Iraq

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Iraqi military enforcement arrived to the region of the Iraq-Turkey border, near the northwestern city of Faysh Khabur.

Iraqi military enforcement reaches Iraq-Turkey border
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/iraqi-military-enforcement-reaches-iraq-turkey-border/

Heavily armed troops were seen deployed along the border, standing in close proximity to artillery and posted on vehicles displaying the Iraqi flag.

The Iraqi Armed Forces took control of Faysh Khabur late last month after launching a big assault against the Kurdish Peshmerga in the northern part of the country.

The Kurdish Regional Government (KRG), the regional administration of the autonomous Kurdish areas in Iraq, has stated that it will abide by the ruling of the Iraqi Supreme Federal Court that forbids the region from seceding from the Republic of Iraq.

Iraqi Kurdistan government promises not to secede
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/iraqi-kurdistan-government-promises-not-secede/

In a statement released on Tuesday, the KRG promised to respect the November 6 court order that bans any part of the country from legally seceding.

“We believe that this decision must become a basis for starting an inclusive national dialogue between Erbil and Baghdad to resolve all disputes through implementation of all constitutional articles and in a way that guarantees all rights, authorities and status mentioned in the constitution,” the statement said.

The KRG statement comes after an official request by Baghdad, asking to ensure no “misinterpretation” of the Iraqi constitution would be followed by the Kurdish administration.

 

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Iraqi troops confiscated huge amounts of weapons of ISIL terror group in Southwest of Mosul, a security source from Nineveh said.

Huge Amounts of ISIL’s Weapons Seized, Southwest of Iraq's Mosul
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960829000127

The weapons are estimated by 40 tons,The weapons were found buried under the ground in Ain al-Jahsh region, Southwest of Mosul,” Earlier in the day, curfew was imposed in al-Eraij village, South of Mosul,in search for ISIL members, who launched an armed attack against the village on Saturday night. Moreover, five ISIL members were killed as the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces foiled an attack by the militants through Tal Sufuk crossing on the Iraqi-Syrian borders.

Despite declaring the victory over ISIL in Mosul, the group’s former bastion in Iraq, observers say ISIL is believed to constitute a security threat even after the group’s defeat at its main havens across Iraqi provinces.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared, in July, victory over ISIL militants who had held the second largest Iraqi city since 2014. More than 25000 militants were killed throughout the campaign.

At least eight children and three women were killed after Saudi fighter jets targeted a residential area in Yemen's Northern province of Jawf as the Riyadh regime presses ahead with its ruthless bombardment of its Southern neighbor.

Saudi Airstrikes Kill 6 Children, 3 Women in Yemen’s Jawf Province
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960829000903

The tragic incident occurred when Saudi warplanes targeted a house in Hajjah neighborhood of al-Maslub district, Al Masirah reported. The report added that the children and women belonged to a single family.

The aerial aggression came just two days after Saudi war machine killed some 17 people after it struck a commercial neighborhood in Northwestern province of Hajjah.

Earlier, six other civilians were killed and eight others wounded when a Saudi airstrike targeted a bus carrying passengers along a road in the western coastal province of al-Hudaidah.

Saudi Arabia has been ceaselessly pounding Yemen since March 2015 in an attempt to crush the popular Ansarullah movement and reinstate the former president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, a staunch ally of the regime in Riyadh.

Latest figures show that the war has so far killed over 15,000 Yemenis and wounded thousands more. The Saudi aggression has also taken a heavy toll on the country's facilities and infrastructure, destroying many hospitals, schools, and factories.

 

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A Truck bomb explosion in the Northern Iraqi town of Tuz Khurmatu in Salahuddin province on Tuesday killed 32 people and injured 75 others.

Over 100 People Killed, Wounded in Bomb Blast in Iraq
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960901000491

A booby-trapped vehicle exploded near an overcrowded market at the Military District in Salahuddin province, a medical source told Al-Ghad Press on Tuesday, adding that the number of casualties is expected to rise, Iraqi News reported.

According to medical sources, most of the casualties were civilians and the death toll is expected to rise as many of those wounded are in critical condition.

The incident comes a few days following the collapse of the pro-claimed caliphate of Daesh (ISIS or ISIL) Takfiri terrorists in Iraq and Syria.

Last week, Al-Hashd al-Shaabi [Popular Mobilization Forces], backed by Federal Police, repelled an attack by ISIL members near Salahuddin, a source told Baghdad Today.

“The attack targeted checkpoints for PMFs in al-Bu Eissa village, on borders between Salahuddin and located adjacent to Mutaibija,” the source said.

Salahuddin province was rocked by a wave of deadly suicide bombings this year.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said Baghdad will declare final victory against ISIL terrorists after the country purges the remaining militants from desert areas.

Abadi: Iraq to Declare Final Victory after Purging ISIL from Desert
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960901000129

Speaking at a press conference, Abadi, however, noted that ISIL terrorists have already been defeated in Iraq from a military perspective, presstv reported.

The comments came a few days following the collapse of the pro-claimed caliphate of ISIL terrorists in Iraq and Syria.

On Friday, Iraqi armed forces liberated the town of Rawa near the border with Syria, which was the last remaining town under ISIL control, and raised the Iraqi flag over its buildings.

Two days later, Syrian army soldiers, backed by pro-government fighters from popular defense groups, fully liberated Bukamal, ISIL's last stronghold in Syria, which is a strategic city in the country’s Eastern province of Deir Ezzur on the border with Iraq.

The recapture of the two towns marked an end to ISIL’s reign of terror, which started in 2014 with the group making vast territorial gains in a lightning offensive and establishing its self-proclaimed “caliphate” in Iraq’s Mosul and Syria’s Raqqah.

Abadi, also warned of the ramifications of political divisions in Iraq, saying that such disputes will pave the ground for ISIL to carry out attacks again.

The Iraqi prime minister hailed the Monday verdict by Iraq's Supreme Federal Court that ruled the Kurdish independence referendum unconstitutional and called on Kurds not to resort to violence.

On September 25, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) held the non-binding referendum on secession from Iraq in defiance of stiff opposition from the central government in Baghdad and much of the international community. Kurdish officials have claimed that over 90 percent of voters said ‘Yes’ to separation from Iraq.

Political observers have warned that KRG’s referendum scenario is in line with Israel’s policy of dividing the regional Muslim states.

After the referendum, Baghdad ordered the KRG to hand over airports in the regional Kurdish capital of Erbil, and the city of Sulaimaniya, as well as its border crossings to the central Iraqi government.

It also asked the KRG to either cancel the result of the plebiscite or face potential sanctions, international isolation, and military intervention.

A ban on international flights into and out of the Iraqi Kurdish region also took effect on September 29.

Iraq's Supreme Federal Court had already ordered on November 6 that no region or province could break away from Iraq. The KRG said last week that it abided by the ruling, expressing hope that the decision would set the stage for dialog between Baghdad and Erbil.

 

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Iraqi military launches last operation to expel ISIS from Iraq
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/breaking-iraqi-military-launches-last-operation-expel-isis-iraq/

The Iraqi Armed Forces launched their last operation to expel the so-called Islamic State (ISIS) from Iraq, the official media wing for the Iraqi Ministry of Defense announced this morning.

Led by the army and Hashd Al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Units), the Iraqi Armed Forces struck the Islamic State’s last positions inside the northwestern countryside of the Al-Anbar Governorate.

So far, no gains have been announced by the Iraqi Armed Forces; furthermore, this operation will likely take several weeks to complete as the Islamic State is deeply entrenched in this desert area of Al-Anbar.

The main objective of this offensive is to seal the Iraqi-Syrian border, which has been the Islamic State’s lifeline in both countries.

A vehicle rigged with explosives detonated in the vicinity of a crowded market in Iraq’s town of Tuz Khurmatu, leaving dozens of people dead and wounded, the police stated as cited by Reuters.

Truck bomb explosion leaves 20 dead, 40 wounded in northern Iraq – police
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/truck-bomb-explosion-leaves-20-dead-40-wounded-northern-iraq-police/

At least 20 people were killed and 40 wounded when a truck exploded in an Iraqi town south of oil city Kirkuk, accoring to police and medical sources, citing by Reuters on Tuesday. The number of wounded people is likely to increase.

“A car loaded with explosives blew up in the Al-Makhdar market in the middle of the military block in the city of Tuz Khurmatu,” the source said, adding that according to initial estimates, 20 people were killed and more than 40 injured.

Moreover, Twitter users uploaded photos on the social media that showed alleged blast site.

​​The city of Tuz Khurmatu is located in Saladin Province. Earlier in the day, a senior security source told Sputnik that the Iraqi army intended to launch an operation this week to destroy the remnants of Daesh (banned in Russia) in Saladin Province.

Iraqi troops launched operations to liberate Al-Jazeera regions located between Salahuddin, Nineveh and Anbar provinces, a commander announced.

Iraqi Forces Launch Operation to Liberate Common Regions between Three Provinces
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In a statement, Lt. Gen. Abdul Amir Yarallah, commander of Upper Euphrates and al-Jazeera Combing Operations, said “army and Popular Mobilization Forces started a wide-scale operation to liberate al-Jazeera regions located between Salahuddin, Nineveh and Anbar,” Iraqi News reported.

“The operation is considered the second phase of offensives to comb al-Jazeera and Upper Euphrates areas,” he added.

Meanwhile, Hussein al-Assadi, official spokesperson of Jund-ul-Imam brigades, one of the PMFs factions, said troops started operations to liberate Jazeerat al-Siniyah, which stretches on an area of 30,000 square kilometers.

“More than 6,000 PMF forces take part in the operation along with the army’s ninth division and Federal Police troops,” he added.

Joint troops managed to free several residential areas in Anbar, Salahuddin, Diyala and Kirkuk from ISIL, which urged the militants to escape toward Al-Jazeera regions in those provinces.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi said during his weekly press briefing on Tuesday that his country has defeated Islamic State over the military level, but will declare final victory after desert areas are purged of militants.

Iraqi forces, backed by a US-led coalition and paramilitary troops, have been fighting since October 2016 to retake territories ISIL had occupied. Since then, forces took back the group’s former capital, Mosul, the town of Tal Afar, Kirkuk’s Hawija, and Anbar’s Annah, Rawa and Qaim.

The war against ISIL has displaced nearly five million people, with tens of thousands of civilians and militants killed since the launch of the offensives to recapture occupied cities.

The last ISIL bastion of Rawa in Western Anbar was freed on Friday.

 

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One of the commanders of the Iraqi popular forces of Hashd al-Shaabi said on Sunday that Leader of the ISIL terrorist groups Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is in the US forces' custody in an unknown venue.

Iraqi Commander: ISIL's Baghdadi in US Forces' Custody
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960905000507

The Arabic-language al-Sumeriyeh news quoted Jabar al-Ma'amouri as saying that ISIL Chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has been in the US military forces' custody, adding that the US forces will never kill al-Baghdadi unless in a Hollywood-like scenario.

He further said that people around the world rest assured that the US has played a crucial role in the creation of the terrorist groups in last decades, and unfortunately some of the Arab nations embarked on providing financial support for such terrorist groups.

An Arab media outlet reported earlier this month that al-Baghdadi was alive, , adding that the terrorist group's ring leader was sighted by eyewitnesses in one of the battlefields in Southeastern Deir Ezzur.

The Arabic-language Elam al-Harbi reported that al-Baghdadi was sighted alive in one of the battlefields near the newly-freed town of Albu Kamal at the border with Iraq. No more details were released about the report.

Contradictory reports surfaced the media on the fate of al-Baghdad in the last two years, while some claim that he was killed in attacks in Iraq or Syria, others say that he is still alive and on the move.

Sheikh Akram al-Kaabi, the leader of Hezbollah al-Nujaba, a major Iraqi Shiite resistance movement fighting the ISIL, announced that it will help the Lebanese resistance group, Hezbollah, in case of an attack by Israel.

Iraqi Resistance Movement Warns to Fight against Israel in Any Possible War on Hezbollah
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960905000448

"We will be a part of the defense system against the Zionist regime in case of any possible attack by Israel against Hezbollah," al-Kaabi said in an interview with the Lebanon-based Arabic-language al-Mayadeen news channel on Sunday.

"Seyed Hassan Nasrallah (Hezbollah leader) has also clearly declared that the entire resistance front will enter the scene with full preparedness in any possible future war," he added.

His remarks came after Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari underlined on Thursday that any new war in the region will lead to the annihilation of the Zionist regime.

"It is a proven claim that today we say any new war will lead to the eradication of the Zionist regime. They have seen a part of the resistance front's power during the 33-day and 22-day wars and today that the great resistance front has been formed, this word has been proven," General Jafari told reporters in a press conference in Tehran.

"The fate of the resistance front is interwoven and they all stand united and if Israel attacks a part of it, the other component of the front will help it (the attacked part)," he added.

General Jafari warned that Lebanon is Israel's first target, and said therefore the Lebanese Hezbollah resistance group should be armed against it to maintain security in Lebanon.

"This issue is not negotiable and the entire Lebanese nation, except a number of little puppet groups, support Hezbollah's weapon," he added.

Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces retook control of four villages as part of a large-scale military operation to dislodge the remnants of the ISIL terrorist group from their hideouts in the desert in Northern Iraq.

Iraqi Popular Forces Recapture 4 Villages in Anti-ISIL Offensive in Northern Iraq
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960905000139

The media bureau of the volunteer pro-government forces, commonly known by the Arabic name Hashd al-Sha’abi, announced in a statement on Saturday that they had recaptured the villages of Shaheriyah, Tar al-Baghal, al-Hajal and Wadi az Qaytoun Southwest of Hawijah, located 45 kilometers West of the Northern oil-rich city of Kirkuk, Al Forat News reported.

The development came only a day after the commander of Upper Euphrates and al-Jazira Liberation Operations, Major General Abdul Amir Yarallah, said
the Iraqi army, PMF brigades and federal police forces had established control over 45 villages as they cleared some 2,400 square kilometers of land from the ISIL militants.

The troops destroyed two car bomb-making sites, five booby-trapped vehicles and two vehicles carrying heavy machine guns, along with detonating and defusing more than 450 explosive devices, Yarallah noted.

On Thursday, Yarallah announced the launch of the second phase of the offensive aimed at clearing the vast desert near the border with Syria, which extends to the Northern provinces of Nineveh and Salahuddin and the Western province of Anbar.

The forces ended the first phase of the offensive on November 17, when they drove out the ISIL militants from their last urban stronghold in Iraq and raised the Iraqi flag over buildings in the Western town of Rawah and nearby border areas North of the Euphrates River.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi visited the newly-liberated town of Qa'im and the nearby Husaybah border crossing in far Western Iraq on November 5, and raised the Iraqi flag at the border crossing.

On October 5, Abadi said Iraqi armed forces had liberated Hawijah, driving ISIL out of its last bastion in the Northern province of Kirkuk.

The Iraqi pro-government forces managed to push ISIL terrorists back from 45 more villages within the framework of a large-scale operation codenamed Rasoul Allah (PBUH) to restore security to Al-Jazeera Badiyeh (desert), Iraqi Defense Ministry said on Sunday.

Iraqi Forces Drive Terrorists out of 2,400 sq/km of Land in Al-Jazeera Desert
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960905000265

The ministry announced that the army men and popular forces have liberated 45 villages in an area as large as 2,400 sq/km in the Western desert of Anbar province.

It added that over 100 villages have been freed from ISIL terrorists in the desert-like triangle among the provinces of Nineveh, Salahuddin and Anbar in Western Iraq in last three days.

Military sources said on Saturday that the army men and popular forces captured a sum of 56 regions and villages within the framework of the Rasoul Allah the Last Prophet Operation to purge the large Al-Jazeera desert of terrorists in a vast region covering parts of Salahuddin, Nineveh and Anbar provinces.

The source further said that the army soldiers, Iraqi federal police and popular forces of Hashd al-Shaabi, backed up by the country's Air Force, managed to free 4,500 sq/km of the large desert that covers a total area of 26,000 sq/km.

Only a small pocket of Daesh terrorists remains on the Iraqi border with Syria.

Iraqi forces liberate all western desert areas, most important Daesh shelters
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/iraqi-forces-liberate-western-desert-areas-important-daesh-shelters/

The Iraqi army has completely freed the territories located between the provinces of Anbar and Saladin in the Iraqi Jazira region from Daesh terrorist group as announced by the command of Hashd Shaabi, a state-sponsored militia integrated into the Armed Forces.

“Hashd Shaabi has completed the liberation of the desert area of Jazira, […] which has been considered as one of the most important Daesh shelters,” the statement said.

According to the statement, only a small Daesh pocket remained in the Iraqi region on the border with Syria, north of the city of Qaim.

During the liberation operation, “dozens of Daesh militants were eliminated” as well as weapons caches and terrorists’ hideouts were found.

The successful operation comes several days after the Iraqi Armed Forces launched an operation to clean up the desert territories on border with Syria from Daesh, which was launched after town of Rawa, the last Daesh stronghold in Iraq, had been freed with the coalition’s assistance.

 

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An $85 million loan for a hotel complex in Kabul, a billion dollars in missing equipment for Iraqi forces and a $30,000 grant to stage “Doggie Hamlet” are just a few examples of the “Federal Fumbles” a Republican senator has flagged in a new report on wasteful government spending.

'Doggie Hamlet,' billion in missing military equipment top report on government waste Nov. 27, 2017 (Video)
_http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/11/27/doggie-hamlet-billion-in-missing-military-equipment-top-report-on-government-waste.html

The 86-page report from Sen. James Lankford identified $437.6 billion in “wasteful and inefficient” federal spending.

“We’ve got every variety -- from very small to very, very large areas of waste and areas where the federal government just dropped the ball,” the Oklahoma lawmaker and fiscal hawk told “Fox & Friends” on Monday.

Lankford said the billion in missing equipment in Iraq -- which was flagged in a Defense Department inspector general’s report and included small arms and Humvees -- was last seen in Kuwait.

“But we don’t know what happened from there,” Lankford said Monday. “A billion dollars’ worth of equipment. We hope it got into the right hands. But DoD didn’t actually track it. We don’t know.”

As for “Doggie Hamlet,” the report criticized a National Endowment for the Arts grant for the production in New Hampshire. The play reportedly featured actors yelling and running at sheep in a field.

Lankford says he has “no problem” with the production -- but taxpayers across the country shouldn’t have to pay for it. “I certainly don’t want the people of Oklahoma to pay for that,” he said.

The waste report is subtitled “100 Ways the Government Dropped the Ball” and also highlights successes in the elimination of waste, fraud and abuse -- under similar football-themed categories of “Touchdowns” and “Forward Progress.”

The report also called out the IRS for firing, then re-hiring IRS employees, including some who hadn't paid their federal taxes.

In releasing the report on Capitol Hill, Lankford said the wasteful spending examples are “illustrations of a larger set of issues” and provide "context" for concerns about the federal debt and budget process.

He said waste and inefficiencies mean less money for essentials like transportation, national defense and disaster relief.

“For us to be able to afford to do these things, we’ve got to be able to pay better attentions to other things,” Lankford told reporters.

This is the third volume of Lankford’s annual report. It cites as the costliest “fumble” an under-utilized IRS program to improve the auditing process for tax returns, considering a recent analysis estimates $458 billion is lost annually as a result of incorrect or fraudulently filed returns.

Among the report’s “Touchdowns” is the EPA announcement in June to repeal the Waters of the United States rule, “which allows the agency to work with states and Tribal governments, as it had done for decades, to decide who has regulatory authority over waterways.”

 

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The former governor of Iraq’s Northern oil-rich province of Kirkuk and a staunch supporter of the Kurdish independence referendum reportedly fled to the United States with millions of petrodollars.

Report: Iraq’s Ex-Kirkuk Governor Flees to US with Millions of Petrodollars
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960908000580

Ali al-Husseini, a spokesman for the Popular Mobilization Forces, locally known as Hashd al-Sha’abi, said that Najmiddin Karim was receiving 10 million dollars from the president of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), Massoud Barzani, over petroleum smuggling, Babil24 reported.

He added that there is substantial evidence that Karim has left Iraq through Erbil, which is the capital city of Kurdistan region and located approximately 350 kilometers (220 miles) North of Baghdad. Husseini noted that all Kurdish leader well knew about Karim’s misconduct, and the fact that he was being paid by Barzani over oil smuggling from Kirkuk, but kept mum.

The Hashd al-Sha’abi spokesman added that Kurdish officials must file a lawsuit against the former Kirkuk governor and Barzani so that they would stand trial for stolen funds.

On September 14, the Iraqi parliament voted to dismiss Karim after the provincial council voted to take part in the Kurdish independence referendum irrespective of the central government’s strong opposition to the secession bid.

Earlier in the day, the office of Iraqi parliament speaker Salim al-Jabouri announced in a statement that it had received a request from the office of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi demanding a voting session to discharge 68-year-old Karim.

Abadi ordered the hoisting of Iraqi national flag in the country’s oil-rich northern province of Kirkuk as well as other areas under the control of the KRG on October 16.

The development came shortly after a convoy of Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) forces took control of the governorate building in the central part of Kirkuk, located 250 kilometers (155 miles) north of capital Baghdad, facing no resistance from Kurdish Peshmerga forces in the city.

According to the city's residents, before hoisting the national flag, Iraqi forces removed the Kurdish flag from the governorate building.

Security sources and residents, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the government forces arrived at the site, and took position in the vicinity alongside the local city police.

A senior commander of Hashd al-Shaabi, warned of Washington's plots to assassinate leaders of the Iraqi popular forces.

Iraqi Commander: US Plots to Assassinate Hashd al-Shaabi Leaders
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"Hashd al-Shaabi has changed all US plans and has changed all previous equations. Iraq will no more go under disintegration and this has angered Washington," Jabbar al-Amouri was quoted as saying by the Arabic-language al-Alam news channel on Wednesday.

"The US, supported by certain Persian Gulf littoral states financially and politically, is mulling plots to assassinate leaders of the Iraqi popular forces,
though" he warned.

Amouri also warned that Iraq won't be able to restore calm and tranquility as long as the US stays in the country.

In relevant remarks in October, Spokesman of Hashd al-Shaabi Ahmad al-Assadi warned that the US enlistment of Hashd al-Shaabi deputy chief commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis as a terrorist is a direct threat to his life and Washington should account for it.

"We take Washington responsible for any possible aggression and attack against Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis," al-Assadi told the Arabic-language al-Mayadeen news channel.

He also called on the Iraqi foreign ministry to show reaction to the US threat against Hashd al-Shaabi's deputy chief commander.

His remarks came after US State Department Spokeswoman Heather Nauert called al-Muhandis as "a terrorist".

In response, Iraq’s foreign ministry declared the Hashd al-Shaabi an “inseparable” part of the national forces, and rejected the United States’ labeling its deputy commander a terrorist.

The Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), under the deputy command of Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, are a legal Iraqi force that has fought bravely against terrorism in Iraq, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Friday.

As such, the ministry rejected US comments describing al-Muhandis as a terrorist, and called on the US State Department to review their position, particularly in light of American support for the Iraqi forces.

The Iraqi army destroyed an ISIL camp South of Ar-Rutbah town in Anbar, a military commander said.

Iraqi Army Destroys ISIL Camp in Anbar Province
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“The army’s 1st brigade destroyed an ISIL camp at a desert area near Ar-Rutbah town in Anbar,” Commander of Anbar Operations Major General Mahmoud al-Falahi said, DijlahTV reported.

“The camp included a booby-trapped vehicle, explosive charges and a laboratory for making bombs,” Falahi said.

On Monday, a woman was killed, while her husband and daughter were injured as a booby-trapped house exploded in Anbar province.

Despite suffering a series of territorial setbacks across Iraq and Syria, the Islamic State’s media department appears to be somewhat unaffected and continues to produce material on a daily basis.

ISIS vows to fight to the last man in Iraq: battle video Warning: Viewer discretion is advised.
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/isis-vows-fight-last-man-iraq-battle-video/

The footage below, an ISIS release covering recent clashes in western Iraq, shows jihadist militants preparing for hit-and-run raids and carrying them out against the predominately Shiite ‘Popular Mobilization Units’ (PMU) in the desert of northwestern Anbar, causing some casualties in the process.

Viewer discretion is advised:

Within the last six months alone, the Iraqi Army and PMU have declared full victory in Mosul, Tal Afar, Al-Ba’aj, Hawija and Al-Qaim, thus expelling ISIS from all its strongholds in Iraq.

Effectively, ISIS has been pushed back to a sparsely populated desert corridor along the border with Syria. This pocket of territory is expected to be eliminated before the beginning of 2018, thereby ending the Islamic State’s three-year long reign of terror in the country.

However, ISIS militants are still active behind enemy lines and continue to conduct suicide bombings in Baghdad while sleeper cells are known to be active in a handful of provinces, most notably Babil, Kirkuk and Diyala.

Only a small pocket of Daesh terrorists remains on the Iraqi border with Syria.

Iraqi forces liberate all western desert areas, most important Daesh shelters
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/iraqi-forces-liberate-western-desert-areas-important-daesh-shelters/

The Iraqi army has completely freed the territories located between the provinces of Anbar and Saladin in the Iraqi Jazira region from Daesh terrorist group as announced by the command of Hashd Shaabi, a state-sponsored militia integrated into the Armed Forces.

Hashd Shaabi has completed the liberation of the desert area of Jazira, […] which has been considered as one of the most important Daesh shelters,” the statement said.

According to the statement, only a small Daesh pocket remained in the Iraqi region on the border with Syria, north of the city of Qaim.

During the liberation operation, “dozens of Daesh militants were eliminated” as well as weapons caches and terrorists’ hideouts were found.

The Iraqi and Syrian armed forces have completely enveloped the so-called Islamic State (ISIS) between the Deir Ezzor (Syria), Al-Anbar (Iraq), and Salaheddine (Iraq) governorates, as they prepare for their last major operation against the terrorist group.

Iraqi, Syrian forces envelop ISIS for last major operation
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/iraqi-syrian-forces-envelop-isis-last-major-operation/

Western Front - The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have managed to capture most of the Deir Ezzor Governorate over the last two months, leaving ISIS with little room to retreat.

In particular, the Syrian Arab Army has liberated every major city in the Deir Ezzor Governorate, while the Deir Ezzor Military Council of the Syrian Democratic Forces have captured most of the oil fields in the province, including the Al-‘Umar refinery.

With their recent losses near Albukamal, ISIS is now mostly confined to the eastern bank of the Euphrates River Valley, where they are preparing to make their last stand in eastern Syria.

Eastern Front - The Iraqi Army, alongside Hashd Al-Sha’abi (Popular Mobilization Units) and Federal Police, have liberated every major city and town in western Al-Anbar, forcing ISIS to seek refuge north of Al-Qa’im.

Making matters worse for ISIS, they are stuck in a wide open area that is prime for Iraqi and US airstrikes.

The Iraqi Armed Forces will make their final push from three different axes: Al-Qa’im (south), Al-Sayniyah (east), and Al-Hadhar (north).

Like the Syrian Army, the Iraqi Armed Forces should be able to complete their final operations against ISIS by the new year, as they greatly outnumber the terrorist group and possess much greater firepower.

 

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The Iraqi joint forces will soon kick off the second phase of their large-scale operation to liberate the border regions with Syria from ISIL terrorists' occupation, Spokesman for the Iraqi Defense Ministry General Yahya Rasoul said on Saturday.

Iraqi Forces to Kick off Imminent Operation to Purge Border with Syria of Terrorists
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General Rasoul said that the Iraqi forces will launch complementary operation to free Anbar desert and the regions in the upper side of the Euphrates River in Western Iraq up to the borders with Syria in the coming days.

He further said that the pro-government forces captured 14,000 sq/km out of 29,000 sq/km of land in Anbar desert, including 175 villages, 5 bridges and strategic passageways in the first phase of the operation.

Media sources said on Thursday that they gained access to letters sent by ISIL ringleader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi to other commanders of the terrorist group in Libya after his repeated failures in Syria and Iraq.

The Arabic edition of al-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper reported on Thursday that al-Baghdadi's letters, some of them written last year and some of them in the past few weeks, indicated that the ISIL leader was after making up for his defeats in Syria and Iraq by calling on the terrorist groups' commanders and members to go to Libya.

It added that the letters written to 13 of al-Baghdadi's deputies and commanders in Libya stressed the need for them to use Southern Libya as a place for recruiting the members who have fled from the East in a bid to finally target Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria.

The Iraqi volunteer forces of Hashd al-Shaabi found two mass graves containing the remains of tens of victims massacred by the ISIL terrorists in Northwestern Iraq, an Arab media outlet reported on Saturday.

Gov't Forces Unearth Two Mass Graves of ISIL Victims in Northwestern Iraq
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960911001274

The Arabic-language Elam al-Harbi reported that the 15th Brigade of Hashd al-Shaabi has found a mass grave in Majma al- Jazeera South of the town of Sinjar, containing almost 80 civilians, mostly Izadi people, massacred by the ISIL.

In the meantime, the 53th Brigade of Hashd al-Shaabi unearthed another mass grave in the village of Qabousi South of Sinjar with the remains of over 20 Izadi women and tens of Izadi children.

Director General of the Iraq's Forensic Medicine Department Zeid Ali Abbas said in July that a new mass grave of the Iraqi forces was discovered in camp Speicher, adding that the total number of found bodies from 14 different locations stood at 827.

He further said that the grave was found in presidential palaces area in Tikrit near Salahuddin palace, adding that identity of 527 of the victims was identified.

Ali Abbas went on to say that the total number of unearthed mass graves in the region reached 15, adding that most of the buried men were student pilots of Speicher airbase that were killed by ISIL terrorists.

On June 12, 2014, ISIL terrorists killed around 1,700 Iraqi air force cadets after kidnapping them from Camp Speicher, a former US base. There were reportedly around 4,000 unarmed cadets in the camp when it came under attack by ISIL militants.

Following the abductions, the attackers took the victims to the complex of presidential palaces and killed them. The terrorists also threw some of the bodies into a river.

An investigation committee later revealed that 57 members of Saddam Hussein’s Ba’ath Party aided ISIL terrorists in the massacre.

The remains of 340 Yazidis who were massacred by ISIS have been discovered in a mass grave nearby Mosul. The grisly discovery was made by Iraqi troops in the ancient Assyrian city of Nineveh in northern Iraq.

Mass grave of Yazidi victims of ISIS discovered
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/mass-grave-yazidi-victims-isis-discovered/

“The mass grave contains the bodies of 340 people and is located in al-Ba’aj town, which was under control of Isis terrorists,” Brigadier General Mohamed al-Shemari stated.

The area of Nineveh and the Iraqi province of the same name are still under the process of being secured by Iraqi armed forces, after it was fully liberated from ISIS control in July, after months of heavy fighting.

The mass grave is estimated to date back to 2014, when the terrorist group first gained control over significant portions of northern Iraq in a blitz offensive. The over three hundred bodies are thought to belong to men, women and even children who were executed by ISIS.

The Yazidis are a distinct mystical religious group who believe that God has placed care of the world in the hands of seven angels, the most important of whom is Melek Taus, or the Peacock Angel. ISIS however, believes that this belief is tantamount to devil worship, and has continuously persecuted and massacred the Yazidi community in the areas under its control.

Some estimates claim up to 10,000 Yazidis have been killed by the takfiri terrorist group, while the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in northern Iraq has stated that as many as 360,000 Yazidis have fled their homes in the past years.

 

[angelburst29]

Baghdad sees Macron call to disband all militias as interference in Iraqi affairs Sunday 3 December 2017
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1202866/middle-east

French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday called on Iraq to disband all militias, including the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU). “It’s essential that there’s a gradual demilitarization, particularly of the PMU... and that all militias be gradually dismantled,” he said at a joint press conference in Paris with Nechirvan Barzani, prime minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).

The KRG has accused the PMU of committing abuses against Kurds in Kirkuk and nearby disputed areas in the wake of their independence referendum in September.

Baghdad said Macron was interfering in Iraq’s internal affairs, and called for respect for the country’s sovereignty. “Iraq’s internal affairs are run by constitutional institutions,” said government spokesman Saad Hadithi, adding that the PMU has “become part of the Iraqi security system.”

He said: “The sovereign powers of the federal government concerning the administration of Iraq-related issues and internal affairs must be respected.” He added: “Iraq looks forward to the world’s understanding of the importance of respecting its sovereignty.”

Senior Shiite commander Kareem Al-Nuri told Arab News: “Macron’s statements are a blatant interference in Iraqi affairs. He has no right to tell us what to do.”

He added: “Militias should be dismantled, but the PMU isn’t a militia. Westerners should understand that the PMU has become a legitimate force and is protected by law.”

Pressuring Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi to dissolve it “won’t work,” Al-Nuri said. “Abadi has no authority to dismantle the PMU. This is the authority of the Parliament.”

The PMU was formed after the fall of almost a third of Iraq to Daesh in June 2014. Shiite militia fighters, some backed by Iran, represent the backbone of the PMU, but it also includes tens of thousands of Sunni, Turkmen, Yazidi, Christian and Shabak volunteers.

Iraq’s Parliament in November 2016 passed a law that considers the PMU part of the regular armed forces, under the full authority of the commander in chief.

PARIS, France - French President Emmanuel Macron took matters into his own hands when his joint press conference with Iraqi Kurdistan Prime Minister Nechervan Idris Barzani started to fall apart due to translation problems in Paris on Saturday.

WATCH as Macron struggles with translators as he meets Iraqi Kurdish delegation, calls for Iraq to dismantle militias (Video) December 2, 2017
http://www.fort-russ.com/2017/12/watch-as-macron-struggles-with.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIjd6rEJf0w (1:57 min.)

The Paris press conference had one glitch after another, with the French President eventually stopping it altogether to address his audience in English.

The Prime Minister perfectly understands English, but I think it will be strange to have here, the President speaking in English for this press conference," he said.

"But I am pretty sure Paris could organize a translation for the Prime Minister,” he questioned.

He also called for Iraq to dismantle all its militias.

“It is essential that there is a gradual demilitarization, in particular of the Popular Mobilization that established itself in the last few years in Iraq, and that all militias be gradually dismantled,” he told a joint news conference held with Kurdistan Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani and his deputy Qubad Talabani.

 

[angelburst29]

The US decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital may become a “legitimate reason” to attack American troops in Iraq, Shia paramilitary group Harakat Hezbollah al Nujaba said.

US troops may become targets after US Jerusalem decision – Iraqi paramilitary group
https://www.rt.com/news/412253-iraq-group-target-us/

“Trump’s stupid decision… will be the big spark for removing this entity [Israel] from the body of the Islamic nation, and a legitimate reason to target American forces,” said Akram al-Kaabi, the Iraqi organization’s leader, as cited by Reuters.

The US, which is leading a large-scale operation against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) in Iraq, has about 5,200 troops in the country, according to the latest statement from the US Defense Department.

Nujaba, mostly made up of Iraqis, has about 10,000 fighters, according to Reuters data. Being a part of the Iran-backed Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), the group is considered to be one of the most important militias in Iraq.

In November, Ted Poe from the US House of Representatives proposed imposing “terrorism-related sanctions” on Nujaba. The text of the document says Nujaba is “an affiliated faction” of the US-designated foreign terrorist organization Kata’ib Hezbollah, which also fights with the PMF.

Nujaba’s leader Akram al-Kaabi was earlier designated by the Department of the Treasury “for threatening the peace and stability of Iraq.” The bill claims Kaabi took part in “multiple mortar and rocket attacks” on the Green Zone in Baghdad in 2008.

On Wednesday, Donald Trump officially announced his decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, where he plans to relocate the US Embassy. The president admitted the move will cause dissent, but says it could help resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict.

A number of world powers, including Germany, Turkey, and Russia, expressed grave concern over the Trump administration’s decision.

On Thursday, the Iraqi government demanded the US reverse its decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. “We caution against the dangerous repercussions of this decision on the stability of the region and the world,” a government statement reads. “The US administration has to backtrack on this decision to stop any dangerous escalation that would fuel extremism and create conditions favorable to terrorism.”

 

[angelburst29]

US troops may become targets after US Jerusalem decision – Iraqi paramilitary group
https://www.rt.com/news/412253-iraq-group-target-us/

The Iraqi paramilitary Harakat Hezbollah Al-Nujaba threatened to attack the U.S. military in Iraq following President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, the Reuters News Agency reported on Thursday.

Iraqi force threatens to attack US military in Iraq over Trump’s Jerusalem decision
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/iraqi-force-threatens-attack-us-military-iraq-trumps-jerusalem-decision/

Harakat Al-Nujaba is Iranian backed and considered one of the largest paramilitaries that is operating inside Iraq.

In addition to their presence in Iraq, Harakat Al-Nujaba has many fighters inside Syria that fighting alongside the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and Hezbollah.

Harakat Al-Nujaba has been attacked by the U.S. forces in the past, due to their offensive that targeted the Tanf Military Base in southeast Homs.

Russia’s Defense Ministry is ready to hold talks with the US in helping them fight ISIS in in Iraq’s western regions, Russian First Deputy Defense Minister General of the Army Valery Gerasimov, the chief of the General Staff, said at an annual briefing for foreign military attaches on Wednesday.

Russia says it is ready to help the US destroy ISIS in Iraq so they cannot return to Syria
http://www.fort-russ.com/2017/12/russia-says-it-is-ready-to-help-us.html

"The attention of the international counterterrorism coalition should be focused on how to destroy militants in Iraq’s western regions in order to prevent the ISIS comeback to Syria and how to exclude the revival of Islamic Caliphate there, but not on deployment of own military bases in Syria," Gerasimov said.

"We are ready to hold dialogue and join American counterparts in solving this issue," he said.

The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) announced that there is “reasonable basis” to believe British troops committed war crimes in Iraq during the US-led military invasion of the West Asian country.

ICC Hints at Possible Probe of UK War Crimes in Iraq
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960914001159

“The [prosecutor’s] office has reached the conclusion that there is a reasonable basis to believe that members of the UK armed forces committed war crimes within the jurisdiction of the court against persons in their custody,” Fatou Bensouda said on Monday in her conclusion on the long-running inquiry into the role of British soldiers in Iraq between 2003 and 2008, presstv reported.

The announcement was made in a 74-page report delivered in New York to the annual assembly of state parties to the jurisdiction of the court.

It would mean that The Hague-based ICC will press ahead with a probe into reports that British military forces abused and murdered their Iraqi prisoners after the US-led invasion, UK-based daily The Guardianreported.

According to the report, Bensouda’s conclusion reaffirms “interim conclusions made by the court when it ended a previous, preliminary investigation into similar allegations in 2006,” when the ICC pointed to seeing evidence suggesting that British forces did commit war crimes in Iraq, “namely willful killing and inhuman treatment” of individuals.

However, the ICC concluded at the time that it should not take further action since there were fewer than 20 allegations. Its probe was subsequently reopened by Bensouda in 2014 after receiving new information from the Birmingham law firm, Public Interest Lawyers (PIL), among others.

The PIL, the daily added, “represented the family of Baha Mousa, the Iraqi hotel receptionist tortured to death by British troops in 2003.”

Bensouda’s report further examined the controversy over the claims and referred to the Iraq Historic Allegations Team (IHAT).

It also said that “amid concerns of political interference, the defense secretary (Michael Fallon) announced the closing of IHAT ahead of the originally scheduled time frame by 30 June 2017, citing IHAT’s own forecasts that the unit’s caseload was expected to reduce to around 20 investigations by the summer 2017.”

British military authorities had previously expressed confidence that the ICC would not move to the next stage and declare a formal probe, mainly because the UK is capable of investigating the allegations on its own.

According to a UK government spokesperson quoted in the report, “We have a legal responsibility to investigate credible allegations of wrongdoing by UK forces, and that is what we are already doing as part of service police legacy investigations, which is reviewing the relatively small number of remaining cases after the closure of IHAT.”

“We are confident that our existing efforts to investigate allegations preclude the need for any investigation by the ICC,” the official added.

Iraqi troops destroyed an ISIL terror hideout in Diyala province, the country's military intelligence directorate said.

Iraqi Troops Destroy ISIL Hideout in Diyala
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960914001301

Intelligence officers from the 18th brigade launched an attack on an ISIL hideaway at Wadi al-Kalal area East of Diyala,” the Directorate of General Military Intelligence said in a statement, Baghdad Today reported.

“Fierce clashes erupted between the two sides, prompting an ISIL militant to blow himself up,” the statement read, adding that the troops killed another ISIL militant on site.

 

[angelburst29]

The Iraqi Interior Ministry announced on Wednesday that their forces had suffered more than 64,000 casualties during their four year war with the so-called Islamic State (ISIS).

Over 26,000 Iraqi soldiers killed in 4 year war with ISIS
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/26000-iraqi-soldiers-killed-4-year-war-isis/

According to the numbers released, over 26,000 Iraqi soldiers and military personnel were killed and at least 28,000 more were wounded during this brutal war.

As of December 2017, the Iraqi Armed Forces have liberated all of the areas occupied by the Islamic State, including the terrorist group’s former de facto capital, Mosul.

The Iraqi Armed Forces are now conducting counter-terrorism operations inside the liberated cities to clear potential sleeper cells.

Spokesman for the Iraqi army's joint operations command Brig. Gen. Yehia Rasul announced that the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces’ (SDF) claims about them establishing a joint coordination center with the Iraqi army were incorrect.

Iraqi Army Spokesman Denies Alleged Plans to Create Coordination Center With SDF
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960922000508

"What actually happened — there was a meeting of the commander of Iraqi army operations in the area of Jazira with the SDF commander in Syria’s border area. The purpose of the meeting was merely to coordinate, nothing more and nothing less. It is natural when our troops arrive at any location," Rasul told Sputnik.

The day before, the SDF announced that it would create a coordination center together with the Iraqi army in order to ensure security on the Syrian-Iraqi border.

The announcement came days after Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi had declared the end of the country's fight against ISIL after Iraqi troops had re-established complete control over the border with Syria.

 

[Palinurus]

The Iraqi Interior Ministry announced on Wednesday that their forces had suffered more than 64,000 casualties during their four year war with the so-called Islamic State (ISIS).

26,000 killed plus at least 28,000 wounded adds up to 54,000 casualties, give or take a few.

 

[angelburst29]

The Iraqi Interior Ministry announced on Wednesday that their forces had suffered more than 64,000 casualties during their four year war with the so-called Islamic State (ISIS).

26,000 killed plus at least 28,000 wounded adds up to 54,000 casualties, give or take a few.

No surprise there! Casualty figures are generally "always given in estimates" to the general public! It's also not unusual to see the ratios between those "who have died verses wounded" to only be a few thousand?

Another example is this 2015 publication by the WATSON INSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS at Brown University, Providence, RI USA.
http://watson.brown.edu/costsofwar/costs/human/military/killed

(Updated as of February 2015)

•Over 6,800 US service members and over 6,900 contractors have died in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Notice ... that they mix Afghanistan ... in with Iraq?

The number of United States troops who have died fighting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan had passed 6,800 at the beginning of 2015.

The military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan have also produced fatalities among large numbers of private contract workers. A full and accurate accounting of contractor deaths has not yet been done by the Pentagon. Over 6,900 contractors working for the US have been killed in the two war zones. The true number is likely much larger: the majority of US contractors are the citizens of other countries, many of whose deaths appear not to have been reported.

•Coalition partners have died in large numbers: approximately 43,000 uniformed Afghans, Iraqis and other allies have died as of May 2014.

This September 2014 article breaks down the numbers between Iraq and Afghanistan:
_https://www.huffingtonpost.com/h-a-goodman/4486-american-soldiers-ha_b_5834592.html

After 4,486 U.S. soldiers died in Iraq and 2,345 U.S. soldiers died in Afghanistan, 1 million U.S. soldiers wounded in both wars, and a potential cost of up to $6 trillion, a new group like ISIL now causes havoc in the Middle East.

What’s the point of fighting endless war against terrorists when all this sacrifice simply leads to new terrorist threats?

As long as the Pentagon keeps giving estimates and playing with the numbers, we can only guess at the figures? The only real hard data I have seen in war casualty counts, has been in frequent reports from the war in Syria, over the last two years.

 

[Palinurus]

Thanks for the extra info, angelburst29, but I'm afraid you misunderstood my remark.

My only problem was the discrepancy between the 64,000 casualties you mentioned ahead of the article and the actual numbers cited in the article which only add up to 54,000.

A discrepancy of 10,000 casualties, of whichever sort they may be, seems too large to just overlook, I thought. That's all there is to it as far as I am concerned.

EDIT: adjusted reasoning