Abadi of US Defense Secretary: We are in the decisive moments to liberate our cities, it is necessary to continue support for Iraq

[The Englishman]

WORLD NEWS | Mon Feb 20, 2017 | 8:47am GMT

Trump's defense chief, in Iraq, says: We're not here for your oil

 

FILE PHOTO: U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis addresses a news conference during a NATO defence ministers meeting at the Alliance headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, February 16, 2017. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir/File Photo

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By Phil Stewart | BAGHDAD

The U.S. military is not in Iraq "to seize anybody's oil", Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said, distancing himself from remarks by President Donald Trump before arriving on an unannounced visit to Baghdad on Monday.

Mattis, on his first trip to Iraq as Pentagon chief, is hoping to get a first-hand assessment of the war effort as U.S.-backed Iraqi forces launch a new push to evict Islamic State militants from their remaining stronghold in the city of Mosul.

But he is likely to face questions about Trump's remarks and actions, including a temporary ban on travel to the United States and for saying America should have seized Iraq's oil after toppling Saddam Hussein in 2003.

Trump told CIA staff in a January speech: "We should have kept the oil. But okay. Maybe you'll have another chance."

Mattis, however, flatly ruled out any such intent. "We're not in Iraq to seize anybody's oil," he told reporters travelling with him.

Mattis's remarks are the latest example of his policy differences with Trump. Trump has acknowledged that Mattis did not agree with him about the usefulness of torture as an interrogation tactic but, in a sign of Mattis' influence, said he would defer the matter to his defense secretary.

Mattis has also taken a dimmer view of Russia and President Vladimir Putin than Trump, saying Moscow sought to break the NATO alliance. On Sunday, Mattis distanced himself from Trump's labelling of the media as "the enemy of the American people," saying he had no problems with the press.

A retired Marine general who previously led American troops in Iraq, Mattis has also sought an exemption from Trump's travel ban for Iraqis who served with U.S. troops, including translators.

He said he had not seen a new executive order which the administration is considering. "But I right now am assured that we will take steps to allow those who have fought alongside us, for example, to be allowed into the United States," Mattis said.

 

MOSUL CAMPAIGN

Mattis, a retired Marine general wary of Iranian influence in Iraq, is finalising plans at Trump's request to accelerate the defeat of the militant group and is expected to meet senior U.S. and Iraqi officials in Iraq.

The visit comes a day after Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced the start of the ground offensive on western Mosul, where Islamic State militants are essentially under siege, along with an estimated 650,000 civilians.

The insurgents were forced out of the eastern part of the city last month in the first phase of the offensive after 100 days of fighting.

The U.S. commander in Iraq, Army Lieutenant General Stephen Townsend, has said he believes U.S.-backed forces will recapture both of Islamic State's major strongholds - Mosul and the city of Raqqa in Syria - within the next six months.

Mattis said he aimed to get an up-to-date assessment of the war during his visit to Iraq. His strategy review could lead to additional deployment of U.S. forces, beyond the less than 6,000 American troops deployed to both Iraq and Syria today.

The future for U.S. forces in Iraq, and for Iraq's fragmented society, after the common enemy of Islamic State is expelled from Mosul is unclear.

Experts say the Pentagon may also focus on other options, like increasing the number of attack helicopters and air strikes and bringing in more artillery. The military may also seek more authority to make battlefield decisions, allowing commanders to take advantage of opportunities more quickly.

Iran has close ties with the Shi'ite political elite ruling Iraq even as Washington provides critical military support to Iraqi forces battling Islamic State, a hardline Sunni group.

Mattis told the Senate last month that the top U.S. goal in Iraq should be "to ensure that it does not become a rump state of the regime in Tehran".

With the capture of Mosul in sight, a power struggle appears to be taking root between Iraq's Shi'ite leaders. Influential cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, who is openly hostile to Washington's policies in the Middle East, has begun mobilizing supporters ahead of parliamentary and provincial elections.

His main rival is former prime minister Nuri al-Maliki, a pro-Iranian politician re-emerging as a possible kingmaker or even for a return to the premiership itself.

 

(Editing by Alison Williams and Dominic Evans)

[jeepguy]

BUT  !  we are here too exchange the tons of dinar  , that  has turned up in Washington about  2 months ago ! 

[yota691]

US Defense Secretary Praises professionally Iraqi army in the liberation of the cities

History of edits:: 20/2/2017 15:29 • 3 visits readable

{Baghdad} Euphrates News praised US Secretary of Defense James Mattis professionalism of the Iraqi army in the liberation of the cities.

And gave US Secretary of Defense , according to a statement of the Ministry of Defense and the Euphrates News Agency {} received a copy of it today , "Congratulations to the Iraqi counterpart , the victories achieved." 
He praised the "professional Iraqi army , which is locked in fierce battles for the Liberation of cities inhabited." 
And reached US Defense Secretary James Mattis , to Baghdad on Monday morning for a visit is Malnh.anthy

[yota691]

Abadi of US Defense Secretary: We are in the decisive moments to liberate our cities, it is necessary to continue support for Iraq   BAGHDAD / tomorrow Press: 
Search the Prime Minister, the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, Haider al - Abadi, on Monday, with US Secretary of Defense, James Metis, search to strengthen relations between the two countries in the military and security fields , and the battle to liberate the coast right, as Abadi said that Iraq is in moments crucial for the Liberation of cities, new US Defence Secretary his full support for Iraq in the war on terrorism. 
A statement by the Office of Abadi, "tomorrow Press" received a copy of it, that " the Prime Minister Haider al - Abadi, received in his office today , US Defense Secretary, James Metis, and his accompanying delegation, and discussed the strengthening of relations between the two countries in the military and security fields and the war on Daesh The battle to liberate the right coast of the conductor. " 
He stressed Abadi , according to the statement " the importance of international support for Iraq in its war against terrorism , " pointing to " the absence of any foreign troops fighting on Iraqi soil , and there are only advisers and that Iraqi troops are fighting and achieve victories." 
Abadi said on "Iraq 's ability to defeat Daesh We at crucial moments to liberate our cities , it is necessary to continue support for Iraq." 
For his part , new US Secretary of Defense , "his full support for Iraq in its war against terrorism and in other areas," adding that "his visit to Iraq is to support and emphasize the continuation of the relationship and support for Iraq after Daesh." 
He praised the defense minister to "evolution and the great progress of the Iraqi army during the past two years and enjoys a very good reputation at home and abroad and there are tournaments and defend the civilians , the Iraqi army was not reflected in the global media."

[umbertino]

James Mattis made an unannounced visit to Baghdad Monday, announcing a shift away from an idea proposed by Trump in the administration’s travel ban

Associated Press in Baghdad

Monday 20 February 2017 15.31 GMT

James Mattis arrives in the Iraqi capital Baghdad on Monday.

Photograph: Thomas Watkins/AFP/Getty Images

 

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/feb/20/james-mattis-surprise-iraq-visit-oil-defense-secretary

[chinadawg]

KEEP the oil.......we more interested in your currency.

[Officiallytook]

Hmm..

"A shift away from an idea proposed by Trump in the administration's travel ban"

 

Only for them...or only for Iraqi's 

[tigergorzow]

We still have long battle against ISIS: Mattis

February 20 2017 06:39 PM

Mattis meets Abadi

US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on Monday announced that American troops will stay in Iraq to assist Iraqi army.
 

Mattis, who arrived in Baghdad Monday in an unannounced visit said:"We are planning Raqqah battle against ISIS terror group.", asserting that the battle against ISIS is still long.
 

Iraqi army has good capabilities, he added.
 

 Mr. Mattis told reporters travelling with him that Americans were accustomed to paying for their fuel.
 

US troops are in the vanguard of the forces mobilized for the battle to take the western Mosul from ISIS.

The battle started on Sunday.

http://www.thebaghdadpost.com/en/story/6273/We-still-have-long-battle-against-ISIS-Mattis

[climber7]

7 hours ago, jeepguy said:

BUT  !  we are here too exchange the tons of dinar  , that  has turned up in Washington about  2 months ago ! 

 

I missed that somehow--how much turned up in DC and could you shoot me the article to read please? 

Thanks! 

[pricestar8]

US Secretary of Defense James Mattis. AP file photo

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – US Secretary of Defense James Mattis arrived in Baghdad on Monday on an unannounced visit, reportedly meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and a number of officials to reaffirm his country's military assistance to Iraq in the fight against ISIS.
 
Mattis' visit to Baghdad comes on the second day of the Iraqi army's resumption of a military offensive to reclaim western Mosul from ISIS.
 
Before he arrived in Baghdad, Mattis said his country was not here to seize Iraqi oil. US President Donald Trump said during elections campaigns that America should have taken Iraq’s oil after 2003 and, had they done so, it would have prevented the emergence of ISIS.
 
It has remained unknown whether or not Mattis will visit the Kurdistan Region.
 
Kurdish President Masoud Barzani and Mattis held an hour-long meeting on the sidelines of the 53rd Munich Security Conference in the German Bavarian capital on Friday. This was the first such meeting between top Kurdish and US officials since the new administration took office in the White House.   
 
Mattis has previously served in Iraq; he most notably led the US Marines into battle in the Iraqi city of Falluja in April 2004.

 

- See more at: http://www.rudaw.net/mobile/english/middleeast/iraq/200220171#sthash.1TpaFyzq.dpuf

[tigergorzow]

US Defence Secretary Reassures US Presence In Iraq

 20 February 2017

 

 

BAGHDAD — US Defence Secretary, Jim Mattis said on Monday he believes that the US Army will continue to be present in Iraq and will be part of the ongoing fight against the Islamic State (IS) despite some past disagreements between the two countries.

The US official spoke to the press after his meetings with military commanders and Iraqi political leaders in the capital city of Baghdad on Monday. Mattis reassured that he is ready for any requests from his military commanders to aid and provide any support to the Iraqi forces in the fight against the IS extremists.

According to the EuroNews, the US Defence Secretary further said that despite the tensions in regards to the threats made by the President of the US Donald Trump about the Iraqi oil there is a strong partnership between the US and Iraq and that their presence in the country is not related to the Iraqi oil deals.

"I imagine we'll be in this fight for a while and we'll stand by each other," Mattis said.

A number of senior US military officers said the same day that the offensive in the heavily populated western Mosul will require much more precision airstrikes and better military equipment including weaponry.

The US officials have further discussed the need of expending the efforts to train, advise and enable local Iraqi forces and increase the intelligence and surveillance in the region.

At the moment there are more than 5,100 US military personnel in Iraq cooperating with the Iraqi forces as part of the operation against the IS.

http://www.basnews.com/index.php/en/news/iraq/331693

[SnowGlobe7]

Mr Mad Dog Mattis is smart enough to know that kicking Daesh out of Mosul is not the end of them. They are already scattering across the middle east and the world. They will cause carnage wherever they are until they are eliminated from this Earth...and he is they guy to to it!!!!

Edited February 21, 2017 by SnowGlobe7

[SnowGlobe7]

[sandfly]

Thanks 

[tigergorzow]

Shiite parties perplexed after US defense secretary's visit to Baghdad

February 21 2017 10:08 AM

US Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis

 

The armed wings of the Shiite parties in Baghdad and the central and southern Iraqi governorates have been engulfed with a state of perplexity in the wake of US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis' visit to Baghdad on Monday, sources told Baghdad Post.

The Shiite parties are not certain about the situation of Iraq regarding the Iran-run Shiitte parties in Iraq.

The sources told Baghdad Post that Mattis' visit to Baghdad might aim at halting the Iranian funds to violence and armed groups in Iraq.

Mattis' visit to Iraq, the first of its kind by a senior Trump administration official, worked on Monday to repair breaches of trust with Iraq’s leaders as the two sides began a major offensive to oust the Islamic State from its last stronghold in the country.

Before arriving in Baghdad, Mattis was asked by reporters about US President Donald Trump’s remarks during a visit to C.I.A. headquarters last month that the United States should have “kept” Iraq’s oil after the American-led invasion, and might still have a chance to do so.

“We’re not in Iraq to seize anybody’s oil,” Mattis said during a stop in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates.

His remarks came as Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, the commander of the United States’ war effort in Iraq, said that American trainers and advisers had moved closer to the front lines of Mosul, where the fight to retake the western half of the city from the Islamic State started over the weekend.

http://www.thebaghdadpost.com/en/story/6285/Shiite-parties-perplexed-after-US-defense-secretary-s-visit-to-Baghdad

[tigergorzow]

Here’s how General Mattis could solve the problem of Isis in Iraq and Syria

February 21 2017 09:27 PM

 

 

Lina Khatib

As the 30-day deadline looms for US Defense Secretary James Mattis to design a strategy to defeat Isis, speculations have begun to emerge about the likely components of this strategy, Lina Khatib wrote in an article published on "The Independent". 

Mattis’s trip to Iraq has come to underline the importance of military cooperation between the American and Iraqi governments in the fight against extremist groups. This cooperation is already taking place as American military advisors are reportedly assisting Iraqi forces in the battle to retake Mosul from Isis.

Mattis’s strategy is anticipated to increase the scope of this cooperation, though it is not yet clear if this means sending more US troops to Iraq. But while increasing US support for the Iraqi government in its fight against Isis is important and necessary, it is not sufficient. For Mattis’s strategy to offer something more effective than what the United States had done during the Obama administration, it needs to go beyond military matters, and be based on long-term thinking.

While the liberation of Iraqi territories from Isis appears to be successful militarily, it has masked some long-term problems in Iraq that need to be addressed in order to prevent Isis or groups like it from re-emerging in the future because of enduring grievances. Some of these problems include the matter of who would hold liberated territories after Isis, particularly as the Sunni community in Iraq faces internal divisions.

As such, it is not just sectarian fractures that mar Iraq’s social and political landscape—although the war on Isis has managed to unite many across sects and religions—but also intra-sectarian political clashes. Any anti-Isis strategy with viable outcomes must address the political dimension of the day after.

A similar situation exists in Syria. Again, it is not yet known if Mattis will favour sending US troops to Syria to liberate areas from Isis, but the question of who would hold Raqqa post-Isis is crucial because regardless of US involvement, it will not be American troops who will perform this role.

Kurdish groups have been fighting Isis in northern Syria and are pitted as loyal military allies by the United States. However, considering that there have already been clashes between some of those groups belonging to the YPG and Arabs, ethnic tension will be a real potential problem were the predominantly Kurdish Syria Defense Forces to be deployed to take over Raqqa from Isis. Some Arab Raqqa residents have reportedly said that they would prefer to stay under Isis rule than have their areas be controlled by Kurds.

Another key issue is foreign fighters. A forthcoming Chatham House report assessing Western policy towards Syria over the past six years highlights the importance of having a strategy regarding the thousands of foreign fighters with Isis and other groups if extremist groups are to be defeated. This requires careful coordination with the 80 plus countries of origin of those foreign fighters on extradition as well as deradicalisation and reintegration programmes.

Finally there is the issue of local fighters. As the Chatham House report notes, not all Syrian or Iraqi fighters joined such groups because of their ideology; many joined for political or economic motivations. Addressing those drivers is a key requirement for a comprehensive strategy against Isis, which means that this strategy must address political transition in Syria.

And here comes the matter of potential US cooperation with the Bashar al-Assad regime, which is trying to present itself as an anti-extremist champion. As this regime itself facilitated the creation of extremist groups in Syria to discredit the 2011 uprising, can it really be trusted to never repeat that tactic in the future?

http://www.thebaghdadpost.com/en/story/6333/Here-s-how-General-Mattis-could-solve-the-problem-of-Isis-in-Iraq-and-Syria#author_66

[Wiljor]

Iraq, February 21, 2017 

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Monday the United States does not intend to seize Iraqi oil, shifting away from an idea proposed by President Donald Trump that has rattled Iraq's leaders.

Mattis' arrived on an unannounced visit in Iraq as the battle to oust Islamic State militants from western Mosul moved into its second day, and as the Pentagon considers ways to accelerate the campaign against IS in Iraq and Syria.

Those efforts could be complicated by Trump's oil threat and his inclusion of Iraq in the administration's travel ban — twin blows that have roiled the nation and spurred local lawmakers to pressure Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to reduce cooperation with Washington.

'I think all of us here in this room, all of us in America have generally paid for our gas and oil all along, and I'm sure that we will continue to do that in the future,' Mattis told reporters traveling with him. 'We're not in Iraq to seize anybody's oil.'

His comments may provide some reassurance to the Iraqis. But the tensions come at a critical point in the war against IS, with two key battles in the works: the fight to take control of west Mosul, and the start of a campaign in Syria to oust IS from Raqqa, the capital of its self-declared caliphate.

Al-Abadi has taken a measured approach, but the issues can roil already difficult internal politics.

Under the president's deadline, Mattis has just a week to send Trump a strategy to accelerate the fight and defeat the Islamic State group. And any plan is likely to depend on U.S. and coalition troops working with and through the local forces in both countries.

'We're going to make certain that we've got good situational awareness of what we face as we work together and fight alongside each other,' Mattis said.

His key goal during the visit is to speak about the military operations with political leaders and commanders on the ground, including his top commander in Iraq, Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend.

Asked about the tensions, Mattis said he has been assured that the travel ban — it has been stalled by a legal challenge — would not affect Iraqis who have fought alongside U.S. forces.

The oil issue, however, may be more difficult. Trump brought it up during the campaign, and he mentioned it again late last month during a visit to the CIA.

'To the victor belong the spoils,' Trump told members of the intelligence community. He said he first argued this case for 'economic reasons,' but added it made sense as a counterterrorism approach to defeating IS 'because that's where they made their money in the first place.'

'So we should have kept the oil,' he said. 'But, OK, maybe you'll have another chance.'

Trump, however, has also been clear that defeating IS is a top priority. In his inauguration address, he pledged to eradicate radical Islamic terrorism 'completely from the face of the Earth.' And he talked during the campaign about greatly increasing the number of U.S. troops in order to 'knock out' IS.

He signed an order Jan. 28 that gives Mattis and senior military leaders 30 days to come up with a new plan to beef up the fight.

Mattis would not discuss specifics, saying he wants to gather information first. But he has been talking with military leaders about the possible options, and has largely supported the U.S. strategy of fighting IS with and through local forces.

The military options range from putting more troops in Iraq and Syria to boosting military aid to Kurdish fighters backed by the U.S.-led coalition.

More specifically, officials have talked about expanding efforts to train, advise and enable local Iraqi and Syrian forces, increasing intelligence and surveillance, and allowing U.S. troops to move forward more frequently with Iraqi soldiers nearer the front lines.

The Pentagon also would like more freedom to make daily decisions about how it fights the enemy. Former and current U.S. officials discussed the likely options on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to talk publicly.

In Syria, a possible option would be sending more U.S. forces, including combat troops, there as the Raqqa fight heats up.

Another move would be to provide heavy weapons and vehicles to the U.S.-backed Syrian Kurds, known as the YPG, and boost training. They have been the most effective force against IS in northern and eastern Syria, but the proposal is sensitive. Turkey, a key U.S. and NATO ally, considers the group a terrorist organization.

There are more than 5,100 U.S. forces in Iraq, and up to about 500 in Syria.

 

pennenergy

http://iraqdailyjournal.com/story-z14829355

[USMCVET]

On ‎2‎/‎20‎/‎2017 at 3:06 AM, The Englishman said:

he believes U.S.-backed forces will recapture both of Islamic State's major strongholds - Mosul and the city of Raqqa in Syria - within the next six months.

Give or take a few...

[MyLadiesDaddy]

On 2/20/2017 at 10:31 AM, tigergorzow said:

We still have long battle against ISIS: Mattis

 

February 20 2017 06:39 PM

Mattis meets Abadi

US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on Monday announced that American troops will stay in Iraq to assist Iraqi army.
 

Mattis, who arrived in Baghdad Monday in an unannounced visit said:"We are planning Raqqah battle against ISIS terror group.", asserting that the battle against ISIS is still long.
 

Iraqi army has good capabilities, he added.
 

 Mr. Mattis told reporters travelling with him that Americans were accustomed to paying for their fuel.
 

US troops are in the vanguard of the forces mobilized for the battle to take the western Mosul from ISIS.

The battle started on Sunday.

http://www.thebaghdadpost.com/en/story/6273/We-still-have-long-battle-against-ISIS-Mattis

First everyone should take notice of the pic. They sure look extremely happy. 

Second, if anyone thinks that once we're done with ISIS in Iraq that is the end is fooling themselves. President Trump has already stated that we want our bases back and that He would search out ISIS anywhere in the world. Right now I would say that it sucks to be Iran or Syria.