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LurkerToo

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Everything posted by LurkerToo

  1. Official: US-Led Aircraft Flying Over IS-Held Tikrit By VIVIAN SALAMA and QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA Associated Press Mar 24, 2015, 2:23 PM TIKRIT, Iraq — The U.S.-led coalition battling the Islamic State group has begun surveillance flights over the northern Iraqi town of Tikrit, a senior coalition official said Tuesday, marking the first time the alliance has taken part in a major offensive there that is being spearheaded by Iranian-backed Shiite militias. The official said the flights and intelligence sharing began Saturday and were requested by the Iraqi government. He declined to comment on whether the coalition was carrying out airstrikes, saying he cannot discuss current or future operations. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to journalists. Up to now the offensive to take back Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's hometown, has largely has been waged by Iraqi troops and Shiite militias advised by Gen. Qassem Soleimani, commander of the elite Quds Force of Iran's Revolutionary Guard. The coalition official declined to discuss whether U.S. forces were directly communicating with Iranians on the ground there. Both the U.S. and Iran view the Islamic State group as a major threat but insist they are not coordinating their actions. The U.S. had previously said it was not taking part in the Tikrit offensive because it had received no request to do so from Baghdad. The U.S.-led air campaign, launched in August, has allowed Iraqi forces to halt the IS group's advance and claw back some of the territory it seized last summer. But the growing Iranian presence on the ground has complicated the mission, with Washington refusing to work directly with a country it views as a regional menace. The prominent role of the Shiite militias in the fight to retake Tikrit and other parts of Iraq's Sunni heartland has meanwhile raised concerns that the offensive could deepen the country's sectarian divide and drive Sunnis into the arms of the Islamic State group. A senior Iraqi military official said the coalition is not providing airstrikes in support of the Tikrit operation, but launched airstrikes on the nearby oil refinery town of Beiji on Tuesday. He added that Soleimani had just left Tikrit after providing front-line assistance and advising since the start of the operation. "He will come back if we need him to," said the Iraqi official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he's not authorized to brief journalists. Iran has provided military advisers and weapons to Iraqi troops and Shiite militias, and last year it carried out airstrikes near its border in Iraq's Diyala province. The Sunni city of Tikrit lies about 130 kilometers (80 miles) north of Baghdad. It is one of the largest cities held by the Islamic State group and lies on the road connecting Baghdad to militant-held Mosul, the country's second-largest city. U.S. military officials have that said a coordinated mission to retake Mosul likely will begin in April or May and involve up to 25,000 Iraqi troops. But the Americans have cautioned that if the Iraqis are not ready, the offensive could be delayed. The U.S. and other coalition members have been providing weapons and training to Iraqi and Kurdish forces in the north in an effort to prepare them for the battle ahead. The Tikrit operation is the largest to date and requires careful air and ground coordination in order to minimize civilian casualties and damage to the city's infrastructure. Iraqi security forces and allied militias surrounded Tikrit and entered some northern and southern neighborhoods earlier this month. But the offensive has since been hindered by roadside bombs and snipers, and Iraqi officials say they will not rush a final assault. Pentagon spokesman Col. Steve Warren said Tuesday that the Iraqi ground operation against the Islamic State group has "stalled" and that the Tikrit operation "has not moved forward recently." "They certainly have not given up," he added. "I think the difference is, after you've been static for about a week you're stalled." Iraqi forces have made progress in driving the Islamic State group out of rural areas and small villages, but populated areas like Tikrit could prove a greater challenge. "Urban combat is exceedingly difficult combat, and the Iraqis are seeing that," Warren said. http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/official-us-led-force-flying-islamic-state-held-29863091?page=2
  2. It's a sad situation indeed. I Don't wish to offend with the following: Based on past 20+ years experience with posting on message boards, I have to disagree with the need for the picture, but then, that's MHO.
  3. I think it's a wonderful idea. It's brilliant in its simplicity. All united in one common front. On common ground. United against all that dare to oppose them. I would suggest an area some distance from a populated area so as to mitigate any possible collateral damage. Ten deep would be fine. All standing by any and all vehicles they can muster. Or they can all just pack one of the local soccer stadiums. Sure, that would be great. One Common United Front
  4. Can you expound on this, please. You've piqued my curiosity.
  5. http://news.yahoo.co...-105743761.html ______Contributors include Danica Kirka in London; Elaine Ganley in Paris; Karl Ritter in Stockholm; Bouazza ben Bouazza in Tunis, Tunisia; Paul Schemm in Rabat, Morocco; Rod McGuirk in Canberra, Australia; Eileen Sullivan in Washington, and Chris Brummitt in Singapore.
  6. Middle East Iraqi president names Haider al-Abadi new prime minister, defying Maliki BAGHDAD — Iraq’s president on Monday asked a veteran Shiite politician, Haider al-Abadi, to form a new government, setting the stage for a vicious political showdown in a country already struggling to contain an Islamist extremist insurgency. As his already limited political support crumbled, the incumbent prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, dug in for a fight. He argued that the appointment of the 62-year-old Abadi as prime minister-designate was legally invalid. The clash has raised deep concerns at home and abroad about Iraq’s teetering stability. Ominously, Maliki reminded the country in a televised address Monday of his position as head of the armed forces and assured soldiers that the “error” will be rectified. For a second day, blue-and-white armored personnel carriers belonging to security forces that answer directly to Maliki were stationed around the Green Zone. A hulking tank sat at one of the entrances to the secured zone, which houses government buildings. The armed forces remained on high alert, officials said, though Saad Maan, a spokesman for the Baghdad Operations Command, maintained that the deployment was routine. “We are entering a potential clash,” said an Iraqi official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the topic. “On the ground, [there are] tanks and armored vehicles. It’s a very complicated situation with the army.” In a sign of U.S. concern, President Obama on Monday publicly announced his backing for Abadi, saying that his nomination was “a promising step forward.” Both he and Vice President Biden called Abadi to express their support. Abadi now has 30 days to form a government, and during that time Maliki will remain the caretaker prime minister. The U.S. government has said it will significantly expand aid to Iraq in its battle with al-Qaeda-inspired militants only if it forms a government that embraces the country’s different religious and ethnic groups. “The only lasting solution is for Iraqis to come together and form an inclusive government,” Obama told reporters in Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., where he is vacationing. In his eight years as premier, Maliki has consolidated power in his office, ruling in an authoritarian style that has chipped away at his support among minority Sunnis, as well as his fellow Shiites. He is widely blamed for fostering an environment that has allowed Sunni extremists from the Islamic State to seize control of huge chunks of Iraqi territory. But in the face of a chorus of calls for him to leave — from the country’s religious authorities, his political rivals and even members of his own bloc — Maliki has stubbornly refused. Pressure to form a new government has mounted amid fears that Islamist extremists will exploit any vacuum. Maliki maintains, however, that since his bloc won the most seats in parliament in national elections this spring, he should be the one leading the next government. Hours after Iraqi President Fouad Massoum asked Abadi to form a government, the enraged outgoing premier made a televised address lambasting the move and declaring that he personified the governing State of Law coalition. “I am Nouri al-Maliki, and I am the head of State of Law, and I am the head of Dawa [party], and no one has the right to deal under our name without my approval,” he said, in a speech that suggested his desperation. But his State of Law coalition has crumbled, with 38 of its 96 parliamentarians signing a letter to the president declaring their support for Abadi. They were among 127 Shiite politicians who supported Abadi’s bid in the 328-seat parliament. Abadi will probably be able to form a majority with support from Kurdish and Sunni factions, analysts said. Indeed, a late-night show of force Sunday — when Maliki announced that he would sue the president rather than acquiesce to the naming of a new prime minister and deployed security forces to strategic points in the capital — appeared to have galvanized efforts to oust him. “It has backfired and was unwise,” said Hoshyar Zebari, a Kurd who served as foreign minister in the Maliki government. “We have passed the stage of military coups and taking power by force.” The army indicated Monday that its loyalties do not lie with Maliki. “We are the army of Iraq, not of Maliki,” the armed forces said on its official Twitter account. “We will continue to fulfill our promises, and for our nation we shall be defenders.” But Iraq’s security forces are fragmented and in disarray after a partial collapse of the army in June. Maliki has also built up a support base in Iraq’s militias, most notably the notorious Asaib Ahl al-Haq, whose fighters were out in force for a second night Monday. However, analysts argue that Asaib and others are ultimately loyal to Iran, which has also withdrawn its backing for Maliki. The Obama administration has deployed its top officials to encourage a smooth transition to a government led by Abadi, a seasoned member of Maliki’s party. In a phone call Monday morning with Massoum, Biden commended the Iraqi president for nominating the prime minister and emphasized Obama’s “desire to boost coordination with a new Iraqi government and Iraqi Security Forces to roll back gains” by the Islamic State, according to a statement. So far, a U.S. air campaign against the insurgents has largely been contained to the country’s mostly Kurdish north. In his speech Sunday night, Maliki accused the United States of supporting a breach in the Iraqi constitution. Maliki on Monday filed a letter with Iraq’s Supreme Court arguing that Abadi’s appointment is null and void. His argument centers on a technicality: that his State of Law bloc, rather than a wider Shiite coalition, should have been allowed to nominate the president and that he is the only one who can speak for it. Human rights organizations have in the past complained that he controls the judiciary. “They stabbed us in the back,” Jumaa al-Adwani, a member of the State of Law coalition who is sticking by Maliki, said Monday, calling the move a coup. Iraqi and U.S. officials hope that a new leader will help bridge the country’s rifts and bring Iraq’s disaffected Sunni minority back into the political process, eroding support for the Sunni extremists. Abadi, a British-educated engineer who hails from the capital, Baghdad, still faces an uphill battle. “He’s a fresh face in a sense,” said Kirk Sowell, a political risk analyst and publisher of the newsletter Inside Iraqi Politics, who also described Abadi as a “gray suit kind of guy.” “But this isn’t a radical change, it’s a modest change.” Abadi, a former communications minister, told state television that his first task as prime minister would be to curb the influence of the Islamic State. Anne Gearan in Sydney, Mustafa Salim in Baghdad and Ahmed Ramadan in Beirut contributed to this report. http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/iraqs-political-situation-dire-as-maliki-digs-in/2014/08/11/1c70942a-213a-11e4-958c-268a320a60ce_story.html
  7. A very powerful video. The minister pleads with her fellow Iraqi countrymen to stop the petty infighting and political sniping and unite in one common front to help save her people from extinction. While she is in the midst of her impassioned plea, some idiot (I guess the speaker) is telling her she's out of order. Really, pal? Incredible. An extremely brave and honorable woman.
  8. With all due respect.... Some of you scare me more than the jihadists. Seriously.
  9. Nice find. Kuwaiti/Iraqui relations are important for many reasons and to see there is an interest to "enjoy bounties and wealth" speaks volumes. That in itself is a significant statement.
  10. This statement intrigues me. It's always been a contention that the banks had to step up to the modern banking era. Here it's officially addressed.
  11. It wouldn't have been to the CBI's benefit to have done that. Counterfeiting seems to be quite an industry in the Middle East. And it's fertile ground for it.
  12. I'm thinking if 1162 IQD = 1.00, then using the same formula, the amount of IQD that would equal .9 or .90 is about 1050 IQD. Just speculating, of course.
  13. Ali al-Sistani is the highest ranked of the Shia muslim clergy. The Grand Ayatollah. In others words, to make long story short, he's the 800 pound gorilla in the room. The Shias comprise about 60% of the population of Iraq. And his word is usually law. My guess is that Kobler is going to approach him for assistance in helping curtail the increasing violence against political candidates, where most of the victims have been Sunni Muslims.
  14. I personally avoid political or religious discussions, but I will say this, we pulled out of Iraq prematurely. And it shows.
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