Vineyard of the Saker overview from Mindfriedo....July 7th Iraq SITREP by Mindfriedo
Iraq SITREP 7th July: Gloves are coming off!!!
A VERY IMPORTANT LINK: http://www.syrianews.cc/isis-the-bombshell-interview-to-impeach-obama/ It shows Daash/ISIS being a proxy of US interests. It's Rolex wearing Caliph America's man. A subversion similar to the government backed Islamists during the Algerian Civil War. I will be posting this again in tomorrow's SITREP for those that may miss it today. 6th July: Iranian Brigadier General Massoud Jazeyri refers to America as the intelligence head of terrorist groups in the region. 6th June: Messiah of Peace, Bringer of Justice, Ridder of Destructive Weapons, and Great Hope of the Arabs, Tony Blair asks Maliki to either change his form of governance or quit and let some one take his place. 7th July: Deputy Foreign Minister of Iran, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, has decided to visit Oman, Kuwait, and the UAE. The country he is not visiting is Saudi Arabia and Iran has also denied reports that Foreign Minister Zarif will be travelling to Saudi Arabia as baseless. Abdollahian had earlier stated that Iran Nd Russia are now united in helping Iraq fight terrorists. 7th July: The commander of the Basiji forces in Iran, Brigadier General Mohammad. Reza Naqdi has stated that a new resistance front against the West will form in Iraq if the United States continues to protect and harbour terrorists. 7th July: Shaikh Qais Al Khazali of the Asaib Ahalal Haq has apologises for the deaths of four British nationals in 2009-2010. the four men were bodyguards to "IT Experts" Peter Moore who was kidnapped and then exchanged for Iraqi prisoners including Shaikh Qais. The Shaikh stated that the primary fault for the deaths rests with the British government as it did not consider the bodyguards to be as important as the "IT Expert." Also, the Shaikh was a prisoner at the time of their killing and not directly responsible. 7th July: Iraqi MPs have postponed the forming of government and have adjourned the next session of parliament to the 12th of August or after Eid ul Fitr. The Iraqi constitution calls for the election of a speaker, followed by the President, and then the Prime Minister. 7th July: Ibrahim al Jaafari holds talks with the Shia National Coalition and the Sunni National Union of Forces but they fail to find common ground or replacements for Maliki(PM) or Nujaifi(Speaker). 7th July: Aaliya Nasif of the State of Law Coalition blames the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of being partial to Sunni and Kurdish suffering while being biased against Shia concerns and by depicting them internationally in a bad light. 7th July: After Al Arabiya repeatedly calls Sistani's fatwa to form government as being anti Maliki, the representative of Sistani in Karbala clarifies that it is neither for or against any individual. His representative also stressed that the Marja wanted an early resolution of the political deadlock and government formation. 7th July: Citibank and Standard Chartered Bank withdraw their offices from Iraq. HSBC had withdrawn its services before the current crisis started. 7th July: The Iraqi Government states that it will act against three entities: Daash, Ba'athist, and the Naqshabandi militant order. 7th July: Iraqi Kurdistan needs 6 million litres of gasoline per day to provide for over 600000 cars but produces only 3.2 million litres. The local government has resorted to rationing in view of this shortfall. 7th July: The protection of the immediate vicinity of the Imam Askari(as) shrine in Samara has been handed over to the Badr Brigades (headed by Hadi al Ameri) and the Asaib Ahlal Haq (headed by Qais al Khazali). The outskirts have been handed over to the Peace Brigades ( Moqtada As Sadr). While the federal police force has been moved away. Friction between the militias and the police force is believed to have led to a demarcation of territory. 7th July: A senior commander of the Iraqi forces, Maj Gen Najm Abdullah Sudan of the 6th Brigade, was hit by mortar fire and injured in the West of Baghdad. He later died of his wounds. He was involved in counter terrorism operations in Western Baghdad. A total of 60 rebels are believed to have been killed by security personnel. 7th July: Iraqi government forces are claiming to have repelled a rebel/Daash assault on Western Baghdad. 7th July: The Kurdistan Alliance has stated that it will not attend government formation talks till a Prime Minister is decided upon. This is counter to the constitutional process where the Speaker and President are to be decided earlier. 7th July: Al Sisi of Egypt stated that Dassh intends to attack Jordan and Saudi Arabia after Iraq. 7th July: Hamid Al Hayes of the Sahawa al Anbar or the Anbar awakening Council stated that a mass graves of Daash fighters (being used by Daash to bury its dead) has been located in Western Ramadi. He stated that the graves will be exhumed soon as Anbar will not be used to bury terrorists. 7th July: Abdul Raqib Amin (British student who joined Daash): "I’m going to stay and fight until the Khilafah [rule of Islam] is established, or I die. One of the happiest moments of my life was when the plane took off from [London’s] Gatwick Airport. I was so happy, because as a Muslim, you cannot live in the country of Kuffars [disbelievers.]” 7th July: Daash fighters attack a church in the east of Mosul and kidnap two priests and a nun. 7th July: Daash/rebels release a photo of having captured 50 voluntary fighters of the government in Tikrit 7th July: Daash fighters kidnap and kill a civilian in Ain al Fars, Tikrit and refuse to return the body to his family 7th July: Peshmeraga forces kill to Daash fighters and recover a list of names of fighters belonging to the Naqshabandi order in Diyala. 7th July: Peshmerga forces have carried out operations against Dassh in Jalawlaa, Diyala. 7th July: Atta's/Government claims for the day: Sukhoi aircraft carry out raids in Kirkuk against rebel positions Dhi Qar police personnel have arrested an Al Qaida fighter who had joined Al Qaida in 2008. He had been arrested earlier in 2012 but had escaped during the recent turmoil The Iraqi Army Air Force destroys 15 vehicles of rebel fighters in Baiji, Salahuddin province Government claims to have killed 125 terrorists in and around Baghdad Further reading: http://blogs.rediff.com/mkbhadrakumar/2014/07/07/iran-corners-us-over-isil-project-in-iraq/ Short Analysis: The delaying of parliament to after Ramzan does not portend just deep division but a digging in of heels and violent times ahead. The delay was in choosing a Sunni Speaker. The government in Baghdad, i.e., the Shias will now try to counter attack rebel held areas. While the rebels led by Daash are expected to try and attack Baghdad. Both will try to obtain a position of greater strength. The decision to fight hard is not just an Iraqi one, but one that has a resolute Iran and Russia backing the government in Baghdad. This can be seen in steps that Iran is taking or its positioning itself across from the US. It is not going soft on account of the nuclear negotiations and clearly feels that the Americans, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia have crossed some "red line" of decency when it comes to blatantly supporting groups like Daash. Something I had mentioned in an earlier SITREP, that the Turkish diplomatic staff had been taken without a fight is something Bhadrakumar mentions in his newest post as something highly suspicious (please refer to the link in the further reading section). Sisi stating that Dassh is a threat to Jordan and Saudi Arabi, Jordan's moving of troops to the border, and Saudi manoeuvring 30000 of its mercenary army are more theatrics than substance. The US has attacked, and continues to target, militants in Afghanistan and Yemen but is "afraid of civilian casualties in Iraq." The Gulf Arabs are pushing their luck. If Hafez were alive, I am sure Saudi would have seen a few militant attacks by now. Bahrain might start to boil. Iran is going to answer in its way of doing things. It is going to add Iraq into its resistance arc. Militias are going to play an increasing role. The American advisors should be advised to watch their backs and not just the charred landscape of Iraq. Iraq parliament delays session until August |
The legislature's first session since May elections broke up last week after arguments over choosing a prime minister.
Last updated: 07 Jul 2014 11:50
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| Iraq's newly elected parliament has postponed its next session until August 12, state television said, amid political deadlock over choosing a new prime minister. Parliament met last Tuesday for the first time since its election in April and had planned to meet again this Tuesday. The office of acting parliamentary speaker, Mehdi al-Hafidh, confirmed to the Reuters news agency that the session had been postponed but did not give further details. He said parliament would soon issue a statement. Pressure is running high to quickly form a new government that can confront rebels who have overrun parts of the country. Last week's session, the first since a May election, broke up when Sunnis and Kurds walked out after Shias failed to name a prime minister to replace Nouri al-Maliki. In a separate development, Al Jazeera has obtained exclusive footage showing the apparent aftermath of a barrel bombing in the rebel-held city of Fallujah. The city's hospital said at least nine people were injured in the air raids overnight on Sunday, including three children. Iraqi security services were understood to have been targeting rebel strongholds in the neighbourhoods of Jolan, al-Andalus, al-Jubayl and al-Shuhadaa. Barrel bombs are crudely constructed explosive device, made up of oil drums filled with scrap metal and high explosive. They have been used extensively by government forces in neighbouring Syria, and have been banned under international conventions because of their indiscriminate nature. Al Jazeera's Imran Khan, reporting from Baghdad, said Iraqi military officials had denied using the explosives. "We do not use there weapons, we are a professional army," military spokesman, Sa'ad Maan, said. The Iraqi military was also accused of using the bombs in May, when local journalists told Al Jazeera the devices had been dropped on "mosques, houses and markets". The Iraqi government denied that but experts and witnesses challenged their denial. Iraq's miltary has been involved in a campaign against Sunni rebels led by the Islamic State group since mid-June. The rebels had established footholds in Fallujah and several other Iraqi cities months before the June 11 offensive, in which they seized the cities of Mosul and Tikrit. |
Source:
Al Jazeera and agencies
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Iraq's next parliament session postponed to Aug 12 - state TV
BAGHDAD, July 7 (Reuters) - Iraq's newly elected parliament has postponed its next session until August 12, state television said on Monday.
Parliament met last Tuesday for the first time since its election in April and had planned to meet again this Tuesday.
The office of acting parliamentary speaker Mehdi al-Hafidh confirmed the session had been postponed but did not give further details. He said parliament would soon issue a statement.
Anti War ....
Iraq Tribes Refuse To Fight For Maliki; 258 Killed Across Country
by Margaret Griffis, July 06, 2014
Iraq security forces reported the deaths of well over 200 militants today. A number of civilians and security personnel were also killed. At least 258 people were killed and 74 more were wounded.
Politics:
Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr asked the State of Law party to nominate someone other than Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. State of Law, which is Maliki’s party, received the highest number of votes, but they were not enough for the supermajority needed to pick the next premier outright. There has been great pressure to select a different candidate, but Maliki himself has refused to withdraw his candidacy.
Iran admitted to preferring Maliki but has accepted that they will have to work with any other candidate.
Sheikh Hatem al-Suleiman, head of the Dulaimi tribe, said in an interview that Maliki was more dangerous than the Islamic State militants. He reminded the interviewer that the Anbar tribes were able to defeat al-Qaeda once and can defeat the new militants, but they will not even try until Maliki is out of office.
Fighting:
Rocket fire in Tikrit killed 19 civilians, mostly women and children.
Iraqi fighter jets bombed Tuz Khormato, killing a 12-year-old girl and wounding eight others. Because the destroyed homes were next to the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan offices, the P.U.K. believes they were the actual targets. The Peshmerga took over security of the town when Iraqi forces abandoned it.
Iraq undertook multiple bombing raids on Mosul. At least seven civilians were killed and 30 more were wounded. Dozens of militants were said to be killed as well.
In Baghdad, a suicide bomber killed four people and wounded 17 more in Washash. A dumped body was found.
Shelling in Falluja killed three civilians and wounded 5 more.
In Baquba, a mortar attack killed three people. One gunman was wounded during a shooting that occurred during the failed kidnapping attempt of a journalist. A dentist was kidnapped.
One doctor was killed and three people were wounded when mortars fell on a clinic inGarma.
In Khalis, a civilian was shot dead.
A roadside bomb wounded 10 policemen in Kirkuk.
Security forces killed 29 militants in Tikrit.
Ninety militants were killed in attacks against the Baiji refinery and Camp Speicher.
In al-Hays, 27 militants were killed.
Security forces killed 25 militants attempting to storm the Salah ad Din operations command headquarters.
Twenty-five militants were killed in Falluja.
In small clashes across Anbar province, 10 militants were killed.
Clashes left seven militants dead in Jurf al-Sakhar.
Six militants were killed in Khalidiya.
Security forces in the Hamrin Mountains killed a militant leader.
The military also bombed locations in Hawija and Shurqat.
In Tal Afar, the military bombed a militant parade.
Syrian planes bombed Qaim.
Iraq Airstrikes Pound Mosul, Deep in ISIS Territory
Civilians Killed in Strikes on Residential Areas
by Jason Ditz, July 06, 2014
Iraqi warplanes pounded multiple sites in the northwestern city of Mosul today, with locals saying the strikes destroyed four homes and killed a number of civilians.
Though the Iraqi military has refused to confirm or deny the incidents, MPs did say the strikes were carried out,bragging that a number of ISIS militants were slain in the attack.
Mosul is the largest city in ISIS’s new nation, which it calls The Islamic State (TIS). Caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the chief of ISIS, was shown giving sermons in Mosul on Friday.
The strikes in Mosul appeared to have accomplished little, and with the Iraqi military far away from the city it doesn’t seem like the strikes have much hope of helping them retake the city. If anything, it is likely to secure local support for ISIS.
ISIS has seized a lot of advanced military equipment in and around Mosul from fleeing Iraqi forces, and seems in position to retain the important city for a long time to come.
Iraq’s State of Law Under Pressure to Pick Post-Maliki Candidate
Sadr Urges Party to Offer a New Candidate
by Jason Ditz, July 06, 2014
Iraq’s State of Law bloc is under growing pressure from rival Shi’ite factions, notably the Ahrar Party of Moqtada al-Sadr, to offer up a new candidate for premier that isn’t Nouri al-Maliki.
Maliki, the head of State of Law and its largest faction, the Dawa Party, has insisted he wants to serve a third term in office, but amid a growing sectarian war there is little support for him to continue, and eagerness to see more potential candidates on the ballot.
So far the candidates mentioned have primarily been from the rival Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council (SIIC), though the Sadr bloc has alsosuggested support for Ahmad Chalabi.
But the ramshackle election, which excluded several major cities that had been lost to ISIS, left State of Law with the largest plurality, and if they don’t run a (non-Maliki) candidate it is difficult to envision anyone getting majority support. The ongoing war means this isn’t a great time for Iraq to consider a new election, and it would have to exclude virtually the whole Sunni Arab portion of the nation, now under ISIS rule.
Last week, parliament met for the first time to discuss the matter, but collapse almost immediately. They are scheduled to meet again this week, though whether there is any momentum is unclear at this point.
Pentagon Frets Iran’s Rising Influence, Drone Deployment in Iraq
On the Same Side, But US Sees Iran as 'Competition'
by Jason Ditz, July 06, 2014
Pentagon officials are said to be growing extremely concerned about Iran’s involvement in Iraq, as the US deployments into Iraq also grow and America’sinvolvement in the war grows less subtle.
It’s part of the Pentagon’s longstanding hostility toward Iran, as the US and Iran are both on the same side, defending the Shi’ite Iraqi government from the ISIS takeover of the nation’s west.
Iran was the first involved, and deployed a number of surveillance drones, which is of particular concern to the Pentagon, which sees it as unwelcome competition to its own drone overflights.
Even though the two have the same exact agenda in Iraq, the Pentagon’s view is that Iran’s involvement will give them influence over Iraq going forward, ignoring the reality that Iraq has had close ties to Iran since the 2003 US invasion and occupation installed a pro-Iranian faction in power.
Tweets.....
Why hurry? Maybe Iraq won't exist by then MT @mojobaghdad: Iraqi officials tell @AFP tomorrow's key parliament session is postponed to Aug12
#Peshmerga forces say they will not hesitate to retaliate against Iraqi army if it attacks #Kurdish positions again. http://fb.me/6MHGsDiPj
#BreakingNews: #Maliki army’s 6th division commander killed http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2014/07/07/Maliki-army-s-6th-division-commander-killed.html …
#BreakingNews: Negm Abdullah Ali killed on battlefield: #Maliki’s office http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2014/07/07/Maliki-army-s-6th-division-commander-killed.html …
#BreakingNews: #Iraq parliament postpones key July 8 session: officials
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2014/07/07/Maliki-army-s-6th-division-commander-killed.html …
Massive explosion rocked #Washash neighborhood in #Baghdad. The massive blast targeted one of Badr organization major offices. #Iraq #ISIS
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