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Rami
Kerry:
Syrian militants can help us in Iraq
US
Secretary of State John Kerry says the United States hopes to enlist
so-called “moderate” Syrian militants in the battle against
terrorists in neighboring Iraq
27
June, 2014
Kerry
made the remarks on Friday in Jeddah where he also met with Saudi
Arabian King Abdullah.
US
President Barack Obama on Thursday requested $500 million from
Congress to train and arm militants fighting the government of Syrian
President Bashar al-Assad.
Militants
from the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) are
spilling over form Syria's border into Iraq and threatening to
overwhelm the country. Over the past days, heavy clashes have been
underway between Iraqi armed forces and the ISIL terrorists, who have
threatened to spread their acts of violence to Baghdad and other
Iraqi cities.
"Obviously,
in light of what has happened in Iraq, we have even more to talk
about in terms of the moderate opposition in Syria, which has the
ability to be a very important player in pushing back against ISIL's
presence and to have them not just in Syria, but also in Iraq,"
Kerry said at the start of a meeting with Syrian militant leader
Ahmad al-Jarba.
Al-Jarba
thanked the Obama administration for requesting the $500 million, but
said his men want even more foreign aid for their so-far unsuccessful
effort to oust Assad.
Washington
has been openly supporting the armed opposition in Syria both
financially and militarily in the years-long conflict that ravaged
the Arab nation.
A
recent report shows that the ISIL terrorists were trained by the CIA
in Jordan more than two years ago. The report said that the militants
were initially trained at the time as part of covert aid to the
militants operating inside Syria.
Pentagon Admits Armed Drones Flying Over Baghdad; Top Shiite Cleric Joins US Calling For Maliki Ouster
27
June, 2014
With
Iraq closing a last
minute deal with Russia to
reinforce its depleted airforce by purchasing second-hand Su fighter
jets, suddenly the US found itself scrambling: the last thing it
wants is to hand over control of Iraq's skies to foreign-made
warplanes. Which is perhaps why as CBS
just reported,
a Pentagon official has officially confirmed that the US is now
flying armed drones over Baghdad.
"The flights, which are not
round the clock, are for the protection of the embassy and are not
the precursor to air strikes" according to the same source.
So
despite its reticence to engage in yet another Iraqi war, the US has
now sent not only "military experts" but is once again
doing what it does best: killing people by remote control. Not only
that, but the people it (supposedly) intends to kill (for protection
purposes of course) are the same Jihadist militants which Obama just
requested another $500 million to equip and train. Because if you
can't find enough support for a limited regional war, the next best
thing is to wage a proxy war... against yourself. And since the US
military industrial complex is arming both sides, it is a win-win
once again for any neo-con interests.
In
other Iraqi news, the days of the current PM Maliki, who has now
burned all bridges with the US, appear numbered after Iraq's top
Shiite cleric - Iranian-born Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani - on
Friday called on political blocs to agree on the next prime minister
before the newly elected parliament sits next week, stepping up
pressure on political leaders to set aside their differences and form
an inclusive government in the face of Sunni militants who have
seized large swaths of territory. However, from a geopolitical
perspective this opens up a new can of worms: since the new PM will
certainly be even more pro-US in a country in which Russia has
invested generously to build out its oil infrastructure, this means
that Putin will likely have to intercede once again to make sure the
new PM is just as agreeable to Russian interests as the current one.
Which also means that a whole lot of money is being spent behind the
scenes.
The reclusive al-Sistani, the most revered figure among Iraqi Shiites, rarely appears or speaks in public, instead delivering messages through other clerics or, less frequently, issuing edicts.
Prominent Shiite leaders are pushing for the removal of al-Maliki, whose bloc won the most seats in April's elections - 92 out of the legislature's 328 - but who has been widely accused of monopolizing power and alienating Sunnis with a heavy-handed response to years of militant violence.
Even al-Maliki's most important ally, neighboring Iran, is said to be looking at alternatives.
According
to Reuters, a western diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity,
predicted that Maliki was now done
“It looks like the debate is whether it is going to be Tareq Najem from inside State of law or someone from outside Maliki's alliance," the diplomat said, referring to Maliki's one-time chief of staff and a senior member of his Dawa party.
"It is generally understood it will not be Maliki," the diplomat said. "Security was his big thing, and he failed."
Allies of Maliki said Sistani's call for a quick decision was not aimed at sidelining the premier, but at putting pressure on all political parties not to draw out the process with infighting as the country risks disintegration.
Meanwhile,
on the military front, a senior Iraqi army official told The
Associated Press that Iraqi commandos aboard four helicopters landed
at a soccer pitch inside a university campus in the insurgent-held
city of Tikrit late Thursday and clashed with militants of the
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant for several hours.
One
of the helicopters developed mechanical problems after takeoff from
Tikrit, 80 miles north of Baghdad, but landed safely in the
provincial military headquarters. The official had no word on
casualties and declined to specify the mission's objectives. He spoke
on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the
media.
The
official also said 200 troops have arrived at a key refinery north of
Baghdad under attack by militants for more than a week. The
reinforcing troops join a 100-strong contingent that has been
defending the Beiji refinery, Iraq's largest and the source of about
a quarter of the country's oil product needs, including fuel for
power stations.
Finally,
for the visual learners, here is the latest Iraqi situation report
from the Institute for the Study of War
"America
Deluded Us" Slams Angry Iraq PM, Will Buy Russian Jets Instead
In War Against ISIS
27
June, 2014
It
was a week ago when
we learned that
in yet another diplomatic masterstroke, Russia's Vladimir Putin took
advantage of the vacuum in relations between the US (which now wants
its heretofore puppet prime minister in Iraq removed) and the Iraqi
PM (who has been increasingly vocal against US allies in the region,
namely Saudi Arabia, and US demands for a coalition government) and
offered his "complete support" to the Iraqi leader.
Yesterday the Iraqi leader has decided to take Putin up on his offer
(especially since as we reported previously the Iraqi air force is
currently made up of all of two "equipped" Cessna jets) and
has announced he has bought used Russian jets which he will use
instead of US fighter planes in his war against ISIS.
As BBC
reports,
citing Maliki, "Jets from Russia and Belarus will hopefully make
a key difference in the fight against ISIS in Iraq." He
expressed regrets over Iraq's contract with the US, saying their
"jets are taking too long to arrive."
"God willing within one week this force will be effective and will destroy the terrorists' dens," he told BBC Arabic.
Mr
Maliki says Iraq has ordered Sukhoi fighter jets from Russia,
possibly similar to the one pictured.
In
the meantime, the prime minister took another chance to poke the US
in the eye, which despite sending "weaponized consultants"
or whatever Obama calls troops and special CIA agents these days, has
so far failed to deliver on its promised fighter jets to the civil
war-torn country. Maliki criticized the process of purchasing US jets
as “long-winded,” adding that the radicals could have been
repelled if Iraq had proper air defense.
"I'll
be frank and say that we were deluded when we signed the contract
[with the US]," Maliki said. "We should have sought to buy
other jet fighters like British, French and Russian to secure the air
cover for our forces; if we had air cover we would have averted what
had happened," he went on.
Maliki
said Iraq bought second-hand jet fighters from Russia and Belarus
"that should arrive in Iraq in two or three days." He was
speaking to the BBC's Arabic service in his first interview for an
international broadcaster since Isis - the Islamic State in Iraq and
the Levant - began its major offensive.
The
prime minister also confirmed that Syrian forces had carried out air
strikes against Islamist militants at a border crossing between Iraq
and Syria. He said Iraq had not requested the strikes but that it
"welcomed" them."They
carry out their strikes and we carry out ours and the final winners
are our two countries," he
said.
Ironically,
this also means that, at least optically, the US is now alligned with
Russia as well as Iran, Syria and Saudi Arabia in the "all
against one" fight against ISIS which continued to consolidate
its territory in Iraq and Syria.
What
it really means is that Obama has asked, and is about to get $500
milllion more to arm ISIS and its al-Qaeda peers in Syria, which in
turn the Iraq air force will now use Russian jets to bomb.
What
is the definition of a proxy war again?
Iran
flying drones and sending military supplies to support Iraq, says US
Iran is reportedly flying unarmed surveillance drones over Iraq to aid the local government in countering the ongoing offensive by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants.
27
June, 2014
Unnamed
US military officials told The New York Times that Iran has
established a special control centre at Rasheed Air Base in Baghdad
to operate a small fleet of Ababil UAVs over the country.
Iran
is also sending two plane loads of military supplies every day to aid
Iraq.
A
senior US official said the material is substantial and is 'not
necessarily heavy weaponry, but it's not just light arms and
ammunition'.
Support
from Iran follows reports that Syria has carried out aerial strikes
on ISIS insurgents near Iraq's western borders, killing at least 50
civilians and injuring 132.
Syria
and Iran have pledged their support to Iraq Government in fighting
ISIS, which has taken control of several major cities in the recent
weeks.
Tehran
has reportedly deployed ten divisions of its army and its Quds Force
soldiers along the border with full readiness to act if Baghdad or
Shiite shrines are threatened.
In
a clash of interests, support from Iran and Syria come at a time when
the US has also sent its advisers to assist Iraq forces with
intelligence inputs.
Iran,
meanwhile, has denied reports that it is sending its military force
to Iraq.
Iran
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham said: "As the Iraqi
ambassador to Tehran emphasized, none of Iranian military officials
are in Iraq, and the claims concerning the presence of Iranian
military forces in the country are not true."
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