Archive for the ‘Iraq’ Category

Militants BATTLE Iraq Forces, US Iran TALKS Broached BREAKING NEWS MUST SEE – Video


Militants BATTLE Iraq Forces, US Iran TALKS Broached BREAKING NEWS MUST SEE

By: SonicX

View original post here:
Militants BATTLE Iraq Forces, US Iran TALKS Broached BREAKING NEWS MUST SEE - Video

Iraq reclaims Tikrit from ISIS – CBS News

Iraqi security forces and Shiite fighters from the Popular Mobilization units celebrate outside the provincial council building in Tikrit, April 1, 2015. Getty

Last Updated Apr 1, 2015 3:13 PM EDT

TIKRIT, Iraq -- Iraq declared a "magnificent victory" Wednesday over the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in Tikrit, a key step in driving the militants out of their biggest strongholds.

Iraqi Defense Minister Khalid al-Obeidi made the pronouncement, saying security forces have "accomplished their mission" in the monthlong offensive to rid Saddam Hussein's hometown and the broader Salahuddin province of the militant group.

"We have the pleasure, with all our pride, to announce the good news of a magnificent victory," Obeidi said in a video statement. "Here we come to you, Anbar! Here we come to you, Nineveh, and we say it with full resolution, confidence, and persistence," naming other provinces under the sway of the extremists.

Extremists from ISIS seized Tikrit last summer during its advance across northern and western Iraq. The battle for Tikrit is seen as a key step toward eventually driving the militants out of Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city and the provincial capital of Nineveh.

Play Video

U.S.-led airstrikes targeted ISIS vehicles, heavy weapons and fighting positions around Tikrit. In Iraq, the U.S. is fighting on the same side as...

Iraqi forces, including soldiers, police officers, Shiite militias and Sunni tribes, launched a large-scale operation to recapture Tikrit on March 2. Last week, the United States launched airstrikes on the embattled city at the request of the Iraqi government.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the victory was compelling evidence that the U.S. strategy against ISIS was working. He said the Tikrit operation had been stalled for weeks but that coalition airstrikes and advancing local forces apparently caused ISIS fighters to withdraw.

Read the rest here:
Iraq reclaims Tikrit from ISIS - CBS News

Iraq struggles with devastation in Tikrit after it was freed from the Islamic State group

Smoke rises by a destroyed building at one of Saddam Hussein's palaces in Tikrit, 80 miles (130 kilometers) north of Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, April 3, 2015. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)(The Associated Press)

Destroyed vehicles are seen in one of Saddam Hussein's palaces in Tikrit, 80 miles (130 kilometers) north of Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, April 3, 2015. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)(The Associated Press)

An Iraqi soldier celebrates with his guitar atop his armored vehicle on the main road between Baghdad and Tikrit, 80 miles (130 kilometers) north of Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, April 3, 2015. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)(The Associated Press)

A man inspects one of Saddam Hussein's palaces in Tikrit, 80 miles (130 kilometers) north of Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, April 3, 2015. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)(The Associated Press)

People inspect one of Saddam Hussein's palaces in Tikrit, 80 miles (130 kilometers) north of Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, April 3, 2015. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)(The Associated Press)

TIKRIT, Iraq In Iraq's Tikrit, liberation from the Islamic State group comes at a heavy price, both in loss of life and in the sheer devastation the militants leave in their wake.

Much of Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's hometown and once a bustling city north of Baghdad, now lies in ruins.

Islamic State extremists captured it during a blitz last June that also seized large chunks of northern and western Iraq, along with a huge swath of land in neighboring Syria.

After a nearly 10-month Islamic State occupation, it took Iraqi forces and their allies, including Iranian-backed Shiite militias, a month of ferocious street battles to win the city back. They declared victory in Tikrit on Wednesday, and U.S.-led coalition airstrikes also helped turn the tide in the final weeks of the battle.

Today, the houses that still stand are pocked with bullet holes and Tikrit's streets are lined with potholes where mortars slammed down. The provincial headquarters in the downtown now adorned with Shiite militia flags in place of the Islamic State group's black banner is burned from fire and damaged from heavy fighting.

Visit link:
Iraq struggles with devastation in Tikrit after it was freed from the Islamic State group

Iraq and Syria Airstrikes, CENTCOM Against ISIS – Video


Iraq and Syria Airstrikes, CENTCOM Against ISIS
The strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate the ISIL terrorist group and the threat they pose to Iraq, Syria, the region, and the wider internationa...

By: World Conflict Films

See more here:
Iraq and Syria Airstrikes, CENTCOM Against ISIS - Video

Syria, Iraq a ‘finishing School’ for Foreign Fighters: U.N. Report – Video


Syria, Iraq a #39;finishing School #39; for Foreign Fighters: U.N. Report

By: wochit News

See the original post here:
Syria, Iraq a 'finishing School' for Foreign Fighters: U.N. Report - Video