Iraq

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A local source in Nineveh province said that ISIL has distributed thousands of leaflets and made public announcements through laud-speakers in the town of Tal Afar that it will soon release very important statement about its chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (Ibrahim Awad Ibrahim al-Badri).

Iraq: ISIL Distributing Leaflets over Fate of Al-Baghdadi
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The Arabic-language al-Sumeriyeh news quoted the source as saying that the ISIL has distributed leaflets in most of Tal Afar's mosques and is main posts, calling on members to wait for a very important news about the fate of their leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Al-Sumeriyeh further added that no one is informed of content of the statement, but one can understand that it might be an endorsement of earlier news about al-Baghdadi's death as tensions and riots are erupting in ISIL-held region.

The source said that ISIL will possibly confirm or reject the report in coming days.

ISIL leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, if confirmed dead, is likely to be succeeded by one of his two top deputies who were army officers during the time of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.

Saddam's Ex-Officers Likely to Replace Al-Baghdadi
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According to Russia Today, experts on ISIL terrorist group see no other successor for Baghdadi but Iyad al-Obaidi and Ayad al-Jumaili.

Russia's defense ministry said last week al-Baghdadi may have been killed in an air strike in Syria and Interfax news agency quoted a senior Russian parliamentarian on Friday as saying the likelihood that he had been killed was close to 100 percent.

Obaidi, who is in his 50s, was the ISIL's war minister. Jumaili, who is in his late 40s, is the head of the terrorist group's security agency.

An Iraqi security source in Anbar province confirmed that an ISIL suicide-bomber detonated himself at a gathering of a number of the terrorist group's commanders, killing several leaders of the terrorist group.

Suicide-Bomber Attacks ISIL Commanders in Western Iraq
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The source said that a suicide attacker detonated his explosives at a meeting of ISIL leader in the town of al-Qa'em in Western Anbar, killing a number of ISIL commanders and wounding several others.

The source added that the suicide attack was carried out after the group's defeats in Mosul city and resumption of the Iraqi forces' operation to liberate Western regions of Anbar.

Media sources reported on Saturday that less than 200 militants of ISIL terror group were in Mosul as Iraqi forces prepare for a decisive storming of the city center.

"The Daesh (ISIS or ISIL) occupies only 500 square meters [approximately 5,382 square feet ] in the center of the old city, where no more than 200 radicals, including snipers and suicide attackers, are staying," the sources said, as quoted by the Al-Arabiya broadcaster.

The broadcaster noted that the Iraqi forces from various structures, including elite anti-terror units, are deployed near the landmark al-Nuri mosque, which was reported Wednesday to have been blown up by the ISIL militants.

The head of the Taliban in Afghanistan on Friday released a statement calling on the US and NATO to pull their troops from the country.

Taliban Leader Demands US, NATO Troops Leave Afghanistan
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201706241054931803-taliban-leader-us-troops-out/

Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada, who was appointed chief of the militant movement after the Taliban's former leader was killed in a US drone strike, addressed Washington in an official message issued on the eve of the Eid al-Fitr festival that marks the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

The message repeated remarks made by Akhundzada nearly a year ago in his first public address after taking charge of the insurgent group, when he said that the first step toward reuniting Afghanistan would be for "the American invaders" to "put an end to the occupation" of the country.

"The occupation is the main obstacle in the way of peace," Akhundzada's Friday statement read, as reported by Deutsche Welle. "The more [the United States] insist on maintaining the presence of their forces here or want a surge of their forces, the more regional sensitivity against them will intensify."

Akhundzada blamed the US and its allies for jeopardizing stability in the region with their presence, but added that constructive diplomatic relations could become a reality after his demands are met.

"The solution of the Afghan issue through peaceful means is part and parcel of the policy of the Islamic Emirate, should the occupation come to an end," he said.

The statement follows a confirmation by a White House official that the Pentagon will deploy an additional 4,000 troops to Afghanistan in hopes to end the stalemate the war there has settled into.

"If you think that you may break our determination with your military presence and surge of troops, you are making a mistake," Akhundzada's message read. "Americans should understand that continuation of war in Afghanistan, upsurge of bombardment… will never usher in success for them. The Afghans are not a people to kowtow to someone."

The Daesh (banned in Russia) terror group intends to eliminate militants of the Taliban terrorist group (also banned in Russia) anywhere, including in Afghanistan, media reported Sunday.

Daesh Declares War on Taliban - Reports
https://sputniknews.com/asia/201706251054961123-daesh-taliban-terror-afghanistan/

The Tasnim news agency referred to a Daesh commander specifying that the decision to declare war was based on the Daesh belief that Taliban members were betraying Islam.

The Daesh decision came in the follow-up to an announcement by the Taliban of its readiness to target Daesh members, made earlier to Tasnim by the Afghan Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid.

Afghanistan has long been facing instability due to continued fighting between the government forces and the Taliban, which seized vast territories in the Afghan rural areas. Besides, the instability in the country prompted the emergence of the local cells of other extremist organizations such as Daesh.

Afghan military pushed Daesh terrorists out of the Tora Bora cave complex, where infamous terrorist Osama bin Laden used to hide in 2001, acting Defense Minister Tariqshah Bahrami said Sunday.

Daesh Kicked Out of Bin Laden's Former Hideout in Cave Complex
https://sputniknews.com/asia/201706251054958233-daesh-bin-laden-caves/

Tora Bora is a cave and tunnel complex in the Nangarhar Province of eastern Afghanistan. On June 14, the area changed hands from the Taliban to Daesh terrorists after a week-long terrorist assault.

“The security forces were able to completely re-take the Tora Bora area and clear it of all insurgents. We decided to create a strong base in here so that Daesh insurgents cannot take it back,” Bahrami said as quoted by TOLO media outlet.

The minister added that the militants suffered heavy casualties in the operation.

Iran’s security forces have people on suspicion of having ties to Daesh, the Iranian Intelligence and Security Ministry (MOIS) said in a statement Saturday.

Iran Detains Daesh-Linked Group Suspected of Plotting Terror Attacks – Ministry
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201706241054947607-iran-daesh-terror-plot-attack/

Iranian military managed to detain [the members of] a terror group, linked to the Daesh, who planned to perpetrate terror attacks," the MOIS said in a statement, adding that the detention took place on the day of the International Quds Day and prior to the Muslims’ religious holiday dubbed Eid al-Fitr.

On Friday, the Saudi Interior Ministry said it had foiled an attack on the Grand Mosque.

Three terrorist cells were reportedly involved and were going to attack worshipers who gathered at Islam's holiest site to celebrate the end of Ramadan feast month. The investigators believe the attack was plotted from abroad.

As of now 5 suspects have been detained including a woman. All of them are Saudi nationals and are currently being questioned.

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on Friday condemned the destruction of the leaning al-Hadba minaret that towered over Mosul for 850 years and the laying to ruins of the Grand al-Nuri Mosque, demolished by retreating ISIL militants.

UN: Attack on Mosul Historical Mosque May Amount to War Crime
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OHCHR spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said the attacks could amount to a war crime, NRT reported.

“The International Humanitarian Law clearly prohibits such attacks, and perpetrators who target these objects while being aware of their religious and historical character may be held accountable for war crimes, as in the ground-breaking Timbuktu case at the International Criminal Court,” Shamdasani said.

The demolition came on Wednesday night as Iraqi forces closed in on the mosque, which carried enormous symbolic importance for ISIL.

It was there that its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared a "caliphate" as militants seized swathes of Syria and Iraq. He proclaimed himself the caliph from the mosque's pulpit.

The militants appear to have chosen to blow up the mosque rather than see their flag torn down by Iraqi forces battling through the maze of narrow alleys and streets of the Old City, the last district of Mosul still under the control of ISIL.

 

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The Iraqi state TV announced that the ISIL collapsed in Mosul after the army regained control of al-Nuri mosque where the terrorist group's ringleader proclaimed his self-styled "caliphate" three years ago.

Iraqi TV: ISIL Rule over Mosul Ends
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The ISIL militants had committed another historical crime by blowing up the al-Nuri mosque and its historical al-Hadba minaret. The 850 year-old Mosul's al-Nuri mosque is highly symbolic because it was there that leader of the ISIL group, Ibrahim al-Samarrai, also known as Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, declared himself the so-called caliphate of the Takfiri terrorist group, shortly after the flashpoint city fell to terrorists in June 2014 and became their de facto capital in Iraq.

Meantime, the Iraqi defense ministry declared that "no region in Mosul city is under the ISIL terrorists' control".

Iraqi Federal Police announced a massive operation in Mosul to capture ISIL sleeper cells in the liberated districts of the major city.

Iraqi Police Clearing Liberated Areas of Mosul from ISIL Elements
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According to Wasiq Hamdani, commander of Nineveh Police, alone the forces captured the three ISIL elements in Western and Southeastern neighbourhoods of the city, BasNews reported.

Elsewhere in Mosul’s Southern district of Wasiq, Iraqi police forces arrested a bus driver who was proven later to be a member of the militant group.

As the army is further isolating the remaining ISIL militants in the Old City of Mosul, the police forces are now busy clearing the already-freed areas.

Iraqi forces recaptured several more villages from the ISIL militants in the surrounding areas of Tel Afar, located West of Mosul, Iraqi military source said on Tuesday.

Iraqi Forces Recapture Villages from ISIL Near Tel Afar
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Jabbar Hassan, Iraqi Army officer, said that troops from the Iraqi Army's 15th Infantry Division have recaptured the villages of Tel Khima Minor, Musheiqra al-Uliya, Musheiqra al-Sufla, Abu Kaddur and Al-Baghla and Al-Buwair, Anadolu reported.

He added that the operation aims to step up the pressure on the ISIL militants in the town of Tel Afar, and limit their movement in the surrounding areas.

The ISIL terror group captured the town of Tel Afar back in 2014, when the group first emerged in Iraq, forcing hundreds of thousands of local residents to flee the area, leaving their homes behind.

However, the Iraqi forces continue their wide-range campaign against the IS insurgents in Iraq, as part of the ongoing military operation, which was launched by the Iraqi government back in October, 2016.

 

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A well-placed security source said that the ISIL terrorist group has burnt 12 Iraqi civilians on charges of trying to leave ISIL-held regions for Kirkuk city that is under the control of the Iraqi forces.

ISIL Burns Several Iraqi Civilians Alive on Charges of Fleeing Caliphate's Territories
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960411001595

The Arabic-language al-Sumeiryeh news quoted the source as saying that the ISIL set fire at 12 Iraqi civilians, including a four-member family from the town of al-Huweijeh under the pretext of leaving the self-proclaimed Caliphate's territories for the government-controlled Kirkuk.

The source who requested anonymity added that ISIL had arrested the civilians that were fleeing towards al-Elm region East of Salahuddin region
along the road connecting al-Riyadh region to Jabal Harmin region.

The source went on to say that the ISIL terrorists tied the hands of the arrested civilians and jailed them in a iron cage, then poured oil on them and set fire to them.

Local sources reported on Saturday that ISIL embarked on kidnapping almost 900 civilians in Kirkuk following the terrorist group's recent defeats in Mosul.

The ISIL abducted almost 900 people in the town of al-Huwieja Southwest of Kirkuk after losing its self-proclaimed capital of Mosul to the Iraqi forces.

Based on a document released by Kirkuk's police, ISIL was to storm Kirkuk in three phases.

Based on the document, ISIL, in the first phase, plans to penetrate into the al-Shai region in the town of Daquq with 50 up to 60 fighters to go through Jomhour oilfield and enter Kirkuk from the direction of the town of Laylan.

In the second phase, the ISIL will storm the Kurdish Pishmarga fighters' positions, mainly in Daquq, to open a way towards the main road between Kirkuk and Daquq. The terrorist group will then launch an offensive on Iraqi volunteer forces of Hashd al-Shaabi in al-Bashir region from near the town of al-Rashad to the village of Albu Shaher.

In a later stage and in the third phase, the ISIL will attack the town of al-Debs in Albu Hamdan region, then it will order its forces inside al-Debs to conquer the town and its government buildings to disturb security in the province.

Earlier reports said that ISIL has burned Abu Qatibeh alive on charges of implying the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the terrorist group's ring leader, in his sermon on Friday Prayers in the town of Tal Afar.

The sources said that only a few hours after arresting Abu Qatibeh on charges of internal sedition, the terrorist group burnt him in front of tens of people in the Central part of Tal Afar.

"Abu Qatibeh, who was a close friend to al-Baghdadi, implicitly endorsed earlier revelations about the death of ISIL's ring leader and cried for him in his Friday Prayers sermon, which raised several questions. ISIL kept mum on the issue at first, but later arrested him and executed him on charges of sedition," the source went on to say.

The day after the prime minister of Iraq declared the end of Daesh’s caliphate, US Army Col. Pat Work drove through western Mosul to caution Iraqi forces of another looming threat: friendly fire.

'Violent Close Fight': US Army Warns of Increased Friendly Fire Risk in Mosul
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201707021055153362-iraqi-forces-friendly-fire/

US Army Col. Pat Work visited a number of bases and command centers inside Mosul to talk to generals from the three branches of the Iraqi security forces, ahead of a major offensive on Saturday morning, AP reported.

"It's a very violent close fight," said Work, the commander of the 82nd Airborne's 2nd Brigade Combat Team, which deployed to Iraq in January.

"When the bullets aren't enough the commanders want to turn to high explosives which might be mortars or artillery… so understanding where the other guy is all the time is kinda rule number one, so the lethal effect is directed at the target and not accidentally at another player that's on your team."

The battle for Mosul is the first time the various forces making up Iraq's military have had to cooperate in an urban environment, and there have been inevitable failures that allowed Daesh militants to concentrate their defenses on a single front.

Work said that it was essential to be on the ground beside Iraqi counterparts and have face-to-face talks with people who make decisions.

"[Daesh] has no boundaries, so our adviser network can't have any boundaries. And so part of it is getting out there daily to see it," the Colonel said, as reported by AP.

He added that even after the last pockets of the city are retaken, Daesh will continue to challenge the hold, and the US troops will continue to facilitate coordination and provide advice for Iraqi forces.

A sum of 160 Iranian lawmakers in a statement on Sunday underlined that the liberation of the city of Mosul in Iraq was a great victory for the people of the neighboring country.

Iranian MPs Hail Mosul Liberation
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"The liberation of Mosul was a humiliating defeat for the US and its regional puppets who supported the ISIL," the Iranian lawmakers said in their statement.

The Iranian legislators in their statement thanked God for the victory and also congratulated the Iraqi people, government, parliament, Iraqi People's Mobilization Forces (PMF), Iraqi religious leader Ayatollah Sistani, and Iranian military advisors in Iraq for the triumph.

Iraqi government forces on Sunday recaptured more areas and killed 79 ISIL militants in Mosul’s Old City as they pushed to the last few meters held by the terrorist group.

The Defense Ministry’s War Media Cell said the army’s Counter-Terrorism Forces recaptured Mekkawi area in the Old City and raised Iraqi flags above the area’s buildings, Iraqi News reported.

Federal Police chief, Lt. Gen. Shaker Jawdat, said his forces killed the militants and set 550 civilians free after taking over Bab Jadid neighborhood in the Old City and consummated the recapture of al-Shifa district, a medical and health facilities hub North of the medieval district.

The UK Special Air Service (SAS) is suspected of making fake reports on war crimes to hide the information about the killings of Afghan civilians, media reported Sunday, citing Royal Military Police (RMP) sources.

UK Special Air Service Suspected of Executions of Unarmed Afghan Civilians
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201707021055161273-uk-executions-civilians-afghanistan/

The sources specified that there was evidence confirming that Afghans, with alleged links to the Taliban terrorist group (banned in Russia), lost their lives unarmed in their own homes, as a result of night raids, according to the Sunday Times newspaper.

An RMP probe revealed that the SAS forged the documents to make Afghan counterparts, who acted as backup and interpreters, responsible for the killings, the sources added.

In 2014, RMP launched an operation dubbed Northmoor to investigate the war crimes committed from 2010 to 2013 and became one of the largest UK inquiries involving over 100 officers of the Royal Military Police.

Afghanistan has long been facing instability due to continued fighting between the government forces and the Taliban, which seized vast territories in the Afghan rural areas. Besides, the instability in the country prompted the emergence of the local cells of other extremist organizations such as the IS. The UK forces were present in Afghanistan as a part of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) mission between 2001 and 2014.

 

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Commander of the Mosul liberation operation underlined that the US-led anti-terrorism coalition didn’t play any role in recapturing the Iraqi city.

Iraqi General Denies US Partnership in Mosul Liberation
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"All these victories were gained due to our brothers' efforts in Hashd al-Shaabi (Iraqi volunteer forces) and other security forces in the army, the anti-terrorism headquarters and the police," General Abdol Amir Rashid Yarallah said on Tuesday.

"In this battle, all plans for operations, implementing the plans and supervising the operations were carried out by the Iraqis," he added. Yarallah also appreciated Iran for supporting the Hashd al-Shaabi forces.

In relevant remarks on Saturday, Hashd al-Shaabi Spokesman Karim al-Nouri blasted Washington for its support for the terrorist groups, and said the US played no role in retaking Mosul from the ISIL.

"The (US-led) international coalition has not been serious about fighting against the ISIL because the terrorist group moves in line with the US national security interests. Also, the international coalition doesn’t fight against the ISIL and it even sometimes helps them," al-Nouri said.

Stressing that Hashd al-Shaabi has liberated different Iraqi territories without reliance on Americans' assistance, he said, "Washington wants to include itself in the final victory over the ISIL, but I should stress that this victory was gained by the Iraqis and the US has played no role in it (liberation of Mosul)."

After heavy and door-to-door battles for 12 days in Mosul, Iraqi forces captured on Thursday the wrecked historic mosque of Mosul in which the ISIL terrorist group proclaimed its self-styled 'caliphate' three years ago.

Taking the Grand al-Nuri Mosque gave a symbolic victory to the Iraqi forces who have been battling for more than eight months to capture Mosul, the Northern city that served as ISIL's de-facto capital in Iraq.

Two ISIL leaders were arrested fleeing Western Mosul to its south, military media said Tuesday as operations continue to eliminate the last few hundred militants in the city.

Two Senior ISIL Leaders Arrested Escaping Western Mosul to South
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960413001212

The Defense Ministry’s War Media Cell said the pair was arrested fleeing from Yarmouk district in the Western region to the town of Qayyara in the South. One of them was the group’s general administrative official, while the other was a top booby-trapping expert, said the statement, Iraqi News reported.

Iraqi government forces, backed by their allies, have been fighting ISIL out of Mosul since mid October. Last Thursday, troops took over the Old City’s Nuri al-Kabir Mosque where ISIL first declared its self-styled “caliphate” in 2014.

Hezbollah al-Nujaba, a major Iraqi Shiite resistance movement fighting the ISIL, warned that entrusting the infamous US security firm, Blackwater, with establishment of security at Baghdad-Amman highway threatens Iraq's national security.

Volunteer Forces: Using Infamous Blackwater Firm Threatens Iraq's National Security
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960413000394

"Blackwater attempts to conceal its identity but we know the firm and its nature and the company's presence in this vital and strategic place threatens Iraq's national security," Spokesman of Iraq's Hezbollah Brigades Mohammad Mohi said on Tuesday.

Warning the Iraqi government against Blackwater's dark record of activities, he said that the country's national security shouldn’t be endangered by those who don’t attach any importance to Iraq's interests and merely act based on the US and Israel's benefits.

Reports said in May that Blackwater, an American security firm, had signed a contract with Iraq to return to the country 7 years after repeated scandals by the US security companies forced them out of the war-torn country.

The highway from Baghdad to Amman, Jordan, cuts through the insurgent badlands of the Western Iraqi desert, and these days any truck driver risks confrontation with roving groups of terrorists.

As part of an American attempt to secure influence in the Iraq after the fight against the ISIL, the US government has helped broker a deal between Iraq and Olive Group, a private security company, to establish and secure the country’s first toll highway.

Head of al-Anbar province's council Faleh al-Issawi said at the time that the US firm will start its work on June 15.

The deal would last for 25 years and is known as a concession agreement, meaning the Iraqi government would put no cash upfront. The multimillion-dollar investment by Olive Group, in theory, would be recouped by tolls.

In 2015, three former employees of the US private military contractor once known as Blackwater were sentenced to 30 years in prison and a fourth received a life sentence, closing a sordid chapter of the Iraq conflict relating to the 2007 Nisour Square massacre in Baghdad.

In October 2014, Paul Slough, Evan Liberty and Dustin Heard were found guilty of 13 charges of voluntary manslaughter and 17 charges of attempted manslaughter, while Nicholas Slatten, the team’s sniper who was the first to open fire, was convicted on a separate charge of first-degree murder.

Slatten was sentenced to life; Slough, Liberty and Heard got 30 years each.

“In killing and maiming unarmed civilians, these defendants acted unreasonably and without justification,” the US attorney’s office said in a statement. “In combination, the sheer amount of unnecessary human loss and suffering attributable to the defendants’ criminal conduct on September 16, 2007, is staggering.”

The massacre left 14 civilians dead and at least 17 wounded. “None of the victims was an insurgent, or posed any threat to the Raven 23 convoy,” the government said, in a sentencing memorandum filed to the court on.

At least two senior leaders of the ISIL terrorist group’s offshoot in Afghanistan, ISIL Khurasan, have been reportedly killed in a drone strike in Eastern Kunar province of Afghanistan.

Top ISIL Leaders Reportedly Killed in Airstrike East of Afghanistan
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960413001296

According to the local security officials, the ISIL militants were targeted late on Sunday afternoon in the vicinity of Watapur district, Khaama Press reported.

Provincial police chief Juma Gul Hemat confirmed the airstrike was carried out on ISIL militants which resulted into the deaths of at least five people.

Hemat further added that preliminary reports indicate two of the most senior leaders of the terror group were among those killed. He said the two leaders killed in the airstrike have been identified as the recruitment chief and finance chief of the terror group.

The anti-government armed militant groups including the ISIL loyalists have not commented regarding the report so far.

 

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The Vice-Chairman of Nineveh Provincial Council reported that the ISIL terrorist group executed 200 Turkmen in the town of Tal Afar.

ISIL Executes Tens of Turkmen in Northwestern Iraq
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Nouralddeen Qablan said that ISIL killed 200 Turkmen people in Tal Afar on charges of fleeing the pro-claimed Caliphate's territories.

He said that ISIL had arrested the Turkmen civilians that tried to flee ISIL-held region toward the territories that are under the Iraqi Army's control a month ago.

The source said that most of the executed Turkmen were women and children.

A local source, meantime, said that ISIL's non-Iraqi members have executed local commanders of ISIL in Tal Afar and have taken charge over the town.

A local source in Nineveh province reported on Monday that hundreds of leaflets and flyers speaking of the death of ISIL's ring Leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi were distributed by unknown people in the Central part of the town of Tal Afar.

"A number of these leaflets have been distributed along the roads. Some similar flyers have also been found on the walls in trade centers. The leaflets and flyers carry normal logo and emblem of the ISIL. The literature used in them is the same as the one always used by the ISIL, but the terrorist group has gone on alert and launched a search operation to find those that have released and distributed the papers," he said.

"The way the flyers have been written and the fashion of their distribution, though, indicates that those behind the move are from most influential ranks of the ISIL terrorist group," the source went on to say.

A military commander announced that the ISIL Takfiri terrorists are engaged in a “fight to the death” in Mosul’s Old City as advancing Iraqi forces have bottled up the group's remaining elements in a few patches of the Old City.

Iraqi Army: Remaining ISIL Terrorists ‘Fight to Death’ in Mosul’s Old City
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Staff Lieutenant General Abdulghani al-Assadi, a senior commander in the Iraq’s elite Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS), announced the news on Tuesday, adding that army troops were just 250 meters from the Tigris River after recapturing the embattled city’s main hospital compound a day earlier.

He further stated that terrorists were increasingly resorting to bomb attacks, including through detonating their explosive vests, speculating that the battle would get even more intense as the militants were pushed closer to the river, which divides the city into the Eastern and Western parts.

The Iraqi forces continued their non-stop battle against ISIL terrorists in the Old City of Mosul, inching closer to winning back the key district.

The Iraqi forces continued to hit ISIL's last positions in the Old City district in Mosul and managed to lay siege on the remaining pockets of terrorists in their positions in al-Qal'iat and al-Meidan areas.

Local sources, meantime, reported that the Iraqi Air Force and artillery and missile units have been heavily pounding ISIL's movements in al-Qal'iat and al-Meidan.

 

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The United States will build a new Consulate General in the Iraqi Kurdistan’s capital city of Erbil, according to the US State Department.

US to Build New Consulate General in Iraq’s Erbil - State Department
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201707071055307028-us-consulate-erbil/

The United States will build a new Consulate General in the Iraqi Kurdistan’s capital city of Erbil, the US State Department announced in a release on Thursday.

"The Department of State has awarded the construction contract for the new US Consulate General in Erbil, Iraq to B.L. Harbert International of Birmingham, Alabama," the release said. "The architect for the project is EYP of Albany, New York."

The State Department explained the new Consulate General will include a chancery, Marine Corps residence, housing and support facilities.

Kurdistan became an autonomous region in Iraq after the country’s former leader Saddam Hussein was overthrown and a new constitution adopted in 2005. Since, the regional authorities have repeatedly raised the issue of independence for Kurdistan and announced last month a referendum on the matter will be held on September 25.

The decision has been slammed by multiple Western countries, including the United States, which said it regards the independence vote as a distraction from the war against the Islamic State terror group (banned in Russia).

Relations between Iraqi Kurdistan and the central government in Baghdad have worsened in the past years over multiple reasons, including views on local oil fields and the profits therefrom.

Hobby Lobby, a chain of retail arts and crafts stores, has agreed to pay $3 million and forfeit ancient artifacts that were smuggled into the United States, the Department of Justice said Wednesday.

Hobby Lobby agrees to pay $3 million over smuggled ancient Iraqi artifacts
http://www.businessinsider.com/hobby-lobby-smuggling-ancient-iraq-artifacts-2017-7

“We should have exercised more oversight and carefully questioned how the acquisitions were handled,” a statement from Hobby Lobby president Steve Green said. “We have accepted responsibility and learned a great deal.”

Around 2009, Hobby Lobby allegedly began collecting “historically significant manuscripts, antiquities and other cultural materials.” Green and a consultant reportedly went to the United Arab Emirates to inspect several cuneiform tablets — clay tablets that were used for writing in Mesopotamia, thousands of years ago — and other antiques that were up for sale.

According to the Justice Department’s statement, Hobby Lobby had been warned of the “conflicting information where the Artifacts had been stored,” raising the possibility they may have been looted by other parties from archaeological sites. In 2010, Hobby Lobby purchased over 5,500 artifacts for $1.6 million.

Representatives between the parties did not meet or communicate with the dealer — instead, Hobby Lobby reportedly wired funds to seven personal bank accounts “held in the names of other individuals.”

A dealer from UAE then shipped the artifacts to three corporate addresses in Oklahoma, where the contents were falsely labeled as “ceramic tiles” or “clay tiles (sample).” The US Customs and Border Protection, who intercepted several shipments, also discovered several shipments had falsely declared its country of origin as Turkey and Israel.

“In executing the stipulation of settlement, Hobby Lobby has accepted responsibility for its past conduct and agreed to take steps to remedy the deficiencies that resulted in its unlawful importation of the Artifacts,” the Justice Department said.

“The protection of cultural heritage is a mission that [Homeland Security Investigations] and its partner US Customs and Border Protection take very seriously as we recognize that while some may put a price on these artifacts, the people of Iraq consider them priceless,” Special Agent-in-Charge Angel Melendez said.

US President Donald Trump would only allow sending up to 3,900 troops to Afghanistan, according to media reports.

Trump Limits Number of Troops Pentagon May Send to Afghanistan
https://sputniknews.com/us/201707061055301359-us-pentagon-trump-afghanistan/

The Trump administration has set a limit to the number of troops the US Department of Defense is allowed to send to Afghanistan media reported on Thursday.

Citing officials familiar with a memo from National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster, the Wall Street Journal reported that President Donald Trump would only allow sending up to 3,900 troops to Afghanistan.

The Defense Department is in the process of outlining a new strategy on Afghanistan.

Mattis previously said the United States should look at what kind of capabilities it can bring to aid Afghanistan’s security forces, including better air and intelligence support as well as diplomatic and economic pressure on surrounding nations.

On June 19, US Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain said the United States has no strategy to end the stalemate in Afghanistan.
McCain added that Mattis told the committee the United States was not winning the war in Afghanistan.

 

[angelburst29]

Hobby Lobby, a chain of retail arts and crafts stores, has agreed to pay $3 million and forfeit ancient artifacts that were smuggled into the United States, the Department of Justice said Wednesday.

Hobby Lobby agrees to pay $3 million over smuggled ancient Iraqi artifacts
http://www.businessinsider.com/hobby-lobby-smuggling-ancient-iraq-artifacts-2017-7

Hobby Lobby, the US crafts supply company, known for mixing evangelicalism with its business, has been found guilty of smuggling some 5,500 ancient Assyrian, Sumerian and Babylonian artifacts and cuneiform-written clay tablets.

Following years-long investigation, conducted by the US Customs and Border Protection agents, the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York, has finally filed a complaint against Hobby Lobby.

The company has since agreed to pay a $3 million settlement and return more than 5,500 artifacts it has obtained.

For the past eight years, Hobby Lobby has been negotiating with various antiques dealers in the Middle East in order to receive thousands of rare, ancient clay tablets and several other artifacts.

According to Steve Green, the president of Hobby Lobby, the company was “collecting” cuneiform tablets and other ancient Mesopotamian antiquities, because it was confident, that as a Christian-oriented company, has a right to possess ancient artifacts from the Biblical era (and which related to various important Biblical figures and saints).

For Green’s biggest “misfortune”, however, vast majority of the materials obtained by Hobby Lobby in its pursuit of the ancient Biblical legacy, turned out to be written by cultures, known to be extremely hostile to ancient Israelites and the Biblical saints of the pre-Christian era.

For instance, one of the cuneiform tablets from the annals of the 7th century BC Assyrian emperor Sannharib, obtained by the company, is describing the Assyrian destruction of Jerusalem in a highly favourable way.

Most clay tablets obtained, however, deal with the subjects nothing to do with the Israelites, saints or the Bible.

It is also completely obvious that Hobby Lobby executives were importing the tablets secretly, as they were dispatched with faked customs declarations, claiming they were “ceramic tiles.”

Majority of the tablets were reportedly received from a dealer in the United Arab Emirates.

Upon paying the $3 million settlement, Green issued a statement, saying he was new to this kind of antiquities business and had no clue about the complexity of the process.

It is noteworthy that antiquity-dealing businesses and archaeological excavations are both strictly regulated by relevant authorities, with the antiquities themselves always needing to have a certificate of their origin, otherwise it is possible to claim they were stolen from some museum or were illegaly excavated at the protected archaeological sites.

It is not known, whether all of the tablets received, were kept by the company or sold further to the third parties.

Smuggling business, however, is not the only thing the particular company is notorious for.

Previously, the company won a Supreme Court case in which it argued that as a Christian company, it should not be paying for birth control for employees under the ACA, claiming that doing so would pose a grave danger for the Christian values.

The company leadership, however, apparently “forgot” that smuggling is not a Christian value either.

 

[angelburst29]

Two Iraqi journalists working for the Arabic-language and privately owned Hona Salaheddin television network have been killed by ISIL militants in a village South of Mosul.

ISIL Kills Iraqi TV Journalists in Mosul
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960417000889

The channel announced in a statement that its correspondent Harb Hazaa al-Dulaimi and cameraman Sudad al-Duri had been killed on the outskirts of the village of Imam al-Gharbi.

It added that another journalist has sustained gunshot wounds and trapped in the village with the bodies of the two slain colleagues.

Interior Ministry Spokesman Brigadier General Saad Maan announced that security forces are some two houses away from those trapped inside a house in Imam Gharbi, but Daesh snipers have slowed down the progress of government troops.

The Iraqi operation to recapture Mosul, the key ISIL stronghold in Iraq, began in October 2016 and resulted in the liberation of Mosul’s Eastern part in January 2017. The Iraqi Army started a new phase of its military operation in Nineveh province late February to drive the ISIL terrorists out of their bastion in the Western part of the city of Mosul.

The militant commander ranked second in the Takfiri ISIL terrorist group has reportedly been killed during fierce street battles with Iraqi government forces in the Old City of Mosul as Daesh is practically on its last breath in Iraq.

ISIL Second-in-Command Killed in Clashes with Iraqi Forces
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960417000863

Security sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Arabic-language al-Forat news agency that the top-ranked militant, identified by the nom de guerre Abu Yahya Iraqi, was the deputy of purported ISIL leader Ibrahim al-Samarrai aka Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Meanwhile, a top Daesh commander, known as Abu Nasser al-Shami, has been killed in the cellar district of Mosul’s Old City.

Staff Lieutenant General Abdulghani al-Assadi, a senior commander in the Iraq’s elite Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) had announced that the ISIL Takfiri terrorists are engaged in a “fight to the death” in Mosul’s Old City as advancing Iraqi forces have bottled up the group's remaining elements in a few patches of the Old City.

The Iraqi forces continued their non-stop battle against ISIL terrorists in the Old City of Mosul, inching closer to winning back the key district.

 

[angelburst29]

July 12 marks a decade since WikiLeaks' release of the infamous "Collateral Murder" video – a 40 minute snapshot of the brutal Iraqi insurgency, in which a pair of US Apache helicopters rained down death and destruction on a group of innocent Iraqi civilians.

Murder, Imprisonment, Isolation, War Crimes: 'Collateral Murder' Ten Years On (Video)
https://sputniknews.com/military/201707121055469737-collateral-murder-decade-anniversary/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=is9sxRfU-ik

The 2007 airstrikes were a series of air-to-ground attacks conducted in Al-Amin al-Thaniyah, New Baghdad.

In the first, the Apaches fired on a group of ten Iraqis, including journalist Namir Noor-Eldeen and his driver and assistant Saeed Chmagh (both employed by Reuters) — seven were killed, and one injured.

The second strike was directed at a van driven by Saleh Matasher Tomal. Both Chmagh and Tomal were killed, and two of Tomal's children badly wounded.

In the third, pilots fired on a building into which the group fled, with a volley of Hellfire missiles.

On the day of the attack, the US military acknowledged the two journalists were killed, along with nine "insurgents" — the engagement was claimed to have a combat operation against a "hostile force" in which "great pains" were taken to prevent the loss of innocent lives. Moreover, it was claimed it was unclear whether the journalists were slain by US fire or from Iraqi insurgents.

The event was consequently investigated by the US military, an inquiry which concluded the soldiers had acted entirely in accordance with the law of armed conflict, and the military's own rules of engagement.

For almost three years, despite attempts by Reuters to have footage of the incident released under the Freedom of Information Act, the deadly strikes remained largely unacknowledged, and entirely unexamined.

A mainstream media journalist, embedded with the US military at the time, mentioned the assault in his 2009 autobiography — although his account was subsequently shown to be fabricated.

The conspiracy of silence on the matter was shattered in April 2010, when WikiLeaks released footage recorded by the gunsight of one of the attacking helicopters. Dubbed "Collateral Murder" by the leak site, the video depicted the incident in full, replete with disturbingly callous radio chatter between the aircrews and ground units involved.

The exposure provoked international condemnation and widespread media coverage. Many outlets hailed WikiLeaks, and the video's (then unknown) leaker, as heroes, and the Iraq war — by then in its seventh year — became increasingly impossible for politicians, journalists and civilians to seriously defend.

While the footage shocked and appalled the world over, Josh Stieber, a member of the US military company that carried out the attack, starkly underlined just how mundane the incident was in the context of the conflict.

"When I started to see the discussion flowing from [the video], I was surprised at how extreme it was made out to be. What was shown in the video was not out of the ordinary in Iraq. One policy we had that was even more extreme was if a roadside bomb went off, we were supposed to shoot anyone standing in that area. We were told that we needed to make the local population more afraid of us," he said.

However, the revelation did not precipitate a termination of hostilities in Iraq, or prosecutions of any of the personnel involved. Instead, in May 2010, 22-year-old American Army intelligence analyst Chelsea (then Bradley) Manning was arrested after it was revealed she was the source of the leaked video, along with roughly 260,000 diplomatic cables, to WikiLeaks.

Manning proceeded to spend over three years in solitary confinement, a period which David House, founder of the Private Manning Support Network, dubbed "no-touch torture" — Manning was subjected to extended periods of isolation, harassment and sleep-deprivation.

The experience caused Manning to "physically, mentally, and emotionally" degrade over time, House said. In August 2013, she was sentenced to 35 years' imprisonment. Mercifully, in May 2017, Manning was released, following a commutation of her sentence by former President Barack Obama.

It was subsequently acknowledged Manning's disclosures did not in fact damage US interests.

Moreover, WikiLeaks, and site founder Julian Assange, quickly found themselves the subject of US prosecutorial ire too.

In November 2010, US Attorney-General Eric Holder announced there was "an active, ongoing criminal investigation" into WikiLeaks — that same month, Sweden launched a sexual assault investigation into Assange, and issued a Europe-wide warrant for his arrest.

Residing in the UK, Assange feared extradition to the US, should Swedish — or British — authorities take him in to custody. He applied for political asylum in Ecuador, and was granted sanctuary in the country's London embassy June 19, 2012. For five years, he remained under effective house arrest, forbidden from leaving a 2,153 square foot room in the embassy's bowels, until prosecutors dumped the baseless case.

However, Assange's problems remain far from over.

London's Metropolitan Police — which stood watch outside the Embassy's door 24 hours a day, seven days a week from the moment he entered it, at an estimated cost to UK taxpayers of US$16.8 million (£13 million) between 2012 and 2015 alone — remain "obliged" to execute an arrest warrant issued in 2012 by Westminster Magistrate's Court.

The charges relate to Assange's failure to surrender to authorities. He still faces arrest if he leaves the embassy. Discussions between Assange's legal team and UK authorities on the potential cessation of bail violation charges remain ongoing.

All along, hostilities in Iraq have continued, with fluctuating levels of intensity.

In July 2017, coalition forces — including the US and UK — successfully wrested control of Mosul from terror group Daesh. Amnesty International has stated the coalition failed to take adequate measures to protect people, subjecting them to a terrifying barrage of fire.

"The scale and gravity of the loss of civilian lives during the military operation to retake Mosul must be publicly acknowledged. The horrors people have witnessed and the disregard for human life by all parties to this conflict must not go unpunished. Entire families have been wiped out, many of whom are still buried under the rubble today. The people of Mosul deserve to know, from their government, that there will be justice and reparation so that the harrowing impact of this operation is duly addressed," said Lynn Maalouf, Amnesty International's Middle East Research Director.

Sputnik published a unique document that contains data about the salaries of Daesh terrorists. The document was found by the Iraqi federal police in the western part of Mosul.

SPUTNIK EXCLUSIVE: What "Salaries" Daesh Terrorists Get for Their Atrocities
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201707121055478023-salaries-daesh-terrorists/

According to the document, payments differ depending on the family status of a Daesh militant as well as the number of children in the family. Single militants receive the lowest salary, about 72 dollars, or 95,000 Iraqi dinars.

By contrast, Abu Jana, who was born in 1991, married and a father of three children, received 184 dollars in the past month. A militant listed as Abu Nasser, born in 1962, married and father of six children, received 256 dollars.

A local source in Mosul told Sputnik that the amount of payments can fluctuate depending on the circumstances. In general, the wages of the militants grow proportionally with the number of their wives and children. At the same time, the salary usually doesn't exceed 300 dollars.

The terrorist group also paid generous reimbursements to demobilized disabled people who suffered from the attacks of the international coalition, the source said.

At the same time, leaders of the terrorist group received not only their monthly payments, but also the money from the sales of stolen property of ordinary citizens. The salaries of Daesh leaders are assumed to have been 500 dollars or higher, although this year they experienced certain financial problems as the international coalition bombed the banks where they received their money.

Last year, Sputnik published data on the salaries of militants in 2014, when they first took control over the provinces of Nineveh and Anbar. At that time, the salary of a foreign fighter was $1,300. He was also given a house, a car, a wife and fuel, which was a deficit among the local population. Salaries of local Daesh militants were about 600 dollars. Such high payments were related to the fact that the group controlled oil fields and illegally supplied crude oil to neighboring countries.

The Iraqi military has detained dozens of Daesh fighters and supporters during a sweep of western Mosul’s Old City, where civilians still remain, according to a RIA Novosti reporter.

Iraqi Military Detains Daesh Fighters Hiding Among Last Civilians in Mosul
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201707131055488672-iraqi-military-daesh-fighters-detain/

The reporter watched as Iraqi military forces sorted through city inhabitants, trying to identify militants hiding among the civilians. Some people are reportedly coming to the Iraqi military checkpoint in Makaui district, where they are questioned by intelligence officers. Some are identified as suspects and detained right away; others are moved on to the military checkpoint near the Al-Akrab bridge that connects the two parts of the city.

The wounded are moved to a nearby hospital set up by the local militia.

A source in anti-terrorism department told RIA Novosti that about 25 families of Daesh supporters have left the city, and that authorities have detained several women who actively helped the terrorists.

"Several women were detained after the investigation, since we confirmed they were among the ranks of Daesh administration," the source said. According to him, the intelligence service has lists of data on Daesh fighters in Nineveh province.

The Iraqi military also added that several dozen militants were detained on suspicion of Daesh allegiance, both men and women. First, they will be taken to preliminary questioning facilities in Nineveh province; then they'll be sent to Baghdad, where their fate will be decided.

One of the women, who is now detained in a sorting center, has told the army that special forces saved her from the wreckage of her house after it was destroyed by a car bomb. She said the military also saved her children and neighbors.

"Daesh fighters dug in in our districts, many of them are still there, and they say they are going to fight until the last drop of blood," the Mosul woman said. The militants used the local population as a "human shield" and forbade even women with children to leave the war zone, she explained.

Published on Jul 9, 2017
Ken O'Keefe is re-releasing his epic expose of the Israeli/Jewish lies about Iran that are being employed just as the "WMD's in Iraq" lie was used to send American sons and daughters off to die for Israel in the invasion/occupation of Iraq. With Syria not all going to plan, the ultimate target of Iran and the World War III agenda looks to be in overdrive with President Trump continuing the sickening and sychonpantic role of Jewish US Presidents as Jewish whipping boys.

Ken O'Keefe - US Military Fighting For Israel - Israel, not Iran, is the Threat!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alKvahr22hE (36.01 min.)

How many more American sons and daughters will be sacrificed for Israel before genuine American patriots stand up and refuse orders and arrest the traitors in Congress? These questions and points and more are made in this, part 1 of a 2 part program that tells the truth about the what and why regarding Iran.

 

[angelburst29]

Saudi Arabia dispatched more than 100 intelligence officers to Mosul to join the ISIL militants and direct them in battles against Iraqi government forces and allied forces of Popular Mobilization Units, a recent report revealed.

Report: 150 Saudi Intelligence Officers Joined ISIL in Mosul Battle
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960423000339

A report published by Qatari al-Sharq newspaper revealed that 150 Saudi intelligence agents were fighting alongside ISIL members in Mosul, and working hard to extend the battle, Al Manar reported.

The paper added that Iraqi government forces confiscated important documents certifying Saudi intelligence officers’ assistance to ISIL terrorists once they liberated Mosul from the clutches of them.

On Monday, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi formally declared victory over ISIL militants in Mosul, which served as their main urban stronghold in the conflict-ridden Arab country.

Forty seven Iraqi journalists were killed, while fifty five others were wounded while covering and accompanying security troops during battles in Mosul, the Federation of Arab Journalists said.

Media Advocacy Group: Over 100 Journalists Killed, Injured while Covering Mosul Battles
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960423000428

In a statement on Thursday, the federation offered felicitations to Iraqi journalists who covered the details of the battles in Mosul, praising the victory achieved by security troops, Iraqi News reported.

On Friday, two Iraqi journalists were killed as ISIL militants attacked Imam Gharbi village in Qayyarah, South of Mosul.

An Iraqi and French journalists were killed in June in an IED blast in Mosul’s Old City.

The first Iraqi slain journalist in 2017 was Abdul Qader al-Qaisi, who was kidnapped and then found by security forces in January. His body was dumped on the road between Kirkuk and Baghdad. Another journalist Afrah Shawqi was abducted for nine days and then released.

A report by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said in December seven reporters were killed in Iraq in 2016, out of a total of 57 who were killed in conflict areas across the world. Syria came on top of the death tally with 19 victims. The total for 2016 was, however, a drop from the 101 death count of 2015.

In October, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Iraq was the world’s top country in terms of impunity regarding journalists’ killing, attributing the fact to the involvement of militants in the murders.

 

[angelburst29]

ISIL terrorists have started mass execution of their own family members in the town of Tal Afar in Western Nineveh following release of news about the Iraqi forces' imminent operation to liberate the town, a well-informed government official said.

Tal Afar: ISIL Starts Mass Execution of Own Family Members for Fear of Imminent Operation of Iraqi Forces
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960427001676

The source said that based on a Fatwa (religious decree) issued by ISIL's Religious Board the ISIL terrorists are executing their own family members in Tal Afar.

The source further said that the ISIL's Religious Board has issued the Fatwa for the mass killing of family members before the start of the Iraqi forces' operation in order not to be exposed and handed over to the army men by the family members in Tal Afar.

The source went on to say that the road connecting Tal Afar to Mosul and Syria's border is controlled by the Iraqi forces and the town is under the pro-government forces' siege, and the Iraqi forces and volunteer forces of Hashd al-Shaabi will storm the central part of Tal Afar in next few days.

A security source in Nineveh province in Northwestern Iraq reported on Sunday that ISIL executed 12 senior commanders that tried to flee the town of Tal Afar.

The source said that ISIL arrested 12 commanders of its forces in Tal Afar and executed them on charges of fleeing the town.

The source added that after their defeat in Mosul and losing a large number of fighters the ISIL's front in Tal Afar has collapsed.

A local source in Kirkuk province reported that human traffickers have increased the price for transferring foreign commanders of the ISIL terrorist group from Iraq after the recent victories of the Iraqi forces.

Foreign Commanders of ISIL Paying $20,000 to Human Traffickers While Fleeing Iraq
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960427001488

The source said that the fee for the trafficking the foreign commanders of ISIL from the towns Tal Afar and Huweija to Iraq's border has risen to $20,000.

The source went on to say that the hike has come after ISIL's recent defeats in battle against the Iraqi pro-government forces, adding, "A vast wave of immigration is happening among the foreign members of ISIL from Iraq towards the neighboring countries. The fleeing members of ISIL are not capable of leaving Iraq without assistance of human traffickers."

Reports said on Monday that the Hezbollah al-Nujaba, a major Iraqi Shiite resistance movement fighting the ISIL, continued its anti-terrorism operation and managed to impose control over more regions in the Iraq-Syria-Jordan border triangle.

Al-Nujaba forces stormed ISIL's positions in Iraq-Syria-Jordan border triangle and captured al-Hajar and al-Bareka regions Southeast of Homs desert and two main roads to the Syria's desert.

Two women who had acted as informants for the ISIL in Nineveh province were found dead late Monday West of Mosul, a local source was quoted saying.

ISIL Female Informants Found Dead in Abandoned House West of Mosul
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960427001131

The pair was found dead in an abandoned house in the town of Tal Afar, one of the few remaining ISIL enclaves in Iraq, said the source, Al Maalomah reported.

According to the source, the two women, who worked with the ISIL’s “security squad”, had been involved in several kidnappings of women and children, besides reporting on the group’s opponents, which led many to execution or detention. Their dead bodies bore signs of gunshots in the heads and chests, said the source.

Five ISIL militants, including a prominent leader, were killed as they were poisoned in Tal Afar, West of Mosul, a local source said.

Five ISIL Members Poisoned to Death by Comrades in Tal Afar
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960426000547

“Five ISIL members, including an Asian deputy chief of the group’s vigilantism department (Hisbah), died in Tal Afar as they were all poisoned after eating a meal during a ceremony for one of the leaders,” the source said, Al Sumariya reported.

“The total number of the poisoned members were more than 30, in accordance with available information,” the source, who preferred anonymity, said adding that several members who are involved in preparation of food were arrested and transferred to unidentified destination.

Iraqi forces have arrested a number of ISIL's female members with different nationalities in a tunnel in Old Mosul district, a counter-terrorism officer reported.

Iraqi Forces Arrest Foreign Female Members of ISIL in Mosul
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960427001315

The Iraqi officer said that a number of non-Iraqi female members of the ISIL terrorist group, including five Germans and some others from Russia, Turkey, Canada and Chechnya have been arrested by the pro-government forces in a tunnel in the Old Mosul district. The officer added that the captured women that had hidden in the tunnel had their guns and explosive belts.

Media reports said on Sunday that the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) found a massive ISIL base for the production of vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices (VBIED) in the liberated city of Mosul as they began scouting out throughout the Northern city.

Most alarmingly, Iraqi troops discovered literally dozens of ready-made armored VBIEDs which, had the battle for Mosul city lingered on any longer, would have undoubtedly have been used against them.

Iraqi troops discovered literally dozens of ready-made armored VBIEDs which, had the battle for Mosul city lingered on any longer, would have undoubtedly have been used against them.

Despite the fact that the VBIEDs were found neatly lined up in an almost production line-like fashion, one crucial element was to the fortune of ISF ordinance disposal teams found to be missing from the vehicles: explosives.

ISIL’s mufti urged the militants to immigrate to either Egypt or Palestine, a local source from Nineveh province said.

ISIL Mufti Urges Arab Members to Flee toward Egypt, Palestine
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960427001018

“ISIL mufti has called on Arab militants to head toward the promised land in Egypt or Palestine. The group doesn’t know how to manage the situation after losing most of its leaders and where those militants who escaped had headed to after crossing borders with Syria,” the source said, Al Sumariya reported.

Last week, news reports mentioned that the group issued a brief statement declaring the town as an independent state from the proclaimed caliphate.

A source was quoted earlier this month as saying that non-Iraqi ISIL militants executed the last local leader in Tal Afar and the town is currently run by Arab and foreign members after eliminating all the Iraqi leaders.

Representative of the Kurdish Gorran Movement at Iraq's parliament Shirin Reza dismissed as impossible establishment of a Saudi military base in Kurdistan region.

MP Rejects Establishment of Saudi Military Base in Iraqi Kurdistan Region
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960426001063

"The central government in Iraq and the officials of the Iraqi Kurdistan region will never accept what certain Saudi leaders have said about establishment of a Saudi military base because it will be turned into a ground for sparking ethnic wars," Reza was quoted as saying by Ain al-Iraq news agency on Monday.

"Establishment of a Saudi military base in Kurdistan region is impossible," he added.

An informed Kurdish official had revealed last month that Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Jordan have demanded the Iraqi Kurdistan officials to allow them to build military bases in the region for supporting their decision to declare independence.

"Based on this agreement, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Jordan received promises to establish military bases in Dahouk and Erbil with the aim of confronting Iran and Turkey's influence in exchange for supporting a referendum for independence and then formation of a Kurdish state," the source said in an interview with al-Alam al-Jadid newspaper.

Noting that Riyadh and Erbil already have an agreement to exchange intel, the source said, "At present, hundreds of Saudi, UAE and Jordanian military men are already present in Erbil and Dahouk under the title of military advisors.

 

[angelburst29]

A Taliban militant who was conducting insurgency activities as a local commander in Bati Kot district killed his two senior leaders in an insider attack.

Taliban Militant Kill Two Senior Leaders in Nangarhar Insider Attack
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960428001186

According to the local government officials, the incident took place night in Takia area, Khaama Press reported.

Bati Kot district administrative chief Nematullah Noorzai said the assailant has been identified as Khairullah who opened fire on his senior leaders late on Tuesday night, leaving two of them dead.

The anti-government armed militant groups have not commented regarding the report so far.

Infighting among the Taliban insurgents is not rare as numerous incidents have been reported since the death of the Taliban group founder Mullah Mohammad Omar.

However, a Taliban commander opening fire on his comrades within the same rank has rarely been reported.

Dozens of militants were killed and scores more were wounded after the suicide bombers belonging to Mullah Hebatullah and his rival Mullah Rasool carried out attacks against each other in Helmand province earlier this month.

In the meantime, numerous deadly clashes have also taken place between the Taliban insurgents and ISIL militants in Nangarhar province and other provinces of the country, including some Northern and Eastern provinces during the recent months.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi called on Turkish troops to withdraw from Iraq as the battle for Mosul has ended, media reported on Wednesday.

Iraqi PM Urges Turkish Troops to Withdraw since Mosul Battle Ended
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960428000967

Abadi urged the Turkish troops to retreat and leave Iraq, adding that "Mosul battle completed," Rudaw reported.

On July 9, Abadi officially announced that Iraqi security forces had finally liberated Mosul, the second largest Iraqi city, after months of fighting against ISIL terrorist group. The city was seized by ISIL three years ago.

On July 11, Commander of US-led anti-ISIL coalition, Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, said that the cleanup of Iraqi Mosul from the militants would take several more weeks.

At least seven people were killed in an explosion inside the house of an ISIL militant in Eastern Nangarhar province of Afghanistan.

Explosion in ISIL Militant’s Hideout Leaves 7 Dead in East of Afghanistan
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960428001236

According to the local government officials, the incident took place in Pacher Agam district of Nangarhar province as a group of insurgents were busy making Improvised Explosive Devices, Khaama Press reported.

The provincial government media office in a statement also confirmed the incident and said seven militants affiliated with the terror group were killed.

The statement further added that the incident took place around 11 am local time on Tuesday in Godari area when the militants had gathered inside the house of ISIL insurgent identified as Multan Jan.

A former employee of a US government contractor in Afghanistan admitted to accepting over $250,000 in illegal kickbacks from an Afghan subcontractor.

Ex-US Contractor in Afghanistan Admits Taking $250,000 in Kickbacks
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960428001082

Nebraska McAlpine, 56, of Smyrna, Georgia, pleaded guilty in Atlanta before US District Judge Mark H. Cohen to one count of accepting illegal kickbacks, RIA Novosti reported.

"A former employee of a US government contractor in Afghanistan pleaded guilty today to accepting over $250,000 in illegal kickbacks from an Afghan subcontractor in return for his assistance in obtaining subcontracts on US government contracts," the release said by Justice Department authorities said.

McAlpine was employed as a Project Manager for an American defense contractor in Kabul, Afghanistan.

According to his own admission, McAlpine and an Afghan executive agreed that in exchange for illegal kickbacks, McAlpine would ensure that his contractor awarded lucrative subcontracts to the executive's companies.

He also admitted that the executive agreed to pay McAlpine 15% of the value of any subcontracts obtained.

McAlpine accepted over $250,000 in cash kickbacks, which he transported back to the United States. His sentencing is set for October 18.

 

[angelburst29]

On April 13, the US dropped a non-atomic bomb in the Achin district of the Afghan province of Nangarhar, known as the “Mother of All Bombs” or MOAB. Following the incident the citizens who survived are showing signs of horrible diseases.

MOAB: US Attack Causes Catastrophic Consequences in Afghanistan
https://sputniknews.com/asia/201707211055771463-moab-attack-shocking-consequences-afghanistan/

One of the employees of the Health Care Corps of the Achin district in an interview with Sputnik, on condition of anonymity, stated that after this incident, the residents of the district began to show skin and eye diseases.

According to him, the symptoms found in these civilians are very likely indicative of radiation exposure that could have been caused by the presence of uranium inside the dropped bomb.

"Within a kilometer of the site of the bomb drop, the animals that had lived there permanently simply went extinct. Those species that lived in more remote areas died a little later,” the source said.

He further said that while some people are suffering from skin and eye diseases, others have developed problems with their digestive system.

“The manifested symptoms among residents are extremely dangerous and it can be predicted that there will be catastrophic consequences with a fatal outcome. Cancer, miscarriages, anemia, skin diseases all that may later appear in humans,” he said.

According to him the explosion of the bomb was so powerful that 90 percent of the population of the surrounding areas received psychological trauma.

One eyewitness from the Kut district, Abdul Qader, in an interview with Sputnik spoke about the horrifying moments that took place after the MOAB was deployed.

"The bomb was dropped around 9 p.m. The flame from the fire was so intense that it was well seen from afar. It seemed as if the whole mountain was burning,” Qader said.

He further said that despite the fact that his house is located 20 kilometers from the site of the bomb explosion, all the windows in his house and the neighboring buildings were shattered.

“All plants and animals in the immediate vicinity were killed, possibly among the victims there were also local residents as they were not informed in advance about the bomb drop,” Qader said.

A US strike on Afghani Helmand province on Friday resulted in deaths of friendly Afghan forces, NATO-led Resolute Support mission said in a release.

Recent US Strike on Afghanistan Results in Deaths of Friendly Afghan Forces
https://sputniknews.com/asia/201707211055768562-us-afghanistan-strike-casualities/

A US strike on a compound in Helmand province of Afghanistan on Friday resulted in deaths of friendly Afghan forces, NATO-led Resolute Support mission said in a release.

During a US supported ANDSF [Afghan National Security Forces] operation, aerial fires resulted in the deaths of the friendly Afghan forces who were gathered in a compound," the release stated on Friday.

A car bomb exploded near the Kabul Bank branch in Afghanistan's southern province of Helmand on Thursday. The blast occured at noon in the province's capital of Lashkargah wounding at least 50 people. 1TV News reports, citing local authorities, that at least 20 people were killed.

 

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Sputnik Correspondent Sarah Nureddin has come under fire in the west of Iraq's Mosul, sustaining bruises. The Iraqi soldier who was escorting her was injured.

Sputnik Correspondent Sarah Nureddin Comes Under Fire in Iraq's Mosul
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201707231055803365-sputnik-correspondent-attack-mosul/

Nureddin, a correspondent for Sputnik Arabic, was attacked while filming a demining operation in the residential district next to the Great Mosque of al-Nuri.

"The attacker was armed with a M-16 rifle and was in a small room with a hole in a ceiling in a grade school in Mosul's Old City," the correspondent said.

As a result of the assault, Nureddin was bruised and the Iraqi soldier who was escorting her was seriously wounded. "The troop got five bullet wounds in a leg, back and he lost his toe. I got bruises when I was running toward safe place," she said.

The reporter noted that the gunman continued to shoot after those injured hid in the burnt cars in the school's backyard. Nureddin suggested that the attacker was a sniper.

The correspondent was escaped by the units of Iraqi counter-terror forces. DETAILS TO FOLLOW

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi praised the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) as the “integral” part of his country’s security system, stressing that the Baghdad government is determined to protect the pro-government force, which has made enormous sacrifices in battles against the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group.

PM: Hashd al-Shaabi Important Part of Iraq Security System
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960501000914

“The Popular Mobilization Units is a basic and impartial force, which will remain a part of the Iraqi security system. Our duty is to protect it,” Abadi said during a meeting with senior commanders of the force – commonly known by the Arabic name Hashd al-Shaabi – in Baghdad on Saturday, Arabic-language al-Sumaria television network reported.

Secretary General of Badr Organization Hadi al-Ameri, for his part, said the military might of Hashd al-Shaabi originates from a strong Iraqi government.

“Hashd al-Shaabi is defending all Iraqis, and is under the command of the Commander in Chief of Armed Forces,” commented Qais al-Khazali, commander of Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq volunteer forces.

Hashd al-Shaabi is an Iraqi state-sponsored umbrella organization composed of some 40 groups, which are mainly Shia Muslims. The force reportedly numbers more than 100,000 fighters. Iraqi authorities say there are between 25,000 and 30,000 Sunni tribal fighters within its ranks in addition to Kurdish Izadi and Christian units.

The fighters have played a major role in the liberation of Daesh-held areas to the South, Northeast and North of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, ever since the terrorists launched an offensive in the country in June 2014.

Iraq has repeatedly condemned allegations of sectarian nature against Hashd al-Shaabi.

Last December, Baghdad warned Riyadh of the ramifications of meddling in Iraq’s internal affairs, after Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said Iraq cannot realize unity with the presence of the Popular Mobilization Units.

Saudi Arabia has repeatedly labeled the PMU, which incorporates volunteer forces from different Iraqi factions and tribes, as a Shia movement and called for the dismantling of the group.

Last November, the Iraqi Parliament approved a law giving full legal status to Hashd al-Shaabi fighters. It recognized the PMU as part of the national armed forces, placed the volunteer fighters under the command of the prime minister, and granted them the right to receive salaries and pensions like the regular army and police forces.

At least 16 women, including a 16-year-old German girl who ran away from home, found in Mosul now face terror charges.

More ISIL Women Recruits Detained in Iraq's Mosul
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960501000872

Sixteen women, including a 16-year-old German girl who ran away from home, were arrested in Mosul as Iraqi forces re-captured the Northern city from the ISIL militant group.

Three Iraqi intelligence officials said that the women were among 26 foreigners taken into custody in Mosul. Two were men and eight were children, Al Jazeera reported.

Speaking to the AP on the condition of anonymity, the officials said some of those arrested were from Chechnya, and the women were from Russia, Iran, Syria, France, Belgium and Germany. They said the women allegedly worked with ISIL in the police department. Their husbands were ISIL fighters but their fates were not clear. The children will be handed over to the countries they belong to, while the women will be tried on terrorism charges in Iraq, according to the officials.

They could face the death penalty under Iraqi counter-terrorism laws for belonging to ISIL, also known as ISIL.

The Taliban insurgents executed seven civilians after abducting at least seventy people in southern Kandahar province of Afghanistan, local officials and media reports said.

Taliban Militants Execute 7 of 70 Abducted Civilians in Kandahar Province
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960501000741

According to the local security officials, the civilians were shot dead by the Taliban insurgents, days after they were abducted from various villages,
Khaama Press reported.

Provincial police chief Gen. Abdul Razaq confirmed the execution of the civilians and said the main motive behind the abduction and the execution has not been ascertained so far.

A spokesman for Kandahar police Zia Durani said the civilians were abducted from three different villages in Shah Wali Kot district last week.

He said the civilians were apparently abducted for having links with the government or not supporting the Taliban-led insurgency.

The anti-government armed militant groups including the Taliban insurgents have not commented regarding the report so far.

This is not the first time the Taliban insurgents have kidnapped civilians over the alleged cooperation with the government and security forces but numerous incidents have taken place across the country, mainly on the highways where the Taliban insurgents stop the vehicles and kidnap the civilians.

 

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The recent agreement signed by Iraq and Iran on military cooperation should serve as a lesson to the US that regime change doesn't pay, Dr. Foad Izadi, Assistant Professor with the Faculty of World Studies at the University of Tehran, told Radio Sputnik.

Lesson for America: New Iraq-Iran Defense Deal Shows Regime Change Doesn't Pay
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201707241055834097-iraq-iran-defense-agreement/

Iraq and Iran have agreed to boost bilateral military cooperation in several areas, including anti-terrorism and the fight against extremism. Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan and his Iraqi counterpart Erfan al-Hiyali signed the memorandum of understanding on defense in Tehran on Sunday, Iranian news agency IRNA reported.

Extending cooperation and exchanging experiences in fighting terrorism and extremism, border security, and educational, logistical, technical and military support are among the provisions of this memorandum," IRNA reported.

The agreement is bad news for the US, which is opposed to Iranian influence in Iraq and had been planning on expanding its own military facilities in Iraq and Syria.

Dr. Foad Izadi, Assistant Professor with the Faculty of World Studies at the University of Tehran, told Radio Sputnik that the deal is the natural consequence of an improvement in bilateral relations since the US overthrew Saddam Hussein in 2003.

"Since the fall of Saddam Hussein, Iran and Iraq have extended their relations, the two governments are working together in fighting ISIS (Daesh) and other terrorist organizations. They are cooperating at the economic level, in terms of their military cooperation. So, what you had a couple of days ago in Tehran with the visit of the Iraqi defense minister is the continuation of this friendship that exists between Iran and Iraq," Izadi said.

The two sides had been preparing the document for several months and appear to be committed to the success of the defense accord.

"The fact that there were both Sunni and Shia members of the Iraqi government in the delegation that came to Iran, shows that the divisions that occasionally cause difficulties in this part of the world are not a matter of concern. Iran is willing and able to work with all Iraqi officials no matter what religion or sect they belong to."

The Iraqi Vice-President, Nouri al-Maliki, said during his visit to Moscow that Russian military and political presence in Iraq would bring balance to the whole Middle Eastern and North African region.

VP: Baghdad Seeking Substantial Russian Military, Political Presence in Iraq
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"It’s well known that Russia has historically strong relations with Iraq, therefore we would like Russia to have a substantial presence in our country, both politically and militarily,” al-Maliki said during his meeting with the speaker of Russia’s upper house of parliament, Valentina Matviyenko, RT reported.

“This way, a balance would be established that would benefit the region, its peoples and its countries,” he added.

The vice president stressed that Baghdad wants to boost relations with Moscow as it believes “in Russia’s role in solving most of the key international issues as well as improving stability and balance in our region and worldwide.”

Matviyenko, in turn, praised the commitment of the current Iraqi authorities to widening their cooperation with Moscow.

“Russia is also determined to expand its interaction with Iraq both politically and economically as well as in the military-technical sphere, and, of course, on the parliamentary level,” she said.

In his talks with Russia’s Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, earlier Monday, al-Maliki said a Russian presence in Iraq would bring the balance which couldn’t be “undermined in a political sense in favor of any external party.”

“Today we need Russia's greater involvement in Iraqi affairs, especially in the energy field. Now when we are done with ISIL, Iraq needs investments in energy and trade,” he added.

Russian Foreign Minister Segey Lavrov said on Monday at a meeting with Iraqi Vice President Nouri Maliki that Moscow supports Baghdad's counter-terrorism efforts that seek to restore peace and stability in Iraq.

Russian FM: Moscow Backs Baghdad's Counter-Terrorism Work in Iraq
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960503000220

Russia expresses solidarity with the Iraqi government in their efforts to eliminate terrorist threat in the country and to normalize the situation, Lavrov stressed, Sputnik reported.

"Russia supports the efforts that the Iraqi leadership makes to normalize the situation in the country, above all, to eradicate the terrorist threat," Lavrov added at a meeting with Maliki in Moscow.

The minister underlined that the utmost importance of this work being carried out not in isolation but in the context of consolidated efforts of the international community to expunge terrorist threat in the whole region, including not only the territory of Iraq, but Syria, Libya, Yemen and other countries.

Lavrov also said that Russia was intending to further develop and increase cooperation with Iraq and trying to back Baghdad in its work on the restoration of economy and improving the capabilities of the military.

"Our businesses are beginning to more actively cooperate with Iraqi partners. Our military-technical cooperation is developing, which is helping in the efforts to fight Islamists," the top diplomat added.

The Iraqi government announced July 10 that the ISIL group was defeated in Mosul, one of Iraq's largest cities that Takfiri terrorists claimed in 2014. The Iraqi forces began operation to liberate it in the fall of 2016.

A US Navy ship fired warning shots at Iranian vessel near the northern Arabian Gulf on Tuesday.

US Navy Ship Fires Warning Shots at Iranian Vessel in Arabian Gulf - Reports
https://sputniknews.com/world/201707251055864671-us-iran-arabian-gulf-shipwarning-shots/

After the Iranian vessel came within 150 yards (137 meters) of the US navy ship, the latter answered with a warning shot, US media reported on Tuesday, citing a US official.

According to the official, the USS Thunderbolt fired the warning shots when the Iranian vessel failed to respond to attempted radio communication.