Siege at Army Base Ongoing; 175 Killed, 102 Wounded Across Iraq

[k98nights]

Siege at Army Base Ongoing; 175 Killed, 102 Wounded Across Iraq

by Margaret Griffis, September 21, 2014

At least 175 people were killed across Iraq, and 102 more were wounded. Baghdad suffered a series of bombings again, but an army base in Anbar province is where most of the action is probably occurring today. Also, the Islamic State militants are causing tremendous upheaval across the border in a Kurdish area of Syria.

Syria:

The number of refugees fleeing from Syria into Turkey may now be over 100,000 since the border opened to them on Friday. Another 50,000 may be internally displaced, because Islamic State militants are advancing toward Ain al-Arab (Kobanê in Kurdish) in Syria. Many of the refugees are also from surrounding villages.

Turkish security forces are allowing the refugees to cross, but they were forced to also battle protestors who had gathered near the border. In doing so, Turkey may be trying to keep fighters from entering Syria, particularly those associated with Kurdish guerilla group, the Kurdistan Workers Party or P.K.K.

The accounts from the Syrian witnesses are similar to those reported in Iraq when militants attacked Yazidi and Christian towns in the north. The militants appear to be slaughtering many people. There are also reports of missing or kidnapped Kurds. Although the Kurds are predominantly Sunni, ISIS/DAASH still considers them apostates, and a Kurdish politician from Turkey called the attacks "genocide." The Peshmerga Ministry has promised to help, but their members are locked in fighting ISIS/DAASH back in Iraq.

Anbar Province:

Security operations were launched to help trapped troops at a besieged army base in al-Sijr near Saqlawiya, but Baghdad lost contact with some of the soldiers after at least five suicide bombers attacked. The base was running low on ammunition and supplies, including water and reinforcements were being sent to aide them. Multiple forces arrived in the last day, including volunteer units. Military spokesman Qassem Atta said the troops were being supported with U.S. airstrikes. One strike killed at least 13 militants. At least seven more were killed in another. After reinforcements opened a route for the soldiers, small groups attempted to retreat. Some of these men may be missing. At least four soldiers were killed and 20 more were wounded.

Elsewhere:

U.S. airstrikes are taking place in the Tikrit region. North of there at Camp Speicher, U.S. cargo planes were seen delivering supplies. The camp is being repurposed as a forward operating base. Seven women and children were killed in a rocket attack. Clashes left seven volunteers dead and three wounded. Thirteen militants were killed near the university.

In Baghdad, mortars killed six people, including a 12-year-old boy, and wounded 17 more in the suburb of Sabaa al-Bour. A bomb in Shabb killed four and wounded 11 more. Three people were killed and seven more were wounded by a blast in Bayaa. Gunmen killed a policeman.

Rockets killed seven civilians and wounded 12 more in Falluja.

Seven civilians were executed in Mosul. Militants assassinated a tribal leader.

Clashes near Muqdadiya left four security personnel dead and 14 more wounded. About 25 militants were killed.

A roadside bomb wounded three family members in Tuz. A rocket attack wounded six security personnel.

Clashes in Sensl left three security members dead and nine wounded.

Militants chased people from the homes in Ishaqi.

In Kirkuk, militants kidnapped 10 men who were former policemen or Sahwa members.

In Jurf al-Sakhar, 25 militants were killed.

Eighteen militants were killed in the Hamrin area.

Airstrikes and security forces killed 15 militants in Ain Layla.

U.S. airstrikes in Sinjar killed a number of militants.

Several militants were killed in Jalawla.

http://original.antiwar.com/updates/2014/09/21/siege-at-army-base-ongoing-175-killed-102-wounded-across-iraq/

[DiiDii]

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/world/58439940-68/soldiers-camp-iraqi-islamic.html.csp

 

 

Islamic State fighters drive Iraqi soldiers from army base

Loveday Morris

| The Washington Post

 

First Published Sep 21 2014 08:15 pm • Last Updated Sep 21 2014 08:15 pm

Baghdad • Hundreds of Iraqi soldiers were trapped or missing Sunday after a chaotic retreat from an army base in western Iraq, military officials said, underscoring the ability of Islamic State insurgents to remain on the offensive despite expanded airstrikes by the United States.

At least 820 soldiers were stationed at Camp Saqlawiyah in Anbar province, north of the insurgent-controlled Iraqi city of Fallujah, when it came under attack from five suicide bombings Sunday afternoon, said Lt. Col. Ihab Hashem, a deputy commander with the Iraqi army’s 8th division who was at the camp. Two bombers drove explosives-packed armored vehicles and three others detonated vests, he said.

 

 

  0  0

At a glance

100,000 refugees seek shelter in Turkey

Kucuk Kendirciler, Turkey » The number of refugees seeking shelter in Turkey from the Islamic State (IS) group’s advance across northern Syria has hit 100,000 in less than a week, an official said Sunday. The head of Turkey’s disaster management agency, Fuat Oktay, said the figure relates to Syrians escaping the area near the Syrian border town of Kobani, where fighting has raged between IS and Kurdish fighters since Thursday. The U.N. refugee agency said earlier that about 70,000 Syrians have crossed into Turkey in the past 24 hours and that it was preparing for the arrival of hundreds of thousands more. Those are significant numbers, even in the context of the 1.5 million refugees who have fled to Turkey in the past 3½ years. On Sunday, heavy clashes broke out between the Islamic State group and Kurdish fighters only a few miles from Kobani. The Islamic State militants were bombarding villagers with tanks, artillery and multiple rocket launchers, said Nasser Haj Mansour, an official at the defense office in Syria’s Kurdish region.

The Associated Press

Join the Discussion Post a Comment

In a statement Sunday night, Iraq’s Defense Ministry confirmed that it had lost contact with some of its "heroic soldiers" during operations in Anbar but did not give numbers. It vowed to continue to "clean every inch of land" of militants.

Five battalions had been stranded at the base without supplies for six days after Islamic State militants seized a bridge that was the last access route to the camp. Soldiers said they were forced to boil water from a muddy stream and had been running low on ammunition when the bombings occurred.

"We lost control," Hashem said after crossing territory controlled by the Islamic State to reach another army base. "We couldn’t gather to retreat. Some are dead, others stayed."

He said retreating soldiers had abandoned their vehicles and were traversing enemy territory in small platoons.

"Some are still crossing. They are walking through the trees and houses trying to hide from the insurgents."

The Islamic State has carried out mass executions of seized Iraqi troops in the past. Iraqi officials say the group massacred 1,700 soldiers at Camp Speicher near the northern city of Tikrit in June.

The latest advance comes despite stepped-up U.S. airstrikes against militants. France launched airstrikes against the extremists last week.

Iraqi military officials said U.S. jets gave air support to a failed army effort to reach the stranded soldiers Sunday morning. U.S. Central Command, however, did not announce details of operations in the area.

story continues below

story continues below

• After Darrien Hunt shooting, Utah’s black, biracial families worry
  Published Sep 22, 2014 08:06:53AM
• Photos: Elton John rocks his way down memory lane at Utah show
  Published Sep 22, 2014 07:53:17AM
• Utah forecast: Make way for a warm, red autumn
  Published Sep 22, 2014 07:51:46AM
• Separated Utah family still keeping American dream alive
  Published Sep 22, 2014 07:49:56AM

Only about 25 percent of the soldiers at Saqlawiyah had managed to reach safety at the nearby 1st division base at Camp Tariq, Hashem said