Iraq

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Anti-govt protesters storm PM's office, Green Zone in Baghdad, curfew imposed (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

https://www.rt.com/news/343807-baghdad-green-zone-protest/

At least three people are reported dead and scores injured after Iraqi state forces used live bullets and tear gas against anti-government protesters attempting to storm the Green Zone area of Baghdad.

A curfew has now been imposed.

People in the mostly young male crowd shouted, “This is the revenge of the people!” and “Don’t side with the corrupt!” as they gathered outside the heavily fortified area to censure the government for failing to pass a key anti-corruption law.

Friday’s demonstration was called by secular protesters, who are calling for Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to overcome bickering among the special interest groups and factions within his government.

Al-Abadi has also shouldered blame for a worsening security situation, as Islamic State has been allowed to carry out a string of deadly bombings in Shia districts in the capital and other cities.

On Wednesday, a market in Sadr City, a stronghold of the influential Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, was hit by a bomb. Relatives of the victims and Al-Sadr’s supporters were among the rioters.

Last month, Al-Sadr’s followers managed to briefly break into the Green Zone, which includes government buildings, official residences and embassies.

DETAILS TO FOLLOW

Iraqi Volunteer Forces Lay Siege on Fallujah

http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950231000715

"The Hashd al-Shaabi forces have besieged the terrorists in Fallujah city from four directions," al-Nouri told FNA on Friday.

He, meantime, reiterated that supporters of the ISIL terrorist group have been spreading the lie that the Iraqi volunteer forces have not taken part in the military operations to seize back Fallujah, "but the whole operation is under Hashd al-Shaabi's command".

On Tuesday, Seyed Hashem al-Moussavi, the spokesman of Hezbollah al-Nujaba, a major Iraqi Shiite resistance movement fighting the ISIL, voiced his forces' readiness to seize back the city of Fallujah and defeat the ISIL terrorist group there.

"The terrorist groups who have turned Fallujah into Qandahar will see the outcome of their crimes in the battlefield," al-Moussavi told reporters.

He said Fallujah in Iraq is similar to Raqqa in Syria, and reiterated, "We will surely enter Fallujah and this trend is irreversible."

On Friday, a senior Iraqi tribal leader underlined that the ISIL has been badly weakened in Anbar province in Western Iraq, and the Takfiri terrorists' leaders are fleeing towards Turkish borders.

"The artillery and missile attacks of the Iraqi army on ISIL's military positions have forced the terrorists and their leaders to escape to the country's borders with Turkey," Al-Anbar tribal leader Sheikh Hamid al-Hayes told FNA.

He reiterated that the Iraqi joint forces continue their mop-up operations in Anbar province.

Sheikh al-Hayes said that the fugitive ISIL commanders have also taken their families to Turkey.

 

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Anti-govt protesters storm PM's office, Green Zone in Baghdad, curfew imposed (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

https://www.rt.com/news/343807-baghdad-green-zone-protest/

Four killed, 90 injured in Baghdad Green Zone riots: hospitals

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-iraq-protests-idUSKCN0YC07M

At least four people were killed and 90 injured among anti-corruption protesters who stormed Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone on Friday, hospital sources said on Saturday.

Iraqi security forces used live and rubber bullets as well as tear gas to dislodge the protesters from the district that houses government buildings, parliament and embassies.

The toll, compiled from four hospitals where casualties were taken as well as Baghdad's central morgue, accounts for bullet wounds only, not cases of suffocation caused by tear gas.

The disturbance was the second breach of the Green Zone in less than a month.

Protesters included supporters of powerful Shi'ite Muslim cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and people from other groups upset with the government's failure to approve anti-corruption reforms and improve security against bombings by Islamic State militants.

The government briefly imposed a curfew on Baghdad on Friday and authorities later said that order had returned after what they called rioting at the Green Zone.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, in a late-night speech, condemned the Green Zone breach and warned against chaos and strife: "The law must take its course with every transgressor."

Sadr expressed support for what he called a "peaceful spontaneous revolt" and condemned the government for "killing its children in cold blood".

Iraqi Army liberates 400 km of highway in Al-Anbar

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/isis-completely-collapses-along-iraqi-jordanian-border/

The Iraqi Army’s 7th Division – backed by the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) – liberated the entire Trabil border-crossing on Thursday, putting an end to the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham’s (ISIS) presence along the Iraqi-Jordanian border.

However, the capture of the Trabil border-crossing is a small victory in comparison to the 400 km of highway the Iraqi Armed Forces have liberated since the new year.

Following the liberation of Al-Ramadi, the Iraqi Armed Forces have rolled through the Al-Anbar countryside, seizing several villages and hilltops from the Islamic State terrorists that were once considered untouchable.

Now, the Iraqi Armed Forces have shifted their attention to the Al-Qa’im border-crossing into the Deir Ezzor Governorate of Syria.

This border-crossing is the heart-and-soul of ISIS’ fight in both Iraq and Syria; if lost, they will lose their most important link between the two countries.

Daesh commanders fleeing western Iraqi town as security forces close in

http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/05/21/466657/Daesh-commanders-Karma

Senior commanders from the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group have reportedly started fleeing the town of Karma in Iraq’s beleaguered western province of Anbar en masse as Iraqi security forces are making headway toward the area.

Iraqi military commander Colonel MahmoudMorzi al-Jumaili announced that the terrorist commanders have begun escaping from the town, which is located 48 kilometers (30 miles) west of the capital, Baghdad, and heading toward an unknown location in Anbar Province, Lebanon’s al-Ahed news website reported.

Meanwhile, at least 35 Daesh terrorists have turned themselves in to Iraqi security forces deployed to the outskirts of the city of Fallujah, which is located roughly 69 kilometers (43 miles) west of Baghdad and is held by Daesh.

A security source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the development attests to the panic, confusion and serious cracks within the ranks of Daesh.

Separately, Iraqi security forces together with Popular Mobilization units retook control of a strategic highway on the outskirts of Trebil Village, which lies in Anbar Province and on the Iraq-Jordan border, on Friday.

Violence has plagued the northern and western parts of Iraq ever since Daesh Takfiris launched an offensive in the country in June 2014 and took control of portions of Iraqi territory.

The militants have been committing crimes against all ethnic and religious communities in Iraq, including Shias,

Sunnis, Kurds, Christians and others. Iraqi army soldiers and fighters from allied Popular Mobilization units have been fighting to win back militant-held regions.

 

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suicide bomber has targeted a convoy of US soldiers in northern Afghanistan on Saturday, the NATO-led Resolute Support mission confirmed.

NATO: Suicide Bomber Targets US Military Convoy in Northern Afghanistan
http://sputniknews.com/military/20160521/1040014444/nato-us-afghanistan-suicide-bomber.html

According to the Khaama Press news agency, the incident took place in the Bagram district of northern the Baghlan province. A suicide bomber rammed a Vehicle-borne Improvised Explosive Device into the convoy.

"We can confirm that one coalition vehicle was struck by an IED [Improvised Explosive Device] this morning in the vicinity of Bagram," the Resolute Support mission said, as quoted by the news agency.

According to the media outlet, the Taliban militants claimed the responsibility for the attack, saying that it caused numerous casualties.

"Despite Taliban claims and reports in the media, there were no injuries to coalition personnel involved," the mission said, refuting Taliban’s claims.

 

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The explosion in Iraq killed seven people and injured 28

http://ria.ru/world/20160521/1437526562.html

MOSCOW, May 21 -. RIA Novosti At least seven people were killed and 28 injured in an explosion in the market in the province of Salah al-Din in northern Iraq, according to Xinhua news agency, citing a source in the police.

A suicide bomber detonated an explosive device in the village of Dujail in the Saturday night. According to the source, the number of victims and injured could rise.

No terrorist group has not yet claimed responsibility for the blast.

Ambassador: Iraq thanks to the success in the fight against IG opens the border with Jordan

http://ria.ru/world/20160521/1437486777.html

MOSCOW, May 21 -. RIA Novosti Iraq thanks to the success in the fight with the group "Islamic state" ( IG , banned in Russia) will be able in the coming weeks to re-open border with Jordan, closed almost a year ago, said the Iraqi ambassador to Jordan Sufyan al-Suhail.

Iraqi authorities have closed the border in July 2015, after most of the border province of Anbar in the hands of terrorists. In recent months, the Iraqi army conducted active operations against the IG, and the recent release of the border town of Rutbah allowed to think about the opening of the transition.

"We expect that the border will open no later than two weeks," - said al-Suhail agency Associated Press.

City Rutbah is located on the highway, which transported goods between the capital Baghdad and Amman. The border was closed in part because of fears that terrorists will be preying on passing trucks on the highway, their imposing an additional tax. After the closure of the border Jordanian exports to Iraq fell almost twice, said the agency.

 

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US President, Iraqi Prime Minister Discuss Anti-Daesh Struggle

http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160522/1040038220/obama-abadi-discuss-daesh-struggle.html

US President Barack Obama and Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar Abadi discussed international struggle against Daesh.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — US President Barack Obama and Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar Abadi discussed international struggle against the Islamic State (Daesh or ISIL) militant group during a phone call, the White House said in a statement.

"The two leaders discussed the progress being made in the Counter-ISIL [Daesh] campaign as Iraqi Security Forces continue their advance in [Iraqi western] Anbar province," the statement published on Saturday said.

It was added in the statement, that during the conversation, Obama reiterated Washington's support for Iraq and emphasized that the United States would continue "to play a key role in training, advising, and assisting Iraqi forces."

Daesh is a terrorist group that is outlawed in the United States, Russia and numerous other countries. The infamous group has seized large areas in Iraq and neighboring Syria and declared a caliphate on territories under its control.

The US-led coalition of more than 60 nations has been carrying out airstrikes against Daesh jihadists in Syria and Iraq since summer 2014.

Iraqi Army prepares for long awaited Fallujah offensive

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/iraqi-army-prepares-long-awaited-fallujah-offensive/

The Iraqi Army is preparing for a massive military operation at the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS) stronghold of Fallujah, as several pro-government units pour into this desert city’s countryside.

Recently, the Iraqi Army has intensified their shelling on Islamic State positions at Fallujah’s northern perimeter, striking several fortifications in preparation for their coming Summer offensive inside the city.

ISIS has attempted to divert the Iraqi Armed Forces from Fallujah’s outskirts by launching several attacks at the northern flank; however, all of these small offensives have failed to yield any progress for the terrorist group.

In addition to the constant shelling, the Iraqi Armed Forces have launched several airstrikes over Fallujah, causing serious damage to the terrorist group’s command structure.

New Mi-28NE for Iraq

http://www.fort-russ.com/2016/05/new-mi-28ne-for-iraq.html

Translated by Ollie Richardson for Fort Russ
22nd May, 2016

http://bmpd.livejournal.com/1915011.html

Known Rostov spotter with the nickname "Mi-26" filmed the start of test flight at the JSC "Rostvertol" Krestovka airfield in Rostov-on-don of the next Mi-28NE combat helicopter made for Iraq (temporary tail number "11"). According to unofficial information, this is the first of the final four Mi-28NE helicopters for the Iraqi contracts of 2012-2013 - a total of 15 units. Data of the four Mi-28NE helicopters needs to be performed on the version with dual controls (i.e., the Mi-28UB) and will bear a dark gray color - unlike previous machines delivered to Iraq in camouflage coloring.

The Mi-28NE are supplied as part of a package of contracts concluded by JSC "Rosoboronexport" in 2012-2013 for the sale of a total of 28 combat Mi-35M helicopters and 15 attack Mi-28NE helicopters to Iraqi army aviation. Iraq has become not only the first foreign recipient of the series helicopters Mi-28, but also the first operator in the variant with mast-mounted radar. To date, according to the contracts, 11 Mi-28NE helicopters and 18 Mi-35M (two of the delivered Mi-35M have already been lost in fighting) have been delivered to Iraq. The first three Mi-28NE (even without mast-mounted radar RLS N025E) were delivered to Iraq on 28th August 2014.

 

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Iraq denied on Sunday that its security forces had used live ammunition against protesters who broke into Baghdad's heavily-fortified Green Zone this week.

Iraq denies using live fire against Green Zone protesters
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/iraq-denies-using-live-fi/2807572.html

BAGHDAD: Iraq denied on Sunday that its security forces had used live ammunition against protesters who broke into Baghdad's heavily-fortified Green Zone this week.

Sources from four hospitals and Baghdad's central morgue said four protesters had been killed and 90 injured by gunshot wounds on Friday in the zone, which is in the centre of the capital and is home to parliament, government offices and embassies.

But Saad al-Hadithi, spokesman for Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, said an initial investigation showed there had been only two deaths and no direct gunfire.

"There is no evidence that the two deaths were caused by direct gunfire on the protesters, and there are no other cases," he said in a speech broadcast on state television.

Hadithi suggested the demonstrations had been infiltrated by gunmen and said three protesters had been detained for interrogation but later released.

Friday's demonstrations included supporters of powerful Shi'ite Muslim cleric Moqtada al-Sadr as well as people from other groups upset with the government's failure to approve anti-corruption reforms and maintain security in the city.

The security forces used rubber bullets, water cannon and tear gas to disperse the thousands of demonstrators. Witnesses said they had shot into the air but later opened fire directly on civilians.

A politician from Sadr's movement condemned the use of live ammunition as "oppressive". Unverified photos posted online showed dozens of bullet casings.

Senior commanders from the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group have reportedly started fleeing the town of Karma in Iraq’s beleaguered western province of Anbar en masse as Iraqi security forces are making headway toward the area.

Daesh commanders fleeing western Iraqi town as security forces close in
http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/05/21/466657/Daesh-commanders-Karma

Iraqi military commander Colonel MahmoudMorzi al-Jumaili announced that the terrorist commanders have begun escaping from the town, which is located 48 kilometers (30 miles) west of the capital, Baghdad, and heading toward an unknown location in Anbar Province, Lebanon’s al-Ahed news website reported.

Meanwhile, at least 35 Daesh terrorists have turned themselves in to Iraqi security forces deployed to the outskirts of the city of Fallujah, which is located roughly 69 kilometers (43 miles) west of Baghdad and is held by Daesh.

A security source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the development attests to the panic, confusion and serious cracks within the ranks of Daesh.

Separately, Iraqi security forces together with Popular Mobilization units retook control of a strategic highway on the outskirts of Trebil Village, which lies in Anbar Province and on the Iraq-Jordan border, on Friday.

At least ten people were killed in a bomb attack Saturday in Iraq’s Salahuddin Province, north of the capital, Baghdad, security sources say.

Salahuddin bombing kills 10, Iraqi security sources say
http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/05/21/466759/Iraq-Salahuddin-

A terrorist armed with an explosive device carried out the bombing outside the police headquarters in the town of Dajil, al-Zahra region, Sumer News Agency quoted an Iraqi Interior Ministry spokesman as saying.

An unnamed security source said 10 people were killed and more than a dozen others wounded when the assailant was stopped by an officer and blew up the device.

The Iraqi Interior Ministry, however, has released a different count putting the casualty numbers at three killed and eight wounded.

The Daesh Takfiri terrorists claimed responsibility for the attack.

On May 11, Daesh claimed three car bomb blasts in Baghdad, including a huge blast at a market.

The Iraqi army has been preparing to retake the control of the strategic city of Fallujah in Anbar province from the Takfiri Daesh group, asking residents to leave the area before the operation begins.

Iraq army prepares for Fallujah recapture, urges residents to leave
http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/05/22/466880/Iraq-Fallujah-Daesh-Ramadi-Anbar

The army said in a statement on Sunday that it "is asking citizens that are still in Fallujah to be prepared to leave the city through secured routes that will be announced later."

The army also said that local residents who could not move should raise white flags to mark their location.

The army, however, did not give any clear date for the operation.

Deputy district council chairman Fail al-Essawi said people could camp west, southwest and southeast of Fallujah as three corridors would be opened for them to be able to leave the city.

Essawi said over 75,000 people remained in the city.

Fallujah was the first city seized by Daesh militants in Iraq in January 2014, six months before the Takfiri group took control of many other Iraqi cities.

Daesh shooters have reportedly been stopping Fallujah citizens from escaping the city amid acute shortage of basic commodities and medication.

According to the UN and Human Rights Watch, people in Fallujah were facing food and medicine shortages and aid convoys could not reach the city.

Iraqi forces have surrounded the western city after they took control of the city of Ramadi last December. Militants have prevented people from leaving the city.

The northern and western parts of Iraq have been plagued by gruesome violence ever since Daesh terrorists mounted their offensive in June 2014.

Iraqi army soldiers and fighters from allied Popular Mobilization Units are seeking to win back militant-held regions in joint operations.

The Iraqi government deployed at least 20,000 troops to combat terrorists in Daesh-held western city of Fallujah, Iraqi television reported Sunday.

Iraq Deploys at Least 20,000 Troops to Fight Daesh in Fallujah
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160522/1040051561/iraq-offensive-fallujah.html

Simultaneously, the Iraqi armed forces issued a warning to the city’s civilian population to flee the city as soldiers prepared an operation to reclaim Fallujah.

"Twenty-thousand soldiers of the federal police forces as well as military vehicles and artillerymen arrived in the vicinity of Fallujah today and are preparing to attack," Federal Police Chief Raed Shaker Jawdat said as quoted by Iraq’s Al Sumaria broadcaster.

The outlet added that government forces and allied militia had cut off terrorist communication routes ahead of the offensive, while aviation units struck Daesh positions.

Fallujah, in the western Anbar province, has been under Daesh's control since 2014. Reports emerged recently that militants of the terrorist group began killing residents attempting to leave the city..

 

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Iraq army prepares for Fallujah recapture, urges residents to leave
http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/05/22/466880/Iraq-Fallujah-Daesh-Ramadi-Anbar

Iraqi PM Announces Start of Offensive to Liberate Daesh-Occupied Fallujah

http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160523/1040064412/iraq-start-fallujah-liberation.html

Haider Abadi announced start of military offensive to reclaim the city of Fallujah occupied by Daesh.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi on Monday announced start of military offensive to reclaim the city of Fallujah occupied by the Islamic State (Daesh) militant group.

"It is time to liberate the city of Fallujah," Abadi said.

He added that all kinds of the armed forces were involved in the operation, as well as several groups allied to Baghdad.

Fallujah, in the western Anbar province, has been under Daesh control since 2014. Reports emerged recently that militants of the group, banned in countries including Russia, began killing residents attempting to leave the city. Daesh is suspected of planning to use the civilian population as human shields in case of an army siege.

Iraq kick-starts op to retake Fallujah from ISIS as residents evacuate

https://www.rt.com/news/344042-iraq-fallujah-offensive-abadi/

An offensive to retake the besieged city of Fallujah from Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) has begun, Iraqi PM Haider al-Abadi announced on Sunday. Local residents have been told to evacuate via secured routes.

“Zero hour for the liberation of Fallujah has arrived. The moment of great victory has drawn near and Daesh [derogatory term for IS] has no choice but to flee,” Abadi posted on his Twitter account.

The Iraqi offensive will see the army, police counterterrorism units, local tribal fighters, and a coalition of Shiite Muslim militias join forces. Meanwhile, air support will most likely be provided by the US-led coalition.

Local residents were given the heads up by the Iraqi army earlier. “The citizens who are still in Fallujah [should] be prepared to leave the city through secured routes that will be announced later,” the army said in a statement released on Facebook.

Those families who cannot leave the besieged city are to raise white flags to mark their location in the city, the army added.

There will be three corridors opened for civilians and camps set up the west, southwest, and southeast of the city, Deputy District Council Chairman Falih al-Essawi said.

“Our goal is to liberate civilians from Daesh's repression and terrorism,” Abadi stated in a televised address.

Falluja is an Islamic State stronghold located 50 kilometers (30 miles) west of Baghdad. It was the first city captured by the extremist group back in January 2014.

An offensive being carried out by Shiite militias is said to be limited to outside the city proper in order to keep sectarian tensions with the Sunni residents to a minimum.

IS terrorists have completely destroyed what was once was a prosperous place known as “a city of mosques.”

Many of its residents are believed to have been killed by the radical group, many of them starved to death.

Data from 2010 showed over 320,000 living in Fallujah, and a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report released in April said that at least 90,000 residents were still trapped and at serious risk of starvation.

Fallujah’s inhabitants have not been allowed to leave because IS does not want its wanna-be caliphate to appear as if it cannot sustain life. Grotesquely, they execute those that try, witnesses told HRW.

RT visited the besieged Iraqi city in February and saw areas ravaged in battles against IS. Cars that had been caught in shelling and dilapidated buildings where people had once lived and prayed now look like scenes from a post-apocalyptic movie.

The Iraqi army has had Falluja surrounded since late last year.

Iraqi general appointed to lead the Fallujah offensive

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/iraqi-general-appointed-lead-fallujah-offensive/

Lt. General ‘Abdel-Wahhab Al-Sa’adi has been appointed to lead the Iraqi Armed Forces against the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS) at the strategic city of Fallujah.

Earlier today, the Iraqi premier, Haider Al-‘Abadi, announced the start of the Fallujah offensive; however, there have been no reports of the Iraqi Army storming the city just yet.

The Iraqi Army and Air Force is currently bombarding the Islamic State’s positions in Fallujah, as they prepare to launch their long awaited ground assault.

Iraqi troops advance in Fallujah, kill dozens of Daesh militants

http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/05/23/466958/Iraq-Daesh-Fallujah

Dozens of Takfiri militants have been killed as Iraq launches an offensive to retake one of the two remaining Daesh strongholds, with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi saying the “moment of great victory has drawn near.”

Iraqi jets bombed Daesh positions in Fallujah late Sunday, destroying an explosive-making factory and a court building where the extremist group sentenced many of its victims to death, the al-Sumaria news website reported.

According to volunteer Hashid al-Shaabi sources, troops pounded terrorist positions in northern and northeastern Fallujah with heavy rocket and artillery fire.

The districts of Harariat and al-Lifyah as well as parts of Shahabi were liberated as troops advanced on to retake the remaining territory still under the Daesh control, the al-Forat news agency said Monday.

The offensive is being conducted by the army, police, counter-terrorism forces, local tribal fighters and a coalition of mostly Shia Muslim militias, Prime Minister Abadi said on Sunday.

Fallujah and Mosul, the capital of the northern province of Nineveh, are the last two major cities Daesh still holds in Iraq.

Fallujah is almost completely surrounded by Iraqi forces, who have regained significant ground in Anbar province in recent months, including its capital Ramadi further up the Euphrates River valley.

“We are beginning the operation to liberate Fallujah,” Abadi said in a statement. “The Iraqi flag will be raised high over the land of Fallujah,” he added.

Fallujah, 50 km (30 miles) west of Baghdad, was the first city to fall to the Takfiris in January 2014, six months before Daesh declared a “caliphate” spanning large parts of Iraq and Syria.

More than 75,000 civilians remain in Fallujah, according to Iraqi officials who have urged them to flee.

Residents, however, say checkpoints controlled by the extremists along roads leading out of the city are preventing most from fleeing.

According to the military's media unit, families who cannot flee should raise white flags to mark their location in the city, a tactic employed with some success during other recent offensives.

“Our goal is to liberate civilians from Daesh's repression and terrorism,” Abadi said in his televised speech.

The announcement comes at a time when Iraqi ground forces are gaining territory against Daesh, most recently in Iraq's vast western Anbar province.

Most recently, Iraqi forces recaptured the western town of Rutba in Anbar from the terrorists.

Iraqi forces, however, are expected to face a complicated fight to push Daesh out of Fallujah.

Following recent gains in Rutba and Hit, control of Fallujah would secure the road more than 500 km (300 miles) from Baghdad to the Jordanian border and northwards to Haditha.

But Daesh still controls vast swathes of territory and major cities such as Mosul in the north which Iraqi authorities have pledged to retake this year.

 

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Iraqi Army Drives ISIL back from Key Position in Fallujah

http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950303001327

"The ISIL left behind scores of the dead and wounded members and fled its positions near the general hospital," the sources said, adding, "The hospital and its surroundings are now under the full control of the Iraqi army men."

"In addition to liberating the Fallujah general hospital, the Iraqi Armed Forces have also imposed full control over Jisr al-Tafaha," the sources said.

"The Iraqi soldiers also liberated several buildings inside the strategic city of al-Karma one of the terrorist group’s last strongholds," the sources added.

Reports said earlier today that the Iraqi army continued to advance against the ISIL in Fallujah in Anbar province, after Baghdad announced the beginning of military operation to recapture the key town.

Iraqi soldiers killed 36 Takfiri terrorists, including ISIL's top commander Abu Amir Ansari, and his aides in Albu Shajal region.

Moreover, the so-called head of Fallujah, known as Haji Hamsa, and several of his aides were killed during the army operation.

The Iraqi government deployed at least 20,000 troops to fight against the terrorists in the ISIL-held city of Fallujah.

The Iraqi army had called on residents of Fallujah to leave the city before the operations against the Takfiri terrorist group.

Iraqi forces on Monday began a military campaign to retake the ISIL stronghold of Fallujah in Anbar province.

Iraqi Prime Minister Heider al-Ebadi announced the start of the military operation to recapture the city.

"It is time to liberate the city of Fallujah," the Iraqi minister said.

He added that all kinds of the armed forces are involved in the operation, as well as several groups allied to Baghdad.

Fallujah has been under ISIL control since 2014.

Iraqi Army, Volunteer Forces Win Back 10 New regions Near Fallujah

http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950303000779

Iraqi forces on Monday began a military campaign to retake the ISIL stronghold of Fallujah in Anbar province.

The Iraqi forces backed by the country's air force attacked the ISIL's military positions in the Southern part of al-Karama region from several directions.

The Iraqi army, meantime, announced that they had seized back al-Sejr and al-Sabihat regions to the South of al-Karama.

At least 40 ISIL terrorists have been killed in heavy clashes with the Iraqi army and volunteer forces today.

Meantime, the Arabic-language al-Sumeria News reported that the tribal leaders of Fallujah city believe that the Iraqi forces will soon enter Fallujah city because the people of Fallujah hate the ISIL terrorists and many of them have asked for taking revenge for their lost ones.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi announced this morning the start of the military operation to recapture the city of Fallujah that is occupied by the ISIL Takfiri terrorist group.

"It is time to liberate the city of Fallujah," the Iraqi PM said.

He added that all kinds of the armed forces are involved in the operation, as well as several groups allied to Baghdad.

The strategic city of Fallujah has been under ISIL control since 2014.

Iraqi volunteer forces Spokesman Karim al-Nouri had disclosed on Friday that the massive military operation to win back Fallujah in Anbar province in Western Iraq was very near, adding that they had already laid siege on the city in Anbar province from different directions.

"The Hashd al-Shaabi forces have besieged the terrorists in Fallujah city from four directions," al-Nouri told FNA.

He, meantime, reiterated that supporters of the ISIL terrorist group have been spreading the lie that the Iraqi volunteer forces have not taken part in the military operations to seize back Fallujah, "but the whole operation is under Hashd al-Shaabi's command".

On Tuesday, Seyed Hashem al-Moussavi, the spokesman of Hezbollah al-Nujaba, a major Iraqi Shiite resistance movement fighting the ISIL, voiced his forces' readiness to seize back the city of Fallujah and defeat the ISIL terrorist group there.

"The terrorist groups who have turned Fallujah into Qandahar will see the outcome of their crimes in the battlefield," al-Moussavi told reporters.

He said Fallujah in Iraq is similar to Raqqa in Syria, and reiterated, "We will surely enter Fallujah and this trend is irreversible."

 

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Iraqi Army captures Sajar police station from ISIS – Fallujah map update

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/iraqi-army-captures-sajar-police-station-isis-fallujah-map-update/

Earlier today, the Iraqi Army – assisted by the paramilitary Popular Mobilization Forces (PMU) – captured the main police station at al-Sajar, a town located northeast of Fallujah.

According to a military source, some 20 ISIS fighters were killed during clashes there with mopping up operations still in progress in the town of al-Sajar itself.

Just yesterday, the Iraqi Army captured al-Kharmah; this town is located 4 kilometers east of al-Sajar town where sporadic skirmishes are still ongoing.

Meanwhile, ISIS launched two suicide trucks northwest of Fallujah today towards the Abu Shijil area, killing 16 soldiers according to Amaq news.

The suicide attackers were identified as Osama al-Jazrawi and Abu Hamza.

Nevertheless, the 1st stage of the Fallujah campaign is targeting areas east of the city; newly deployed Major General Qasem Soleimani seem to be carrying out a military pincer manuever which aims at squeezing ISIS forces out of the eastern region.

Once phase one is completed and ISIS is expelled, the 2nd stage of the offensive is expected to embroil Fallujah city in urban warfare.

In total, some 500-700 ISIS fighters are estimated to be held up in the city of Fallujah with hundreds more in the surrounding countryside.

Iraqi forces outnumber ISIS at least 10 to 1; however, government troops are unable to make rapid advances due to mines, improvised explosives and ISIS’ suicide bombers.

Nevertheless, shelling and airstrikes continued to target Fallujah today as ISIS fighters were given no safe haven inside the city.

One airstrike earlier today killed a large group of ISIS militants as can be seen below:

http://<iframe width="560" height="...i0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

A zoomable map is avaliable here:

http://www.mediafire.com/convkey/dc3e/ptdqztd7f6kzdqazg.jpg

Iraqi volunteer forces push Daesh out of villages near Fallujah

http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/05/24/467205/Iraq-Fallujah-Daesh

Fighters with Iraq's Badr Organization have managed to liberate six villages from the grip of the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group east of the city of Fallujah.

The Iraqi forces wrested control over the villages of Jamilah and Boudah, which lie between the cities of al-Karmah and Fallujah, Iraq's al-Sumaria satellite TV network reported on Tuesday.

They also cleared the villages of mines left by retreating Daesh militants.

Meanwhile, the Iraqi federal police reported the recapturing of three other villages in the eastern entrance to Fallujah, where three Daesh vehicles were also destroyed.

Earlier on Tuesday, Iraqi Federal Police Forces Commander Major General Shaker announced the liberation of another village in the eastern entrance to the embattled city, located west of Baghdad.

On Monday, the Iraqi military and allied volunteer fighters launched a major offensive to retake Fallujah in the western Anbar Province.

Fallujah is almost completely surrounded by Iraqi troops, who have regained significant ground in Anbar Province in recent months, including its capital Ramadi.

About 100,000 civilians are estimated to be in Fallujah which, in January 2014, became the first Iraqi city to be captured by Daesh extremists.

Earlier this month, Iraq’s government spokesman, Saad al-Hadithi, said the Daesh-controlled areas in the conflict-ridden country have significantly decreased to only 14 percent, compared to almost triple that number recorded two years ago.

Gruesome violence has plagued the northern and western parts of Iraq ever since Daesh launched an offensive in the Arab state two years ago.

 

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Are US-Backed Iraqi Militias Committing Ethnic Cleansing or Fighting Daesh?

http://sputniknews.com/news/20160525/1040198115/iraq-shia-sunni-daesh-fallujah.html

Iraqi forces and affiliated Shiite militias are accused of ethnic cleansing and mass atrocities in Iraq, under the cover of fighting to liberate territory from Daesh.

On Monday, the Iraqi Army announced plans to begin an offensive to retake the city of Fallujah from Daesh forces. The heavily-populated Iraqi city was the first to fall to the extremist group in 2014, but in recent months Iraqi forces have been able to sharply reduce the militants’ stronghold over the city.

The city also played site for one of the bloodiest battles following the US-led invasion of Iraq, leading to mass casualties of US service members and leaving a once-prominent city in ruins.

Following the ouster of Saddam Hussein, Fallujah, like many other multicultural cities in the country, descended into sectarian strife leading then-Senator Joe Biden to call for the partitioning of Iraq in 2006.

The Sunni-dominated city faced the worst of the systematic effort to expunge loyalists of Saddam Hussein’s secular Ba’ath Party, in a process now known as de-baathification, from positions within the Iraqi government, including ordinary social sector positions in education, medicine, and engineering.

The once prominent Sunni middle class found themselves the subject of persecution at the hands of the Shia-led government, and violent Shiite militias, notably Muqtada al-Sadr’s Mahdi Army.

The widespread alienation of Sunnis and the repeated violent tides of ethnic cleansing by Shiite militias forced many secular Sunnis into league with the violent Daesh extremist group, whose Iraqi branch is now dominated by a cadre of former Saddam Hussein loyalists.

With the government unravelling in Iraq, and the violent Mahdi army once again threatening to seize control of the country, the situation has been described as waves of ethnic cleansing by competing and increasingly extremist sectarian militias – the Mahdi Army, supported by Iraqi forces on the Shia side, and Daesh, along with al-Qaeda, on the Sunni side.

In this descent into social cataclysm, the Iraqi army, along with loosely-affiliated Shia militias, looks to ‘liberate’ Fallujah, using American weapons and support, but with many residents of the Daesh-occupied city fearing another violent round of ethnic cleansing. On Tuesday, Loud & Clear’s Brian Becker sat down with Iraqi-American and foreign policy analyst Raed Jarrar to discuss the latest offensive.

Has the offensive on Daesh-controlled Fallujah begun?

"The news coming from Iraq indicates that there are no signs that the offensive has begun yet, but the Iraqi government has announced its intentions to start an offensive," explained Jarrar. "US sources have been denying that any operations have started taking place so there is some confusion about that."

The foreign policy analyst observed that people remaining in Fallujah are frightened by the Iraqi forces and affiliated militias, who they believe will use the presence of Daesh as a cover for ethnic cleansing.

"Militias affiliated with the Iraqi forces have made shocking announcements of late, calling Fallujah a cancer that has to be cut out, and these proclamations are concerning because the militias have committed war crimes when they attacked towns controlled by ISIS in the past," said Jarrar. "There is a real concern that the anticipated attacks on Fallujah will follow the pattern of abuses committed by Iraqi forces and affiliated militias in the past."

What do they mean by 'liberating' Fallujah? Ramadi was 'liberated' but there was nothing left.

"There was a report by Human Rights Watch that came out last year that was titled 'After Liberation Came Destruction.' The word liberation is a very problematic word in this context," said Jarrar. "Human Rights Watch reported the premeditated and systematic way that Iraqi forces and militias took towns back from ISIS and destroyed towns, committing ethnic cleansing. They targeted some ethnicities against other ethnicities, demolished homes of some sects and kept homes of other sects."

"I expect that this is just another campaign of ethnic cleansing and they are using ISIS as a pretext to enter these towns and bombard them," said Jarrar. "This is a premeditated policy of destruction and ethnic cleansing that the Iraqi government has been following since 2003."

Where should forces attack to get a handle on the unravelling situation in Iraq?

"From my point of view, that is not the discussion that we should be having. It is not about which city to bombard first or what city to allow the US and its allies to bomb first," said Jarrar. "That is why I wanted to comment on the word ‘liberate,’ because it implies that there is a legitimate force that will come in to kick out an illegitimate group. That is not the situation in Iraq. Iraq has many extremist and violent groups, including the government forces."

"If the United States wants to give good advice to Iraq, then we need to start by stopping support to groups and the Iraqi government, that have been committing mass violations of human rights, funding these groups is illegal under US and international law," said Jarrar. "We continue to give funds and weapons to groups committing atrocities in Iraq."

Jaraa claimed that a more meaningful solution to the ongoing sectarian violence in Iraq and throughout the region, would be to focus on policies of division and persecution that pit groups against each other, likening the violence committed by Shia militias to that committed by Daesh, which he referred to as a similar force on the Sunni side.

"The idea of getting rid of all these things will not include dropping more bombs on Iraq, it will not make the country more peaceful and it will not make these groups more moderate. It will actually make more death and destruction and that is what the US has been doing in Iraq since 1991," stated Jarrar.

Daesh is blocking Fallujah residents from leaving while the Iraqis demand that they leave – what will happen to the civilians?

"They are the ones that pay the hefty price and many of them have been paying a heavy price, not as a consequence of violence, but because that is the actual goal of violence – displacement," explained Jarrar. "The Iraqi militias, especially those affiliated with the Iraqi government, have been implementing a plan of systematic displacement to gain more territory for their own group."

"This is a different analysis than you receive in the mainstream media that the violence is part of the medicine, part of the solution, and the US has to support attacks on Fallujah and Mosul because this is the way to get rid of the bad guys and liberate these towns," explained Farrar.

"That is not what is going on in the real world. In the real world this is more violence that has illegitimate agendas to displace more Iraqi and create more sectarian enclaves," he said.

ISIS uses civilians as human shields to derail Iraqi advance on Fallujah

https://www.rt.com/news/344275-fallujah-isis-human-shields/

Terrorists are using people as human shields and executing those trying to flee or surrender to slow down the Iraqi Army’s operation to recapture Fallujah. The country security forces are following a special plan to avoid unnecessary civilian loses.

Although the offensive to recapture Fallujah was launched on Monday, Iraqi government forces have been besieging the city and its suburbs for several months now, carefully devising a plan to save civilians trapped in the urban area since January 2014, Iraq’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Ahmad Jamal, told Izvestiya daily.

Noting that one of the main goals of the military operation was “to minimize possible losses among the civilian population,” Jamal said that the active phase was preceded by surgical strikes on Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) positions by the Iraqi Air Force.

“At the moment, the main difficulty lies in the fact that ISIS militants use residents as human shields,” Jamal said. “The greatest threat to the residents of the city comes first of all from ISIS militants whom the ordinary people have to deal with every day. It is no secret that extremists during their presence in Fallujah staged mass executions and made a number of other crimes against humanity.”

http://<iframe width="560" height="...iA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

According to United Nations estimates, there are about 60,000 to 100,000 civilians remaining in Fallujah. People trapped in the city told USA TODAY that as the army advances, Islamists imposed a curfew on civilians and moved people to the city center to use as a human shield. IS also prevented civilians from leaving the city and threatened to kill anyone attempting to escape.

On Sunday, the Iraqi government deployed at least 20,000 troops and Popular Mobilization Forces to combat extremists, and told residents to flee the city ahead of the operation, that was launched the following day.

By the end of Tuesday, according to the Kurdish Rudaw news agency, three villages of Haswahm, Albu Awda and Abbasian had been liberated from the terrorists. The Anbar provincial council announced that the Iraqi Army is less than a kilometer away from Fallujah, which has an estimated 800-1,000 IS fighters.

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US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said on Tuesday that Washington supports the Iraqi operation, and promised to help if necessary.

“The Iraqi forces have this planned out,” Carter said. “We are privy to those plans. We are obviously supportive of this operation.”

“The commanders there have not brought any request from the Iraqis,” he added. “We’re always willing to doing additional things.”

Fallujah which sits just 40 mile away from Baghdad is believed to be heavily mined and full of IS snipers.

 

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The Takfiri Daesh terrorist group has reportedly killed eight of its own members in Iraq’s conflict-ridden northern province of Nineveh on charges of fleeing the battlefield.

Daesh chars eight members of itself to death in northern Iraq
http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/05/23/466994/Iraq-Daesh-execution-fellow-militants-Tal-Afar

An informed source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Arabic-language al-Sumaria on Monday that
Daesh terrorists put eight fellow extremists inside a confectionery oven in the city of Tal Afar, located approximately 63 kilometers (39 miles) west of militant-held Mosul, and turned the heat on, leaving them to die of excessive heat and burns.

He added that the slain militants were accused of escaping clashes with Iraqi security forces in the western Iraqi town of al-Rutbah.

Iraqi security personnel recaptured Rutbah, about 428 kilometers (265 miles) west of Baghdad, from Daesh terrorists on May 17.

Earlier this month, Daesh extremists buried 35 fellow terrorists alive on the outskirts of the town of Qayyarah, located about 35 miles (60 kilometers) south of Mosul. The slain militants had fled clashes with fighters from Popular Mobilization units in the Shia Turkmen village of Bashir, situated some 20 kilometers (12 miles) south of the oil-rich city of Kirkuk.

Daesh terrorists killed 35 fellow terrorists by firing squad at the Ghazlani military camp south of Mosul on February 28, after accusing them of conspiracy against the Takfiri outfit.

Gruesome violence has plagued the northern and western parts of Iraq ever since Daesh Takfiris launched an offensive in the country in June 2014, and took control of portions of Iraqi territory.

The militants have been committing vicious crimes against all ethnic and religious communities in Iraq, including Shias, Sunnis, Kurds, Christians and others.


Saudi Arabia's Terrorism in Yemen (Video interview)
http://www.fort-russ.com/2016/05/saudi-arabias-terrorism-in-yemen-video.html
(RT Video - 4:11 minutes)

Fort Russ co-editor Flores speaks with RT international about last week's bombing in Yemen, and the situation in this war ravaged country in general.

Media focus is centered on events as they take place, and rarely in the context which gives any event its narrative meaning. While there was an apparent ISIS 'terrorist' attack in Yemen, these attacks did not begin until Yemen's government changed to one led by Zaidis, which Saudi Arabia did not recognize. Simultaneously, ISIS and Al Qaeda groups began openly operating in the country. The relationship between Saudi Arabia and ISIS and Al Qaeda is well established.

What Flores seems to indicate is that the terrorist attacks are meant to justify further Saudi involvement in the Yemeni 'conflict'. Also, he notes that Saudi's bombing of Yemen is also terrorism.

The Taliban insurgents are likely to try taking revenge for the death of the movement's leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour, Russian President's special envoy for Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, said Wednesday.

Taliban Likely to Revenge Leader's Death - Russian Presidential Envoy
http://sputniknews.com/world/20160525/1040233148/taliban-leader-revenge.html

Earlier on Wednesday, Afghanistan’s Taliban insurgency confirmed Mansour's death through its spokesman. On Tuesday, reports emerged of the Taliban convening its Shura council to possibly pick Mansour's successor within three days.

"The Taliban will, most likely, try to take revenge for the death of their leader, after all, some 60-70 percent of them supported Akhtar Mansour from the start. So to say that in the given situation the Taliban will run and start agreeing to talks is simply naive," Kabulov told RIA Novosti.

Mansour was elected at a previous Shura near the western city of Quetta, the capital of Balochistan region, in mid-2015 after Taliban eventually acknowledged his predecessor’s death in 2013. Mansour was killed in a US drone strike near the Afghan border in Balochistan on Saturday.

The Kurdish Peshmerga units repelled a massive attack of the Daesh militants near the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk Wednesday, Deputy Commander of 9th Peshmerga Brigade Col. Tariq Ahmed Jaf said.

Iraqi Kurds Repel Daesh Attack Near Kirkuk in Northern Iraq
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160525/1040217935/iraq-kurds-daesh.html

The Kurdish Peshmerga units repelled a massive attack of the Daesh militants near the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk Wednesday, Deputy Commander of 9th Peshmerga Brigade Col. Tariq Ahmed Jaf said.

“The militants’ attack on our positions was launched at night. They attacked Peshmerga fortifications near the town of Tel Rabaa [some 25 miles south of Kirkuk]. But the Peshmerga sent reinforcements there and managed to repel the attack,” Jaf told RIA Novosti.

The Kirkuk province is the oil richest region of Iraq. Part of the province as well as other large territories in northern and western Iraq including the country’s second biggest city of Mosul were seized in 2014 during the offensive of the IS jihadist group, outlawed in Russia.

At least 10 people were killed and seven injured in an explosion that occurred in eastern Kabul province, local media reported Wednesday.

Ten Killed East of Afghanistan's Capital in Bomb Attack
http://sputniknews.com/asia/20160525/1040202655/afghanistan-insurgency-suicide-bomber.html

At least 10 people were killed and seven injured in an explosion that occurred in eastern Kabul province, local media reported Wednesday, citing Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish.

According to Danish, the bomb attack took place in Kabul’s 5th police district and targeted a vehicle carrying Maidan Wardak province’s appellate court employees, Khaama Press news agency reported.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, which Danish confirmed was carried out by a suicide bomber, the media reported.

Afghanistan is struggling with political, social and security instability, as the Taliban movement and other radical extremist organizations such as the Islamic State, which is prohibited in many countries, including the United States and Russia, have expanded their activities in the country.

 

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Iraqi troops advancing towards Fallujah from south: Cmdr.

http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/05/25/467353/Iraq-Fallujah-Daesh-Ismail-Mahalawi

Iraqi soldiers and allied volunteer fighters have pushed towards Fallujah from areas to the south as part of an operation to liberate the city from the grip of the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group, says a commander.

Staff Major General Ismail al-Mahalawi, the head of the Anbar Operations Command, said on Wednesday that forces from Iraq's 8th Division, backed by tribal fighters, set out from the city of Amriyat al-Fallujah, south of Fallujah, and the al-Salam intersection to its southwest.

The offensive is being supported by air cover, Mahalawi added.

Early on Monday, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced the start of the long-awaited major operation to retake Fallujah in the western Anbar Province. Since then, the Iraqi military and volunteer fighters have managed to recapture several areas near the embattled city.

About 100,000 civilians are estimated to be in Fallujah which, in January 2014, became the first major Iraqi city to be captured by Daesh militants.

Top Iraqi cleric urges restraint in Fallujah raid

In another development on Wednesday, Iraq's senior Shia cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani urged restraint in the Fallujah battle, calling on the Iraqi forces to spare civilians trapped in the city.

The prominent Iraqi clergyman's representative, Sheikh Abdul Mahdi al-Karbalai, said in a statement that Ayatollah Sistani has reaffirmed his recommendations that moral principles be respected in the operation launched to liberate the city.

"Don't be extreme ... don't be treacherous. Don't kill an old man, nor a boy, nor a woman. Don't cut a tree unless you have to," he said, citing sayings of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

The operation to recapture Fallujah comes as aid agencies have expressed concern over the humanitarian situation in the city.

Gruesome violence has plagued the northern and western parts of Iraq ever since Daesh launched an offensive in the Arab state two years ago.

Earlier this month, Iraq’s government spokesman, Saad al-Hadithi, said the Daesh-controlled areas in the conflict-ridden country have significantly decreased to only 14 percent, compared to almost triple that number recorded two years ago.

Iraq: ISIL Terrorists Ordered to Kill Fallujah Residents in Disguise

http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950305000855

The ISIL militants were also ordered to send their families to safe places outside Fallujah city, the Arabic-language media outlets reported on Wednesday.

The ISIL terrorists have been instructed to disguise as Iraqi volunteer forces (Hashd al-Shaabi) and massacre the Iraqi civilians whom they have released from Fallujah prisons while chanting Hashd al-Shaabi slogans.

The terrorist group has also ordered its members in the directive to take videos and photographs from these fabricated and fake scenes and release them on the social media.

The Takfiri terrorist group has also threatened that any of its members that would cooperate with Hashd al-Shaabi will be executed.

Earlier on Wednesday, provincial officials announced that a large number of Iraqi families who had been used as human shield by the ISIL in the surrounding areas of the Fallujah city managed to escape from the custody of the Takfiri terrorists.

"Over 100 Iraqi families escaped from al-Nassaf and al-Hassi regions to the West and South of Fallujah city," the Arabic-language media outlets quoted Head of Anbar Provincial Council's Security Committee Raje al-Issawi as saying.

He reiterated that the Iraqi citizens were transferred by the Iraqi security forces to Fallujah refugee camps in Ameriya and Khalediya regions.

On Tuesday, Iraqi military forces managed to push ISIL militants back from agricultural areas outside Fallujah as they continue their military operation to retake Iraq's Western city.

Lt. Ahmed Mahdi Salih, a commander in Iraqi federal police participating in the battle, said that fierce battles were taking place in the Eastern vicinity of Fallujah which the militants are using as a supply line, Rudaw news website reported

The operation is being conducted under the command of Lt. Gen. Abdul Wahab Al Sa'adi who pointed out that tough terrains of the battlefields, the risk of civilian casualties and the improvised explosive devices (IEDs) ISIL has planted in and around the city are obstacles to a swift victory, which is why they will begin the offensive by surrounding and bombarding ISIL positions.

While Iraqi military and paramilitary forces have had the city encircled for over a year this is their first serious attempt to recapture the city and force the militants to retreat from the area.

ISIL captured Fallujah back in January 2014 making it the first and longest city it has been controlling in Iraq.

"On Tuesday morning, the Iraqi security and volunteer forces managed to fully liberate al-Karama town located 13 kilometers to the East of Fallujah," Commander of Fallujah operations said.

Al-Karama is an important and strategic city near Fallujah and is considered as an entrance gate to the city of Fallujah.

Reports on the battlefields also have confirmed that the Iraqi forces advanced in al-Maqala and al-Hamra towns and heavy clashes broke out between the government forces and the ISIL terrorists.

Late in April, the Iraqi army, backed by popular forces, gained the control of a district in the city of al-Karama in Western Anbar province. The army units regained control of al-Roza district in Central al-Karama, deemed as an important stronghold of the terrorists in the city of al-Karama.

Iraqi Armed Forces liberate strategic roadway to Baghdad

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/iraqi-armed-forces-liberate-strategic-roadway-baghdad/

The Iraqi Army – backed by the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) – imposed full control over the strategic Karma-Baghdad Road on Tuesday evening after a long battle with the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS) terrorists in east Al-Anbar.

Prior to liberating the impeative Karma-Baghdad Road, the Iraqi Army and PMF imposed full control over six villages in Karma’s southern countryside, killing over 30 enemy combatants from the Islamic State in the process of this advance on Tuesday.

The liberated villages in Karma’s southern countryside were identified as Al-‘Abadi, Al-Asil, Al-Luheib, Albu Hadid Al-Nasser, Yousifiyah, and Al-Jugeifah.

Iraqi Officers Train in Jordan to Handle Improvised Explosive Devices

http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160525/1040250695/iraq-jordan-officers-training.html

Two dozen Iraqi officers are undergoing counter-IED training in Jordan for the upcoming humanitarian operations.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — A team of Iraqi officers is undergoing training in Jordan in order to learn how find and defuse Improvised Explosive Devices (IED), according to a statement issued by NATO on Wednesday.

"Two dozen officers are undertaking courses at the King Abdullah II Special Operations Training Centre in Amman, Jordan," the statement said.

The goal of this program is to train the Iraqi officers for counter-IED operations aimed at supporting humanitarian efforts to return displaced populations safely to their homes.

The training also enables the officers "to build the professionalism of the Iraqi forces by sharing their new skills with colleagues," the statement added.

NATO stated it is also looking into providing some of the training in Iraq on the request of the Iraqi government.

 

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Dire conditions for civilians trapped in Iraq's Fallujah: UN

http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/217679/World/Region/Dire-conditions-for-civilians-trapped-in-Iraqs-Fal.aspx

Only 800 people have been able to flee Fallujah since Iraqi forces launched a major offensive to retake the city, the United Nations said in a statement released Thursday.
Lise Grande, the UN's humanitarian coordinator for Iraq, said that those who managed to leave the city occupied by the Islamic State group reported dire living conditions inside.

"We are receiving distressing reports of civilians trapped inside Fallujah who are desperate to escape to safety, but can't," the statement quoted her as saying.

The UN said that only 800 people had been able to flee Fallujah since May 22, "mostly from outlying areas".

"Some families report having to walk for hours under harrowing conditions to reach safety. People trapped in the city centre are thought to be most at risk -- unable to flee," the UN said.

Grande said that those who managed to flee told of a dire situation inside the city, which lies only 50 kilometres (30 miles) west of the capital Baghdad.

"Food supplies are limited and tightly controlled. Medicines are exhausted and many families have no choice but to rely on dirty and unsafe water sources," she said.

The UN and other humanitarian agencies have been unable to deliver much of the available assistance due to the lack of access since the operation was launched on May 22-23.

Humanitarian corridors discussed with the Iraqi authorities have largely failed to materialise so far.

Jihadist fighters holed up in the Fallujah city centre have been imposing a curfew and forbidding residents to leave their homes, apparently using them as human cover.

Residents contacted inside Fallujah have also said that the amount of bombs and booby traps laid by IS in and around the city would make any flight very perilous.

The UN's refugee agency also said on the first day of the operation that supply routes were effectively cut off by the tens of thousands of Iraqi forces surrounding the city, thus also preventing civilians from leaving.

Various rights and other groups had warned the Iraqi government against resorting to starvation tactics to defeat IS in Fallujah, where the UN estimates around 50,000 civilians remain.

Iraq PM urges protesters to stay home during Fallujah op

http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/217675/World/Region/Iraq-PM-urges-protesters-to-stay-home-during-Fallu.aspx

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi urged protesters not to demonstrate in Baghdad on Friday because security forces are mobilised in the battle to retake Fallujah.
Protesters, mostly followers of powerful Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, have held demonstrations almost every Friday for weeks to demand a government reshuffle.

Last week they breached the fortified Green Zone, which houses most of the country's top institutions, for the second time in three weeks.

"I call upon our youth to postpone their protest tomorrow, because our security forces are busy fighting in Fallujah," Abadi said, speaking from the command centre for the operation he announced on May 22-23.

Tens of thousands of security forces are deployed in the Fallujah area for an assault aimed at retaking the city from the Islamic State group.

Fallujah, which lies only 50 kilometres (30 miles) west of Baghdad, has been out of government control since January 2014 and is one of only two remaining major Iraqi cities still in IS hands, the other being Mosul.

On May 20, protesters broke into the Green Zone and briefly stormed Abadi's own office, further deepening a political crisis that has been crippling the country for months.

The security forces responded more forcefully than three weeks earlier when Sadr supporters breached the restricted area for the first time and stormed parliament.

Human Rights Watch said in a statement released Thursday its investigations were able to confirm that four people were killed by the security forces during last week's protest.

"Security forces protecting the Green Zone had no legitimate reason to fire on protesters who presented no risk to their lives or others," HRW Middle East director Joe Stork said.

The security forces defending the Green Zone used tear gas canisters and live bullets.

The response angered Sadr and his followers and brought rival militia groups to the brink of confrontation in central Baghdad.

Several military commanders and Baghdad's partners in the US-led coalition had recommended focusing efforts on liberating Mosul first but observers say lauching the Fallujah operation offered the embattled Abadi some political reprieve.

Massive Iraqi Army presence on the outskirts of ISIS controlled Fallujah

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/video-massive-iraqi-army-presence-outskirts-isis-controlled-fallujah/

New footage has emerged of the Iraqi Army and the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) inside al-Kharma, a newly liberated town located northeast of Fallujah city itself.

Now, Iraqi forces are expected to bring the battle to the heart of Fallujah, an ISIS stronghold located just 50 kilometers west of Baghdad.

http://<iframe width="560" height="...NQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

ISIS to Fallujah residents: fight with us, or die with us

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/isis-fallujah-residents-fight-us-die-us/

The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has prevented residents of Fallujah from leaving the city as Iraqi Army advances to recapture the ISIS-held stronghold.

The Iraqi forces, backed from the Popular mobilization Forces (PMF) and US airstrikes, have launched, on Sunday, a wide-scale offensive to recapture Fallujah (located nearly 65 km to west of Baghdad) which has been under ISIS control for over two years.

An Iraqi source confirmed that only 20 families have managed to flee the outskirts of Fallujah since the offensive started. However, the destiny of thousands of civilians inside the trapped-city is still unknown with the terror group denying them exit.

Aid and humanitarian groups expressed deep concerns that those civilians might be used as human shields; a tactic typically adopted by ISIS to hamper airstrikes.

Iraqi Army launches military operation in east Ramadi

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/iraqi-army-launches-military-operation-west-ramadi/

The Iraqi Army launched a new military operation in the eastern Ramadi countryside on Thursday, targeting the imperative village of Jazirat Al-Khalidiyah along the Ramadi-Fallujah Road.

Backed by the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), the Iraqi Army has already reached the outskirts of this village after a violent battle with the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS) terrorists.

This new military operation by the Iraqi Armed Forces is concentrated on the region between the strategic cities of Ramadi and Fallujah.

Should the Iraqi Armed Forces liberate Jazirat Al-Khalidiyah from the Islamic State terrorists, they will have effectively encircled the terrorists at the imperative city of Fallujah.

 

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Five ISIL terrorists severed tongues of five fellow militants after they reportedly attempted to flee Fallujah ahead of Iraqi Army looming offensive on the city, an Iraqi source reported on Thursday.

ISIL Cuts off Tongues of 5 Fighters after Trying to Flee Fallujah Battle
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950306000335

The punishment was reportedly implemented in public to deter other ISIL fighters from fleeing the city, the source said, Al Masdar reported.

Some 500 to 700 insurgents remain in the ISIL stronghold, however, a major Iraqi offensive is currently underway to liberate Fallujah, one of few ISIL-held cities in the country.

Since February 2016, the Iraqi Army has been gaining ground in the Anbar province and took back the major cities of Ramadi, Heet and al-Rutbah from the ISIL terrorist group.

ISIL fighters in the outskirts of Fallujah melted away ahead of an Iraqi government offensive to retake the city, according to a villager who recently fled the area.

Resident: ISIL 'Disappeared' from Fallujah Outskirts ahead of Offensive
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950305001359

Farmer Alaa Abdulrahman told media that the 40-odd ISIL militants "all disappeared suddenly" from Albu Jassem village in Northern Fallujah province, NBC reported.

"They cannot go back to Fallujah proper because the city is surrounded by Iraqi forces from all directions," the father-of-five added in a telephone interview.

Abdulrahman, 45, described the perilous nighttime journey his family was forced to take after Iraqi officials ordered residents to evacuate on Sunday.

"While we were walking out of our village, we were not sure that we would do it, because we know ISIL militants planted many IEDs in the roads," he said. He and his family are now in a refugee camp some 20 miles south of Fallujah.

With just over six weeks to go before the long-awaited release of the Chilcot report into the Iraq War the calls for former Prime Minister Tony Blair to be properly held to account for the lies he told us in the lead up to the illegal invasion are increasing by the day.

The Blair Impeachment Project: Time for action at long last
https://www.rt.com/op-edge/344235-blair-iraq-impeachment-war/

A few days ago, the foreign affairs spokesperson for the Scottish National Party (SNP) Alex Salmond MP, told RT’s Going Underground program that he would like to see Blair impeached by the British Parliament and also stand trial at the International Criminal Court, if the families of those killed and the wider public agreed.

Other MPs have also expressed their support for Salmond’s initiative. “If it’s proved that Tony Blair misled everyone, I personally am determined to see justice prevail and to see him impeached,” said Conservative Sir David Amess.

[...] Bush and Blair clearly initiated a war of aggression against Iraq in 2003 and therefore committed ‘the supreme international crime’. Although we may have to wait a while for Blair to be tried under this count at the ICC, he could still be tried there on other charges relating to the war, such as failing to prosecute the war in a ‘disproportionate manner’ and the deaths of civilians in bombing raids.

Then there’s the impeachment route.

According to law, any British citizen, former Prime Minister or not, can be prosecuted or tried by Parliament.

But we’ve got to go back to 1806 to find the last time Parliament impeached anybody (a certain Lord Melville) and to 1848 for the last attempted impeachment of Lord Palmerston. “The procedure has never been abolished but is obsolete”, noted Downing Professor of Law at Cambridge University S. A. de Smith in his 1970s work ‘Constitutional and Administrative Law’. However, a 1977 Select Committee on Privileges report held impeachment to be ‘of continuing validity’.

The Iraq war has brought the issue of impeachment back to life.

In 2004, there were moves to impeach Blair for High Crimes and Misdemeanors over Iraq, and a motion was tabled in the House of Commons by Plaid Cymru MP Adam Price.

“The evidence for Blair's duplicity is overwhelming,” Price said.

His move was backed by over 20 MPs from across the political spectrum. (Article continues.)

Iraqi Federal Police announced that the security forces have dismantled at least 37 improvised explosive devices in a key road to the Western city of Fallujah.

Iraqi Security Forces Dismantle 37 IEDs in Eastern Fallujah
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950306000781

“The Iraqi Police Explosives Treatment Battalion and their allies are cleansing the road which links between the al-Ma’mal al-Azraq and the village of al-Lifiyah, Esat of Fallujah,” Iraqi Police Commander, Raed Shaker Jawdat said in a statement, Iraqi News reported.

He added that the battalion was able to dismantle 37 explosive devices in the key road leading to the city of Fallujah.”

 

[sToRmR1dR]

Starvation And Shortage Of Medication As Iraqi Forces And Shi’ite Militia Advance On Fallujah!

http://novorossia.today/121241-2/

Iraqi forces and allied Shi’ite militias are moving closer to the major Anbar city of Fallujah, under ISIS control since January of 2014. The city has been surrounded for weeks, and as the offensive grows, so does fear about the civilian population’s fate.

Being out of the general ISIS supply lines, Fallujah has faced growing shortages in recent months, with locals saying there is increasing starvation, as well as acute shortages of medication at hospitals. Though some have estimated as many as 100,000 still remain, recent estimates suggest about 50,000 civilians left in Fallujah.+

But while the Abadi government has “ordered” civilians to flee, it’s not so easy to actually do so. Surrounded by Iraqi troops from without, ISIS troops from within, and countless fields of explosives in the middle, only about 800 people have successfully fled the city.
Staying isn’t much safer, with the offensive meaning artillery hitting central parts of the city, and leaving home to try to find food a dangerous endeavor, with the risk that anyone out of the house is suspected of fleeing by ISIS, and targeted for that. Those who’ve successfully escaped are described as “in a state of shock” from the difficulty, but even then their future is ultimately uncertain, as Sunni Arab refugees “liberated” from ISIS territory are a growing refugee problem across Iraq, and unwelcome in many parts of the country.