SoGrateful

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s parliament voted to sack its defense minister on Thursday, leaving two of the country’s key security posts empty ahead of an offensive for Mosul, the biggest fight yet against Islamic State militants. Lawmakers voted 142 to 102 to withdraw confidence from Khaled al-Obeidi amid accusations of corruption. It follows the resignation of Iraq's interior minister in July after a devastating bomb attack in Baghdad. Iraqi forces are slowly isolating the northern city of Mosul, the Islamic State’s de facto capital in Iraq, with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Thursday announcing the recapture of the town of Qayyarah, 37 miles south of the city. With military plans already drawn up, Iraqi officials said they expected Obeidi’s removal to have limited practical impact on the impending fight. However, the sacking highlights Baghdad’s deep political instability as the country’s armed forces try to purge the group from its remaining strongholds. Abadi has been flailing in his attempts to address entrenched graft and overspending, the main grievances of demonstrators who have been holding large street protests against his government. Trying to stay on the right side of corruption allegations, politicians have been trading accusations in recent months, arriving at parliament with large files allegedly documenting corrupt activity of rivals. Obeidi was called before parliament earlier this month to answer questions about weapons contracts. During that session, he leveled accusations against several other politicians, drawing public praise for crusading against corruption. On Thursday, Obeidi claimed that he was voted out because of the allegations he made. He denies corruption. “The voice of the corrupt people was louder than my voice,” Obeidi said in a statement. It is the first time Iraq’s parliament has withdrawn confidence from a minister since the current political system was created after the U.S.-led 2003 invasion. Bashar al-Kiki, head of the provincial council of Nineveh, of which Mosul is the capital, said he did not expect the ouster to have a significant impact on the offensive there. However, he said, the vote of no confidence should have been delayed until afterward. Obeidi, who is from Mosul, had the confidence of the people, Kiki said. “He is a son of the city,” he said. “It’s better to have him than not.” Abadi has pledged to recapture Mosul before the end of the year. The offensive could displace more than a million people, according to the United Nations. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/iraqi-parliament-ousts-defense-minister-as-mosul-operation-looms/2016/08/25/99c2d74e-6ad0-11e6-91cb-ecb5418830e9_story.html

Awesome news!

Well....this stinks.

I'm kind of in shock that Obama said Russia deserves it - way to partner up buddy. And then the next breath say they need to be more buddy-buddy with us. Russia: Um...you just punched me in the face internationally saying we deserved it bro, why should I be your BFF now? Unreal.

Http://cnnmon.ie/1MTo8t1 Tons of Iraqi oil is finding a home in America. The U.S. more than doubled its imports of oil from Iraq between August and September, according to a Platts analysis of U.S. Energy Information Administration statistics. The dramatic increase in Iraqi oil imports is only adding to the already-massive supply glut that has pushed down oil prices. Crude oil prices sank to a four-month low of $40.06 a barrel this week and they're down 12% in November alone. ISIS jitters fail to lift oil The increase in Iraqi oil imports comes at a time of heightened concerns about security in the volatile Middle East region. France, U.S. and Russia have stepped up airstrikes in Syria aimed at destroying ISIS following the terrorist group's attacks in Paris last week. Typically, such events spark fears of supply disruptions and send oil prices soaring. But this time, that didn't happen. The reality is that there's actually too much Middle Eastern oil to worry about supply disruptions. "There is just a global glut out there," said Luciano Battistini, managing editor at Platts. It's one of the reasons why global stock markets aren't freaking out. In fact, CNN Money's Fear and Greed index is firmly in "neutral" territory after flashing fear just two months ago. Get ready for more Iraqi oil Iraq has really stepped up its oil production this year despite its own battles with ISIS and cheap prices. "Vigorous production" from OPEC countries like Iraq has created a "massive cushion" of 3 billion barrels of oil around the world, the International Energy Agency said. OPEC crude production is expected to jump by nearly 1 million barrels per day this year, thanks in large part to increases in Iraq. Platts expects more of that resurgent Iraqi oil output to make its way to the U.S. It's way cheaper to refine oil in the Gulf The shift is being driven by the simple fact that it's cheaper for oil producers to have certain blends of oil refined in the Gulf Coast than in Europe. "The Gulf Coast offers the best economics. It's the place where if you want to make money, you send your crude to," said Battistini. The U.S. imported 521,000 barrels of Iraqi oil per day during the final week of October. That was up from zero during several weeks in August. Overall though, it's worth noting that America still imports more oil from non-Iraqi sources. During the last week of October, the U.S. imported nearly 900,000 barrels per day from Saudi Arabia and almost 3 million from Canada.

I didn't even know I was neg'd! Sorry for being upbeat y'all Go RV!

SO many words! What does it all mean? Who cares! They PASSED SOMETHING!!! Finally! We know they can do it now...go HCL!

It just goes to show the intellect/mentality level of these fools.

Just saw this on NBC News.com - I'm not hating on our President...I work for the government. What bothers me is we left so much equipment over there...we leave...and now everything is being used against us. I'm beginning to think this was all plotted to happen. "Iraq's security forces lost around 2,300 Humvees to ISIS when they retreated from Mosul last year, according to the country's prime minister. The United States has supplied Iraq with hundreds of millions of dollars in military hardware, including Humvees, and Defense Secretary Ash Carter recently claimed the country's forces "just showed no will to fight" against ISIS. Humvees — or high mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicle (HMMWV)— vary in price greatly depending on the specific hardware with which they are fitted. However, the State Department last year approved the potential sale to Iraq of 1,000 Humvees with increased armor, machine-guns, and grenade launchers for an estimated $579 million, according to a report by AFP. http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/isis-terror/iraqi-prime-minister-haider-al-abadi-says-his-forces-lost-n367596

Sadly, as much as we all want the RV to happen yesterday and being invested for so long....this is a major problem that we need to take care of. Lots of lives lost and now our boys are gearing up to go fight them in their territory to keep them from infesting ours...I can say this because mine is getting ready to leave soon. The RV is not a 'dream'...it's a reality. It WILL happen. Obviously not on our time. Need to clean up this mess before they put a value on their currency in my opinion. If they do it now, more lives will be lost.

This is great news! Any news about the HCL moving forward is great news! They seem to be getting all their ducks in a row...quack...(Aflak...)

From what I've read and heard we have the medication to cure this...they just killed everyone over there that can provide it, or ran them off. Now, something that would kill back in the old days due to no medicine is back. Duh.

This is so confusing!

Agree - seems they are doing all the post work up-front prior to pulling the trigger.

Is it bad for the Dinar? If they RV will it go back up??