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

Iraq
Haider Hamza Abbas al-Bayati one of the perpetrators of rocket attack on Erbil has been arrested
2021-03-04
[PUBLISH.TWITTER]
Link


Iraq
Mosul clearance continues: 12 turbans tied up, 4 more permanently unwound
2018-04-26


Iraqi security arrest 7 IS members in Mosul, including women slaver

Mosul (IraqiNews.com) Iraqi security forces arrested on Wednesday seven Islamic State militants in the city of Mosul, a senior commander was quoted saying.

Spokesperson of the Security Media Center, Yahia Rasoul, said seven Islamic State militants were arrested in Mithaq and Hamasa districts in eastern Mosul.

“One of them used to sell women slaves during Islamic State’s dark reign, while the other is accused of executing police personnel and dumping them in Khasfa”, Rasoul said, referring to an infamous sinkhole IN Mosul in which IS militants had used to bury their victims.

4 IS members killed, near borders with Syria, 5 arrested in Mosul

Mosul (IraqiNews.com) Four Islamic State members were killed in an attack near Syrian borders, while five militant leaders were arrested as they attempted infiltrating into Mosul, Iraqi sources were quoted saying on Wednesday.

In remarks to Anadolu Agency, Lt. Gen. Sabhan Matar, of the army, said security troops managed to repel an IS attack, west of Tal Sufuk region, near borders between Iraq and Syria, which left four members killed.

In Mosul, Lt. Gen. Abbas al-Bayati, of the police, said troops of the Nineveh Operations Command, set up an ambush southeast of Mosul.

Speaking to Anadolu, Bayati said troops checked a vehicle carrying five leaders who were intending to sneak into the city through Jedeidat al-Mufti district. Their ID cards were found to be fake.

During investigations, they were revealed to be IS leaders. “They were trying to enter Mosul after they they fled it toward the city to plan for operations ahead of the parliamentary elections, slated for May 12.
Link


Iraq
Baghdad will respond to Turkish anti-PKK ground operation in Iraq
2018-03-30
[ALMASDARNEWS] As part of its cross-border anti-Kurdish military operations, The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire....
 is attacking Kurdish-led forces in northern Syria, in addition to regularly carrying out Arclight airstrikes against gunnies from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) ‐ which has been designated a terror organization by the US, the EU and Turkey ‐ in northern Iraq.

Turkey has expressed its readiness to launch a ground operation against PKK gunnies in the Iraqi district of Sinjar, but an official from Iraq’s State of Law coalition warned that such an operation would be a violation of the country’s illusory sovereignty and would warrant a response by Iraqi forces.

Abbas al-Bayati from the aforementioned coalition made the comments in an exclusive interview with Baghdad Today and warned that the presence of Ottoman Turkish ground troops on Iraqi soil would be a breach of international law.

"Turkey cannot cross into Iraqi territories as our country enjoys illusory sovereignty and independence," the coalition member said on Wednesday.

He also highlighted that there are no reports of "any Ottoman Turkish penetration into Iraqi territories."

Iraqi forces have been conducting their own military operation in the Sinjar region to oust PKK gunnies from the area, which is close to the Iraq-Turkey border.

Ottoman Turkish President Sultan Recep Tayyip Erdogan the First
... Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him. It's a sin, a shame, and a felony to insult the president of Turkey...
 previously said that "Turkey will do what is necessary" if Iraqi forces fail to clear the area, but Prime Minister Binali Yildirim clarified today that Ottoman Turkish forces would only mount a ground operation with prior approval from Baghdad.

"Turkey respects Iraq’s illusory sovereignty and will never commit any violation on its territories," PM Yildirim said in a phone call with Iraqi PM Haider al-Abadi on Wednesday.

Link


Iraq
Pro-gov’t coalition vows firm action against Turkey if northern Iraq threatened
2018-03-29
Baghdad (Iraqinews.com) ‐ Iraq would take a firm action against The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
...just another cheapjack Moslem dictatorship, brought to you by the Moslem Brüderbund....
 if the latter violated international laws and penetrated into northern Iraqi territories to strike Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) fighters, a pro-government coalition was quoted as saying Wednesday.

In an exclusive interview with Baghdad Today, Abbas al-Bayati, a member of the State of Law Coalition, said that so far there are no confirmed or official reports of "any Ottoman Turkish penetration into Iraqi territories."

"Turkey cannot cross into Iraqi territories as our country enjoys illusory sovereignty and independence," Bayati said, stressing that any penetration by Ottoman Turkish troops into Iraq would constitute a flagrant violation of international laws and norms of good neighborhood.
Link


Iraq
National Alliance to discuss abolishment of National Security Ministry
2011-09-25
BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq: Iraq’s National Alliance, led by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, has decided to hold a meeting on Saturday evening to discuss the abolishment of the National Security Ministry, its Legislature Abbas al-Bayati said.

“The Alliance is scheduled to hold a meeting at the residence of its Chairman, Ibrahim al-Jaafary, later on Saturday evening to discuss the mechanism of action and the cohesion of its forces,” Bayaty told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

“The Meeting has agreed to propose the abolishment of the Ministry of National Security and transform it into a ‘Directorate of National Security’, to be attached to the Iraqi Ministry of Interior,” Bayaty said, adding that the meeting won’t settle the issue of its candidate for the Interior Minister’s post.
Link


Iraq
Iraqi leaders agree to discuss US troop stay
2011-08-03
Iraq's political leaders have given the go-ahead for negotiations on allowing some US troops to stay in the country, hours after the US military chief urged Iraq to come to a "quick decision" on the controversial issue.

Leaders from Iraq's major parties agreed on Tuesday to allow Nouri al-Maliki, the prime minister, to negotiate with the United States over whether US troops should stay to train Iraqi forces after the December 31 deadline for their departure.

"The leaders agreed to authorise the Iraqi government to start the talks with the United States that are limited to training issues," the parties said in a joint statement.

Al Jazeera's Jane Arraf, reporting from Baghdad, said, "After weeks of wrangling and lots of US pressure it appears to be a breakthrough."

"After a five hour meeting in presidential compound here in Baghdad there was an announcement that a deal has been reached that presence of US military trainers would be raised in parliament," she said.

The agreement edges Iraq a step closer to deciding if some US soldiers will remain, but a final deal is distant, as tough questions remain on whether trainers would be civilian contractors or active US troops. There is also a disagreement over the issue of granting legal immunity to US troops.

A US embassy official told the Reuters news agency that they were reviewing the decision.

Admiral Mike Mullen, the US military chief, had said on Tuesday that Iraq must decide as soon as possible whether it wants US troops to stay in the country. Mullen, the outgoing chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, also said that US troops must be given immunity from prosecution as part of any agreement to keep them in Iraq and that this protection must be approved by the country's parliament.

IAny agreement would still need to be approved by Iraq's parliament, where some of Maliki's allies have rejected any continued presence of US troops in Iraq.

The issue is putting pressure on the fragile multi-sectarian alliance of Sunni, Shia and Kurdish blocs and risks upsetting Muqtada al-Sadr, whose Shia militia once fought US troops but now is an ally of Maliki. Sadr representatives refused to vote to approve the talks on training, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said after the meeting of Iraq's political leaders on Tuesday.

Abbas al-Bayati, a member of the National Alliance Shia parliamentary bloc and the parliamentary committee of security and defence, said it was too early to decide on the issue of immunity.

"Political leaders agreed that there was need for trainers, a move they have been resisting for some time. The move was also bitterly opposed by one of the allies of al-Maliki, the Sadrists," our correspondent said. "Their representatives walked out of the meeting leaving what it appeared to be an important political reconciliation between Maliki and his closest rival Ayad Allawi.

"Other elements of the plan appear to be that Allawi's party will get to nominate a defence and interior minister. Allawi may negotiate coming back into the government as head of powerful new security council. All these details of course are to be worked out, but all in all, an extremely significant first step."

Maliki has said repeatedly Iraqi army and police can manage internal threats, but Iraqi officers acknowledge gaps in their capabilities, especially in air and naval defence of their frontiers and in intelligence gathering.
Link


Iraq
Iraqi lawmakers approve $400M payment to Americans
2011-05-02
[Pak Daily Times] Iraqi politicians approved a controversial $400 million settlement Saturday for Americans who claim they were abused by Saddam Hussein's regime during the 1990 invasion of Kuwait.

The settlement is part of a deal reached between Storied Baghdad
...located along the Tigris River, founded in the 8th century, home of the Abbasid Caliphate...
 and Washington last year to end years of legal battles by US citizens who claim they were tortured or traumatised, including hundreds held as human shields.

Many Iraqis consider themselves victims of both Saddam's regime and the 2003 US-led invasion and wonder why they should pay money for wrongs committed by the ousted dictator. Lawmakers approved the settlement by a majority after listening to the foreign and finance ministers as well as the head of the central bank describe why it was necessary, said Abbas al-Bayati of the State of Law political bloc.

Another politician, Mahmoud Othman, said by approving the settlement, Iraq would be protecting itself from more lawsuits in the future that could have been well above the $400 million that was agreed to.

"They explained very well what was the settlement and how it will be negative if we don't approve it," he said. "That's why people were persuaded."

Lawmakers affiliated with anti-American holy man Moqtada Tater al-Sadr
... the Iranian catspaw holy man who was 22 years old in 2003 and was nearing 40 in 2010. He spends most of his time in Iran, safely out of the line of fire, where he's learning to be an ayatollah...
 rejected the settlement, said one of the bloc's politicians, Hakim al-Zamili. Al-Zamili said he was surprised that so many politicians who had been arguing against the legislation before Saturday's session reversed course at the last minute. "It's better to compensate the Iraqi deaders and detainees than the Americans," he said. Saddam's regime held hostage hundreds of Americans during the run-up to the Gulf War, using them as human shields in hopes of staving off an attack by the US and its allies. Most of the Americans had been living and working in Kuwait and after being taken hostage were dispersed to sites around Iraq.
Link


Iraq
Al-Iraqiya says 'no' to grand alliance
2010-09-27
[Iran Press TV] Former Iraqi premier Iyad Allawi has restated that his electoral slate will not participate in the new Iraqi government if it is led by incumbent Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

Since his al-Iraqiya electoral slate won a plurality of seats in Iraq's May 7 general elections, Allawi has repeatedly rejected the idea of cooperating with Maliki's State of Law alliance, which finished second in the vote.

Meanwhile,
...back at the ranch...
 the State of Law coalition has joined the Iraqi National Alliance (INA), which finished third in the May elections, to form the National Alliance, which now stands only four seats short of the parliamentary majority they need to form a government.

Al-Iraqiya has described the calls for a grand alliance as a desperate attempt to intensify political sectarianism and has vowed to resist the formation of a government by these two blocs.

"Al-Iraqiya will not be part of the government headed by Maliki," the bloc's front man, Rahim al-Shammari, told a Press TV correspondent. "I want to clarify something: al-Iraqiya is capable of delaying or paralyzing the formation of the government or the three presidential positions," he threatened.

The INA announced on Tuesday that the bloc would decide within five days who they would nominate for the post of prime minister after they agreed to set up a committee of 14 wise men tasked with choosing a candidate to form a government.

Iraqi Vice President Adel Abdul-Mahdi and Nouri al-Maliki are the frontrunners for the coalition's nomination for the post of prime minister, who would head the next government.

"We have adopted measures and standards to choose our candidate for the post of prime minister, which is going to be either Adel Abdul-Mahdi or Nouri al-Maliki," Iraqi MP Abbas al-Bayati said. "This is considered a step forward and toward forming a new government."

Widely viewed as enjoying the support of the West and regional Arab powers, Allawi's al-Iraqiya won 91 seats out of the 325-member parliament in the March 7 polls, two more than Maliki's State of Law alliance. The INA finished third with 70 seats.

Allawi's latest remarks come as concern is rising that the political vacuum in the absence of a new government months since the March parliamentary vote could fuel militancy by al-Qaeda-linked Orcs and similar vermin intent on destabilizing the country.
Link


Iraq
Iraq PM picks up steam in bid to retain post
2010-03-14
BAGHDAD - Iraqi premier Nuri al-Maliki's bid to retain his job gained steam on Saturday, as early results crucially put him ahead in Baghdad, while rival blocs began jostling over the formation of a government.

Though the preliminary figures represent less than one-third of all votes cast, they have put Maliki firmly in pole position in the race for the top job, with only ex-premier Iyad Allawi having emerged as a potential rival. Analysts said, however, that Maliki could be blocked in his bid to hold onto office even if his State of Law Alliance was the biggest single party in parliament, as other groups could manoeuvre to form a government without him.
That's how a parliamentary system works alright ...
With 18 percent of ballots counted in Baghdad, Maliki's State of Law Alliance was comfortably ahead with around 150,000 votes, followed by the Iraqi National Alliance (INA), a coalition led by Shiite religious parties, with 108,000. Allawi's secular Iraqiya bloc was third on 105,000. Baghdad and its seven million residents account for 70 parliamentary seats, or more than one-fifth of the 325-member Council of Representatives, making it a crucial win for any would-be government.

News of Maliki's lead in Baghdad came shortly after a senior member of his coalition said State of Law had formed a committee to begin negotiating with rival blocs to hammer out a government. "The committee met with representatives of four political entities that made progress in the elections," Abbas al-Bayati, a candidate for the coalition, told AFP, but he declined to say with which blocs the talks were held.

But Baghdad University professor Hamid Fadhel said that even if Maliki's group emerged as the biggest party in parliament, other groups could still shut him out and manage to form a government.

"There exists a desire to form an alliance between the INA and the Kurds, possibly also with Allawi," he told AFP. "They have all refused a long time to really see Maliki as the prime minister."

Underscoring Fadhel's analysis, Allawi and Iraq's Sunni Vice-President Tareq al-Hashemi were due to arrive in Arbil, the capital of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region, on Saturday to meet with regional president Massud Barzani. Barzani's office said he and Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, himself a Kurd, also met with Shiite Vice-President Adel Abdel Mahdi, an INA candidate, on Friday.

Iraq's proportional representation electoral system makes it unlikely that any single grouping will clinch the 163 seats necessary to form a government on its own.

Preliminary results from the March 7 polls released since Thursday have put Maliki's coalition in the lead in the predominantly Shiite southern provinces of Najaf, Babil, Karbala and Muthanna. Iraqiya was ahead in the mostly Sunni provinces of Diyala and Salaheddin, while the INA was in pole position in Shiite Maysan.

The Kurdistania alliance, made up of Barzani and Talabani's long-dominant blocs, was leading in Arbil province.

Complete results are expected on March 18 and the final ones -- after any appeals are dealt with -- will likely come at the end of the month.
Link


Iraq
Baath plans coup in Iraq
2010-01-24
[Iran Press TV Latest] A report suggests that Baath, the outlawed party of the former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, is to launch a coup in the lead-up to the country's elections.

The allegations emanate from a new classified document obtained by some Iraqi parties from the dissolved faction's leaders based at home or abroad.

According to the document, the Baath party, in cooperation with some Arab states, most notably Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan, and in coordination with some current Iraqi political heavyweights plans to stage a comeback through a military coup, codenamed Naizak (Meteor).

Jordan recently hosted a major Baath meeting, in which the former party leader, Saddam was glorified through special a ceremony, it adds.

The 38-page document, which is yet to be verified by the Iraqi security authorities, identifies some of the prerequisites for a successful coup as: Infiltration into the body and the leadership of the Iraqi security and military apparatuses, weakening of the incumbent government through disturbance of the security situation with widespread explosions that cause maximum casualties, rumor-mongering across the society, penetration into the institutions linked to the provinces hosting holy Shia sites, recruiting tribesmen and identification of the tribal leaders with Baathist orientations.

The papers refers to some famous Iraqi political figures, specially the Sunni Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi and the first post-Saddam Iraqi prime minister and the head of the secular Al-Iraqiya Alliance party, Ayad Allaw, as advocates of a Baathist return.

Al-Hashemi complicated the passage of an electoral law last year by using his veto power to bar an earlier version of the law. Allawi was, at the time of his premiership, widely known as a US ally and operative in the initial American-installed government in Iraq. His attempts to win back his position in the next two elections soundly failed.

The two, the document says, are in secret contact with the Baath leaders and the Arab countries disappointed by the current political trend in Iraq.

It alleges that the Saudi security apparatus is responsible for funding the uprising, while the Egyptian intelligence service leads its planning and the manner in which the coup scheme is to be implemented.

The document, drawn up last year, also refers to al-Hashemi's clandestine meeting in Jordan with the head of the Saudi security apparatus and Allawi's contact with some Baath leaders and Arab authorities.

It names Shia politicians Abbas al-Bayati and Karim Fuzi in connection with likely assassination attempts against political figures in the run-up to the March 7 parliamentary polls as a means of disturbing the domestic situation.

Though the papers have not specified a timetable, experts say the political developments and massive explosions throughout the past weeks and months match the details referred to in the document.

The current government of Premier Nouri al-Maliki has been named there as the biggest obstacle to the realization the Baath's goals.

The text, accordingly, urges that a second victory by the current government be prevented. To this end, it concluded, insecurity must be spread across the country, high-profile political figures should question the government's deficiencies and the Arab media should offer their relevant cooperation.

The text also refers to secret contact between some Baath leaders and American officers without giving details.
Link


Iraq
Iraq willing to see US troops leave early
2009-01-22
BAGHDAD (AP) - Iraq is willing to have the U.S. withdraw all its troops and assume security for the country before the end of 2011, the departure date agreed to by former President George W. Bush, the spokesman of the Iraqi prime minister said. Spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh made the comment Tuesday, a day before President Barack Obama and his senior commanders were to meet in Washington to discuss the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Obama promised during the campaign to withdraw all U.S. combat troops from Iraq within 16 months of taking office. The new president said in his inaugural address Tuesday that he would "begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people."

The government-owned newspaper Al-Sabah reported Wednesday that Iraqi authorities have drafted contingency plans in case Obama orders a "sudden" withdrawal of all forces and not just combat troops.

Al-Dabbagh told Associated Press Television News that Iraqis had been worried about a quick U.S. departure. But with the emphasis on a responsible withdrawal, al-Dabbagh said the Iraqi government was willing for the U.S. to leave "even before the end of 2011." The Bush administration agreed in a security agreement signed in November to remove all U.S. troops by the end of 2011.

The chairman of parliament's defense committee, Abbas al-Bayati, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the Iraqis hoped Obama would stick by the timeline laid the agreement. "Nevertheless, we already have a 'Plan B,' which is that we have the ability to deploy any needed troops to any hot area in Iraq," al-Bayati said. "We are capable of controlling the situation in the country and we believe we have passed the worst" despite a lack of air and artillery power.
Good to have a plan B when dealing with Bambi. And maybe a plan C.
Across this war-shattered country, many Iraqis watched the transfer of power in Washington on Arab satellite television stations. Many of them expressed hope that the departure of the president who launched the Iraq war in 2003 would speed the return of peace.
And, perhaps, as a model of how their country should behave.
U.S. officials are carefully watching the Jan. 31 provincial elections in Iraq as a sign of whether the country is moving sectarian and ethnic conflicts from the battlefield to the ballot box.
Link


Iraq
Sadr group says no plans to unseat Maliki
2007-09-17
Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr’s political movement said on Sunday its defection was not aimed at toppling Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki despite having dealt another blow to Iraq’s embattled premier. “We have absolutely no intention of pushing Prime Minister Maliki out,” Liwa Sumaysim, head of the political committee of the Sadr group, told AFP in the holy city of Najaf.

Sumaysim late Saturday announced at Sadr’s headquarters in Najaf that the movement was withdrawing its 32 MPs from the United Iraqi Alliance (UIA), leaving Maliki’s coalition in control of only about half the seats in parliament. “Our protest was about the attitude of the Shiite alliance in which they rejected our demands,” he said.

Announcing the pullout, Sumaysim had complained of “no positive response from the Shiite alliance.” He did elaborate but other Sadr officials complained that Maliki had stopped consulting them over decisions and ordered an inquiry into the movement’s Mahdi Army militia, widely blamed for violence during a Shiite pilgrimage in the shrine city of Karbala last month that killed 52 people.

Abbas al-Bayati, a Turkmen Shiite lawmaker and member of the UIA, said the alliance would try to persuade the Sadr bloc to return. “We will not neglect the Sadr movement and will keep open channels of dialogue with them to listen to them and understand the reasons for their withdrawal.”
Link



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