Friday, 20 June 2014

Iraq update - 05/19/2014

"Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish Prime Minister has asked the US not to bomb Daash targets as it will result in CIVILIAN casualties."

---Mindfriedo

Obama rules out US combat troops in Iraq

US president says he will only send advisers to aid Baghdad against ISIL, but keeps option of "targeted" strikes

19 June, 2014

Barack Obama has said US forces would not be returning to a combat role in Iraq but added he was prepared to take the option of "targeted" military action in the future.

The US president said on Thursday that another ground war in Iraq would not solve the country's problems. Iraq's Shia-led government is facing a rebellion by Sunni fighters and members of Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant.

"We do not have the ability to simply solve this problem by sending in tens of thousands of troops and committing the kinds of blood and treasure that has already been expended in Iraq," Obama said.

"Ultimately, this is something that is going to have to be solved by the Iraqis."

Obama, however, said the country was ready to send up to 300 military advisers to Iraq "to assess how we can best train and advise and support Iraqi security forces."

He added that the US was ready "to create joint operation centres in Baghdad and northern Iraq to share intelligence and coordinate planning to confront the terrorist threat of ISIL."

"We will help Iraqis as they take to fight terrorists who threaten the Iraqi people, the region and American interests as well," he said.

"We will be prepared to take targeted and precise military action if and when we determine that the situation on the ground requires it."

Call for unity

The US president said Iraqi leaders should rise above their differences and come together for a political solution to the crisis.

Obama however stopped short of calling for Nouri al-Maliki, to resign as Iraqi prime minister. saying it was not the up to the US to choose Iraq's leaders.

"There is deep division between Sunni, Shia and Kurdish leaders and as long as those deep divisions continue or worsen, it's going to be very hard for an Iraqi central government to direct an Iraqi military to deal with these threats."

Obama said Iran could play a constructive role in Iraq if it sent a message that Iraq's government must be inclusive and respect the interests of Sunni Muslims and Kurds.

Obama said the situation would worsen if Iran entered the conflict soley on the side of the Shia government, and that Iran could find itself fighting in lots of places in the world if it chose to do so.

Battle rages for Iraq's largest oil refinery

Iraqi forces fight Sunni rebels for control of the Baiji oil refinery, as Baghdad waits on US response on air strikes.




19 June, 2014


Iraqi forces are battling Sunni rebels for control of the country's largest oil refinery as the government waits on a US response for air attacks to beat back a rebel advance threatening Baghdad.

Troops loyal to the Shia-led government on Thursday were holding off rebels and fighters from the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant at the sprawling Baiji oil refinery, some 200km north of the capital.

A government spokesman said early on Thursday that Iraqi forces were in "complete control", but a witness in Baiji said fighting was continuing.

The refinery was shut down on Tuesday after rebels launched their attack.
Al Jazeera's Hoda Abdel-Hamid, reporting from Erbil, said the situation was fluid with both sides claiming control.
"Iraqi forces have gone on the offensive and according to Baghdad have pushed Sunni rebels back," she said.
Baiji lies in territory captured in the past week by the ISIL fighters and its Sunni allies, and is close to Tikrit.
The Iraqi government made a public request for US air strikes on Wednesday to thwart the assault.
The US has urged Maliki to reach out to Sunnis, many of whom feel excluded by the Shia parties that have dominated elections since Saddam Hussein was overthrown.
The secular Baath party, a political monopoly under Saddam, called on Iraqis to unite against Maliki.
"All the true, vibrant colours of our great Iraqi people must come together under one banner, against the American and Iranian conspiracies and their treacherous government under Maliki and their disgraceful sectarian and ethnic militias."
Iraq's neighbours have also urged political intervention as the only solution to heal the country's sectarian divisions.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish prime minister, warned that US air strikes could lead to a high number of civilian deaths with "ISIL elements ... mixed in with the people".


Saudi Arabia's foreign minister, Prince Saud al-Faisal, instructed Maliki to follow the policy pursued by the kingdom to eradicate "terrorism".
Air strikes
Washington has given no indication whether it will carry out attacks, with some US politicians urging the president, Barack Obama, that Maliki should go as a condition for US help
General Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, avoided a direct answer when asked by senators whether Washington would accede to the Iraq request.
US officials told the Reuters news agency that Iraq's request had included drone attacks and aerial surveillance.
Several leading figures in Congress have spoken out against Maliki. Obama has urged the Iraqi prime minister to do more to overcome sectarian rifts.
Republican senator John McCain urged Obama to "make it very clear to Maliki that his time is up".

June 19th IRAQ SITREP by Mindfriedo

19 June, 2014


18th June: A tweet purported to belong to Saudi National Abdullah Al Turki:
Getting rid of Kafir Shia in Syria and Iraq is more important than getting rid of Zionist

We will dig up the grave of Ali ibn Abi Talib inshallah and bring out the Mahdi from the underground and kill him. This is not a threat but a uprise. 

It's a wish to dig up the grave of Zainab too
(Not sure if this is genuine or propaganda)

18th June: The United States Air Force is formally asked by the Iraqi government to bomb Daash targets and prevent the advance of militants. Any such request would have, at the least, involved the Iranian commander of the Qods force.

18th June: the Saudi embassy in London has issued this statement: "The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia wishes to see the defeat and destruction of all Al-Qaeda networks and the Islamic State of Iraq and Al Sham (ISIS) operating in Iraq. Saudi Arabia does not provide either moral or financial support to ISIS or any terrorist networks. Any suggestion to the contrary, is a malicious falsehood. Despite the false allegations of the Iraqi Ministerial Cabinet, whose exclusionary policies have fomented this current crisis, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia supports the preservation of Iraq’s sovereignty, its unity and territorial integrity. We wish to see the protection of all civilians and the alleviation of their current suffering. We oppose all foreign intervention and interference in the internal affairs of Iraq. Instead, we urge all the people of Iraq, whatever their religious denominations, to unite to overcome the current threats and challenges facing the country.”

18th June: Hillary Clinton has expressed her view that it was a mistake on the part of Iraq to ask for the withdrawal of US military personnel. 

18th June: Massoud Barzani, the president of the Kurdish region, announced a general mobilisation to bolster Peshmerga forces in defending Iraqi Kurdistan. He has asked former members to consider enrolling and has appealed to the Kurdish population for support.

18th June: Pro government Afaq TV is airing commercials calling for the boycott of Turkish and Saudi goods.

19th June: Ali Al Qureshi confirms that the refinery in Baiji is in government hands. A truce between the government and local tribes allowed for the evacuation of 300 refinery staff. Army aviation was instrumental in forcing Daash to withdraw its forces. Skirmishes between the two sides are ongoing. The Iraqi oil ministry is now threatening to sue news agencies that include AFP and Reuters for airing false reports.

19th June: The US has started reconnaissance sorties over Iraqi Air Space with F-18 Hornets. 

19th June: Over 100000 Kurds from the refugee population in Arbat Camp in Sulaimaniyeh have volunteered to join the Peshmergas. They have expressed a desire to work without pay.

19th June: the Turks expect that with Baiji refinery out of action, Iraq will be forced to import refined petroleum products from, surprise-surprise, Turkey. Baiji refinery used to meet 25% of Iraqi refined petroleum needs. 

19th June: Iranians are now sure that disinformation played a major role in the fall of Mosul. Rumours of the fall of the city were spread before it had actually fallen. Something similar was planned for other parts and prompted the Iraqi government to curtail phone and internet access.

19th June: the spokesperson for the Iraqi army, Qassim Atta, has mentioned that Iraqi Special forces were used in wresting control of Baiji.

19th June: Confrontations took place between Security services and Daash in Fallujah and the army has gained control of Saqlawiyah north west of Fallujah after killing 250 militants.

19th June: According to Qassim Atta the Iraq Army is making preparations to retake Mossul.

19th June: Iran's foreign minister Javad Zarif has announced the drafting of the final nuclear agreement between Iran and the Group 5+1 

NB: This is from an unusual source, but very interesting:

19th June: Indian media reports from an escaped Indian worker who fled Mosul a month before it fell, Ahmad (Indian Worker): Around a month ago, a friend of mine told me that it was better that we got out of Mosul as a major invasion was being planned by the Al Qaeda-offshoot Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. He also told me that Mosul would be taken over and after that it would be living hell to be here... I am being told that in the days to come even Bhagdad will not be safe. 
Ahmad: All stories about those barbaric acts that you hear are true. The ISIS are not human beings; they butcher people at will. It is fun for them to kill people and as long as they are around no part of Iraq is safe. 

19th June: Twenty trucks carrying food supplies for the displaced in Sinjar, west of Tal Afar, were blocked and looted by Daash. Daash has asked the city authorities to expel refugees from Tal Afar to be allowed access to aid. 

19th June: Kurdish authorities are now rationing fuel being supplied to drivers. An odd and even system is being used to ration fuel. There is an acute shortage of fuel. 

19th June: Petro China is now evacuating a limited number of staff from Iraq. It has renewed its offer to assist the government in Baghdad but not specified if military assistance would be forth coming. China is the largest investor in Iraq's oil sector and also the largest customer of Iraq's oil. This could explain why Iraq is now facing this crisis. 

19th June: The elders of Kirkuk City and the tribal elders of nearby Bashir have entered negotiations to return the bodies of civilians killed by Daash. Most victims are women and children. 

19th June: Baiji refinery is still being fought over with both sides claiming victory. Daash had draped its flags on the refinery earlier in the day. 

19th June: A Saudi woman is beaten to death in Colchester, UK. Daash has asked Muslims in the UK to take revenge. The tweet to avenge the woman's death was from a British "Muslim" member of Daash.

19th June: Baghdad airport is seeing heavy traffic of passengers since the crisis began. Ticket rates have gone up by 50%. The government has expedited imports of food stuffs to prevent shortages. People are sticking to local markets and avoiding larger bazaars.

19th June: Maliki has announced the court martial of 59 officers for abandoning their duty. 

19th VERY INTERESTING: Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish Prine Minister has asked the US not to bomb Daash targets as it will result in CIVILIAN casualties.

19th June: Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei has tweeted that Daash is an instrument of US policy

19th June: The telegraph is reporting heavy damage to Baiji refinery and has posted images of Daash fighters burning a stash of cigarettes. Smoking is prohibited in areas controlled by health conscious Daash. 

Articles worth reading:


Crazy / photo of smoke billowing from Baiji refinery after ISIS overran it:



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