Trump sends the largest of his advisers in his first mission to Mosul

[1lucdog]

Trump sending his Son in Law to Iraq?

Keylime has an interesting post as well in another area check it out.....

Keylime...Thank you for your imput! I have (many years ago) studied the Torah ( Bible) codes and know many of it's researchers ...I had one of the first cd's so that I could do my own searches ...I can say this ... it is real, It is easy to watch a subject unfold clue by clue with it and of course without following the now fairly well established parameters easy to see anything...You however have (it sounds) done a good job of following those parameters and it sound like you have a tight group with intersections etc. exciting indeed!

Let see: God says in the Bible:

1 The wealth of the "wicked" is stored up for the "righteous"

2 Kim Clement His prophet has spoken ...(and others)

3 The Bible codes have recorded history in advance... and appear to have spoken as well....

Stay packed and ready ... and yes, patient my friends! VIP & OSI Rock.

There is a Great Book on Amazon called "In Search of a Quantum God"...In Chapter 8 it speaks of this phenomena, the Bible Code. It seems that Sir Isaac Newton was convinced it existed and spent more time looking for it than on physics! 

[mylilpony]

He just happens to be there also at the same time that the kurdish delegation is meeting in baghdad.

[jg1]

On 04/03/2017 at 1:59 AM, Hotcurl said:

IMHO this is HUGE news for the DV family;

#1 =  Jared Kushner - A fresh attempt at a Palestine - Jewish peace deal.

#2 = Wilbur Ross - Security of Commerce "reviewing investment requests" - BTW this guy know how to turn around failing businesses and make LOTs of $$$$$.

#3 = Gen Joe Dunford planning the final demise of ISIS in the Middle East.

$4 = POTUS Donald J Trump - This guy holds all the cards and also knows how to make LOTs of $$$$$.

Go RV ..........................

Thanks for laying that out for us. I for one would like to see more of your posts here on DV.

 

[tigergorzow]

Washington Seeks Continued Coordination with Erbil: US Delegation

 

Basnews English

05/04/2017 - 00:05

Kurdistan

 

 

ERBIL — A high-level delegation from the United States on Tuesday met with Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani in Erbil, ensuring the Kurds of continued US supports and stating that Washington is in need of a coordination with Erbil.

According to a press release by Kurdistan Region Presidency, Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, commended Barzani's role in leading the Peshmerga forces and scoring tremendous victories in the anti-Islamic State (IS) efforts.

In response, Barzani thanked the US administration for standing with Kurds and reiterated that close cooperation between Peshmerga and the US forces resulted in significant victories over terrorists "without targeting even one single civilian location", according to the press release.

Barzani also highlighted the culture of coexistence in Kurdistan Region and pointed out that this culture has given Kurdistan a privilege to overcome the threat of terrorism.

Following the meeting, Chancellor of Kurdistan Region Security Council, Masrour Barzani described the meeting as "productive". He posted on his official twitter account that the anti IS efforts and "plans for the day after" were discussed with the US delegation.

http://www.basnews.com/index.php/en/news/kurdistan/340900

[yota691]

Trump sends the largest of his advisers in his first mission to Mosul

By SD SD -

April 6, 2017

 

Treasures Media

After days on arrival to the capital of Baghdad, he visited Jared Kushner senior US President Donald Trump's advisers and his brother in law, a military base near the city of Mosul, accompanied by Chairman of the US Chiefs of Staff Joseph Dunford delegation facilities for them, to assess the progress of liberation battles and communicate with existing on the ground by US forces, in what was considered refractory Trump edit Mosul organized criminal Daesh a victory for the world.

According to media sources, that "Jared Kushner visited with Gen. Joseph Dunford base of an Iraqi in the bathroom of the sick area lies only 16 kilometers from Mosul, where allowed this visit to obtain firsthand information on the progress of operations of US military commanders", indicating at the same time that " Kouchner wants Iraq to see for himself and to support the Iraqi government appears. "

The Radio "Free Europe" site in the news about Kouchner as saying during his visit to Mosul that "Iraqis will achieve victory in the near future is not only a victory for Iraqi forces, but a victory for all the world."

The trip comes Kouchner, who has not visited Iraq before, while Trump is considering ways in which the escalation of the coalition that the US-led campaign.

While US and Iraqi officials say it is largely successful so far in efforts to eradicate Daesh from Iraq and Syria.

For his part, General Dunford said he was called on Kouchner and Homeland Security adviser in the White House Thomas Bosart to accompany him, to hear "themselves without any modification" of military advisers on the situation on the ground and communicate with US forces.

On the other hand, he confirmed the statement of the Office of the Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said, "the last received Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Joseph Dunford and the accompanying delegation, which included both the commander of the international coalition forces in Iraq and Syria, General Stephen Taunznd and Senior Advisor to US President Jared Kushner and Senior Advisor to the Advisor to the US National Security Tom Bosart US ambassador in Baghdad, where the two sides discussed during the meeting of the battle of Mosul and the support of the international coalition for Iraq, training and arming Iraqi forces as well as the displaced file. "

The statement added that "the delegation expressed its support for the government in its war against terrorism." He expressed "admiration for the development of the combat capabilities of the Iraqi forces, which achieved victories on Daesh."

It should be noted that Kouchner is the first and the highest official in the Trump administration to visit Iraq since the assumption of President Donald Trump presidency of the United States.

And Kouchner, 36, has considerable influence on the internal and external policies of the new administration, which was the main mediator between Trump and foreign governments during the election campaign in 2016.

It is noteworthy that the United States is leading an international military alliance against the organization "Daesh" in Iraq and Syria, which launched air strikes Iraqi forces underpinned by trying to defeat the terrorists in Mosul.

[tigergorzow]

US to establish new military bases in Iraq

April 06 2017 03:06 PM

US delegation to Iraq

The US delegation who had recently visited Baghdad focused on the future of the American forces in Iraq and the means to confront the Iranian intervention in the Middle East, according to a well informed source.
 

The source also asserted that the delegation expressed its willingness to establish US permanent bases in Iraq.
 

The US administration wants to decrease the Iranian influence in Iraq by increasing its presence in the country.
 

The source pointed that Washington is deeply concerned about the Iranian-backed militias (IMIS) influence in Iraq.
 

The delegation also stressed that the US will keep the existing five bases, pointing that the current number of US troops in Iraq is now 22,000 soldiers, trainers and consultants and predicted that this number could increase up to 40,000 troops.

http://www.thebaghdadpost.com/en/story/9038/US-to-establish-new-military-bases-in-Iraq

[Dreamer85]

The United States Will Need a “Diplomatic Surge” in Iraq

By Paul Salem, Randa Slim

 Monday, April 10, 2017, 12:33 PM

https://www.lawfareblog.com/united-states-will-need-diplomatic-surge-iraq

The United States has played a leading role in fighting the Islamic State, but now it must prepare for the fights that will take place at negotiating tables and reconciliation conferences. Iraqis recognize that the coming months will be difficult. In a recent visit to Iraq,our interlocutors from various political stripes emphasized the enormity of the challenges facing the country after the expected expulsion of the Islamic State from Mosul. If we are not to make the same mistake of winning the war and again losing the peace, the Trump administration should look beyond the focus on the current battle and develop a layered and sustainable strategy to help Iraq move toward stability. While this strategy will include military and aid components, it will need to have a strong political and diplomatic component. War, including civil war, is the continuation of politics by other means. If Iraq does not get its politics in order, the country’s political struggles will continue to play out in other violent ways that Iraqis have come to know too well, and the specter of more sectarian conflict, radicalization, and terrorism will persist.

First, to be sure, a defeat of the Islamic State in Mosul will not be the end of the kinetic battle against the terrorist organization in Iraq. Though 70 percent of Mosul has been liberated, there are still an estimated400,000 people behind Islamic State lines in the city. A fair number of these are families of Islamic State fighters who came to Mosul from Diyala, Anbar, and Tikrit. While Iraqi forces have retaken major cities, Islamic State fighters are still entrenched in about 40 percent of Kirkuk province, including the districts of Hawija, Riyadh, and Rashad, which lie on the western side of the province. They also control Tal Afar, parts of Sinjar province, and in Anbar they hold the cities of Ana, Rawa, and Qaim, all close to the border with Syria. Even if defeated there, they could head for the less accessible hills and deserts of Diyala and Anbar provinces, and as long as they also have havens across the border in Syria—most prominently in Raqqa and Deir Ezzor—they can always return. Still, their defeat in Mosul will mean the end of their experiment in religious rule in Iraq and a great blow to their prestige and appeal.

The ongoing kinetic threats justify maintaining a medium-term U.S. military presence around current troop levels of 5,000-6,000 personnel to maintain support, training, and cooperation with the Iraqi armed forces. This is what the Iraqi government has requested, and the United States should provide this assistance. Indeed, President Trump has himself said “we shouldn’t have gone in; but certainly we shouldn’t have left.”

After the liberation of Mosul, Iraq is likely to face a perfect storm of political contests.

Second, humanitarian and stabilization assistance needs will be enormous and urgent. Helping the Iraqi state meet the dire needs of desperate displaced populations and bringing back people, services, and economic life to Mosul is key to Iraq’s path forward. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson made a valid point when he said that the United States is putting up 75 percent of current coalition military effort, but expects other partners to put up much more of the post-fight support. According to senior Iraqi officials, the price tag for rebuilding areas liberated from the Islamic State is estimated to be approximately $50 billion. Iraq will need Washington’s global and regional leverage to marshal the resources to address urgent post-conflict needs.

The third and most critical challenge is political. After the liberation of Mosul, Iraq is likely to face a perfect storm of political contests. Within the majority Shiite community, competition is heating up before the provincial and parliamentary elections set for 2017 and 2018; these contests will determine the identity of the country’s next prime minister and the distribution of power within the next government.

The intra-Shiite competition is gravely complicated by the rise of the Popular Mobilization Units. According to some of our interlocutors, the future role of the PMUs depends partly on what roles PMU leaders want to play in a post-ISIS Iraq and partly on Iran’s future plans for this force. There are serious concerns about whether the PMUs will serve as a moderating factor in Iraq, especially in intra-Shiite politics, or if they will stand as an obstacle to reconciliation and cross-sectarian accommodation.

High tensions between the Kurds and the Baghdad government have been temporarily put aside in favor of winning the war against the Islamic State, but once the battle for Mosul concludes, the profound political differences between Erbil and Baghdad will return to the fore. This includes the fundamental question of whether the Kurds will want to stay within Iraq or declare independence. According to senior Kurdish officials, the question is about when and how they want to exercise their right to self-determination. But even short of that, there will be bitter differences over Kirkuk and parts of the Nineveh plains and Mosul that the Kurdish Peshmerga helped liberate, and renewed disputes over oil and gas rights and revenues. We are already seeing a preview of these contests in Kirkuk, where the provincial councilvoted on April 4 to hold a referendumregarding the annexation of the city to the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). In our recent visit, it was clear that while military cooperation between the Kurdish Peshmerga and government forces was significant, the level of political trust between Erbil and Baghdad was alarmingly low.

The Arab Sunni community is in the direst straits. Its towns and cities have been doubly devastated by the depredations of the Islamic State and the destruction of the battles to dislodge it. Many Sunnis are now displaced and vulnerable, and the community lacks any coherent political leadership.

U.S. officials should engage with Iraqis to work out what form a future sustainable Iraq will take and to help them put it in place.

The United States cannot afford to walk away. If Iraq fails to find a path toward political stability, the conditions for a resurgence of the Islamic State, or any other terrorist group with a new brand, will remain ripe. U.S. officials should engage with Iraqis to work out what form a future sustainable Iraq will take and to help them put it in place. That will require funding; plans to slash the State Department budget, and with it the staffing of U.S. embassies in Iraq and the region, should be reconsidered. While military cooperation will have to continue, what will be needed is not a military but a diplomatic surge. This does not mean more diplomats, but a greater prioritization of purposeful political and diplomatic engagement.

While the challenges are great, there are a number of factors that indicate a political way forward.

First, the collective and so-far successful fight against the Islamic State has created battlefield cooperation and a sense of common purpose and national achievement among disparate and usually divided groups—most importantly, between the Kurdish Peshmerga and the Baghdad-based Iraqi military. This is positive momentum that can be leveraged.

Second, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi is not his predecessor, Nouri al-Maliki, who alienated many Sunnis and Kurds. Instead, Abadi is a pragmatist and nationalist who understands well the necessity of bringing Iraq’s Arab Sunnis into the new order and finding a negotiated way forward with the Kurds.

Third, the Shia political class—minus Maliki—has grown more pragmatic, realizing that they committed mistakes in their dealings with Sunni compatriots post-2003. Shiite leaders have made two proposals for national reconciliation with their Sunni co-religionists: A "historical settlement" proposal is offered by Ammar al-Hakim, head of the Citizen coalition within the Shiite National Alliance, the largest Shiite bloc, and a contending proposal by the Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, which calls among other things for social reconciliation and integrating the PMUs into the National Forces. Both leaders call for the United Nations to play a convening and mediating role in a national reconciliation process.

Maliki could be a potential spoiler for this nascent amity. He favors greater Iranian involvement in Iraq and is busy trying to put together a majority coalition, including the PMU leadership, to regain the premiership. If he is successful, it will be the end to all ongoing efforts at Sunni-Shiite reconciliation.

Fourth, the Sunni community is also showing signs of pragmatism. Part of this stems from the recognition that they have been most recently abused and displaced not by the Americans or the Shia, but by their own co-religionists. Provincial elections might bring some new leaders to the fore, particularly some of the provincial governors who are at the forefront of delivering services and have been working with the government in Baghdad to rally Sunni participation in the fight against the Islamic State and the reclamation of Sunni towns and cities.

Fifth, the Arab region is showing new willingness to work with Iraq and Prime Minsiter Abadi. In February, Adel al-Jubeir was the first Saudi foreign minister to visit Baghdad since 1990, and King Salman met with Abadi at the recent Arab Summit in Amman. Saudi Arabia has forgiven Iraq’s debts and announced the resumption of Riyadh-Baghdad flights. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has also strongly urged closer cooperation with and support for the Iraqi state.

We should not push the Kurds to stay in Iraq if they are committed to leaving.

The United States has been a key player in helping Iraq defeat the Islamic State. But that defeat will not be complete or sustainable unless it can help Iraq build on its security achievements and create a more viable political future. We should work with the Baghdad government to consolidate its victories against the Islamic State and to marshal the resources to address immediate humanitarian and stabilization assistance needs. But we should also work with all parties to revive political dialogue toward reaching a common understanding of the way forward.

We should not push the Kurds to stay in Iraq if they are committed to leaving. Their constant hedging has hurt them and their relations with Baghdad for too long. If they are set on independence, that should not be achieved unilaterally but in an orderly and negotiated process with Baghdad; if they want to stay, Baghdad and Erbil have to agree on fair and enforceable arrangements. The United States should convene a trilateral Washington-Baghdad-Erbil dialogue to design and agree on a roadmap to address the contested issues between Baghdad and Erbil—and the terms of an "amicable divorce" if that is what the parties want.

We should find ways to help the Sunni community rebuild and reconstitute itself after the recent wave of devastation. And we should be making the case to our Sunni partners in the region that they should offer post-conflict aid and encourage Iraq’s Sunnis to reintegrate into the Iraqi state. Whether the Sunni reintegration will include federal or just decentralized arrangements can be agreed in political talks.

The upcoming provincial and parliamentary elections could be an opportunity to consolidate a new political order or an occasion for renewed conflict. We should do all we can to build on the momentum of the recent achievements of the war against the Islamic State to help Iraqis come to a common understanding about the way forward.

And for those whose main concern is rolling back Iranian influence in Iraq, the best way to reduce Iranian leverage is to stand up the Iraqi state.

There will need to be clear political leadership from the White House. While President Trump has dispatched Jared Kushner to Iraq, it might require more of the president’s, or vice president’s, direct engagement down the road. The national security team is doing an excellent job in waging the kinetic war against the Islamic State, and their skills will still be needed after the battle for Mosul. But the greatest challenge after the fighting winds down will be moving the political ball forward, and for that, the skill set of U.S. diplomats at the State Department, and Rex Tillerson’s own high-level engagement, will be urgently needed. Generals can win the war, but only diplomats can secure the peace.

[tigergorzow]

Washington sees Iraq as front for Iran pushback

April 12 2017 11:32 PM

Washington sees Iraq as front for Iran pushback

 

 

After the chemical attack in Khan Shaykhun on April 4, followed by the US airstrike on a Syrian air base April 7, tension between Iraq and the United States escalated significantly, Al Monitor reported on Wednesday .
 

The United States has made it very clear to Iraq that it wants its ally in fighting terrorism to distance itself from Iran. During Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's visit to the United States last month, Abadi and US President Donald Trump discussed Iran, Saudi Arabia and IMIS, which indicates that the United States is seeking to bring Baghdad and Riyadh closer and to curb the Iranian role in the region. The visit sparked much controversy in Iraq among Shiite parties .

Moreover, Trump explicitly criticized the Iran nuclear deal in front of Abadi. A few days later, Trump sent his senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner to Iraq to discuss US support to Iraq in the fight against the Islamic State. The visit was read as a sign that the “Trump administration sees Iraq as a place to push back on the growing power of Iran across the region.”

The National Iraqi Alliance said it was not aware of the details and meeting schedule of Abadi with the American administration. Other Shiite political parties expressed discontent with the visit, especially following the statement of Hisham al-Hashimi, an Iraqi security and political expert, in Asharq al-Awsat newspaper. Hashimi said he received information from the Iraqi delegation to Washington that the American discussed with Abadi the danger of ‘believers in the velayat-e faqih [a jab at Iranians] and the need to keep them out of the IMIS ”

During his visit to the United States, Abadi talked about efforts to limit the IMIS role at the political level, and expressed desire for rapprochement with Saudi Arabia, especially following his meeting with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir on the sidelines of the Ministers of the Global Coalition meeting in Washington on March 22 .

Pundits believe that Trump’s meetings with Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on March 14 and with Abadi on March 20 come in the same context of the new Arab inclination toward Iraq, in line with Washington’s policy, seeking to curb Iran’s role in the region .

This is especially true since during the meeting between Trump and Prince Mohammed — who also is Saudi Arabia's defense minister — participants openly touched on the risks of the Iranian influence in the region and that there is no better place than Iraq to start curbing the Iranian role .

Therefore, the US support of Abadi will depend on his effort to reduce Iranian influence in Iraq, and to dissolve or restrict the parts of the Shiite armed factions under the PMU that are affiliated with Iran .

Perhaps Trump’s exceptional reception and welcoming of Abadi amid what was described as positive talks were a message to Shiite leaders in Iraq about Abadi’s leaning toward the United States' clear and declared policy against Iran and the forces loyal to it .

However, Abadi is likely to pay dearly for such a stance, as he would have to face Iran’s allies in Baghdad, namely the IMIS leaders .

We hope that Abadi’s visit to the US will be supportive of the IMIS, as in his supportive stances at previous international forums, IMIS spokesman Ahmed al-Asadi said at a March 22 press conference .

He added, We hope that he [Abadi] would talk through these conferences and visits, about the great role the IMIS has played, as a security institution, especially after passing the law to legalize it ”

Asadi said the IMIS has become an independent military and security institution affiliated with the armed forces and directly linked to the commander in chief of the armed forces. IMIS will play a major role with the rest of the security services to build an integrated security system.

However, Qais al-Khazali, head of the League of the Righteous, another faction under the IMIS, had a stronger message to relay. During his meeting with a group of tribal sheikhs and dignitaries March 23, he said, “The US aims to strengthen its influence in the areas west of Iraq and east of Syria and to start the partition project .”

He warned against what he considered a dangerous conspiracy against the IMIS, saying, We will not allow any attempt to dissolve or undermine the IMIS.

As the dust settles in the war on ISIS and amid the expected liberation of Mosul in the coming weeks, Abadi will have to meet US demands concerning the IMIS and Iran's allies. In this context, he can actually resort to his undeclared ally Muqtada al-Sadr to confront IMIS factions, but Abadi would then be in direct confrontation with Sadr if the US administration wants to keep its soldiers inside Iraqi territory, which the Sadrists consider a red line that cannot be crossed .

In the meantime, Abadi is ready for the battles involved in local elections at the end of this year and the general elections early next year, distancing himself from Maliki without angering Iran. Will he be able to overcome all of these challenges, even with the help of a strong ally like the United States?

http://www.thebaghdadpost.com/en/story/9278/Washington-sees-Iraq-as-front-for-Iran-pushback

[ChuckFinley]

Based on that photo, I guess there is no over wight program in the Iraq Armed Forces.  

[ChuckFinley]

Thanks D85. I thought he was going to ask for a larger Dilplomatic Pouch, for that dinar exchange rate. 

[Dreamer85]

Lol just gimmie my 40 million and I'm out

[ChuckFinley]

3 minutes ago, Dreamer85 said:

Lol just gimmie my 40 million and I'm out

40 million and I am out too.   

[gregp]

Pile!!! You fat body!!!!

[nannab]

That is the first thing you notice and that fat belly makes an easy target.

[TLHUBER]

Things can't be that bad over there.  Maybe, this man is eating more due to the new so called 1000 to 1  Rate inside Iraq.  He is getting more food for his money.

[ChuckFinley]

On April 13, 2017 at 8:57 AM, TLHUBER said:

Things can't be that bad over there.  Maybe, this man is eating more due to the new so called 1000 to 1  Rate inside Iraq.  He is getting more food for his money.

They opened a McDonalds, it in English and he understands only one "Yes" . So when they ask if he wants to SUPER SIZE that, the answer is always YES.