklyn, Iraq’s hipsters declare war on poor dress sense – Reuters

By Ayat Basma | ERBIL, Iraq

ERBIL, Iraq With their waxed moustaches, precision-clipped beards and dapper clothes, members of the Mr. Erbil gentleman's club look like the smarter residents of Brooklyn or Shoreditch.

But rather than the hipster neighborhoods of New York or London, this is Erbil, the capital of Iraq's Kurdish region - just 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the grim battle to drive Islamic State fighters from their last bastion in the country.

Although an oasis of calm in a country torn apart by war since the U.S.-led invasion of 2003, Erbil has been unable to provide its young people with the opportunities they crave, say the men who set up their club last year to change that.

"When we started we were in a bad situation, economic crisis and then an expected war against ISIS (Islamic State)," said Goran Pshtiwan, 26, wearing a three-piece suit and custom-made moccasins decorated with the club's logo - without socks, naturally.

"There was no business activity so we started with the idea to gather and make something different and unique and change the look of the people and the way that they are thinking."

As well as regular meetings where they dress in different styles, from smart casual to black tie and traditional Ottoman-time attire, the club aims to support local tailors and craftsmen who help make their outfits.

Accessorized with purple-trimmed handkerchiefs, pocket watch chains and selfie-sticks, the men, in their 20s and 30s, hold photoshoots at local beauty spots, posting the results on Instagram where they have more than 60,000 followers.

The buzz has surprised co-founder Omer Nihad, a 28-year-old former stock trader, who said Star Trek actor George Takei, who has more than 2 million Twitter followers, had mentioned the club.

A recent video they shot received 5 million views, he said.

While a boy's only club, Mr. Erbil uses its internet platform to promote women who are working to improve rights and opportunities for girls.

The group has about 40 members and is receiving so many requests that the founders are considering toughening the admission requirements which already set demanding standards for fashion taste.

Nihad said the club aimed to launch its own clothing brand, set up a shop and collaborate with fashion houses. And he would love to see Mr. Erbil featured in a high fashion magazine.

"Of course, we don't want to be on the front page," he said. "It is okay if we were in the middle!"

(Editing by Robin Pomeroy)

RIYADH A comic show and a recent pop concert have drawn rebuke from powerful religious figures and social media users in Saudi Arabia this week, highlighting the sensitivity of cultural reforms underway in the conservative kingdom.

MILAN Milan's fashion elite strolled down an elegant street in "Rome" on Thursday, sporting subtle and elegant creations that recalled the timeless movie scenes of yesteryear.

JERUSALEM Forgoing the provocative and risque, a group of designers in Jerusalem on Thursday held Israel's first major fashion show for Orthodox Jewish women, whose tradition requires they dress in conservative outfits.

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Far from Brooklyn, Iraq's hipsters declare war on poor dress sense - Reuters

3 Generals Bound by Iraq Will Guide Trump on Security – New York Times


New York Times
3 Generals Bound by Iraq Will Guide Trump on Security
New York Times
WASHINGTON At one point or another, they each strode the sands of Iraq, fighting on the unforgiving battlefield of America's costliest war since Vietnam. Now all three will sit around the table in the White House Situation Room, steering a new ...
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New York Times
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3 Generals Bound by Iraq Will Guide Trump on Security - New York Times

Reports: ISIS suicide bomber in Iraq was ex-Gitmo detainee – USA TODAY

Iraqi forces consolidate their positions after blasting their way to the southern edge of Mosul in an assault Baghdad and its partners hope will spell the doom of the jihadist "caliphate". Iraqi forces backed by jets and gunships have retaken Al-Buseif, a village which IS had used as its main base south of Mosul, says Brigadier General Abbas al-Juburi, of the Rapid Response force. Video provided by AFP Newslook

In this March 30, 2010 file photo reviewed by U.S. military officials, a member of the U.S. military mans the guard post before sunrise at Camp Delta, part of the U.S. Detention Center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.(Photo: PAUL J. RICHARDS, AFP/Getty Images)

LONDON An Islamic State suicide bomber who attacked an army base in Iraq this week was a British former Guantanamo Bay detainee who was awarded more than $1 million in compensation, according to media reports Tuesday.

Ronald Fiddler, who became known asJamal al-Harith after converting to Islam in the 1990s, was freed from the detention camp in 2004 after lobbying by the government of then-British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

He was awarded 1million pounds (now about $1.25 million) in compensation after saying British agents were complicit in his mistreatment, the Telegraph reported.

He was announced as a suicide bomber who targeted coalition forces outside Mosul this week when ISIS released a picture of him smiling in a 4x4 that was seen in video footage speeding down a track. ISIS claimed Harith caused multiple casualties, according tothe Times of London.

Harith, 50, traveled to Syria to join the Islamic State, also known as ISIS and ISIL, in 2014, raising fears that the money given to him had been passed on to ISIS. He was known to fellow militants as Abu-Zakariya al-Britani.

Harith, who was accused of having links to Osama bin Laden, was held in Guantanamo Bay without charge for two years after he was discovered in a Taliban prison in Afghanistan in 2001, the Times of London reported.

Iraqi forces push into southern outskirts of Mosul

Iraq launches operation to retake western Mosul from Islamic State

Manchester-born Hariths brother Leon Jameson told the newspaper thathis brother wasted his life.

It is him, I can tell by his smile, he said of the ISIS image. If it is true then Ive lost a brother, so another family (member) gone.

In a statement Blair, the former Labour Party prime minister, denounced the way in which the story was being covered bysome media.

"It is correct that Jamal al-Harith was released from Guantanamo Bay at the request of the British Government in 2004," the statement said. "He was not paid compensation by my Government. The compensation was agreed in 2010 by the Conservative Government."

"The fact is that this was always a very difficult situation where any Government would have to balance proper concern for civil liberties with desire to protect our security, and we were likely to be attacked whatever course we took," he added.

U.S.-backed Iraqi forces launched an offensive Sunday to drive the militants from Mosul, Iraqs second-biggest city and their last stronghold in the country.

Government-sanctioned Shiite militiamenlaunched a new push to seize villages west of Mosul from ISIS on Wednesday.The militants captured Mosul in 2014.

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Iraqis trapped by ISIL in Mosul face starvation, beatings and execution

In last-day letter to Congress, Obama concedes defeat on Guantanamo closure

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Reports: ISIS suicide bomber in Iraq was ex-Gitmo detainee - USA TODAY

Iraq Is a Huge Opportunity for Trump – Wall Street Journal (subscription)


New York Times
Iraq Is a Huge Opportunity for Trump
Wall Street Journal (subscription)
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis's visit to Iraq on Monday made headlines largely because he reassured the Iraqi people that the U.S. is not in Iraq to seize anybody's oil. Meanwhile, as the battle for Mosul continues, the commander of U.S. forces in ...
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Iraq Is a Huge Opportunity for Trump - Wall Street Journal (subscription)