Recent Appearances...

Warning: Undefined array key "rbname" in /data/rantburg.com/www/pgrecentorg.php on line 14
Hello !
Recent Appearances...

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Unknown gunmen carry out two separate attacks in Syria’s Deir ez-Zor

2023-07-13

[NPASyria] On Tuesday, a Syrian government officer was killed, and a leader of an Iranian-backed militia survived an liquidation attempt in two separate incidents in the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor, eastern Syria.

A military source from the Syrian government forces said person or persons unknown, riding a cycle of violence, attacked the residence of Sultan al-Malek, an officer in The 17th Reserve Division of government forces, on the outskirts of the town of al-Mayadin, eastern Deir ez-Zor.

The source told North Press that the assailants killed the officer in his house and then escaped to the desert according to eyewitnesses.

A military source in the Iranian-backed Liwa Abu al-Fadhal al-Abbas,

...also know as al-Abbas Brigade, a Shia Twelver militia formed in 2012 from Damascenes and Iraqi Shiite refugees to defend the Sayyidah Zaynab Mosque and other Shia holy sites in Syria against the anti-Assad rebels, then joined the Assad army’s fight against ISIS...

an Iranian-backed militia, said two unknown assailants, riding a cycle of violence, attacked the vehicle of the leader of Imam Ali Battalions,

...also known as Kata'ib al-Imam Ali, one of the groups in the Iraq’s Iran-controlled Popular Mobilization Forces. Since 2015 they’ve had a contingent helping Assad government forces against ISIS and other rebels...

known as "Ali al-Iraqiya" or "Ali al-Tayyab" in the town of Abu Kamal near the Syrian-Iraqi border.

Iranian-backed militias and the government forces control large areas of the Syrian Desert and the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor, which constitutes a source of concern as it witnesses intensive operations by Islamic State

Link

Iraq

Iraq recovers the grandson of Saddam Hussein's half-brother over Speicher

2022-11-12

[Shafaq News] On Friday, the Iraqi security authorities announced that the grandson of Saddam Hussein's half-brother Sabawi Ibrahim al-Tikrit
...birthplace of Saddam Hussein...
i, accused of participating in the Speicher massacre, returned to Iraq from ~~Lebanon~~ Hezbollahstan
<del>Lebanon</del> Hezbollahstan

...a formerly French, now an Iranian colony situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. ...
The massacre of the Iraqi army detachment at Camp Speicher in June 2014 was unprecedented when ISIS fighters captured and murdered at least 1,500 Iraqi Shi'a Air Force cadets outside Tikrit Air Academy (formerly known as Camp Speicher)

The Iraqi Ministry of Interior said that the Interpol police in the Ministry recovered Abdullah Yasser al-Sabawi, Saddam Hussein's grandnephew, after being apprehended in Beirut.

Abdullah Yasser Sabawi was detained in the Lebanese city of Jbeil.

"He is accused of carrying out criminal operations that resulted in the death of thousands of innocents, based on an Interpol warrant that the relevant Lebanese security agencies have enforced," Abbas Ibrahim, head of Lebanon's General Security intelligence agency, told al-Iraqiya.

Maj. Gen. Ibrahim added, "the Lebanese security services have executed an Interpol warrant, and this is our duty towards our people in Iraq."

Link

Iraq

SMC confirms Shafaq News agency's exclusive info concerning the Jableh massacre

2022-01-03

[SHAFAQ] The Security Media Cell disclosed new details on the Jableh massacre.

The head of the Cell, Saad Maen, stated to the semi-official al-Iraqiya channel that the Ministry of Interior's statement on the incident was preliminary and undetailed.

"What happened was a crime, and an irresponsible misuse of power", Maen said, noting that the security forces, at the time, received inaccurate information confirming that there were two holy warriors in the victims' house.

He added that 12 children were killed in the house in Jableh, pointing that 14 suspects are arrested until the moment.

These updates confirmed Shafaq News agency's exclusive report on the incident.

Shafaq News reveals shocking details in Jableh crime: intelligence officer accused his relative of Terrorism
[SHAFAQ] 2021-12-31 13:01
Shafaq News/ "On Thursday, December 30, at 1500 [Iraq time], an officer in the Iraqi Intelligence in Jableh sub-district of Babel Governorate revealed that a group of people wanted according to Article 4/Terrorism in the residence of Rahim Kadhem Obada al-Ghariri in al-Rachayed area."

"Immediately, a force from Jableh's Intelligence rushed to the location. Upon their arrival, the owner of the house opened fire toward the members of the patrol."

"According to the statements of the officer, the District's magistrate was contacted to obtain approvals, and a SWAT force was deployed," official wire seen by Shafaq News Agency said.

"The SWAT force encircled the house, and festivities erupted between them and the owner, who refused to surrender even though he shot two officers... At 1900, the confrontation ended, and the force entered the house to find out that all the family members, 20 persons including children and elders, were killed."

Three security officials revealed to Shafaq News Agency the shocking circumstances of the gruesome incident that rendered the Ministry of Interior's undersecretary for Intelligence Affairs, Ahmed Abu Ragheef, rush to the scene of the crime.

The sources said that a disagreement erupted between the house owner and a relative of him who is an intelligence officer. The latter exploited his ties to deploy a security force in order to arrest his relative after claiming he is a member of the terrorist organization of ISIS.

The armed festivities between the security force and the house owner, and his son prompted the attacking force to deploy heavy weapons, killing the entire family.

Another source said that Babel's Police Commander and head of Intelligence were summoned to investigation per the orders by the Minister of Interior, Othman al-Ghanmi.

The Security Media Cell (SMC) said in a statement earlier today that the security force was pursuing two holy warriors and engaged with them.

In a statement to Shafaq News Agency, security expert, retired Brigadier-General Adnan al-Kinani, said, "the plan of the attack was not successful. Any wanted person could be arrested outside his residence instead of engaging with him in a confrontation the way it happened."

"The incident is classified as a criminal act in case prior judicial proceedings were not obtained. The issuance of the warrant during the festivities is a dangerous sign. It is also a criminal act."

"The report of the forensic team that examined the scene can be issued within hours. They can compare the type of the bullets and the distance they were fired from to the weapons and bullets of both sides... Was the killer the head of the family or a security force? They can tell from the number of bullets in the victims' bodies. Moreover, the security forces usually shoot in the head or chest at a close distance. These hypotheses can aid the investigation to identify the culprits."

Link

Iraq

Al-Hakeem requests a meeting with al-Sistani

2021-11-29

[SHAFAQ] The leader of the al-Hekmah (Wisdom) movement, Ammar al-Hakeem, has requested an "urgent meeting" with the Supreme Shiite authority, Sayyid Ali al-Sistani, to set out a roadmap that leads the country past the current impasse, a source in the Coordination Framework revealed on Sunday.The source told Shafaq News Agency that al-Sistani's bureau promised to respond to al-Hakeem's request soon.

"The meeting is sought to be confidential or personal to give the Marja'iyah [the top Shiite Authority in the country] first-hand information about the initiative launched by the leader of al-Hekmah movement," the source continued, "the Marja'iyah can make the appropriate amendments to achieve consensus in the Shiite house."

"Many political forces had asked for meetings with the Marja'iyah, but their requests were denied," the source said, "the forces of the Cooperation Framework are aware of al-Hakim's request, and they hope it resolves the crisis in the country."

Earlier today, the Secretary-General of Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq movement, Qais Khazali, called on the supreme Shiite authority, Ali al-Sistani, to intervene and solve the "dangerous" political situation in Iraq.

Al-Khazali said in his speech, "the attack that targeted the prime minister's house is serious and cannot be tolerated at all, and trying to accuse the resistance factions of it is nothing but playing with fire and an attempt to drag the country into a major crisis."

He added, "Al-Kadhimi was not present at his house when the alleged targeting was announced," noting, "Al-Kadhimi did not accept the involvement of resistance factions in the investigation, which makes things more suspicious."

"This is a message to the committee charged with investigating the alleged attack on al-Kadhimi's house... You must provide tangible, real evidence, not speculations, nor media and Facebook gossip, because the situation is intolerable."

Link

Iraq

Al-Kadhimi: we know who the perpetrators are; Rasool: we know where the drones took off

2021-11-08

[SHAFAQ] The head of the caretaker government, Mustafa al-Kadhimi, said that he knows the responsible for the liquidation attempt he was subjected to, and will expose them. al-Kadhimi said in an extraordinary session of the Council of Ministers, "We will pursue those who committed yesterday's crime, we know them well and we will expose them, and the hand of justice will reach the killers of the martyr Colonel Nibras Farman, an officer of the Iraqi National Intelligence Service."

PM al-Kadhimi added that his government prevented Iraq from, "slipping into a regional war", noting, "we maintained security in the country, but still, some are trying to tamper with Iraq's security and want it to be a gang state."

The prime minister reiterated the government's success in, "meeting the demands of the people, the religious authority and the demonstrators to hold early elections, and to provide all that the commission requested," pointing, "the results of the elections, complaints, and appeals are not the government's responsibility. However,
the way to a man's heart remains through his stomach...
the government's duty focused on providing the elections' financial and security requirements."

He indicated that he had instructed opening immediate investigation into the events that took place in front of the Green Zone on Friday, to put any trespasser behind bars and bring him to justice.

The site from which the drones took off had been determined, Rasool confirms
[SHAFAQ] The front man for the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Major General Yahya Rasool, announced that the security forces have identified the launching site of the booby-trapped drones that targeted PM Mustafa al-Kadhimi's residence.

Al-Kadhimi announced earlier today that he survived an liquidation attempt after his house was targeted by drones.

Rasool confirmed to al-Iraqiya channel, "The site from which the drones took off had been determined."

"The two drones flew at a low altitude that prevented them from being detected by radars," noting, "the liquidation attempt included a second explosion via a drone that was shot down before it went kaboom!."

Al-Kadhimi chairs and extraordinary session of the Council
[SHAFAQ] Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi chaired today an extraordinary session of the Council of Ministers.

The news was announced in a brief statement issued by al-Kadhimi's office.

The meeting comes hours after the Prime Minister announced that he had been subjected to an liquidation attempt at his residence in the Green Zone, while the security authorities indicated that the attack was carried out through three drones, two of which were shot down.

Link

Iraq

Journalists Rights Organization demands public trial for Hisham al-Hashemi killers

2021-07-18

[SHAFAQ] Metro Center for Journalists Rights and Advocacy demanded on Saturday holding a public trial for the defendants involved in the liquidation of the Iraqi security expert, Hisham al-Hashemi. The center said that a public trial will reveal the identity of parties behind the liquidation, adding, "it will deter whoever, individuals or parties supporting them, from committing such crimes."

"Impunity contributed to a horrific surge of liquidations that neutralized hundreds of the best intellectuals, civil activists, journalists, and protestors who took the streets to seek a homeland."

Iraqi state television
... and if you can't believe state television who can you believe?
aired a video on Friday in which a police officer said he led a group that bumped off well-known analyst and government advisor Hisham al-Hashemi a year ago outside his home in Baghdad.

Hashemi, who had advised the authorities on defeating Sunni Moslem Islamic State

...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems....
Death Eaters and curbing the influence of the pro-Iran
...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate ~~Jews~~ ~~Zionists~~ Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol...
Shi’ite militias, was rubbed out on July 6, 2020, in a rare high-profile killing in the Iraqi capital.

In the video broadcast by Iraqiya state television
... and if you can't believe state television who can you believe?
a man in a brown jail jumpsuit identifies himself as Ahmed al-Kinani, 36, a police first lieutenant working with the interior ministry.

In brief comments, Kinani described how he led a group of four other suspects, who are still on the lam, to track down and kill Hashemi.

"I pulled my police pistol and shot four bullets into him," Kinani said, without giving a motive for the killing.

A government statement on Friday described the officer as a member of "rouge group" without naming it, and said his confession had been witnessed by a judge in the presence of the suspect's lawyer.

"We promised to capture Hisham al-Hashemi's killers. We fulfilled that promise," Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi wrote on Twitter shortly before the video was shown on state television
... and if you can't believe state television who can you believe?
No one had grabbed credit for Hashemi's killing, which took place in the Zayouna district of eastern Baghdad and came at a time of rising tension between Kadhimi's government and powerful Iran-backed militias and political parties who oppose him and accuse him of siding with the United States.

Link

Iraq

10 IDP camps slated to close

2021-02-12

The Kurdistan Regional government says otherwise
[NRTtv] SULAIMANI — Iraq’s Minister for Migration and Displacement Evan Faek Jabro said on Wednesday (February 10) that ten camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) will soon be closed down in the Kurdistan Region, but a Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) official has denied that plans are in motion.

Since mid-October, the federal government has been closing down IDP camps across the country, eliciting condemnations from local and international human rights organizations.

Most of those who will leave the camps as a result of the closures are women and children, who were already vulnerable. Their wellbeing is of particular concern in light of the continuing COVID-19 pandemic and the onset of winter, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in December.

Jabro said during an interview with al-Ashra program on the state-run al-Iraqiya television station that more than 140 of 174 camps in the country were shut down over the past six months.

All but two of the remaining 25 IDP camps are in the Kurdistan Region, including fifteen in Duhok, sheltering a total of 182,236 people as of late December.

More at the link

Link

Iraq

Counter-terror forces raid ISIS networks day after deadly Baghdad bombing killed at least 32, injured mare than 100

2021-01-24

[Rudaw] Iraq’s counter-terror forces detained a number of alleged Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems....
(ISIS) forces of Evil in multiple operations against the group on Friday, a day after twin suicide kaboom

s in Baghdad, claimed by ISIS, killed dozens of people.

At dawn on Friday, the Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) launched an operation dubbed "Revenge of the Martyrs" in three provinces: Baghdad, Anbar, and Kirkuk and "neutralized a number of terrorists," tweeted Yehia Rasool, spokesperson for Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi.

"Those arrested are linked to ISIS [ISIS] gang networks and have good information about the leaders of these terrorist networks," he stated.

In an open-air market in Baghdad on Thursday, two jacket wallahs detonated boom belts, killing at least 32 people and injuring more than 100.

The attack, after several years of calm in Baghdad, has exposed flaws in Iraq’s security forces, strained under the coronavirus (aka COVID19 or Chinese Plague)

coronavirus (aka COVID19 or Chinese Plague)

...the twenty first century equivalent of bubonic plague, only instead of killing off a third of the population of Europe it kills 3.4 percent of those who notice they have it. It seems to be fond of the elderly, especially Iranian politicians and holy men...
pandemic, tensions between allies Iran
...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate ~~Jews~~ ~~Zionists~~ Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol...
and the United States, and political turmoil.

Hours after the suicide kabooms, Kadhimi had an emergency meeting with his security team and ordered a reshuffling, moving five senior commanders out of their posts.

But the people of Baghdad are afraid of a return to near-daily suicide kabooms and bombings.

ISIS claims responsibility for Baghdad suicide bombing

[Rudaw] The Islamic State (ISIS) has claimed responsibility for a double suicide bombing in central Baghdad’s Tayaran Square on Thursday that left more than 30 dead in the first attack of its kind in several years.

Two suicide bombers belonging to the terror group detonated explosive belts in the crowded square, the group confirmed via its propaganda telegram channels late on Thursday. It said the second bomber struck as people gathered after the first explosion.

Thirty-two people were killed and 110 injured in the attack, according to Iraq's Ministry of Health.

The first attacker claimed to feel sick, attracting a crowd of helpers before detonating his explosive device, according to the interior ministry.

Ministry spokesperson Major General Tahsin Al-Khafaji told al-Iraqiya TV on Thursday that the bombings "bear the imprint of ISIS."

The terror group struck the same square in 2018, killing 28 people.

ISIS claimed on Thursday in its weekly propaganda newspaper al-Naba that it had killed and injured at least 40 people in 30 operations in Iraq from January 15 to January 21.

In an emergency meeting shortly after the bombing, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi dismissed and reshuffled several security and intelligence officials responsible for security in the area where the attack took place, not far from the capital’s Green Zone.

Video footage circulating on social media purportedly shows the moment a suicide bomber attacked Baghdad's Tayaran Square on Thursday morning

Read more: https://t.co/R8u9ziu2o2 pic.twitter.com/8kIWBEOwfk
— Rudaw English (@RudawEnglish) January 21, 2021

Link

Iraq

Half of US-led coalition troops to leave Iraq by end of 2020: PM-designate Zurfi

2020-04-06

[Rudaw] Half of the US-led coalition troops in Iraq will have left the country by the end of 2020, Iraq’s premier-designate Adnan al-Zurfi has said, while a timetable for the departure of the other half will agreed upon by early 2021.

Zurfi made the remarks in his first televised interview as PM-designate, conducted by state media outlet al-Iraqiya on Sunday night.

"I talked to US ambassador and coalition officials in Iraq about a schedule for coalition troop withdrawal from Iraq," he said. "Half of the US-led coalition troops will withdraw from Iraq by end of 2020, while the other half will leave Iraq after we agree on a schedule by the beginning of next year."

Link

-Signs, Portents, and the Weather-

Coronavirus round-up: 1st reported case in Qatar is a man who recently returned from Iran

2020-03-01

[TWITTER]

#BreakingNews |The 1st reported coronavirus case in Qatar is a man who recently returned from Iran: Health official#BaghdadPost #CoronavirusOutbreak #CoronaVirusIran pic.twitter.com/FDp5Ufueyq
— The Baghdad Post (@BaghdadPostPlus) February 29, 2020

NEW: Coronavirus case of unknown origin now confirmed in Oregon - WaPo
— Global: MilitaryInfo (@Global_Mil_Info) February 29, 2020

#BreakingNews | #Washington reports 1st #coronavirus death in the #US : KATC #BaghdadPost #CoronavirusOutbreak pic.twitter.com/RLMXNhmvBt
— The Baghdad Post (@BaghdadPostPlus) February 29, 2020

Deaths in #Iran from #coronavirus have hit 43, the highest number outside #China, and the total number of infected people has risen to 593 #BaghdadPost #CoronavirusOutbreak #CoronaVirusIran https://t.co/9z7FArmbXx
— The Baghdad Post (@BaghdadPostPlus) February 29, 2020

No! Wait!

#BreakingNews| #Iran death toll from #coronavirus reaches 210: BBC Persian#BaghdadPost #Coronavid19 #coro pic.twitter.com/ugg5bvNBpX
— The Baghdad Post (@BaghdadPostPlus) February 29, 2020

Al-Iraqiya TV channel’s correspondent in #Tahrir, Duraid Zuhair, diagnosed with #coronavirus #BaghdadPost #IraqProtests #saveIraqipeople #FreeIraq #CoronavirusOutbreak #COVID2019

Follow us: https://t.co/zGFVYJcdVW… pic.twitter.com/weQEkmCShf
— The Baghdad Post (@BaghdadPostPlus) February 29, 2020

Pakistani Govt has decided to close #Pak-Afghan border for 7 days following imminent threats of #Coronavirus in #Balochistan. Roughly 10000 people daily crosses the Pak-Afghan friendship gate. The #Pak-Iran border has already been closed since last 9days as Iran in grip of Corona
— zain (@zain91) February 29, 2020

Two new cases of #coronavirus have been detected in #Pakistan, bringing the total number of patients with the infection in the country to four, according to the prime minister’s adviser on health Zafar Mirza.#COVID_19 https://t.co/ARKM5D6LdE
— Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) February 29, 2020

The number of people infected with #coronavirus in the United Kingdom rises to 23 after three more patients tested positive, #Britain’s health department says.#COVID_19 https://t.co/Xmg2aI0I2c
— Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) February 29, 2020

Update: The number of confirmed cases of #coronavirus in #France jumps to 73 with no new deaths, according to the country’s health minister.#COVID_19 https://t.co/YmKJ1TDZVU
— Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) February 29, 2020

Coronavirus in 11 countries traced back to Iran: WHO Director

[Rudaw] Academic researchers have voiced suspicion over the officially recognized coronavirus numbers coming out of Iran. A study out of the University of Toronto, based off cross-referencing the death rates of infected areas, estimates that the size of the outbreak in Iran
Iran

...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan, the abbreviation IRGC is a cognate form of Stürmabteilung (or SA), the term Supreme Guide is a cognate form of either Shah or Führer or maybe both, and they hate ~~Jews~~ ~~Zionists~~ Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol...
could be as high as 18,300 people.

Speaking to news hounds at a press briefing on Friday, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that a total of 97 cases of coronavirus across 11 countries have likely originated from people who became infected during recent travel to Iran.

Canada, New Zealand, Georgia, Belarus and seven other countries have traced confirmed cases of Covid-19, the deadly coronavirus strain currently spreading like wildfire across international borders, back to individuals who recently traveled to Iran.

Ghebreyesus also stated that 24 new cases of the virus, spread across 14 countries, originated in Italia.

Italy coronavirus cases exceed 1,000, death toll at 29

[AlAhram] The number of cases of the new coronavirus in Italia has exceeded 1,000, the health ministry said Saturday, with the corpse count rising by eight to 29 in the past 24 hours.

The number of cases has reached 1,128 since the start of the epidemic a week ago, up from 888 on Friday. Around half those tested show few to no symptoms, the Italian health authorities said.

Official figures said 105 people were receiving intensive care hospital treatment as of Saturday.

Eighty of the most serious cases are in the northern Lombardi region. All the deaths have been recorded in three northern regions, the health ministry's figures showed.

A total of 1,049 people remained infected on Saturday, the figures showed.

Link

Iraq

Reporting of Ambassador to US remarks on Palestine-Israel 'inappropriate': Iraq FM

2019-07-07

[Rudaw] The Foreign Ministry of Iraq on Saturday defended its Ambassador to the United States Fareed Yasseen's recent comments on Paleostine and Israel, claiming he has been "inappropriately" quoted by the media.

"Countries and media give special importance to the Paleostine issue which is a key focus of conferences and meetings attended by our representatives and delegations abroad. Sometimes they or their full expression gets cut and there were some people distorting the principled position of Iraq," FM spokesperson Ahmed al-Sahaf said in a statement.

The foreign ministry did not name the outlet(s) it claims misrepresented Yasseen's comments. However,
if you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to be a horrible warning...
this week video clips on social media showed him speaking with state-run al-Iraqiya (IMN) TV.

"We reiterate that the position of Iraq on the Paleostinian issue is the same principled, historical position which rejects Israeli invasion and the rape of Arab land. Additionally, we do not establish any relations with the occupying state and we stand by our principle of boycott," the FM statement added.

Yasseen seemed to argue for some sort of relations between Baghdad and Tel Aviv in the video.

"There are objective reasons that call for the erection of relations between Iraq and Israel, including the presence of a significant Iraqi community in Israel," he said in the video released this week.

However,
if you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to be a horrible warning...
he also acknowledged that objective factors are not enough to establish official ties with Israel because there are "moral and legal reasons which Iraqis comply with."
When I think "Moral and Legal", Iraqi pols aren't the first thing I think of...
Just two questions were asked in the five-minute clip. The video is not available on IMN's website.

Iraq officially has never recognized Israel since it declared independence in 1948 and was admitted into the United Nations
...a lucrative dumping ground for the relatives of dictators and party hacks...
as a member in the following year. Iraq recognized the State of Paleostine in 1988. Paleostine has observer status in the United Nations.

Jews have long and enduring roots in what is now present-day Iraq and the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region. The Iraqi federal government and Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) are forbidden from having diplomatic relations with Israel; however, cultural ties remain and the KRG has an office for a representative of the Jewish community in its Ministry of Endowment and Religious Affairs.

Between 1948 and 1951, more than 121,000 Jews left Iraq for the Holy Land in the so-called Operation Ezra and Nehemiah as Israel airlifted tens of thousands of Jews following the Iraqi government's intensified persecution following the establishment of the State of Israel.

Iraqi tensions flared in June when people stormed the Bahrain Kingdom's embassy in Baghdad. They were protesting the 'Peace for Prosperity' conference held by Jared Kushner in Bahrain. Kushner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump

...Oh, noze! Not him!...
is a senior White House advisor and tried to use to forum to advance an Israel-Paleostine peace plan via investment.

Link

Iraq

KRG nets $1.3 billion in oil sales for Q3 of 2018 - auditor

2019-02-28

[Rudaw] As part of its continued energy sector audits, Deloitte announced on Wednesday that the Kurdistan Region Government (KRG) sold crude oil and condensate worth more than $2.26 billion in the third quarter of 2018 up from $1.84 billion in the previous quarter.

It had two findings.

"Oil export and consumption - We did not identify any misstatements in the 1 July 2018 to 30 September 2018 oil export and consumption data," stated Deloitte in their report.

The Kurdistan Region had a "gross value of crude oil and condensate sold (piped exports and local sales)" of $2,262,409,784 in the three-month period.

"Oil sales ‐ We did not identify any misstatements in the 1 July 2018 to 30 September 2018 oil sales data and the net amount received in the period by the KRG," added Deloitte.

Because of payments to other companies, licensing agreements, repayment of debts, payments to oil producers, among other costs, the KRG netted more than $1.3 billion ‐ $1,288,773,374 for sales and related activities, and $104,598,002 in additional advance payments made by buyers.

It averaged $63.098 per barrel of oil exported through the Ceyhan pipeline (totaling 35,246 851 barrels), and $67.734 for crude and condensate sold locally (totaling 174,761 barrels).

In the previous quarter, the KRG exported 30,190,384 barrels of oil through the pipeline.

An advisor to KDP President Masoud Barzani explained that the audits help in improving Erbil-Baghdad relations.

"It's an important issue between Iraq and the KRG," Masoud Haider, a former MP in the Iraqi parliament, told Rudaw English. "We hope that in 2019, with an open discussion ‐ all the issues, economic issues between the KRG and the federal government will be on the table and so on."

The audits are also a tool for the KRG when drafting contracts with foreign energy companies.

Deloitte was appointed to review the KRG's oil activities for 2014-2017 by the KRG's Regional Council for Oil and Gas Affairs.

The KRG welcomed the report.

"The Regional Council for Oil and Gas Affairs acknowledges the positive feedback received from stakeholders, including the international community, and reiterates its commitment to the people of Kurdistan that the two international audit firms, Deloitte and Ernst & Young, will continue to independently review the oil and gas sector, inclusive of all the streams," it stated.

Kurdistan prepared to send oil – if Baghdad meets obligations: KRG source

[Rudaw] Baghdad can expect to receive 250,000 barrels of oil per day from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) if it meets its own commitments to pay the Region’s civil servants, repays debts to oil firms, and supplies an adequate budget, a KRG source told Rudaw.

Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani and Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani are taking part in a meeting of the KRG’s oil and gas committee to discuss the budget, oil, and economic relations between Erbil and Baghdad, the source said.

"The Kurdistan Region is prepared on condition to send 250,000 oil barrels to Baghdad daily," the source told Rudaw, provided "Baghdad too is prepared to send salaries of Kurdistan Region employees, is committed to paying off the debts owed to oil companies, and dedicate functional budget."

KRG Finance Minister Rebaz Hamlan will present a report about the Region’s expenses and revenues, and Minister of Natural Resources Ashti Hawrami will present a report on its oil revenues, Rudaw has learned.

The meeting will also cover the agreement between the Kurdistan Region and Baghdad on the budget, civil servant salaries, and Kurdistan Region oil exports.

Independent oil exports by the KRG have always been a sticking point in relations between the central and regional governments. Tensions boiled over in 2014 when the Iraqi government cut the region’s budget share.

The KRG has argued it can sell its oil according to the Iraqi constitution, while Iraq argues oil sales are a strictly federal matter. The vague, inconclusive nature of the issue stems from the document’s writ.

Article 111 of the constitution stipulates that oil and gas are owned by Iraqis "in all the regions and governorates". Article 112’s first and second sections provide vague detail.

In the first section, the federal government "shall undertake the management of oil and gas extracted from present fields" with the producing governorates and regional governments, and for the revenues to be distributed proportional to population in a "fair manner."

The second section of the document agreed upon in 2005 stipulates that the federal government, with the producing regional or governorate governments, "shall together formulate the necessary strategic policies to develop the oil and gas wealth". The two articles are vague and both governments have interpreted it differently.

This has led to crippling financial crises, coupled with a drop in oil prices, and the onset of the costly war against ISIS. The KRG had to slash the salaries of its public employees.

However,
some people cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go...
after the events of October 2017, Iraq agreed to send 317 billion Iraqi dinars ($266 million) to supplement the loss of the Region’s oil revenues to pay public servants.

Under the administration of current Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi, relations have improved. The 2019 budget is soon to be implemented.

The new budget bill has a protection for civil servants in the Kurdistan Region. No longer will their salaries be cut if the KRG does not hand over the oil. Rather, Baghdad could cut other non-salary related budgets for the KRG.

Oil: Iraq highly unlikely to receive 250,000 bpd from Kurdistan in 2019

Iraq is unlikely to receive the 250,000 bpd it expects from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in 2019 because previous international oil deals by the KRG and such high exports may put unneeded pressure on the Kurdistan Region’s recovering economy.

The Kurdistan Regional Government cannot hand over 250,000 bpd to Iraq’s state marketing company SOMO as part of the Iraqi budget bill mainly as its oil is subject to legal terms in long-term contracts. Iraq has shown flexibility.

Iraqi Oil Minister Thamer al-Ghadban said on state media al-Iraqiyah on Sunday that the KRG is yet to over 250,000 bpd to SOMO. "It hasn't been handed over up to now", he claimed.

"We expect there soon will be dialogue. We see that the atmosphere is conductive and appropriate," added the minister.

Independent oil exports by the KRG have always been a sticking point in relations between the central and regional governments. Due to this in 2014, the Iraqi government cut the budget share of the region.

KRG has argued that it can sell its oil according to the Iraqi constitution, while Iraq argues oil sales are a strictly federal matter. The vague, inconclusive nature of the issue stems from the document’s writ.

Article 111 of the constitution stipulates that oil and gas are owned by Iraqis “in all the regions and governorates”. Article 112’s first and second sections provide vague detail.

In the first section, the federal government “shall undertake the management of oil and gas extracted from present fields” with the producing governorates and regional governments, and for the revenues to be distributed proportional to population in a “fair manner.”

The second section of the document agreed upon in 2005 stipulates that the federal government, with the producing regional or governorate governments “shall together formulate the necessary strategic policies to develop the oil and gas wealth”. The two articles are vague and both governments have interpreted it differently.

This has led to crippling financial crises, coupled with a drop in oil prices, and the onset of the costly war against ISIS. The KRG had to slash the salaries of its public employees to pay a salary at times once in three months.

However after October 2017 events, Iraq agreed to send about 317 billion Iraqi dinars ($266 million) to supplement the loss of the region’s oil revenues to pay public servants.

In the administration of current Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi relations have improved. Now, the 2019 budget that has become a law and is soon to be implemented.

Link

Warning: Undefined property: stdClass::$T in /data/rantburg.com/www/pgrecentorg.php on line 132
-12 More