Iraq

June, 07, 2018 - At Least 130 Killed, Wounded in Twin Blasts at Baghdad Shiite Mosque: Source
At Least 130 Killed, Wounded in Twin Blasts at Baghdad Shiite Mosque: Source - Tasnim News Agency

At least 130 people were killed and wounded Wednesday in a deadly explosion near a Shiite mosque in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, a security source was quoted as saying.

“Two bombs went off near an ammunition cache placed in a Shiite mosque in the Shiite bastion of Sadr City in Baghdad, leaving 20 people killed so far,” the source told Alghad Press, the Iraqi News website reported.

“Up to 110 people were also wounded as a result of the explosion,” the source pointed out, adding that security forces rushed to the blast site and opened a probe into the matter.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Daesh (ISIS or ISIL) terrorist group, in most cases, is responsible for attacks targeting crowded areas, including markets, cafes and mosques across Iraq.

Sadr City is a stronghold of the cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, whose political bloc won a May 12 parliamentary election. Iraq's parliament ordered a national recount of votes on Wednesday.

The Iraqi capital has seen almost daily bombings and armed attacks against security members, paramilitary troops and civilians since the Iraqi government launched a wide-scale campaign to retake Islamic State-occupied areas in 2016.


June, 09, 2018 - Official Denies Formation of 3-Way Alliance in Iraq Government Talks
Official Denies Formation of 3-Way Alliance in Iraq Government Talks - Tasnim News Agency

A representative of Iraq’s Hikma movement dismissed speculation that his list has formed an alliance with two other major blocs in the coalition talks for forming the next Iraqi government, saying what has been reached was only a rough agreement on general plans.

In an interview with Tasnim, Seyed Zarqam Hussaini, representative of Iraq’s National Hikma or Wisdom Movement in Iran, said it is not right to say that his movement led by Ammar al-Hakim, Muqtada al-Sadr’s Sairoon alliance, and the al-Wataniya list led by Ayad Allawi, have formally entered into coalition with each other.

Asked about reports of a final trilateral coalition, Hussaini said the parties have only reached a general agreement on the principles and political plans for a majority bloc in the parliament, describing it as a bedrock of a national alliance.

“There is still a long way to go before announcing the majority fraction,” he explained.

Hussaini also noted that what has been reported as an eventual coalition of the three blocs was indeed the minutes of a meeting on general issues and political plans that would be favorable for all groups.

Asked about any consensus on the senior posts in the next cabinet, the Hikma movement’s representative said the negotiating blocs are still discussing the government’s policies and plans before reaching a conclusion on any name.

Muqtada al-Sadr's Sairoon coalition took 54 out of 328 seats in the May 12 parliamentary election in Iraq.

With no bloc winning the 165 seats required for an outright majority, negotiations to form a coalition government in Iraq began after the polls.
 
Ballots From Iraqi Election on Fire in Baghdad Amid Recount Campaign - Reports
(updated 18:35 10.06.2018) Bold Sputnik's Emphases
CAIRO (Sputnik) - A fire broke out on Sunday at a warehouse in Baghdad, where ballots from the recent Iraqi parliamentary elections are stored, amid a nationwide campaign to recount the results of the vote, local Al Sumaria TV channel reported citing municipal authorities of the Iraqi capital.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1005834122865111041

According to the mayor's office, the boxes with the ballots from Baghdad's Rusafa district burned out.

The Iraqi Independent High Elections Commission rented the site from the Iraqi Trade Ministry. The security at the building has been stepped up, the outlet added.

Earlier in the day, the Iraqi Supreme Judicial Council nominated judges who would take over the duties of the Independent High Elections Commission after reports of widespread ballot-rigging during the May 12 election and claims that the commission had failed to properly address these irregularities.

On Wednesday, the Iraqi parliament adopted a bill stipulating that ballots from the vote should be recounted. Moreover, the legislation annulled the votes cast by internally displaced persons (IDPs) and canceled the results of the May 10 voting by Kurdish security forces personnel.

The electoral commission said it would appeal the parliament's decision to recount the ballots in court.

READ MORE: Iraqi Election Commission to Appeal Decision About Manual Recount of Votes

The May 12, the Iraqi parliamentary election were held in the country for the first time since Daesh defeat. The Sairun Alliance, backed by the prominent Shiite cleric Muqtada Sadr, won 54 parliamentary mandates, while the Conquest Alliance led by Hadi Amiri gained 47 seats, and incumbent Prime Minister Haider Abadi's Victory Alliance earned 42 seats in the 329-seat parliament.

Russian Defense Ministry points out IS emerged as result of US military invasion of Iraq
June 09, 12:53 UTC+3
The terrorist group’s further expansion to Syria became possible "because of the culpable inaction of the United States and the so-called US-led coalition
MOSCOW, June 9. /TASS/. The emergence of the Islamic State terror group (IS) is a result of the US military invasion of Iraq, while most of the weapons that the US provided to the Syrian armed opposition units fell into the hands of militants from the IS and Jabhat al-Nusra (both terror groups are outlawed in Russia), Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov told reporters on Saturday.

"We are surprised at Pentagon Chief James Mattis’s verbal manipulations in regard to developments in Syria," he said, commenting on the US defense secretary’s statement in which he said that Bashar al-Assad, supported by Iran and Russia, had led the Syrian people to a catastrophe, while the mostly Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces was the only organization that had succeeded in defeating terrorists in Syria.

"We would like to remind Mattis that the emergence and development of the ISIL [the former name of the IS - TASS] in Iraq was a direct and undisputed result of the US military invasion of the country under a false pretext about Saddam Hussein’s possession of chemical weapons," Konashenkov pointed out.

He stressed that "the ISIL group’s further expansion to Syria became possible because of the culpable inaction of the United States and the so-called US-led coalition, which made it possible for ISIL militants to promptly take control of major oil-fields in eastern Syria and ensured their steady revenue from the illegal trade of petroleum products."

"All this time, Washington has been focused on providing financial support and hundreds of millions of dollars worth of weapons to the imaginary ‘Syrian opposition.’ However, most of the weapons and ammunition provided by the US fell into the hands of Jabhat al-Nusra, affiliated with Al-Qaeda, and the ISIL, whose objective to topple the legitimate Syrian government coincided with Washington’s goals," the Russian defense ministry spokesman said.

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Lavrov compares US strike in Syria to 2003 Iraq invasion

Update:
Iraq Rearms Its Military With Russian Battle Tanks Because Most Of US-supplied Arbrams Were Lost, Damaged Or Destroyed
10.06.2018
 
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Tue Jun 12, 2018 - Iraqi Court Arrests Four over Ballot Box Warehouse Fire
Farsnews

An Iraqi court ordered the detention of four people over accusations of torching a warehouse holding ballot boxes form the country's recent parliamentary election.

On Monday, Iraqi state television announced that three of the suspects are members of the country's police force while the other is a employee of the Independent High Elections Commission, presstv reported.

On Sunday, the storage site housing ballot boxes from Iraq’s May parliamentary elections caught fire ahead of a recount.

Following the blaze, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced that the torching of a storage site was part of a plot to damage Iraq's democratic process.

Outgoing Speaker of parliament Salim al-Jabour stated that the incident proves that the recent parliamentary elections should be repeated.

"The crime of burning ballot-box storage warehouses in the Rusafa area is a deliberate act, a planned crime, aimed at hiding instances of fraud and manipulation of votes, lying to the Iraqi people and changing their will and choices," he said in a statement.

Top aide to nationalist cleric Moqtada al-Sadr Dhiaa al-Asadi said the fire was a plot aimed at forcing a repeat of the election and hiding fraud.

"Whoever burned the election equipment and document storage site had two goals: either cancelling the election or destroying the stuffed ballots counted amongst the results," he tweeted.

On Wednesday, the Iraqi parliament has voted in favor of a manual recount of votes in the country's May 12 parliamentary elections.

The announcement came a few days after Abadi ordered the creation of a high-powered commission to look into the alleged irregularities in the parliamentary elections.

An official statement said a recent cabinet meeting chaired by the premier had named the Iraqi anti-graft chief as the head of the commission.

The statement further suggested that hackers may have manipulated the election results.

Meanwhile, Iraqi cleric, Muqtada al-Sadr, whose coalition won the largest number of seats in the country's recent parliamentary elections, has rejected calls for an election rerun, warning Iraqis about breaking out of a possible “civil war”.

"Stop fighting for seats, posts, gains, influence, power, and rulership,” the 44-year-old cleric addressed the entire Iraqi nation in a statement published by his office on Monday, adding that “Is it now time to stand as one for building and reconstruction instead of burning ballot boxes or repeating elections just for one seat or two?”

Sadr's Sairoon bloc won 54 out of 329 seats in the Iraqi parliament. The Fatah (Conquest) alliance, led by Badr Organization Secretary General Hadi al-Ameri, and Abadi's Nasr (Victory) coalition finished second and third with 47 and 42 seats, respectively.

Over 7,000 candidates contested the 329 seats in the parliament that will choose a new president, prime minister and government in Iraq.

This is the fourth such polls since the 2003 US invasion that led to a sharp rise in sectarian tensions and ensuing terror-related violence in the Arab country.

The next Prime Minister will face the huge task of rebuilding a country shattered by the war against Daesh (ISIS or ISIL) and the US invasion.


Tue Jun 12, 2018 - Several Iraqi Refugees Killed in US Air Raid in Northeastern Syria
Farsnews

The US-led coalition warplanes bombed heavily a school in Southern Hasaka, killing 18 Iraqi civilians, a media source reported on Tuesday.

Syria's state news agency, SANA, quoted local sources as reporting that the fighter jets pounded a school in the village of Khoweiberah Southeast of al-Shadadi region on Monday, killing 18 Iraqi refugees.

SANA further said that most of the victims were children and women.

In a relevant development earlier this month, the sources reported that the warplanes bombed the village of Zeib Hadaj in Southeastern Hasaka, killing eight members of a family and wounding several more.

In the meantime, other fighter jets of the US-led coalition struck the village of al-Baqouz Foqani near the town of Hajin in Southeastern Deir Ezzur, killing at least eight civilians, including three children, the sources said, adding that some of the injured are in critical condition.


Mon Jun 11, 2018 - PM: Turkish Military Already in Iraq, Ready to Advance on Kurdish Base
Farsnews

Turkish forces are currently based dozens of kilometers inside Northern Iraq and could push further to attack the Kurds in the Qandil Mountains, According to Prime Minister Binali Yildirim.

"Every option (on Qandil) is on the table," he added, RIA Novosti reported.

Yildirim notably reiterated what President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday night, as the head of state had threatened, at the time, a strike on Qandil and the Sinjar area to the West, if Iraq failed to clear the region of the PKK units.

The prospect of a massive military operation emerged less than three months after the Afrin campaign, codenamed Olive Branch, was finalized, with Ankara announcing that the Northern Syrian city is under the full control of Turkish troops.

Now Turkey is set to shift its attention to the PKK bases, essentially "to prevent infiltrations and terror activities there", Yildirim stated.

He went on to blast the PKK for carrying out "provocations and traps," adding that Turkey will pursue further actions if the PKK persists in its operations.

Meanwhile, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi expressed determination to negotiate with Turkey, but he called on the country to respect Iraqi sovereignty, adding Turkey has had amilitary presence in Northern Iraq for over 30 years.

"We will not accept an assault on Iraqi sovereignty even if it is a Turkish electoral campaign," he said, referring to the upcoming June 24 elections in Eastern Turkey.

In recent years, Ankara has launched two military campaigns in Northern Syria against the Kurdish YPG units, which it says are an extension of the PKK, which has been deemed a terrorist group by Turkey, the US, and the EU.

In a recent development earlier in the week, Ankara and Washington, which supports the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), agreed on a schedule to pull out Kurdish units from the Syrian city of Manbij.

However, according to Yildirim, the step, although positive, is not enough; he went further to demand that weapons which the US reportedly supplies to the YPG, should be immediately withdrawn.
 
The US State Department believes Iraq can become the foundation for security and stabilization efforts in the Middle East, Acting Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs David Satterfield said in a congressional hearing on Wednesday.

13.06.2018 - US Believes Iraq Has Potential to Become Center of Stability in Mid East - DoS
US Believes Iraq Has Potential to Become Center of Stability in Mid East - DoS

"It [Iraq] has the potential to be a center for stability and prosperity for the Middle East and the partners of the US," Satterfield told the House Armed Services Subcommittee. "We are optimistic about the future of Iraq."

The official noted President Donald Trump has requested $200 million in assistance to Iraq. Satterfield reiterated Trump's position on burden sharing in the region. The United States should not bear sole responsibility for funding stabilization efforts in the region, he stressed.

Satterfield further noted Iraq could greatly contribute to the efforts to fights Iran's malign activities and fight the Daesh* terrorist group.

The statement comes in line with the words of US Envoy to the United Nations Nikki Haley, who said last month Washington is pleased to partner with the new government of Iraq to fight terrorism and strengthen the independence of the country.

On May 12, Iraq held parliamentary elections for the first time since the country was liberated from Daesh. The Sairun coalition, headed by Shiite cleric Muqtada Sadr, won 54 out of the 328 seats in Iraq’s parliament and will lead the new government in the next four years.
*Daesh — a terrorist group, outlawed in Russia.
 
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-‘Abadi stated on Wednesday that his country is not currently coordinating with Turkey in the northern part of Iraq.

2018-06-21 - Iraqi PM says no coordination with Turkey against PKK
Iraqi PM says no coordination with Turkey against PKK

According to BasNews, ‘Abadi stated during his weekly press conference that the Turkish military is attempting to finish these ‘anti-terror’ operations before the snap elections on June 24th.

‘Abadi added that he does not support any military confrontation between any party in northern Iraq.

The Turkish military launched a new operation last month that targeted the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in northern Iraq.

Since launching this operation, the Turkish Army has advanced as far south as the Qandil Mountains.

The Turkish authorities believe the PKK is headquartered in the Qandil Mountains.


2018-06-21 - Turkey admits to having 11 ‘temporary’ bases in northern Iraq
Turkey admits to having 11 'temporary' bases in northern Iraq

The Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim stated on Thursday that his country’s military currently has 11 ‘temporary’ bases in northern Iraq.

Yildirim told A Haber TV that in addition to having 11 bases, the Turkish military has cleared 400 square kilometers of Iraq territory that had a Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) presence.

“We are shelling Mt. Qandil through air operations at times,” Yildirim stated, as quoted by the Daily Sabah.

“This time PKK terrorists are crossing into Iran when they are on the back foot,” he continued.

The Turkish premier stressed that his nation has no problem with their neighbors Iraq and Iran and that the Turkish military is eliminating a terrorist group.

“We cleared the area in northwestern Syria’s Afrin during Operation Olive Branch. We will do the same thing in Mt. Qandil area,” he added.


2018-06-22 - Iraqi troops not withdrawing from Syrian border after alleged Israeli attack
Iraqi troops not withdrawing from Syrian border after alleged Israeli attack

Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (Hashd Al-Sha’abi) are not abandoning their posts along the Syrian border, a source from the group told Al-Maalomah News.

“The news circulated on withdrawal of Hashd Al-Sha’abi from their deployment regions near the Iraqi-Syrian borders after the troops were targeted in Syria are untrue,” the source told Al-Maalomah, as quoted by Iraq News.

The PMU source added that “the forces are deployed in the western region of the province. No withdrawal took place there, despite the tension that resulted after Israeli fighter jets shelled PMFs in Syria near borders with Iraq.”

This is the first time any Iraqi source has stated Israel was behind the attack on the Syrian and Iraqi troops in southeastern Syria earlier this week.

The alleged Israeli attack resulted in the death of 22 Hashd Al-Sha’abi members and well over 30 Syrian Arab Army soldiers.


2018-06-20 - US military transfers weapons to Iraqi Army (8 photos)
US military transfers weapons to Iraqi Army (photos)

The U.S. military transferred a large quantity of weapons to the Iraqi Army recently, a military report from DVIDS hub claimed.

According to the report, the U.S. military transferred heavy machine guns, assault rifles, ATGMs, and bulletproof vests to the Iraqi Army’s 59th Brigade at Camp Taji.

The transfer of these weapons was conducted on June 9th.

Camp Taji is located approximately 27km north of Baghdad city.


2018-06-18 - Russian airline to begin regular flights between Moscow and Baghdad
Russian airline to begin regular flights between Moscow and Baghdad

The Russian-owned “Red Wings Airline” announced on Monday that they have been given approval from the Iraqi Transport Ministry to begin regular flights from Baghdad to Moscow, RIA Novosti reported this afternoon.

“The Embassy of the Republic of Iraq in the Russian Federation informed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation that the International Cooperation Department of the Ministry of Transport of the Republic of Iraq does not object to the Russian-owned Red Wings Airlines conducting one flight per week from Moscow to Baghdad,” the report claimed.

Previously, in mid-September 2017, Iraqi Airways made its first flight from Baghdad to Moscow in 13 years.

Furthermore, Iraq and Russia have recently bolstered their military ties, with Baghdad’s purchase of the T-90 tanks.

This new agreement should increase tourism between the two countries, as the Iraqi government has cleared almost all of the country from the Islamic State (ISIS) terror organization.
 
A number of prominent political figures and members of the Iraqi parliament have spoken out against the US’ military presence in the country, with a senior adviser to Iraqi cleric Sayyid Muqtada al-Sadr slamming it as an "occupation of the country."

14.07.2018 - US Reportedly to Open New Bases in Iraq, Despite Local Authorities' Opposition
US Reportedly to Open New Bases in Iraq, Despite Local Authorities' Opposition

The US is planning to open a new military airbase in Iraq near the town of al-Qa'im in Anbar Province, the local news outlet BasNews has reported. The province borders Syria, where the US Air Force is still conducting airstrikes without the authorization of Damascus and that has led to civilian casualties on multiple occasions. The new base will work jointly with two other bases in the province — Ain al-Assad and Habbaniya.

The news comes amid demands by various political figures in Iraq for the US to pull out from the country. In March 2018, the Iraqi parliament asked the government to come up with a deadline for the withdrawal US troops, while Diyaa Assadi, a senior adviser to Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, whose coalition won in the recent parliamentary elections, has said that the US is seen "as an occupying country."

At the same time, Kuwaiti newspaper al-Rai has reported that another US military base is planned for construction in Kuwait.

According to the newspaper, it will be a major air hub near the international airport and will serve as a logistical supply point.

The US has been conducting airstrikes in Syria and Iraq since the emergence of Daesh*. Although Washington claims to only be fighting against terrorist groups, many of its airstrikes have led to civilian casualties. While the Iraqi government has given a green light for US forces to conduct operations on its soil, the latter are operating without authorization in Syria, neither from the government in Damascus, nor from the UN Security Council.
 
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi has suspended Electricity Minister Qassim Fahdawi amid protests over the poor quality of public services, especially power outages, the prime minister's press service said.

29.07.2018 - Electricity Minister Dismissed Amid Rallies Over Power Outages - Iraq PM
Electricity Minister Dismissed Amid Rallies Over Power Outages - Iraqi PM

"Prime Minister Haider Abadi orders the suspension of the electricity minister amid the deterioration of electricity services and until an investigation is completed," the statement said.

According to media reports, Abadi had previously ordered an internal probe into Fahdawi's role in the utility crisis.

Protests in southern Iraq began on July 8 in the port city of Basra. The situation worsened after the death of one of the demonstrators protesting against chronic unemployment as well as electricity and water supply disruptions.

The government has set up a special commission to meet the protesters' demands, promising to allocate 3.5 trillion Iraqi dinars (around $3 billion) for the restoration of drinking water supply systems and electricity, in addition to 10,000 jobs.

On Friday, Shiite spiritual leader Ali al-Sistani, who had earlier supported the protests, said that the country needed to hurry up with the formation of a new government and called on the authorities to fulfill the promises previously given to the protesters. Abadi has said he supports the call of the Shiite leader.


Sat Jul 28, 2018 - ISIL's German Education Minister Killed in Iraqi Forces Operation
Farsnews

Reza Sayam, the German Education Minister of the ISIL terrorist group in Iraq, was killed in a military operation in Mosul region in 2017, a media outlet reported on Saturday.

The Arabic-language al-Sumeriyeh news quoted Iraqi security sources as reporting that Reza Sayam was killed in the Iraqi forces operations in Mosul last year.

It went on to say that Sayam nom de guerre Zolqarnein left Germany for Syria in 2012 and joined the ISIL and later was appointed as the terrorist group's Education Minister.

Sayam was accused of involvement in the 2002 blast in Indonesia that left 202 dead and 240 injured.

On July 10, 2017, Iraqi Prim Minister Haydar al-Abadi formally declared victory over ISIL extremists in Mosul, which served as the terrorists’ main urban stronghold in the conflict-ridden Arab country.

In the run-up to Mosul's liberation, Iraqi Army soldiers and volunteer Hashd al-Sha’abi fighters had made sweeping gains against ISIL.

The Iraqi forces took control of Eastern Mosul in January 2017 after 100 days of fighting, and launched the battle in the West on February 19 last year.

ISIL began a terror campaign in Iraq in 2014, overrunning vast swathes in lightning attacks.
 
This August marks the fourth anniversary of the massacre carried out by the Daesh terrorist group against the Yazidi population of the northern Iraqi district of Sinjar, which left thousands of representatives of this religious minority executed, tortured or enslaved.

16.08.2018 - Iraqi Yazidis Share Memories of Horrific Sinjar Massacre by Daesh Four Years On
Iraqi Yazidis Share Memories of Horrific Sinjar Massacre by Daesh Four Years On

Story of Yazidi Village of Kojo

The small Yazidi village of Kojo, located on the border with Syria, was peaceful and safe until August 2014, when it was captured and destroyed as a result of the Daesh offensive. Terrorists demanded that the Yazidis surrender and, after the latter sought to offer resistance, launched a bloody massacre. In November 2017, the Kurdish Peshmerga liberated the city.

To find out more more about these tragic events, Sputnik spoke with local resident Maher. Maher was far from home when the attack happened but lost all his relatives, who were killed by militants attacking the village.

"There were 1,700 people in the village, 400 of them were away from Kojo at the moment of the attack. The rest turned out to be under control of Daesh militants. They killed them in groups … They did not need women aged over 50, they killed all of them," Maher told Sputnik.

He said that militants had taken young girls and women with them, and their ultimate fate was mainly unknown.

"Then, we found out about some of them. Some of them were killed in bombings, others committed suicide, some returned from captivity with the help of good people, some were killed along with militants or during attempts to escape. Some remain unaccounted for, and we know nothing about them," Maher pointed out.

All male members of Maher’s family were killed by militants, while the plight of sisters remains unknown.

"I found out that my whole family was killed, my father and brothers, nephews. I know nothing about my sisters. In the village, I had a total of 44 male relatives, there well all killed and were buried in mass graves," he said.

Maher, just like many, had no choice but to join Kurdish militias to free his home village.

We were speaking with Maher near a school village. It was the place where the militants brought together all the villagers and separated men from women. Militants offered them to convert to Islam or die. After their refusal, some civilians were killed, others became captives and were taken to unknown destinations.

Men have been driven away on trucks and were shot down in the field. Bodies of those killed fell on those who were still alive. As result, some of them managed to escape execution and flee.

Despite being injured, Khasan and Kichi fled to Duhok in Iraqi Kurdistan, when they received help from Peshmerga and resided in the mountain valley village of Lalish, the home to the holiest Yazidi temple.

The plight of Daesh Female Captives

Women who managed to escape from Daesh captivity mostly refuse to talk to the media. Sputnik managed to speak with Zeinab, 22, who spent months in Daesh captivity in Iraq and Syria.

Her account of events is pretty much the same. Militants sought to force Yazidis to convert to Islam. She was separated from her mother and younger sister.

Zeinab said that she and her female peers were kept in a room in some house out of the village. Young men entered the room and chose girls meant to becomes their captives. Girls were taken from Sinjar to Mosul and then to Tal Afar.

At first, militants "sold" Zeinab to the family of a 70-year-old man. Then he transferred her to some militant and she became his servant. The militant later "put me on sale," according to Zeinab, and she ended up in Syria's Deir ez-Zor.

I sought to defend myself from the man who bought me and did not let him approach me, refused to convert to Islam. One day, he gave me food and [soon] I lost my consciousness. Then I found out that he had raped me," Zeinab said.

Ultimately, a man from Deir ez-Zor helped her to flee to Raqqa. Them some family in Raqqa contacted a man and pledged that she would soon be returned to Duhok.

This man was a mediator between people smugglers and Kurdish authorities, who allocate money for the rescue of Yazidis in Iraq and Syria and their return home. Due to these efforts, Zeinab and other girls were returned.

According to the statistics of the Kurdish Ministry of Awqaf, 6,417 Yazidis were abducted, including 3,548 woman and 2,869 men. A total of 3,155 were rescued from captivity, while 3,102 are believed to be still in captivity.

Kids Were Trained to Become Daesh Militants

Thousands of Yazidi children were abducted by the Daesh group. The majority were forced to train in Daesh military camps.

Shalyal was one of such children. He was seven years old when the militants seized the village of Kojo. The boy’s whole family was taken captive except for their father who was away from the village. Daesh militants transported Shalyal and his four-year-old brother them to Syria. They spent several months in Raqqa.

"The camp was [meant] to teach us to handle guns and read the Koran. They taught us how to shoot and assemble a rifle, how to kill. They taught us precision and targeted shooting," the boy told Sputnik.

The boys then were taken to Iraq's Mosul. One day, Shalyal managed to ask a local butcher to give him a mobile phone to contact his father.

Shalyal's father ultimately managed, with assistance from the Kurdish authorities, to contact smugglers and return the sons to Duhok.

We paid big money to smugglers, some of them were Daesh militants who exploited out grief to earn money. Sometimes, they demanded for the son’s return from $6,000 to $8,000, sometimes even – $10,000," the father said.

In February, Shalyal’s father also managed to return his wife and daughter, who had been held captive by the terrorists in Raqqa province.
 
2018-08-20 - US Coalition says warplane crashed in Iraq, one killed
Breaking: US Coalition says warplane crashed in Iraq, one killed

A U.S. Coalition warplane reportedly crashed last night while it was conducting a mission over Iraq, Operation Inherent Resolve’s official media wing announced on Monday.

“One Coalition service member was killed and several injured when their aircraft crashed at approximately 10 p.m. GMT Aug. 19 in Iraq,” the CJTF-OIR statement began.

“The aircraft was conducting a partnered counterterrorism mission in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. All personnel were recovered by Coalition forces immediately following the incident, and three were evacuated for further treatment,” the statement continued.

The reason for the crash was not released.

“The deceased service member’s name and further details pertaining to the incident will be released by the pertinent national authorities,” the statement would add.


2018-08-20 - Bridge connecting Erbil and Kirkuk reopens after 10-month halt
Bridge connecting Erbil and Kirkuk reopens after 10-month halt

A bridge connecting provinces Erbil and Kirkuk in Iraqi Kurdistan was reopened on Sunday after being closed for 10 months. The bridge was closed following clashes between Iraqi forces and Kurdish Peshmerga fighters.

The two checkpoints on the bridge are reportedly controlled by both Iraqi and Peshmerga forces, each side in charge of its own one.

Iraqi Commander of Federal Police headquarters Shaker Quinn said that the timing for cargo vehicles to use the road will be set separately from other vehicles.

Tensions between Peshmerga fighters and Iraqi forces rose since Iraqi Kurds overwhelmingly voted for secession in a September 25 referendum that Baghdad rejected as illegal.


2018-08-19 - US forces to remain in Iraq ‘as long as need’ – Coalition spox.
US forces to remain in Iraq 'as long as need' - Coalition spox.

The U.S. Armed Forces will remain in Iraq “as long as needed,” the spokesperson for the U.S. Coalition, Colonel Sean Ryan, said during a press conference in Dhabi on Sunday.

“We’ll keep troops there as long as we think they’re needed … The main reason, after ISIS (Islamic State) is defeated militarily is the stabilization efforts and we still need to be there for that, so that’s one of the reasons we’ll maintain a presence,” the U.S. spokesperson stated.

While ISIS has lost their territories, they are still wrecking havoc via their sleeper cells across Iraq.
 
September 28, 2018 - US pulls Diplomats from Iraqi City, citing threats from Iran
U.S. pulls diplomats from Iraqi city, citing threats from Iran | Reuters

The United States announced on Friday it will effectively close its consulate in the Iraqi city of Basra and relocate diplomatic personnel assigned there following increasing threats from Iran and Iran-backed militia, including rocket fire.

The decision adds to mounting tension between the United States and Iran, which is the target of increasing U.S. economic sanctions.

In Tehran, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi said the consulate closure was “unjustified and unnecessary”, and said Iran condemned any attack on diplomats or diplomatic locations, according to the ministry’s website.

Iraq’s Foreign Ministry said it regretted the decision and urged foreign diplomats not to pay attention to “what is being circulated to undermine the climate of security and stability accompanying Iraq’s relations with the countries of the world.”

Iraq is committed to protecting diplomatic missions, spokesman Ahmed Mahgoub said in a statement on Saturday.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, as he explained the move, renewed a warning that the United States would hold Iran directly responsible for any attacks on Americans and U.S. diplomatic facilities.

It followed recent rocket attacks that Pompeo said were directed at the consulate in Basra. U.S. officials said the rockets, however, had not impacted the consulate, which is located on the Basra airport compound.

“I have made clear that Iran should understand that the United States will respond promptly and appropriately to any such attacks,” Pompeo said in a statement.

Pompeo did not explicitly say whether a U.S. response was imminent, however, and other U.S. officials did not disclose potential response options.

Still, Pompeo said the threats against U.S. personnel and facilities in Iraq were “increasing and specific” and added that Washington was working with Iraqi forces and U.S. allies to address them.

“We look to all international parties interested in peace and stability in Iraq and the region to reinforce our message to Iran regarding the unacceptability of their behavior,” he said.

‘CHAOS, DEATH AND DESTRUCTION’
In a statement, the U.S. State Department said the consulate was placed on “ordered departure,” which technically involves a drawdown in staff. Although some personnel could remain on the diplomatic compound, the move is believed to effectively close the consulate, at least temporarily.

The decision came days after U.S. President Donald Trump and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani exchanged taunts at the United Nations General Assembly, with Trump vowing more sanctions and accusing Iran’s leaders of sowing “chaos, death and destruction.”

Trump’s national security adviser, John Bolton, speaking at a nearby event in New York on Tuesday, warned “there will indeed be hell to pay” if Iran crosses the United States, its allies or harms U.S. citizens.


September 27, 2018 - A year after failed Independence Bid, Iraq's Kurds vote for Parliament
A year after failed independence bid, Iraq's Kurds vote for parliament | Reuters



A year after a failed bid for independence, Iraq’s Kurds will be voting again on Sunday, this time in a parliamentary election that could disrupt the delicate balance of power in their semi-autonomous region.

With opposition parties weak, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) are likely to extend their almost three decades of sharing power.

But splits within the PUK present the possibility that Masoud Barzani’s KDP will take a dominant position in Kurdish politics, both in the regional capital Erbil and in the difficult formation of a federal government in Baghdad.

The contentious referendum on independence in 2017, led by Barzani, promised to set Iraq’s Kurds on a path to a homeland.

Instead, a swift backlash from Baghdad dashed those prospects and diminished the region’s autonomy.

Speaking on the vote’s first anniversary, Barzani, who stepped down as Kurdish president in the aftermath, told thousands of flag-waving men in Erbil: “We will never give up our dignity or honor.”

But Barzani - still the KDP’s leader and main vote-getter - also added that “even 1,000 years of war won’t solve the problem”.

Even though relations with Baghdad have improved, the Kurdish region has lost territory and economic autonomy, and voter frustration is rising.

“This is the first time that I’m not voting,” said Ahmed Abdullah, a 68-year-old retiree. “The two parties in power steal and lie, and that’s how they stay in power. I’ve stopped believing anything will change.”


September 30, 2018 - PUK says it will not recongnize results of Kurdish Parliamentary Election
PUK says it will not recognize results of Kurdish parliamentary election | Reuters

The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), one of the dominant Kurdish parties in northern Iraq, said it would not recognize the results of Sunday’s parliamentary election in the region.

The PUK is competing with the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) in the poll, one year after the Kurds’ failed bid for independence from the rest of Iraq.


2018-09-27 - Turkish Air Force launches powerful assault across northern Iraq
Turkish Air Force launches powerful assault across northern Iraq

The Turkish Air Force launched a powerful assault across the northern region of Iraq on Wednesday, the General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces reported this morning.

The Turkish General Staff tweeted that their warplanes destroyed several targets belonging to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in a number of regions in northern Iraq.

In particular, the Turkish General Staff said that their warplanes targeted the Hakurk, Avasin-Basyan, Sinath-Haftanin, Metina and Qandil regions of northern Iraq.

The total number of dead from these airstrikes is unknown and the level of destruction is also unknown.

Since the PKK currently has a large presence in northern Iraq, the Turkish Air Force has been working overtime to target and destroy their bases and trenches.


2018-09-30 - US military builds new base near Syrian Army lines: Kurdish commander
US military builds new base near Syrian Army lines: Kurdish commander

Xelil Şirvan, a commander of a group of Kurdish Peshmerga fighters, told Sputnik that a US military base had been detected near the town of Al-Qa’im in northwest Iraq on the border with Syria.

“According to our data, the United States has set up a new military base in the strategically important region of Al-Qa’im in Anbar province on the Iraqi-Syrian border. Americans are building up [their] military presence in the region, which is why Iraqi government forces have sent more military reinforcements to Al-Qa’im to boost border protection,” he said.

A spokesperson for the Syrian Democratic Forces, a Kurdish-led militant group, detailed that the new base was involved in an operation the SDF fighters launched earlier in the month against the last Daesh* stronghold in Hajin in eastern Syria.

Al-Qa’im, an Iraqi town which lies near the strategic border crossing that links to the Syrian town of Abu Kamal, was retaken in the beginning of November last year; later the Iraqi military announced that it had restored control over the checkpoints on the border with Syria.
 
October, 03, 2018 - Iraq Names New President, Prime Minister
Iraq Names New President, Prime Minister - Tasnim News Agency

Iraq’s parliament on Tuesday elected as president Kurdish politician Barham Salih, who immediately named Adel Abdul Mahdi prime minister-designate, ending months of deadlock after a national election in May.
[URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161'][URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161'][URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161'][URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161'][URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161'][URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161'][URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161'][URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161'][URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161'][URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161'][URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161'][URL='https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2018/10/03/1843161/iraq-names-new-president-prime-minister'][/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL]
[URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161'][URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161'][URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161'][URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161'][URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161'][URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161'][URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161']The presidency, traditionally occupied by a Kurd, is a largely ceremonial position, but the vote for Salih was a key step toward forming a new government, which politicians have failed to do since the election.

[URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161'][URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161'][URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161'][URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161'][URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161'][URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161'][URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161'][URL='https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?t=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency&u=http://tn.ai/1843161']Under Iraq’s constitution, Salih - a 58-year-old, British-educated engineer who has held office in both the Iraqi federal and Kurdish regional governments - had 15 days to invite the nominee of the largest parliamentary bloc to form a government. He chose to do so less than two hours after his election, Reuters reported.[/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL]
[URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161'][URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161'][URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161']
[URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161'][URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161'][URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161'][URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161'][URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161'][URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161'][URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161']A former vice president, oil minister and finance minister, Abdul Mahdi now has 30 days to form a cabinet and present it to parliament for approval.

[URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161'][URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161'][URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161'][URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161'][URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161'][URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161']He faces the daunting tasks of rebuilding much of the country after four years of war with Daesh terrorists and healing its ethnic and sectarian tensions

[URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161'][URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161'][URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161'][URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161'][URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161'][URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161']Abdul Mahdi, 76, is a trained economist who left Iraq in 1969 for exile in France, where he worked for think-tanks and edited magazines in French and Arabic. He is the son of a respected Shiite cleric who was a minister in the era of Iraq’s monarchy, overthrown in 1958.
[URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161'][URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161'][URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161'][URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161'][URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161'][URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161']Abdul Mahdi was nominated by two rival blocs, one led by cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and outgoing Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, and the other by leader of Badr Organization Hadi al-Amiri and former premier Nuri al-Maliki.

[URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161'][URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161'][URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161'][URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161'][URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161'][URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161']“The nomination of Mr Adel Abdul Mahdi came after an agreement between the Binaa bloc and the Islah bloc to nominate him via consensus and not a majority bloc in order to get past the issue of which is the majority bloc,” said Ahmed al-Asadi, a spokesman for the Binaa bloc led by Amiri and Maliki.

[URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161'][URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161'][URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161'][URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161'][URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161'][URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161']Sadr’s bloc welcomed Abdul Mahdi’s nomination. The cleric earlier on Tuesday tweeted that “Iraq is bigger than the biggest bloc,” a likely reference to the compromise.

[URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161'][URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161'][URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161'][URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161'][URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161'][URL='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iraq+Names+New+President%2c+Prime+Minister+-+Tasnim+News+Agency http://tn.ai/1843161']Abadi issued a statement congratulating Abdul Mahdi and wishing him success.
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US-Led Coalition, Iraqi Forces Arrest Members of Key Daesh Facilitation Group

The US-led coalition in Iraq and Iraqi Special Forces have arrested 10 members of a suspected network that provided funds to the Daesh* terrorist group, Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve said in a press release on Thursday.

"Iraqi Special Operations Forces with the assistance of Coalition Forces arrested members of the al-Rawi financial network, a key ISIS [Daesh] financial facilitation group, during operations conducted in Baghdad and Erbil, Iraq, from Oct. 7-9, 2018," the release said. "The Government of Iraq enabled partner forces in both cities to make a total of 10 arrests."

The coalition's Commander Major General Patrick Roberson said the arrests were a "major blow" to the capacity of Daesh to threaten and terrorize civilians.

"This demonstrates that those who assist in, sponsor, or provide financial, material or technological support to ISIS will face severe consequences," he said.

The US-led coalition of more than 70 countries is conducting military operations against the Daesh in Iraq with the cooperation of the Iraqi government.

*Daesh (also known as ISIS/ISIL/IS/Islamic State) is a terrorist organization banned in Russia


PressTV-Iraq sentences Daesh cmdr., plane bomb plotter to death

A court in Iraq has sentenced a Lebanese national to death by hanging over his membership in the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group and involvement in criminal acts in the war-ravaged Arab country.

Al-Rasafah Central Criminal Court in the capital Baghdad issued the verdict against Tarek Khayat this week over his role as a Daesh commander in Iraq.

He was captured in the former Daesh stronghold of Raqqah in northwestern Syria earlier this year.

Under Iraqi law, Khayat has 10 days to appeal against the sentence, which did not include charges related to a plot to blow up an Etihad flight departing Sydney using a bomb concealed in a meat grinder and a Barbie doll.

The Australian Federal Police maintain that the 48-year-old directed his Sydney-based brothers to plant a bomb on the flight to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates in July 2017.

His brothers Khaled and Mahmoud, who are Australian citizens, are in custody over the plane bomb plot. They will face trial in the NSW Supreme Court next year.

The brothers are accused of planting the bomb in the luggage of a fourth brother, Amer Khayat, a Lebanese-Australian dual national.

The attack was foiled when Etihad check-in staff told Amer his bags were overweight.

Lebanese authorities arrested Amer 11 days after he arrived in Beirut, and he has been in custody since then. He has faced several hearings before a military tribunal, which is trying to work out his involvement in the alleged plot.

Tarek moved to Syria with his wife and five children in 2014. He was previously a high-ranking militant commander in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli.

He is wanted by Lebanese authorities for his attempts to set up a Daesh redoubt in the country's north, and for leading his followers in battles against the Lebanese Army in Tripoli in 2014, shortly before he fled to Syria.
 
PressTV-Iraqi security forces unearth another mass grave in Mosul

Iraqi security forces have found a mass grave in the northern province of Nineveh, which contains the bodies of dozens of civilians believed to have been executed by Daesh Takfiri terrorists when they were in control of the area.

Arabic-language Basnews news agency quoted Captain Ali Hassan Marwan, a provincial police official, as saying that police forces made the discovery near the al-Rashidiyah district of the provincial capital city of Mosul, located some 400 kilometers north of the capital
Baghdad. He added that authorities had so far recovered the bodies of 78 people from the grave.

Marwan said that 54 bodies belonged to women, who were apparently kidnapped by Daesh militants during their capture of Mosul back in 2014.

Security forces have handed over the bodies to the forensic department in the city to be identified and returned to their relatives.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who is also the commander-in-chief of Iraqi forces, pledged on June 30 to hunt down Daesh terrorists across Iraq after a series of attacks and abductions carried out by the terrorist group.

“We will chase the remaining cells of terrorism in their hideouts and we will kill them, we will chase them everywhere, in the mountains and the desert,” Abadi said.

Abadi declared the end of military operations against Daesh in the Arab country on December 9, 2017.

On July 10 that year, the Iraqi prime minister formally declared victory over Daesh in Mosul, which served as the terrorists’ main urban stronghold in the conflict-ridden Arab country.

In the run-up to Mosul's liberation, Iraqi army soldiers and volunteer Hashd al-Sha’abi fighters had made sweeping gains against Daesh.

Iraqi forces took control of eastern Mosul in January 2017 after 100 days of fighting, and launched the battle in the west on February 19 last year.

Daesh began a terror campaign in Iraq in 2014, overrunning vast swathes in lightning attacks.
 
Series of Explosions Leave 8 People Dead, 16 Injured in Baghdad - Reports

Eight people were killed, and 16 others suffered injuries in a series of explosions in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, local media reported on Monday, citing a source in local security forces.

According to the Al-Arabiya broadcaster, the attacks were carried out late on Sunday.

One of the explosions took place in the northern part of the city, in the vicinity of the Aden square, while three others hit the eastern area of Baghdad, and another one hit the south of the city.

Last year, a blast of a mine-studded car in the southwest of Iraqi capital, Baghdad, killed 55 people. The Daesh* terrorist group reportedly claimed responsibility for the attack.

*Daesh (also known as ISIS/ISIL/IS) is a terrorist group banned in Russia and many other countries.
 
Iraqi Police Apprehend 9 Daesh Members in Mosul

Iraqi police forces arrested nine Daesh (ISIL or ISIS) militants during security operations in Mosul city, the interior ministry’s spokesman was quoted as saying.

“Forces from Nineveh police apprehended nine members of Daesh, who are wanted on terror charges, in Mosul’s eastern side,” Maj. Gen. Saad Maan told Alghad Press website on Monday.

He added the arrests were made in al-Zahraa, al-Khadraa and al-Dawanem districts in Mosul’s eastern side.

Former Iraqi prime minister Haider al-Abadi announced in July 2017 liberation of the second largest Iraqi city of Mosul from Daesh militants, who had captured it in 2014. More than 25,000 militants were killed throughout the campaign, which started in October 2016.

Baghdad declared the collapse of Daesh in Iraq last November with the recapture of Rawa, a city on Anbar’s western borders with Syria, which was the terror group’s last bastion in the country.


US Planning to Heliborne ISIL from Syria to Iraq

The Arabic-language al-Ma'aloumah news website quoted Ahamd al-Sahrifi, an Iraqi security expert, as disclosing that the US intends to heliborne ISIL terrorists from Syria-Iraq border to regions behind Iraqi forces' positions near border with Syria.

It further said that the US plan to heliborne ISIL to Iraq came after the Iraqi forces deployed at border with Syria and close off any infiltration by terrorists into Iraq.

Al-Sharifi further said that ISIL has not only been supported financially and militarily in the battlefield but also received logistic and diplomatic backup in regional and international arenas.

On Saturday, Iraqi troops, including Hashd al-Sha’abi paramilitary forces, were dispatched to the Syrian frontier as fears grow that ISIL terrorists could repeat the 2014 offensive.

The border build-up came as ISIL elements recently captured some territory from the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a US-backed coalition of mainly Kurdish militants, around the city of Hajin in Syria's Eastern Deir Ezzur Province.

The Iraqi military said that two Iraqi army brigades, each with 3,000 to 5,000 troops, had been dispatched to border areas in a bid to prevent terrorists crossing over.

Hashd al-Sha’abi also announced the deployment of 20,000 fighters “to provide border security after some Syrian villages fell under the control of ISIL.”

Additionally, Lieutenant Colonel Abbas Mohammad, the head of an Iraqi border unit, confirmed beefed-up presence along the Syrian frontier.

"All measures have been taken: we have control towers, observation posts, dirt berms and trenches," he said. "The SDF's retreat will not be a threat to Iraq."

Meanwhile, an AFP video journalist reported that in addition to soldiers, Iraq had sent military vehicles, helicopters and armored cars to the border region.

Iraqi General Qassem al-Mohammadi, who heads counter-terrorism operations in Iraq's western Anbar Province, warned that ISIL militants were just "five or six kilometers away, inside Syria."

ISIL unleashed a campaign of death and destruction in Iraq in 2014, overrunning vast swathes in lightning attacks. Iraqi army soldiers and allied fighters then launched operations to eliminate the terror outfit and retake lost territory.

Iraq declared the end of the anti-ISIL campaign last December, but the group’s remnants still keep staging sporadic attacks.


Over 200 Mass Graves Discovered in Iraq - UN Report

Over 200 mass graves containing the remains of thousands of people have been discovered in Iraq on territories previously controlled by Daesh, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said in a report released on Tuesday.

"The UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) and the UN Human Rights Office have documented the existence of 202 mass grave sites in the governorates of Ninewa, Kirkuk, Salah al-Din and Anbar in the northern and western parts of the country – but there may be many more. While it is difficult to determine the total number of people in these graves, the smallest site, in west Mosul, contained eight bodies while the biggest is believed to be the Khasfa sinkhole south of Mosul which may contain thousands," the report read.

According to the OHCHR, these graves may potentially contain "critical forensic material" that could be used to identify victims and shed light on the scale of crimes committed by the jihadists.

"Meaningful truth and justice require the appropriate preservation, excavation and exhumation of mass grave sites and the identification of the remains of the many victims and their return to the families," the report added.

The authors of the report said that families of these victims have the rights to know what happened to their loved ones, as many of them could have been killed in ways that may amount to war crimes, crimes against humanity, and possible genocide.

Iraq has long been suffering from activities of various terrorist groups. In 2014, vast territories of the Middle Eastern state were occupied by Daesh*. The Iraqi army has successfully fought back against the terrorist group over the past year. In December, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi declared an end to the country's fight against Daesh as Iraqi troops re-established complete control over the country's Syrian border.

*Daesh (also known as ISIS/ISIL/IS) is a terrorist group banned in Russia and many other countries.
 
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