Tag: Iraq

As Assad Prepares Last Stand, His Ally Iraq Rules Out Military Intervention

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Newsweek:

An Iraqi official has told Newsweek that the country had no plans to send troops into neighboring Syria but was instead searching for a political resolution as a coalition of insurgents edged toward Damascus, threatening to oust longtime President Bashar al-Assad in a dramatic turn of a 13-year civil war.

Iraq and Hezbollah are not coming. Neither Russia nor Iran seem to be mobilizing. But that may have to do with the fact that the Syrian Arab Army does not even appear to be fighting. Entire brigades have been bought off, or outright defected to the jihadi cause. Syria is unraveling fast.

If Syria falls, then the Shiite Crescent will be broken. Meaning that Iran’s land bridge to support Hezbollah in Lebanon or the Palestinians will be gone. Hezbollah and the Palestinians are going to run out of bullets.

The Russians will lose their Mediterranean naval base. The ChiComs can kiss goodbye their Belt and Road Initiative.

Assad is down, but he is not out. It does not look like very much of a last stand is being prepared, though.

See also:
–Syrian Rebels Enter Homs, Say They’ll Besiege Damascus
–Insurgents Reach Gates Of Syria’s Capital, Threatening To Upend Decades Of Assad Rule
–Assad Regime In Syria May Fall In Days, US Increasingly Believes

Iraqi Fighters Head To Syria To Battle Rebels But Lebanon’s Hezbollah Stays Out, Sources Say

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Reuters:

Hundreds of Iran-backed Iraqi fighters crossed into Syria on Monday to help the government fight rebels who seized Aleppo last week, but Lebanon’s Hezbollah has no plans for now to join them, according to sources.

Iran’s constellation of allied regional militia groups, aided by Russian air power, has been integral to the success of pro-government forces in subduing rebels in Syria who rose up against President Bashar al-Assad in 2011.

“Hundreds” of Shiite militia are coming in from Iraq to defend Syria, but hundreds may not be enough to make much of a difference. The Iraqi government vows not to be a spectator to the conflict, but NATO’s jihadi terrorists are not slowing down their advance.

See also:
–Iraq Will Not Be Just A ‘Spectator’ In Syria, Prime Minister Says
–Syrian Rebels Advance Close To Hama City, Piling Pressure On Assad And His Allies

Iran Fires Ominous ‘Explosion’ Warning To US And Israel

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Newsweek:

Iran has warned that the U.S. blocking of a United Nations resolution for a ceasefire in Gaza could have dire consequences.

The Shiite Crescent is standing up. Houthi Yemen has officially joined the war.

See also:
–Amid The Israel-Hamas War, Iran Approaches Nuclear Breakout
–Why Fears Of A Broader Middle East Conflict Are Growing In Iraq
–Iran-Backed Houthis Vow To Target Any Ship ‘Of Any Nationality’ Bound For Israel Through The Red Sea

Plot To Kill George Bush Over Iraq War Was Foiled, Says FBI

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The Irish Times:

An Iraqi asylum seeker living in Ohio was charged with aiding and abetting a plot to assassinate former president George W Bush in revenge for the 2003 invasion of Iraq, federal prosecutors said.

Shihab Ahmed Shihab (52) was arrested Tuesday in Ohio by agents with the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, the US attorney’s office in Cincinnati said in a statement. Mr Shihab was being closely tracked by the Federal Bureau of Investigation after he unwittingly revealed the alleged plot to a paid FBI informant in 2021, according to court documents.

The plotters “wished to kill former president Bush because they felt that he was responsible for killing many Iraqis and breaking apart the entire country of Iraq,” FBI special agent John Ypsilantis said in a March 23rd search warrant that was unsealed on Tuesday.

According to the FBI, Mr Shihab, who entered the US in September 2020, conducted surveillance on Mr Bush’s home and offices in the Dallas area in February with assistance from the informant, who drove him around the city.

Now is not the time to lose Dubya. There is too much comedy gold right now.

Operation Claw-Lock: The Iran-Turkey Contest For Iraq Heats Up

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The National Interest:

Turkey launched Operation Claw-Lock, the latest of its military operations targeting the Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK) in Iraqi Kurdistan, on April 17, 2022. The operation coincides with an Iraqi military push to establish control over Sinjar, a region in which PKK-aligned militias operate. Claw-Lock also comes amid renewed Turkish-Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) efforts to build a gas pipeline linking Iraqi Kurdistan to Turkey. All three events impact Iranian interests, something Iran and its Iraqi proxies have not failed to miss.

See also: Iran’s IRGC Shells ‘Terrorist Positions’ In Iraq’s Erbil

Yazidi Militia Says Iraqi Army Attacks Linked To Turkey’s Anti-PKK Campaign

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Al-Monitor:

A Yazidi militia known as the Shingal Resistance Units (YBS) has accused Iraq’s prime minister, Mustafa al-Kadhimi, of colluding with Turkey as Iraqi forces seek to wrest full control of the Yazidi-dominated Sinjar area bordering Syria.

A YBS spokesman said that it was “no coincidence” that the Iraqi army attacked its internal security forces known as the Asayish on April 19 after they refused to evacuate a checkpoint in northern Sinjar. The move came as Turkey launched its operation “Claw Lock” to isolate guerrillas of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in their strongholds in the mountainous Zap region northwest of Sinjar.

“It seems the Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi is coordinating with Turkey,” Serhildan Shingali told Al-Monitor in a telephone interview. Turkish military drones continue to fly over Sinjar, he said, and “Turkey’s goal is to create chaos in this region,”

Iraq: Yazidis Flee As Army Launches Offensive On Sinjar Armed Group

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Middle East Eye:

Residents of the northern Iraqi province of Sinjar are bracing themselves for another bout of violence after Baghdad launched a military operation to clear the region of forces linked to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

On Sunday evening, heavy fighting erupted between the Iraqi army and the Sinjar Resistance Units (YBS) – an armed group composed of members of the Yazidi religious minority who largely live in Sinjar – near Dugri. On Monday the fighting also spread to the town of Sinune.

The clashes have seen Sinjar residents once again displaced from their homes. A Kurdish official told the Kurdistan 24 news website that around 200 families had been displaced by the fighting and were on their way to neighbouring Duhok, a province controlled by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).

Turkey’s Military Operation Causes Controversy, Division In Iraq

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Al Jazeera:

Turkey’s latest military operation in the Kurdish region of northern Iraq began early last week, with Ankara launching an air and ground offensive targeting the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in pockets of Duhok province on April 18.

These operations against the PKK, an armed group fighting for the autonomy of Turkey’s southeast and considered a terrorist organisation by Ankara, have become a regular occurrence over recent years. However, they are growing more controversial in Iraq, and not just in areas administered by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).

See also:
–Ankara ‘Eyeing’ Iraqi Territory Lost In Collapse Of Ottoman Era: Top Politician
–Iraq Helps Broker Iran-Saudi Negotiations

Turkey’s Cross-Border Op Threatens Security, Violates Sovereignty: Iraq

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Business Standard:

Iraq has said that the Turkish military operation in its semi-autonomous Kurdistan region is a threat to the country’s national security and a violation of its sovereignty.

The latest Turkish military operation into the Iraqi frontier without coordinating with the Iraqi federal government is unacceptable, said a statement by the Presidency on Tuesday, Xinhua news agency reported.

The pending security issues in the border areas could be resolved through further coordination between the two countries and the Iraqi sovereignty must be respected, it added.

Turkey Launches New Ground, Air Offensive In Northern Iraq

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ABC News:

Turkey has launched a new ground and air cross-border offensive against Kurdish militants in northern Iraq, that has left at least 19 suspected Kurdish rebels dead and has wounded at least four Turkish soldiers, Turkey’s defense minister said Monday.

Turkish jets and artillery struck suspected targets of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, and commando troops — supported by helicopters and drones — then crossed into the region by land or were airlifted by helicopters, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said in a video posted on the ministry’s website.

Akar said the jets successfully struck shelters, bunkers, caves, tunnels, ammunition depots and headquarters belonging to the PKK. The group maintains bases in northern Iraq and has used the territory for attacks on Turkey.

U.S. Troops Will Likely Be In Iraq For Years To Come, Central Command Boss Says

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Military Times:

About six months after the U.S. ended its longest war, the outgoing head of U.S. Central Command hinted that U.S. involvement in Iraq is probably going to go on even longer.

As the 19th anniversary of Operation Iraq Freedom approaches, there are roughly 2,500 troops still in Iraq, playing a strict advise-and-assist role at the invitation of the Iraqi government.

Iran Claims Responsibility For Missiles That Struck Near A U.S. Consulate In Iraq

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NPR:

Iran claimed responsibility Sunday for a missile barrage that struck near a sprawling U.S. consulate complex in the northern Iraqi city of Irbil, saying it was retaliation for an Israeli strike in Syria that killed two members of its Revolutionary Guard earlier this week.

No injuries were reported in Sunday’s attack on the city of Irbil, which marked a significant escalation between the U.S. and Iran. Hostility between the longtime foes has often played out in Iraq, whose government is allied with both countries.

Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard said on its website that it attacked what it described as an Israeli spy center in Irbil. It did not elaborate, but in a statement said Israel had been on the offensive, citing the recent strike that killed two members of the Revolutionary Guard.

Ballistic Missiles Fired At US Consulate In Iraq

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New York Post:

Up to a dozen ballistic missiles launched from Iran were fired early Sunday morning towards the US consulate in Iraq’s Kurdistan region capital of Erbil, officials said.

While no casualties were reported, Iraqi and US officials gave differing accounts of the attack, which also damaged the office building of a Kurdish news outlet.

A US State Department spokesperson told The Associated Press the strike was an “outrageous attack against Iraqi sovereignty and display of violence.”

Iraqi Militia Attack On UAE A ‘Message From Iran’

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Al Jazeera:

The drone attack by a little-known armed group in Iraq on the United Arab Emirates (UAE) this week has raised questions about Baghdad’s involvement in regional tensions between Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen and the Saudi-led coalition.

Alwiyat al-Waad al-Haq (AWH), or the True Promise Brigades, claimed responsibility for the strike on the UAE on Wednesday, saying in a statement it launched “four drones targeting vital facilities in Abu Dhabi” in retaliation for the Emirates’ policies in Iraq and Yemen.

Several analysts linked the strikes to a shadowy militia Kataib Hezbollah (KH), a powerful Iran-backed Shia armed group in Iraq that has been listed by the United States as a “terrorist organisation”.