Iraq Names New Prime Minister Who Praises ‘Bravery’ of Protesters

["Fred"]

13 hours ago, Rugbylaird19 said:

Wondering that as well.

Relax kids it’s almost show time 💰💰💰

[Half Crazy Runner]

1 hour ago, Rugbylaird19 said:

Some of us seem to be happy with this guy where other's not so much.

I’m wondering if that’s due to confusion over the multiple Allawis in the government... 

 

Anyway, I think anyone who is an enemy of Maliki is a good choice. 

[ddl]

Anybody who has been short Tesla is crying out for an RV soon!  But thanks to Adam and the group for the news about Allawi and keeping our hopes alive that maybe he's the guy who can get this done.

[Adam Montana]

1 hour ago, ddl said:

Anybody who has been short Tesla is crying out for an RV soon!  But thanks to Adam and the group for the news about Allawi and keeping our hopes alive that maybe he's the guy who can get this done.

 

I read something this morning stating that TSLA shorts are down to the tune of over 8 BILLION smackeroonies so far!

[wealthhound]

21 hours ago, Pitcher said:

No one ventures a guess.  I’ll give you all a little more time to guess the magic word to unlock the RV!!  Where is Thugs, he’ll know the answer.  And no, it’s not clownshow or joker.  😂 😆 

 

Here is a clue,  Andy Griffin Show character’s favorite word!!

Either Golly or as stated above Surprise, surprise, surprise!

[Pitcher]

27 minutes ago, Adam Montana said:

 

I read something this morning stating that TSLA shorts are down to the tune of over 8 BILLION smackeroonies so far!

 

I believe it. It’s been a real battle between Elon and his detractors.  If you try to value Tesla based on car sales and a typical auto company common sense would dictate you short it.  The problem is that Tesla is so much more than a typical auto company.  Mr Shorty is getting roasted big time.  I know a good short squeeze when I see it.  I had a target around 800 and sold my shares yesterday.  Ouch, missed that big up day today.  I’m watching this one very very carefully.  I love it when the Titans lose their minds and feel the need to Win at all costs.  I just hang around and scoop up the crumbs and have a very fine time of it.  

[md11fr8dawg]

Pitcher, do you have a computer program that you use or like to help you make your trades?

[keylime]

On 2/2/2020 at 3:46 PM, climber7 said:

 

So probably no RV before then 

Well, it wouldn't be the first month it didn't happen.  

[Adam Montana]

16 hours ago, Pitcher said:

 

I believe it. It’s been a real battle between Elon and his detractors.  If you try to value Tesla based on car sales and a typical auto company common sense would dictate you short it.  The problem is that Tesla is so much more than a typical auto company.  Mr Shorty is getting roasted big time.  I know a good short squeeze when I see it.  I had a target around 800 and sold my shares yesterday.  Ouch, missed that big up day today.  I’m watching this one very very carefully.  I love it when the Titans lose their minds and feel the need to Win at all costs.  I just hang around and scoop up the crumbs and have a very fine time of it.  

 

Elon is a wild one... check this out, if you hadn't already seen it:

 

https://www.wired.com/story/elon-musk-tesla-life-inside-gigafactory/?utm_source=morning_brew

 

 

[Pitcher]

16 hours ago, md11fr8dawg said:

 

Pitcher, do you have a computer program that you use or like to help you make your trades?

 

I use the TC 2000 platform.  I program my own scans and have numerous watchlists to find and trade stocks. 
 

 

[md11fr8dawg]

Thanks for the response!

[CaptainBVI]

4 hours ago, Pitcher said:

I use the TC 2000 platform.  I program my own scans and have numerous watchlists to find and trade stocks. 
 

 

Pitcher,

While I have no experience in your vocation it has always fascinated me for some strange reason.

I am very much looking forward to the end of this ride and sitting down for a chat with you.

I'll bring the Root Beer.

Until then, I'll watch and learn.

Thanks.

 

[trident]

Middle East

Sadr militia, supporters kill 8 Iraqi protesters and wound dozens in Najaf: reports

Kurdistan 24 |

5 hours ago

 

 

---

Iraqi demonstrators sit on the street near burning tires blocking a road during ongoing anti-government protests in Najaf, Iraq, Feb. 5, 2020. (Photo: Reuters/Alaa al-Marjani)

 

Iraq Baghdad Najaf Iraq Protests

 

 

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Followers and militiamen of the Sadrist Movement led by firebrand cleric Muqtada al-Sadr allegedly killed at least eight protesters and wounded dozens more as they stormed areas where demonstrations took place in the Iraqi city of Najaf late Wednesday.

Members of the “blue hats” supporters of Sadr and his militia group Saraya al-Salam raided a protest camp in Najaf, burning tents and shooting demonstrators to disperse them as a confrontation grew more violent.

Reuters cited medical and security sources in a report saying at least eight people had been killed while 20 others had been wounded. Local al-Dijla TV cited sources that said close to 140 protesters had been wounded, including six members of the security forces who were attempting to break up the two sides.

Dijla TV also wrote that similar clashes occurred in other parts of Iraq, including Baghdad, Diwaniya, Karbala, and Dhi Qar, among others, with Sadr supporters cracking down to quell the demonstrations. One protester had been killed in the capital’s Wathba Square.

This marks one of the deadliest nights of a crackdown against anti-government protesters since they took to the streets in October, during which members of the Iraqi security have killed at least 550 demonstrators and wounded tens of thousands more, according to official data by the parliamentary human rights commission.

Protesters demand a better standard of living and an end to institutional corruption. Iranian-backed militias have been accused of carrying out part of the violence, targeting demonstrators and activists with sniper rifles and carrying out targeted assassinations.

As demonstrations kicked off in October 2019, Sadr announced his support for them. But, in recent days, he has switched positions multiple times, leading to many questioning his initial motive for backing the protests.

 

Last week, Iraqi President Barham Salih officially designated Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi to form a cabinet to await a vote of confidence by the national legislature. This is after outgoing Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi resigned in early December after days of violence that have been the bloodiest since protests began.

Sadr expressed his support for Allawi and decided to turn on demonstrators, calling on his supporters to withdraw from protests and, instead, attack those still voicing their opposition to Allawi, whom they consider to be part of a ruling elite that would continue to ignore the public’s demand.

Amid the developing violence in Najaf, Allawi called on the security forces to protect protesters.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivanya

 

[GregHi]

51 minutes ago, trident said:

Middle East

Sadr militia, supporters kill 8 Iraqi protesters and wound dozens in Najaf: reports

Kurdistan 24 |

5 hours ago

 

 

---

Iraqi demonstrators sit on the street near burning tires blocking a road during ongoing anti-government protests in Najaf, Iraq, Feb. 5, 2020. (Photo: Reuters/Alaa al-Marjani)

 

Iraq Baghdad Najaf Iraq Protests

 

 

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Followers and militiamen of the Sadrist Movement led by firebrand cleric Muqtada al-Sadr allegedly killed at least eight protesters and wounded dozens more as they stormed areas where demonstrations took place in the Iraqi city of Najaf late Wednesday.

Members of the “blue hats” supporters of Sadr and his militia group Saraya al-Salam raided a protest camp in Najaf, burning tents and shooting demonstrators to disperse them as a confrontation grew more violent.

Reuters cited medical and security sources in a report saying at least eight people had been killed while 20 others had been wounded. Local al-Dijla TV cited sources that said close to 140 protesters had been wounded, including six members of the security forces who were attempting to break up the two sides.

Dijla TV also wrote that similar clashes occurred in other parts of Iraq, including Baghdad, Diwaniya, Karbala, and Dhi Qar, among others, with Sadr supporters cracking down to quell the demonstrations. One protester had been killed in the capital’s Wathba Square.

This marks one of the deadliest nights of a crackdown against anti-government protesters since they took to the streets in October, during which members of the Iraqi security have killed at least 550 demonstrators and wounded tens of thousands more, according to official data by the parliamentary human rights commission.

Protesters demand a better standard of living and an end to institutional corruption. Iranian-backed militias have been accused of carrying out part of the violence, targeting demonstrators and activists with sniper rifles and carrying out targeted assassinations.

As demonstrations kicked off in October 2019, Sadr announced his support system" rel="">support for them. But, in recent days, he has switched positions multiple times, leading to many questioning his initial motive for backing the protests.

 

Last week, Iraqi President Barham Salih officially designated Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi to form a cabinet to await a vote of confidence by the national legislature. This is after outgoing Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi resigned in early December after days of violence that have been the bloodiest since protests began.

Sadr expressed his support system" rel="">support for Allawi and decided to turn on demonstrators, calling on his supporters to withdraw from protests and, instead, attack those still voicing their opposition to Allawi, whom they consider to be part of a ruling elite that would continue to ignore the public’s demand.

Amid the developing violence in Najaf, Allawi called on the security forces to protect protesters.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivanya

 

This is horrible.. I posted a few hours ago that my Shia friend was highly upset because they killed 4 in Najaf, now it looks like the death toll is higher..

 

somebody needs to intervene and stop this killing by Sadrs “blue hats”!!!

[gregp]

1 hour ago, GregHi said:

This is horrible.. I posted a few hours ago that my Shia friend was highly upset because they killed 4 in Najaf, now it looks like the death toll is higher..

 

somebody needs to intervene and stop this killing by Sadrs “blue hats”!!!

One sniper can take care of the problem. 

[DoD]

So the difference in the Sadr milita an the Iranian milita is what? Time for the new PM to bring in the NATO troops...

[md11fr8dawg]

No need, one sushi maker pointed at Sadr will take care of most if not all of this problem.

[MyLadiesDaddy]

You have to understand how these people think. Sadr wants to be the next Salomi. My suspicion is, HE WILL. RIP

[Half Crazy Runner]

4 hours ago, gregp said:

One sniper can take care of the problem. 

Or better yet, a drone 

[boosterbglee]

I can’t understand how many protesters have to die before someone stops the killing!

[trident]

Iraq Pulse

Iraqi protests swell despite clash with Sadrist supporters

Gilgamesh Nabeel February 3, 2020

Article Summary

When their tents were burned, Iraqi protesters replaced them with concrete structures. And when influential cleric Muqtada al-Sadr withdrew his support, even more protesters turned out despite fears of a crackdown by security forces.

 

 

 

 

After withdrawing his support for the protests, controversial populist Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr ordered his followers back to Tahrir Square Feb. 1, where his supporters clashed with demonstrators and forcibly took over the main part of Tahrir Square as well as the Turkish Restaurant that has been under control of the protesters.

The nomination of Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi as the new Iraqi prime minister was simultaneously received negatively by the protesters, who see his appointment as a plot by Sadr and his Iran-backed allies in the government to end the protests in Baghdad. 

Allawi is a candidate of Sadr's Sairoon Alliance and Hadi al-Amiri's Fatah Alliance. The parliament needs to hold a session to vote on the new prime minister.

The Sadrist group is now cooperating with the security forces to end the sit-in at Tahrir Square.

The breakup between Sadr and the protesters began Jan. 26, when Sadr ordered his followers to leave the protests. Sadrists were packing their belongings in accordance with their leader's command and preparing to leave. However, thousands of Iraqis — especially students — facing live gunfire and defying the powerful cleric’s call to stay home flocked to the capital and to the streets of other cities.

While Sadr’s devoted followers packed up their tents in Tahrir Square — Baghdad’s main protest point — protesters denied rumors that the four-month-long anti-government uprising would immediately collapse without his backing. 

“After his decision to withdraw from the protests, Sadr’s popularity seems to be partially declining,” Karrar Ahmed, a protester from Najaf, told Al-Monitor. Ahmed added, “Protesters in the squares rejected him, crossing all red lines. Before, it was impossible to hear chants against him.” 

He said protesters who left were soon replaced by others. 

“Their withdrawal did not affect us. The momentum has actually increased. We installed new tents after the Sadrists removed theirs,” said Ahmed.

Late Jan. 24, Sadr said he would stand neutral amid ongoing anti-government protests. In his statement, Sadr expressed regret for those among the demonstrators who questioned him in Baghdad and other provinces. He tweeted, “I was their supporter … and I thought of them as supporters for me and Iraq. However, from now on I will try not to interfere with them, negatively or positively, until they take into account the fate of Iraq and its imminent danger.”

In Baghdad, journalist and protester Saher al-Barbouti sees positive results of the Sadrists' withdrawal. 

"[In December], independent protesters began to gradually withdraw from the square because Sadr's followers tried to control the protests … tried to silence other voices and impose their opinion. The recent withdrawal led independent people to return back strongly,” he said. 

However, observers say the withdrawal resulted in a rapid crackdown as riot police raided the sit-ins in Baghdad and set tents on fire in southern cities Jan. 25, killing at least 10.

“Sadr's decision to pull his support had an immediate effect on the peaceful protests,” said Minatullah al-Obaidi, a graduate of The American University of Iraq in Sulaimaniyah with a master's degree in contemporary Arab studies from Georgetown University's Walsh School of Foreign Service. “Soon after, there were news reports of tents being set on fire in Basra and Nasiriyah.”

Determined protesters began replacing burned tents with concrete accommodations in Nasiriyah, said Obaidi. “The protesters persist despite Sadr's withdrawal,” she told Al-Monitor. “Some say the Sadrists are no longer a homogenous group and are mostly influenced by the polarization of Iraq's Shia society,” Obaidi said.

Others see this as a new hope for the protests, whose momentum initially declined after a US drone strike killed Iranian Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani Jan. 3 at Baghdad's airport. 

“All those who reject the Sadrist movement and Islamic parties feel satisfied now, as the sit-ins are now purely Iraqi with no foreign loyalties,” said Salam Abdul-Hussein, a petroleum engineer from Diwaniyah. He added, “We reject the Iranian hegemony and call on the international community to protect us from the militias' oppression. All Iraqis, especially the younger generation, have become aware of Iran and Sadr's mutual goals to end these protests by any means.” 

Sadr's decision came a day after tens of thousands of his supporters crowded Baghdad's Jadriya neighborhood Jan. 24, calling for the expulsion of US forces from Iraq. The march lasted a few hours and came in response to the killing of Soleimani and Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units chief Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. 

“Sadr frequently tested his supporters, asking them to go out protesting against the government and corruption — though he led the largest bloc in parliament. People are tired of this,” said Khairuldeen Makhzoomi, a Washington-based Iraqi-American analyst and graduate of Georgetown University's Center for Contemporary Arab Studies. He added, “He will lose a fair minority of his base supporters. He also called for the removal of US forces from Iraq, though we all know that all the bases are Iraqi.”

Ali Bashar, a political science instructor at Bayan University in Erbil, thinks Sadr’s withdrawal from the protests might be temporary.

“He might change his mind and call his followers to rejoin the protests at any moment,” Bashar told Al-Monitor, adding, “He moves from the far right to the far left suddenly. There is no method to predict his decisions.”

Sadr’s supporters reportedly helped protect protesters from attacks by security forces, and their withdrawal left many concerned about the fate of the protests.

“His followers, namely the Peace Brigades, were protecting Tahrir Square's entrances and exits,” said Barbouti, who began attending the protests Oct. 1. He added, “Their withdrawal left the square vulnerable and the militias began raiding us daily, in addition to the riot forces' attacks. However, our courageous young men helped repel the attacks.”

Obaidi is suspicious of Sadr’s motivation. “If he was really [trying to protect protesters], then he certainly wasn't doing a great job at that. Over 600 people have been killed so far, and the numbers keep going up,” she said.

Ahmed agrees with Obaidi. “Everyone says he was protecting us. He was protecting his interests and popularity," as he has done before. Ahmed added, "He wanted to be the [protest] leader in spite of our rejection. Then he ordered his followers to withdraw."

Ahmed also accused Sadrists of threatening some protesters.

He said, “There were countless threats against anyone who might utter a word against [Sadr]. Once, I chanted against him in a march until a Sadrist quarreled with me and silenced me."

Obaidi also thinks some Sadrists no longer support him. “Many of them joined the protests early on and have been influenced by the nationalist sentiment and progressive ideas of liberal protesters,” she said. “Sadr also uses double standards to [appear] neutral, yet his actions prove he sides with Iran — labeling influencers, like comedian [Ahmed] Albasheer, jokers" and saying they support the US agenda, Obaidi stated.

Bashar fears that some corrupt factions of the government might draw protesters into violent clashes with security forces.

“If the corrupt groups see the protests as a major threat to their interests, they might do their best to turn them violent. The government is embarrassed because of the protesters' peacefulness. Three parties prevent the use of brutality against the [protesters]: the Shiite religious authorities in Najaf, tribes and Sadr,” he said. 

Abdul-Hussein seems determined to continue the protests for long-term gains. He said, "A strong escalation is coming, accompanied by repression by government authorities and militias. We will fulfill many of our demands that will change the reality of Iraqi citizens for the better.”

 

[MyLadiesDaddy]

ERBIL — Iraqi Interior Minister Yasin Yaseri on Thursday ordered the police and security forces to protect protesters against the followers of populist cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.

The order comes a day after Sadr’s followers, commonly known as the Blue Hats, stormed a protesters camp in the southern city of Najaf and burned the tents with petrol bombs. They reportedly killed eight protesters and injured many more.

The interior minister paid a visit to Najaf today to follow up the case. He met with Najaf governor and police chief to ensure the peaceful protesters are protected, according to a ministry’s statement.

After switching sides multiple times in the ongoing crisis in Iraq, Sadr recently called on his followers to remove the sit-in camps from public locations in Baghdad and other cities in the country.

Protesters, however, refused to leave the streets before their demands for reforms are met. It let to a violent clash not only in Najaf but also in Baghdad.

[umbertino]

Iraqi Protesters Clash With Sadr Backers In Deadly Najaf Standoff

February 06, 2020 01:03 GMT

• By RFE/RL

 

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An Iraqi demonstrator sits amid burning tires blocking a road during anti-government protests in Najaf on February 2

 

 

https://www.rferl.org/a/iraq-protesters-clash-sadr-najaf/30419598.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Iraqis Question U.S. Claim That Iran-Backed Militia Attacked Base

 

The United States blamed Khataib Hezbollah for an attack that killed an another site, setting off a chain of events that pushed America and Iran to the brink of war

 

By Alissa J. Rubin

Feb. 6, 2020, 5:00 a.m. ET

 

 

Iraqi soldiers surveying the launch site of a rocket attack that killed an another site on a military base near Kirkuk

Credit...Sergey Ponomarev for The New York Times

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/06/world/middleeast/iraq-iran-hezbollah-evidence.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not a Break, but Fissures in US-Iraqi Military Alliance

 

By The Associated Press

• Feb. 6, 2020Updated 2:45 a.m. ET

 

 

https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2020/02/06/world/middleeast/ap-ml-iraq-us-fissures.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ronscarpa]

On 2/3/2020 at 2:49 AM, trident said:

Iraq's Sadr welcomes PM-designate, calls on supporters to cool protests

 

 

Thanks for this good article trident...it's much appreciated...!

RON 

[ronscarpa]

11 hours ago, boosterbglee said:

I can’t understand how many protesters have to die before someone stops the killing!

 

AMEN...I agree with you totally..!   Just like one of the pictures of an Iraqi man holding up a sign ... the question is: where is the UN..? ...Nowhere..! 

The UN is expecting the US to do the job the UN should be doing.