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Vermont Air National Guard members deployed overseas in December are participating in a campaign to drive ISIS from Mosul, Iraq. ADAM SILVERMAN/FREE PRESS

Staff Sgt. Larry Runk, 407th Expeditionary Maintenance Squadron crew chief, walks away from an F-16 Fighting Falcon assigned to the 134th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron after marshaling it for takeoff at the 407th Air Expeditionary Group in December.(Photo: Master Sgt. Benjamin Wilson/U.S. Air Force)

Vermont Air National Guard members deployed overseas in December are participating in a campaign to drive the Islamic State group from Mosul, Iraq, according to the Defense Department.

F-16 pilots with the South Burlington-based 158th Fighter Wing "delivered combat airpower" for Iraqi ground forces within 15 hours of arriving in the Middle East on Dec. 10, the military disclosed in a recent online post about a generals review of U.S. troops.

The battle to retake Mosul Iraqs second-largest city, with a population of more than a million residents began in October, two years after Islamic State militants captured the area. Vermonters have been involved in battles for Mosul since the United States invaded Iraq in 2003, and two soldiers with Vermont ties have been killed there.

In late January, Iraqi ground forces, with support from U.S.-led coalition air strikes, captured Mosuls eastern sector from IS fighters. Militants still control the citys western half.

About 300 airmen with the Vermont Guard received an unusually short 30 daysnotice before deploying to the region Dec. 7. Guard commanders previously have said the mission was to take on the IS group in Iraq and Syria, but the militarys recent post marked the first time the exact nature and location of the Vermonters mission was made public.

A U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon, assigned to the 134th Fighter Squadron, 158th Fighter Wing, Vermont National Guard, takes off from Burlington International Airport in South Burlington in December 2016. Airmen from the 158th and a squadron of F-16s from the 134th deployed in support of Operation Inherent Resolve to fight the Islamic State group.(Photo: Tech. Sgt. Sarah Mattison/U.S. Air National Guard)

"We got a tasking to get out here, get these jets ready. Typically for a Guard unit, thats about a year process," Lt. Col. Brian Lepine of the Vermont Air Guard said in a Defense Department video.

Guard members originally were scheduled to have several days in the Middle East to set up and test equipment before entering combat, but the schedule accelerated at the request of the host nation, Lepine said.

"In less than 15 hours, we were asked to produce combat-effective aircraft and put it over the targets," he said. Airmen hurried to prepare two of the unit's F-16s. "And we haven't let up since. It's been sortie after sortie after sortie."

The unit is expecting to "run continuous operations for the next couple months," said Lepine, who lives in Essex Junction.

The full unit, known as the 134th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, also includes forces from Alabama, New Jersey and Wisconsin.

Staff Sgt. Larry Runk, 407th Expeditionary Maintenance Squadron crew chief, speaks with a pilot assigned to the 134th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron through his headset during preflight checks. Runk is a member of the Vermont-based 158th Fighter Wing of the Air National Guard.(Photo: Master Sgt. Benjamin Wilson/U.S. Air Force)

One of the F-16 pilots, Capt. "Cash" Shaner, said in the video he'd never heard of a unit's joining the fight so quickly after arrival.

"Weve worked very hard to fit in to the broader mission in this region," said Shaner, who is on his first combat deployment.

Vermont Guard spokeswoman Capt. Dyana Allen said Friday the mission is going well. "Everybody's in good spirits, and morale is high," she said.

There have been no casualties, saidCapt. Tracy Morris, spokeswoman for 158th Fighter Wing.

"Everybody has been professional, proficient, working very very hard, working 16 hours, 18 hours a day," she said. "Really everything that we train for is what they have been doing."

Maj. Gen. Steven Cray and other command staff visited the deployed airmen in early January, where they joined Lt. Gen. Scott Rice, director of the Air National Guard, to recognize the service members and pose for photos. The Vermont airmen are based outside of Iraq.

The Vermont Guard's deployment is expected to continue until late February or early March. Morris said the unit has yet to receive orders specifying when the mission will end.

Mosul is in northern Iraq, near the borders of Syria and Turkey.

Despite progress in the battle for Mosul, Iraqi military commanders say they expect the threat from Islamic State to continue, even in liberated parts of the city. Militants are known to shave their traditional beards and try to blend in before they strike again.

Staff Sgt. Larry Runk, 407th Expeditionary Maintenance Squadron crew chief, speaks with a pilot assigned to the 134th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron through his headset during preflight checks at the 407th Air Expeditionary Group in December.(Photo: Master Sgt. Benjamin Wilson/U.S. Air Force)

Islamic State is a militant group that broke with the terrorist organization al-Qaida and has taken control of large portions of Iraq and Syria. IS overran Mosul in 2014.

The two Vermont soldiers killed in Mosul were Army Capt. Pierre Piche, 29, of Starksboro in a helicopter crash in 2003, and Maine National Guard Spc. Christopher D. Gelineau, 23, who graduated from Mount Abraham Union High School in Bristol, in an ambush in 2004.

In all, 41 service members with ties to Vermont have been killed in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2003.

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Contributing: USA TODAY and the AP. Contact Adam Silverman at802-660-1854 or asilverman@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at@wej12.

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NASHVILLE JOINS PROTESTS OVER TRUMP IMMIGRATION POLICYImmigration protest in Nashville | 1:19

Hundreds gather outside Senators Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker's offices to protest President Trump's new immigration executive order banning immigrants from several countries. George Walker IV / The Tennssean

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Jack Willey says he was hit by motorist along West End Ave. during an immigration protest against President Trump's executive order to ban immigration from certain countries. George Walker IV / The Tennessean

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Nashvillians take to the street to protest President Donald Trump's executive order suspending immigration from seven Muslim countries on Sunday, Jan. 29, 2017. Stacey Barchenger / The Tennessean

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Nashvillians take to the street to protest President Donald Trump's executive order suspending immigration from seven Muslim countries on Sunday, Jan. 29, 2017. Stacey Barchenger / The Tennessean

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For the second day in a row after President Trump signed an executive order banning immigration from seven Muslim-majority nations, protesters gathered by the hundreds and flooded their local airports. USA TODAY NETWORK

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Shortly after signing documents in the Oval Office, President Donald Trump said his crackdown on refugees and citizens from seven majority-Muslim countries "is not a Muslim ban." (Jan. 28) AP

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Vanderbilt PhD student Mohammad Meerzaei and his wife, Azadeh Najafian, speak at their home in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, Jan. 28, 2017. Najafian was recently in Iran but rushed back home before Trump signed an immigrant travel ban. Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean

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Fuad Suleman, center, with his wife and three children arrive back in Erbil, Iraq, after officials at Cairo International Airport told the family they could not continue on a connecting flight to New York's JFK Airport on their way to Nashville Jan. 28, 2017. Instead, they were sent back to Iraq.(Photo: Submitted)

A Kurdish family of five on their way to Nashville were stopped in Cairo before they could board their connecting flight Saturday after President Donald Trump's travel ban targeting several Muslim-majority countries.

Fuad SharefSuleman, his wife, Arazoo Ibrahim, and their three children were escorted from Cairo International Airport back to Iraq, even though they had valid visas to enter the United States, Suleman said.

Suleman called the executive order an act ofracism and discrimination.

"I did not know the president can sign such orders," he said."Because it looks like those autocratic leaders in corrupt countries, not in a democratic modern country like America."

Suleman and hisfamily arenow stranded with no home and no transportation after havingalready sold their house, most of their belongings and their vehicles.Suleman quit his job ata pharmaceutical company, Ibrahim resigned from her position asa kindergarten teacher and their children, ages 10-19,left their schools.

They're staying in a family member'shouse until they figure out what to do next.

Trump signed an executive order Friday banning legal travel by citizens of Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan,Libya,Somaliaand Yemen for at least three months. The order also suspendsthe U.S.Refugee Resettlement Program for at least four months. After the initial bans, the nation will only accepttravelers from countries with sufficient safeguards to ensure the security and welfare of the United States.

Syrian refugees are barred indefinitely.

Suleman used to work as a regional translator for RTI International, a research organization with a contract through aU.S. government agencythat works to end extreme global poverty and promote democracy abroad. Because those who workwith the American government in Iraq are in mortal danger fromgroups like the Islamic State, Suleman and his family weregivenspecial immigrant visas to come to the United States.

Erbil, where the family is from, is in Kurdistan, a semi-autonomous region in Northern Iraq. Kurdistanis home to the Kurdish Peshmergaone of theU.S. military's most reliable alliesin the fightagainst ISIS.

Nashville has the largest population of ethnic Kurds in the United States, with estimates ranging from 12,000 to 17,000. The number is difficult to pinpoint because it's not measured by the U.S. Census. Many of the American Kurds came as refugees during the early '90s after Saddam Hussein attacked them using chemical weapons.

In a statement, Nashville Mayor Megan Barry said hearing of this familyreminded her ofthe Suleymans, a Kurdish refugee family Nashville welcomed more than three decades ago. Jiyayi Suleyman was the first American Kurdhired by the Nashville Metropolitan Police Department.

"I know that our city would have embraced and welcomed this family just as we did the Suleymans in 1991 and so many other immigrant and refugee families before and since," Barry said."This arbitrary ban on individuals from certain countries entering the United States is wrong in every way."

Sen. Steve Dickerson, R-Nashville, said Sunday that while he'd like to see a review of the federal refugee policy and immigration policy, Trump's order goes too far.

"Nashville and Davidson County have long been home to refugees. They make our community stronger and embody the American Dream to the fullest," he said in a statement. "A full ban, based on country of origin, is contrary to bedrock American values, and, in the end, will only serve to empower our enemies abroad."

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Suleman, 51,said he chose Nashville because of its Kurdish community and because he has friends who live here.

"And I read on the internet that Nashville is a growing city, quality of life is goodthere, jobs are available, crime rates are very, very low, so these are points that encouraged me to choose Nashville," he said.

Cairo officials told Suleman that the U.S. embassy in Baghdad sent a message to officials there that the family were not allowed in the U.S., he said.

"When I was looking at the faces of my wife, my children, they were about to faint," he said. "They turned pale, and I told them to sit down and drink some water. It was a terrible moment."

Fuad Suleman's wife and three children wait at Cairo International Airport after being told they cannot continue on a connecting flight to New York's JFK Airport on their way to Nashville Jan. 28, 2017.(Photo: Submitted)

Trump reaffirmed his decision Sunday on Twitter: "Our country needs strong borders and extreme vetting, NOW. Look what is happening all over Europe and, indeed, the world a horrible mess!"

And Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., lauded Trump's order as "responsible," sayingthat U.S. intelligence agencies need time to "ascertain the scope of the Islamic terror threat in order to develop proper refugee vetting protocols if possible."

Suleman described himself as a secular family man who loves the diversity of Americaand said hehates extremists who use religion to justifykilling people.

But he isn't very happy with Trump either.

"How do you see all people Imean the whole nation in a certain country all at the same level?" he said."No, this is not correct. This is not the right way to deal with people."

Reach Ariana Sawyer at asawyer@tennessean.com or on Twitter @a_maia_sawyer. USA TODAY also contributed to this report.

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Kurdish family headed to Nashville sent back to Iraq - The Tennessean

The man mountain decapitated hundreds of innocents and 'collected' their heads

A notorious Isis executioner who beheaded hundreds of innocent citizenshas been stabbed to death by a hit squadin north west Iraq.

Man mountain Abu Sayyaf was one of the terror groups main executioners and appeared in many of the groups propaganda videos showing brutal decapitations.

He is the second Isis executioner to be killed in region in the last few days.

Sayyaf was infamous for collecting the heads of his victims and dumping them in the same hole in the region of al-Khasafa.

Iraqi journalist Muhammad Yawarsaid: Abu Sayyaf was one of the scariest executioners in Nineveh He was a reflection of the brutality of this terrorist group.

He was known for his huge body and heavy arms. He was one of the notorious faces in the Isis propaganda videos.

Local media activist Abdullah al-Mallah revealed a group of unknown assailants ambushed Sayyaf in his car killing him instantly

Another Isis killeraccompanying the executioner also died in the attack.

Al-Mallah said:He [Sayyaf] was found dead in the Dawassah district west of Mosul city in Nineveh Governorate on Sunday evening. The Isis-led Hisba Police was unable to identify the perpetrators.

On Friday we toldhow anotherexecutioner known for killing women was gunned downin western Mosul.

Abu Abdel Rahman was shot by unknown gunmen in al-Askari region and killed on the spot.

Western Mosul has become the new battlefront for Iraqi government forces, who with the help of the US-led coalition force, succeeded in liberating east Mosul a week ago.

ISIS fighters were reported to have redeployed in the westernpart of the city.

Abu Sayyaf, translated to mean the 'father of swordsmith', is also the name for an Isisbranch in the Philippines synonymous with beheadings and kidnappings.

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Giant ISIS brute Abu Sayyaf known as 'scariest executioner' in Iraq knifed to death by mystery hit squad - The Sun

Employees wait for customers at a travel agency in the Iraqi capital Baghdad on January 29, 2017, after the US President passed an executive order earlier in the week, suspending refugee arrivals and imposing tough controls on travellers from seven mainly-Muslim countries, including Iraq. / AFP / SABAH ARAR (Photo credit should read SABAH ARAR/AFP/Getty Images)SABAH ARAR AFP/Getty Images

Iraqi lawmakers said Sunday that they might ban U.S. nationals from entering the country in retaliation against U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order on Iraqis in the U.S., a move that could hinder the fight against ISIS.

The Iraqi parliaments foreign committee issued a statement calling on the Iraqi government to act after President Trump controversially ordered that citizens from Iraq and six other Muslim-majority countries be refused entry to the U.S. for at least ninety days.

Iraq is on the front line of the war on terrorism, said the statement. It is unfair that the Iraqis are treated in this way. The proposal could now be put to a vote in the Iraqi parliament. Some Iraqi members of parliament (MPs) are in support of a ban on U.S. nationals, while others say they will urge Washington to reconsider.

If a ban is enacted it could impact thousands of American aid workers, contractors and journalists currently working in Iraq, as well as more than 5,000 U.S, military personnel there to aid Iraqi forces in their effort to oust ISIS from Mosul and the country.

Iran Says to Ban U.S. Visitors in Retaliation to Trump Move

This decision by the U.S. is arbitrary, said Intisar Al-Jabbouri, a Sunni MP from the Nineveh Governorate in northern Iraq. The Iraqi government has the right to reciprocate.

The U.S. withdrew troops from Iraq in 2011, but since ISIS captured swathes of Iraqi territory in 2014, it has slowly sent advisors, trainers and special forces back to the country. Their guidance as well as weapons and funding has been key to the fight against ISIS.

Iraqi forces are battling the militants of the so-called Islamic State in the neighborhoods of Mosul , Iraqs second largest city and the largest urban center still under ISIS control. American military advisors are nearby, helping to direct the fight.

If Iraq were to ban U.S. citizens from traveling to Iraq it would have devastating consequences for our fight against ISIS, Al-Qaeda and other terrorist organizations, said Chris Harmer, a senior analyst with the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War. Thats just in the short term."

Trump Refugee Order Dashes Hopes of Iraqis Who Helped the U.S.

Nevertheless the idea has caught on in certain, influential circles. Moqtada Al-Sadr, a powerful Shiite cleric who led a violent insurgency in the aftermath of the 2003 invasion, quickly issued a statement saying Americans should leave. It would be arrogant for you to enter freely to Iraq and other countries while barring them the entrance to your country, Sadr said on his website, addressing the U.S. And therefore you should get your nationals out.

Sadr's motivations may have more to do with his alignment with Iran, however, than reciprocity for President Trumps ban on Iraqi nationals. Those that closely aligned with Iran might think this is a good ideaan opportunity to remove American influence from Iraq once and for all, said Dr. Renad Mansour, an Academy Fellow for the Middle East and North Africa at Chatham House.

It's possible Trump's order could exacerbate cracks in the already fragile coalition in Iraq, in which groups who receive support from the U.S. fight in concert with those who are backed by Iran. Iranian generals have been spotted on the frontlines in key battles against ISIS, both in Iraq and Syria. Shi'ite militias, many funded by Tehran, are ruthless fighters but have been accused of abuses against civilian populations , fueling sectarian tensions.

Dozens Barred From Flying Out of Istanbul Airport after Trump Ban

Mansour says Sadr and those with his very powerful movement will try to stoke those tensions further by pressuring the government to ban Americans. The Popular Mobilization Forces, a coalition of mostly Shiite militias, also issued a statement on Sunday urging Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to kick out U.S. nationals. Its going to be tricky for [Prime Minister] al-Abadi to deal with, said Mansour.

Despite the strong rhetoric and anti-American sentiment in response to Trumps decision, lawmaker Jabbouri says it would be difficult for Iraq to approve and implement such a ban given the essential role the U.S. plays in both its military and humanitarian efforts. There is a strategic need to keep American experts to ensure the sustainability of the coalition fight against ISIS, she says. However, leaders of some of the parliament's most powerful blocs have called the for ban on Americans.

But if the Iraqi people demand even a temporary ban on U.S. personnel, it could provide an opening for Iran to extend its influence on the country. The U.S. scaling-back of operations have already left room for an increasing Iranian presence, Harmer says. Long term, it would complete the decline of U.S. strategic influence in Iraq and pave the way for Iran to increase their already significant influence over the Iraqi government." The effect, he says, would be "catastrophic."

This article was originally published on TIME.com

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Iraq Threatens Ban on US Citizens, Putting the Fight Against ISIS at Risk - Fortune

Kurdish regional government forces. Isis has been pushed out of nearly all cities and towns it once held in Iraq. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Children detained by Iraqs Kurdistan regional government on suspicion of connections to Islamic State say they were tortured, according to a report from an international human rights group.

The children who have not been formally charged with a crime said they were held in stress positions, burned with cigarettes, shocked with electricity and beaten with plastic pipes, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW), a New York based international watchdog.

More than 180 boys under the age of 18 are being held, HRW estimates, and government officials have not informed their families where they are, increasing the likelihood of the children being disappeared.

Lama Fakih, deputy Middle East director at HRW, said: Legitimate security concerns do not give security forces licence to beat, manhandle or use electric shocks on children.

Many children escaping from Isis are victims who need help, yet face further abuse by Asayish [Kurdish security] forces.

The rights group said it had interviewed 19 boys aged 11 to 17 while they were in custody at a childrens reformatory in Erbil. The group said the interviews had been conducted without a security official or intelligence officer present.

As Iraqi security forces have retaken territory from Isis over the past year and a half, they have also detained hundreds of men and boys.

Many of those detained are likely to have suffered inhumane treatment or been tortured. Rights groups warn that such practices risk sowing resentment against Iraqi security forces in the wake of military victories against Isis.

If the authorities and the international coalition really care about combatting Isis, they need to look beyond the military solution, and at the policies that have empowered it, said Belkis Wille, the senior Iraq researcher for HRW.

Policies like torture, enforced disappearances, destruction of property and displacement are and will continue to [be] drivers for victims families to join extremist groups, she added.

Iraqi forces have pushed Isis out of nearly all the cities and towns the group once held in Iraq. Mosul is the last major urban centre Isis holds in Iraq and Iraqi forces have retaken half the city since the operation was officially launched in October.

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Children held in Iraq over suspected Isis links 'say they were tortured' - The Guardian