Iraq Situation Report: July 19-25, 2016

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Iraqi Kurdistan News in brief – July 20, 2016

Posted on July 20, 2016 by Editorial Staff in Iraqi Kurdistan News in brief

Jalal Talabani heads to Europe for medical checkup

Sulaimani: Former Iraqi president and PUK leader Jalal Talabani headed to Europe on Wednesday for medical checkup, PUK website reported. Talabani’s last Europe visit to Europe was in December 2015. Talabani suffered a stroke in 2012.

Iraqi Kurdistan’s top three university graduates demand job opportunities

Sulaimani: The top three university graduates in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region gathered outside Council of Ministers building in the capital, Erbil, on Tuesday to demand for employment opportunities as the regional government observes a moratorium on hiring new civil servants. Over 1,100 young people joined the graduates in their demonstration and said they would continue their protest if the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) failed to respond to their concerns over a lack of jobs for the region’s graduates. “This is the third time we are protesting; if our demands are not met, we will continue the protests,” a representative of the students said. The KRG has been struggling to deal with an ongoing economic crisis that began in early 2014 when the central government withheld budget payments over a dispute regarding oil revenue sharing. nrttv.com

Iraq PM accepts resignation of five new ministers

Baghdad: Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who is seeking to replace the current cabinet, has accepted the resignations of five additional ministers, his office said on Tuesday. Abadi issued orders accepting the resignations of the ministers of oil, transport, housing and construction, water resources and industry, as well as interior, which had been previously announced. AFP

NOC oil exports from Kirkuk halted since March

Kirkuk: The export of oil from Kirkuk to Ceyhan ports has now been halted for four months after a suspension from North Oil Company (NOC) beginning in March. Kirkuk oil exports are divided into two parts. Exports under the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Ministry of Natural Resources continues while exports under the Iraqi government’s Ministry of Oil has been suspended since March 11. The Kirkuk authorities have formed a committee to visit Baghdad in the next few days to resolve the issues related the Kirkuk Governorate, especially the halt of oil exports to Ceyhan ports. nrttv.com

Canada pledges $158 mil in humanitarian aid to Iraq

Ottawa: The Canadian government promised Tuesday to send 158 million dollars (US$121 million) in humanitarian assistance to Iraq, along with up to 200 million dollars in loan guarantees. Nearly all of the humanitarian funds will go toward supporting “the international humanitarian response to help meet the basic needs of conflict-affected Iraqis,” said Canadian Minister of International Development Marie-Claude Bibeau. The 200 million dollar credit guarantee matches the Canadian commitment at the recent G7 summit in Japan to “support Iraq’s economic reform efforts through the World Bank,” said Bibeau. A small fraction of the 158 million dollars will go to the United Nations Development Program focused on helping Iraqis liberated from the Islamic State group to return home. The Canadian contribution comes a day before a Washington donors conference for Iraq. AFP

Political tensions must be resolved before Mosul liberation, Barzani says

Erbil: Masoud Barzani met with Frank Baker, British Ambassador to Iraq, on Tuesday to discuss regional matters and the upcoming Mosul offensive. “Both sides agreed that to avoid deeper tensions and to protect different ethnic groups and prevent disasters from occurring,’’ the statement said, “there must be a political agreement between factions before the Mosul operation begins.” rudaw.net

French minister in Erbil to meet officials, visit camps

Erbil: France’s Minister of State for Development and Francophonie arrived in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region late Tuesday (July 19) to meet senior officials and visit camps sheltering displaced Iraqis and Syrian refugees. French Minister André Vallini was received by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Department of Foreign Relations’ head Falah Mustafa in Erbil. Qadir added that Vallini plans to closely observe refugee and displaced camp conditions closely and assess needs for humanitarian aid to be provided through the United Nations. According to KRG’s foreign relations office, Vallini will meet with Kurdish senior officials before visiting camps inside the Kurdistan Region, which is hosting over a million people who have fled violence across Iraq. nrttv.com

http://ekurd.net/iraqi-kurdistan-news-in-brief-july-20-2016-2016-07-20

 

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Iraqi Kurdistan News in brief – July 21, 2016

Posted on July 21, 2016 by Editorial Staff in Iraqi Kurdistan News in brief

Germany opens two military training centres near Iraqi Kurdistan capital

Erbil: Germany opened on Tuesday two military centres near Iraqi Kurdistan capital city of Erbil designed for training of the Kurdish Peshmerga. Speaking to Peshmerga commanders at the ceremony inaugurating the centres, Colonel Frank Wasgindt, commander of the German contingent providing training assistance in Kurdistan, said that the names of the military training centres are “German Village and Ghost House.” “This German Village is a training center consisting of 51 containers,” Wasgindt said. “The total area of the [German Village] training centre is 40,000 square meters.” Wasgindt added that there are buildings, tunnel systems, and a river built on the training grounds to simulate real-life conditions the Peshmerga forces may face in combat, which “prepares Kurdish security forces for any kind of situation.” rudaw.net | Ekurd.net

Sunni leader warns against giving donation money to Iraqi gov’t

Baghdad: In light of donation pledges from western countries the Iraqi council of ministries has started forming a special team to oversee the rebuilding of war damages while a Sunni politician warns against giving any money to the government and rather deal directly with local authorities. The Sunni leader Mashaan al-Juburi complained that the government has not done much for those displaced by the war either. “The government has not offered the refugees a piece of bread or water.” Al-Juburi told Rudaw that he didn’t trust the Iraqi government was serious about bringing life back to liberated areas and that countries that have promised to help must work directly with city officials instead. “Any country that aims to participate in the renovation project should not send sums of money to the central government,” he said. “They should rather invest the money directly through a company.” rudaw.net | Ekurd.net

Masrour Barzani: Exclusion of Kurds from Coalition meeting a ‘travesty’

Erbil: The Chancellor of Iraqi Kurdistan Region’s Security Council (KRSC), Masrour Barzani, said on Wednesday it is a “travesty” for the international anti-Islamic State (ISIS) Coalition not to invite Kurds to a meeting on accelerating the military offensive. “It’s a travesty for US-led Global Coalition to exclude Kurds from the meeting in Washington DC given our leading role in war on ISIS,” Barzani said in a tweet. The Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Head of the Department of Foreign Relations, Falah Mustafa, said in a retweet of a post by U.S. Special Presidential Envoy Brett McGurk that the KRG has been one of the Coalition’s top allies on the ground, “yet not invited to this important event.” nrttv.com

Iraq donor conference raises more than $2.1 billion: U.S. spokesman

Washington: An Iraq donor conference on Wednesday raised more than $2.1 billion in aid, surpassing the estimated $2 billion organizers had expected, U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said. “The conference raised in excess of $2.1 billion, with a number of additional pledges still being finalized,” Kirby said in a statement. Defense and foreign ministers from 24 countries met in Washington for a pledging session to help Iraq in its fight against Islamic State militants. Reuters

Iran asked Iraq to do more to protect border in wake of clashes with Kurdish KDPI rebels

An Iranian border police chief has accused Iraq of failing to protect the border and allowing Peshmerga of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI) to enter Iran from Iraq’s Kurdistan Region and engage in conflicts with Iranian forces. Mohammad Abbasi, commander in chief of Urmia border police, stated that he understood Iraq’s security forces were strained with the war on the Islamic State but expressed hope that they would be more diligent in guarding the border. An Iraqi border official, Sherko Abdullah, denied the accusation but admitted that there were remote regions of the border that are inaccessible to the Iraqi border police. rudaw.net

Islamic State cut Internet service in Mosul

Mosul: Islamic State group in Mosul cuts off Internet service for homes, shops and distributors, National Iraqi News reported. According to the source and a document the IS preventing the sale systems of Internet / activation / to any party whatsoever, and download Internet and communications Towers in all regions of Mosul, and the extradition of people, houses and shops the Internet systems to Daash elements, otherwise they will be held accountable. ninanews.com | Ekurd.net

 

http://ekurd.net/iraqi-kurdistan-news-in-brief-july-21-2016-2016-07-21

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This thread could get pretty darn Long  LOL.

Edited July 21, 2016 by SocalDinar

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Iraqi Kurdistan News in brief – July 23, 2016

Posted on July 23, 2016 by Editorial Staff in Iraqi Kurdistan News in brief

A new border gate between Iraqi Kurdistan and Iranian Kurdistan opened

Bane: Aso Faraidoon, the governor of Sulaimani province in Iraqi Kurdistan and Iran’s Kurdistan province governor Abdul-mohammad Zahedi on Saturday have officially opened the border gate of Sairanband, between Iraqi Kurdistan and Iranian Kurdistan, Iranian media reported. Ekurd.net

Iraqi gov’t forgets its refugee citizens in Kurdistan camps, says official

Sulaimani: Thousands of Iraqi refugees in three camps in the Kurdish Garmiyan region in Iraqi Kurdistan live in dire conditions without services, saying they have been forgotten by the Iraqi government. “There is no electricity, and our children and patients are living in bad conditions,” Hamdan Nawar, a refugee at Taza De camp told Rudaw. The nearly 11,000 refugees are Iraqis who have fled Islamic State (IS) territories or the ongoing war between Iraqi security forces and the radical group. Taza De camp was established by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugee (UNCHR) and it houses around 400 families from Anbar and Salahaddin provinces. They have been provided with good housing quarters but lack of electricity in the summer heat is their nightmare. Afrasiaw Mohammed, head of Taza De camp believes that it is the responsibility of the federal government to provide for these refugees since they are Iraqi citizens displaced by war. rudaw.net

Kurdish Peshmerga repel Islamic State assault West of Kirkuk

Kirkuk: Three Peshmerga were wounded late on Friday in an attack by Islamic State (IS) militants on Peshmerga lines west of Kirkuk. A source within Peshmerga forces in the township of Mala Abdulla told NRT, the attack was repelled by Peshmerga killing up to 20 IS militants. “The Islamic State launched an attack around 10 p.m. last night. ISIS retreated after 20 minutes of fighting, leaving three Peshmerga wounded. There were 20 bodies of militants left behind,” the source from Peshmerga forces said. The attack on Friday was the latest in a number of attacks by the militant group in July. nrttv.com

Thousands of families flee Mosul as UN warns of ‘unprecedented refugee crisis’

Erbil: Over 7,000 refugees from Mosul city have arrived in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan, in the past week ahead of an anticipated offensive to drive out IS militants from the area, which is most likely to trigger a severe humanitarian crisis, according to UN officials in New York. Kurdish Peshmerga officials say nearly half of the refugees are children, many of them are in poor health and undernourished after their long journey. Lise Grande, the UN’s humanitarian coordinator for Iraq, said military operations to retake areas held by the Islamic State group had already forced hundreds of thousands from their homes, according to the Associated Press. “The impact of the Mosul military campaign on civilians will be devastating,” Grande said in statement from Iraq. “Mass casualties among civilians are likely and families trying to flee are expected to be at extreme.” rudaw.net

Gorran Movement refuses to meet with representative of Massoud Barzani

Sulaimani: The Change (Gorran) Movement announced on Thursday its unwillingness to meet with representative of the Kurdistan Democratic Party leader Massoud Barzani. A source in Gorran said in a press statement that the Movement Leader, Mustafa Nushirwan is unready to meet with the Fouad Hussein representative of Massoud Barzani. ninanews.com | Ekurd.ne

http://ekurd.net/iraqi-kurdistan-news-in-brief-july-23-2016-2016-07-23

 

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LOL   Come on really,? Silly mods... Trix are for kids

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Iraq Situation Report: July 19-25, 2016

Jul 25, 2016 - Emily Anagnostos

Download the PDF

ISIS detonated a Suicide Vest (SVEST) in Kadhimiyah in northwestern Baghdad on July 24, and a Suicide Vehicle Borne-IED (SVBIED) at a checkpoint in Khalis, in Diyala Province, on July 25 in order to distract from anti-ISIS operations and undermine the Iraqi state. The spectacular attacks undermine the narrative that recapturing Fallujah would increase security for Baghdad. The attack at an entrance of Kadhimiyah, the seat of a major Shi’a shrine, also demonstrates ISIS’s continued capability to infiltrate secured areas of Baghdad, despite increased security after the Karrada attack on July 3. ISIS last carried out a successful attack in Kadhimiyah on May 11 at a checkpoint. The Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) cannot allocate additional manpower to Baghdad without detracting from ongoing operations in northern and western Iraq. Successful ISIS attacks will likely increase in Baghdad and its environs as the ISF contests remaining ISIS terrain in northern and western Iraq. Meanwhile, the Popular Mobilization inserted itself into slowed ISF operations in Qayyarah and Shirqat in order to set conditions for their participation in Mosul. Shi’a militias, including Sadrist Trend affiliated Saraya al-Salaam, Iranian-backed proxy militias, and those affiliated with the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (ISCI) moved forces towards Shirqat starting on July 19. The deployment follows the announcement that 560 U.S. forces will deploy to Qayyarah airbase, which Shi’a militias have condemned. The Popular Mobilization will also attempt to insert itself into northern operations in order to avoid being boxed out of operations in Mosul. The Coalition, Kurdish officials, and the Ninewa provincial government strongly advocated for a lack of militia involvement in northern Iraq out of fear of Shi’a-Sunni sectarian reprisals in terrain already contested between Sunni Arabs and Kurds. So far, operations in northern Iraq have been largely conducted by the ISF, tribal fighters, and Peshmerga with Coalition support. Its presence may also make it difficult to deconflict Coalition and militia operations. 

 

Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi accepted the resignation of seven ministers on July 19 and July 20, suggesting that PM Abadi will seek to restart the Cabinet reshuffle process. The seven ministers, all from the pan-Shi’a National Alliance, include the three Sadrist Trend-affiliated Ahrar ministers and two of the ISCI ministers, who offered their resignations to PM Abadi in March and April as a show of support for the Cabinet reshuffle. PM Abadi left the offers unanswered until now. The timing of PM Abadi’s acceptance of the resignations may suggest that he intends to reopen the Cabinet reshuffle process. He may also seek to circumvent attempts by political competitors, primarily the Reform Front, led by former PM Nouri al-Maliki, and Muqtada al-Sadr, to set the terms of the reshuffle that would suit their interests. PM Abadi will need to maneuver the reshuffle process in order to appease reformers such as Sadr while maintaining cohesion with all political parties – namely the Kurds – in the Council of Representatives (CoR). PM Abadi may not survive a second failed Cabinet reshuffle or a re-fracturing of the CoR. Meanwhile, Maliki is working behind the scenes to garner a political support base and convince other political forces to support him as a candidate for the premiership should the reshuffle fail.

 

http://understandingwar.org/backgrounder/iraq-situation-report-july-19-25-2016

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Meanwhile, Maliki is working behind the scenes to garner a political support base and convince other political forces to support him as a candidate for the premiership should the reshuffle fail.

 

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