U.S. Slides Back into War in Iraq, Joining Conflict President Once Opposed
More U.S. military personnel have been sent to Iraq and Syria. Trainers, Special Forces, and airstrikes haven’t been enough. The administration continues its slow progression to renewed ground combat. President Barack Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize grows more tarnished by the day. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter informed Congress last month that a “specialized expeditionary targeting […]
Isis launches huge counter-attack in key stronghold city of Ramadi days after it was ‘liberated’
An unidentified source toldthe Agence France-Presse (AFP) news agency the extremist group sent six “suicide vehicles” followed by fighters wearing explosive belts to an Iraqi compound in north Ramadi on Friday. According to AFP, the fighters managed to take control of the base “when the army had to pull out because it suffered casualties” but […]
Iraqi PM visits Ramadi after declaring Isis will be ‘terminated’ in 2016
The Iraqi prime minister, Haider al-Abadi, has arrived in Ramadi a day after his government declared the city liberated from Islamic State. Abadi kicked off his tour with meetings with security and provincial officials, reports said. The recapture of the city, where the Iraqi flag was raised on Monday over government buildings that had […]
Ramadi ‘fully liberated’ from ISIS’ grasp, Iraqi military says
Iraqi government forces took control of the central government complex in the city of Ramadi Monday, liberating the city from the ISIS terror group, a military spokesperson said. However, Gen. Ismail al-Mahlawi, head of military operations in Anbar, said that troops had only retaken the complex itself, and parts of the city remained under ISIS […]
ISIS puts up heavy fight to slow Iraqi troop advance on Ramadi
Islamic State fighters are putting up a tough fight in the militant-held city of Ramadi, slowing down the advance of Iraqi forces, a senior Iraqi commander said Sunday. Iraq launched the long-awaited operation to retake the Anbar provincial capital, which was captured by IS militants in May, but after an initial push across the […]
‘The only country ISIS fears in the Middle East is Israel’
German journalist who spent 10 days with Islamic State says that the radical jihadist group that has captured wide swaths of Syria and Iraq is deterred by only one Middle Eastern country – Israel. In an interview with the British Jewish News, Jurgen Todenhofer recalls his brief time behind enemy lines during which he […]
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani: ‘Islamic State has tarnished the global image of Islam’
He explained that Islamic principles are opposed to violence and Islam is founded on principles of peace and compassion. In contrast, extremist groups are borne of “narrow-mindedness and a lack of moderation”, he added. Mr Rouhani said that Muslim countries needed to be accountable and had been “silent in the face of all the […]
Islamic State Hopes to Expand ‘Caliphate’ into Indonesia
Brandis described this as part of the ISIS vision for a “distant caliphate,” establishing a presence far beyond the Islamic State’s home turf in Syria and Iraq. “ISIS has a declared intention to establish caliphates beyond the Middle East, provincial caliphates in effect,” he explained. “It has identified Indonesia as a location of its […]
Yazidi politician in Iraq: What happened to my people was a genocide
ERBIL, KURDISTAN REGION, IRAQ – “In the beginning, the international community and many countries did many things and they sent humanitarian help for the Yazidi people and saved the Yazidis for three or four weeks. But after that it decreased and decreased and finished in four months.” Speaking from her office in Baghdad, Vian […]