Recent Appearances...

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

Iraq

Kurdish Peshmerga destroy suspected ISIS hideouts in Diyala

2025-04-14

[Rudaw] Kurdish Peshmerga forces carried out an operation against suspected 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) hideouts in Diyala province and destroyed "several" hideouts, their ministry said on Saturday.

The operation, near Diyala province’s Qara Tapa town, around 172 kilometers northeast of Baghdad, involved several Peshmerga brigades who scouted the area "suspected of containing ISIS terrorist hideouts and remnants," the Peshmerga ministry said in a statement.

"During the operation, several ISIS terrorist hideouts and caves were destroyed, and the operation concluded," according to the ministry.

ISIS seized control of large swathes of territory in Iraq in 2014 but was defeated in 2017 after three years of fierce battles. Despite its defeat, the group continues to pose security risks, particularly in the disputed territories between Baghdad and Erbil which span across several provinces including Diyala, Kirkuk,
... a thick stew of Arabs, Turkmen, Kurds, and probably Antarcticans, all of them mutually hostile most of the time...
Nineveh, and Salahaddin.

ISIS cells roaming the disputed territories occasionally carry out attacks on Peshmerga and Iraqi security forces.

In February, a Peshmerga unit thwarted an ISIS attack near the town of Kifri in Sulaimani province.

Both Erbil and Baghdad are working together to address the security vacuum between their areas of control to combat ISIS activities.

Link

Iraq

Iraq arrests seven suspected ISIS members in three provinces

2025-03-27

[Rudaw] Iraqi security forces on Wednesday arrested seven suspected 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) bully boyz in operations across several provinces, state media reported, as the country continues tightening the noose on jihadist remnants.

Military intelligence forces carried out separate operations "through well-planned ambushes and raids on terrorist locations" that "resulted in the arrest of seven gunnies wanted by the Iraqi judiciary under the provisions of Article 4 of the Counter-Terrorism Law in the provinces of Anbar, Kirkuk,
... a thick stew of Arabs, Turkmen, Kurds, and probably Antarcticans, all of them mutually hostile most of the time...
and Nineveh," state media said.

The article says that anyone found guilty of committing a terror offense is given a death sentence
...the barbaric practice of sentencing a murderer to be punished for as long as his/her/its victim is dead...
, with life imprisonment given to those who assist or hide those convicted of terrorism.

"The gunnies were operating and belonging to ISIS terrorist gangs in various ranks, and had also participated in several terrorist attacks against Iraqi security forces in the past," the statement added.

Iraqi security forces have intensified their operations against ISIS cells in recent months, particularly in areas disputed between Baghdad and Erbil, which stretch across the Kirkuk, Salahaddin, Nineveh, and Diyala provinces.

Iraq’s air force also frequently carries out ~~Arclight~~ airstrike
<del>Arclight</del> airstrike

...KABOOM!...
s against ISIS hideouts in the disputed territories.

In late February, the head of Iraq’s Security Media Cell told Rudaw that Iraqi security forces have largely eradicated ISIS from the country, with only a few hundred bully boyz remaining in remote areas.

Sure, but the numbers can be quickly replenished from the tens of thousands still locked up in Syrian prison camps guarded by the Kurds, like Al Hol camp, or from those repatriated from Syria by the Iraqi government.

Link

Iraq

ISIS kills two members of Iraqi security forces in Diyala: Police

2024-10-08

[Rudaw] At least two members of the Iraqi security forces were killed overnight in a suspected Islamic State

…oh dear. Everyone knows that the proper jihadi drives a white Toyota truck not that down-market Kia thing (not that I am judging, mind you, but people do talk, donchaknow)…

opened fire around 9:30 pm on Saturday at a base of security forces in the province’s Muqdadiya district (known as Sharaban in Kurdish), killing two.

"The truck driver was killed and other [ISIS] fighters escaped the scene," Shammari said.

In December, a deadly ISIS attack in the same district killed 10 civilians and 17 injured.

ISIS rose to power and seized control of swathes of Iraqi territory during a brazen offensive in 2014 but was declared territorially defeated in 2017 when its so-called caliphate in the country fell as Iraqi and Kurdish fighters, supported by a US-led international coalition, claimed back lands lost to the jihadists.

Despite its territorial defeat, the group has continued to pose a serious security threat to the country through hit-and-run attacks, bombings, and abductions in several provinces, particularly in areas disputed between Erbil and Baghdad which stretch across the provinces of Salahaddin, Diyala, Kirkuk,
... a thick stew of Arabs, Turkmen, Kurds, and probably Antarcticans, all of them mutually hostile most of the time...
and Nineveh.

Iraqi and Kurdish forces frequently launch anti-ISIS operations in the disputed areas.

Link

Iraq

ISIS kills two PMF fighters in Salahaddin

2024-01-07

[Rudaw] At least two fighters 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...
Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF, or Hashd al-Shaabi) were killed Saturday in a suspected 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) attack in Salahaddin province, a military source said, as Iraq seeks to expel a US-led anti-ISIS coalition from the country.

"A number of ISIS fighters today evening overran a Hashd position ... killing two Hashd fighters and injuring three others," Kawa Shekhani, military advisor to Salahaddin’s governor, told Rudaw’s Sirwan Abbas.

The ISIS forces of Evil fled and the injured PMF fighters were taken to Tikrit
...birthplace of Saddam Hussein...
hospital, Shekhani added.

Despite its territorial defeat, the group has continued to pose a serious security threat to the country through hit-and-run attacks, bombings, and abductions in several provinces, particularly in areas disputed between Erbil and Baghdad which stretch across the provinces of Salahaddin, Diyala, Kirkuk,
... a thick stew of Arabs, Turkmen, Kurds, and probably Antarcticans, all of them mutually hostile most of the time...
and Nineveh.

In the early hours of Sunday, Iraqi air force jets struck three suspected ISIS hideouts in Diyala province and "achieved direct hits on the defeated terrorist elements," the country’s Security Media Cell said.

Link

Iraq

Kurdish parties lose majority in Kirkuk provincial polls, Final results announced across Iraq

2023-12-30

[Rudaw] Kurdish political parties failed to maintain their majority in the disputed province of Kirkuk during the mid-December provincial elections, according to final official results announced on Thursday.

Local elections were held in Iraq’s 15 provinces, excluding the Kurdistan Region, on December 18. Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) announced final official results late Thursday.

The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) gained five seats (157,649 votes) and the Kurdistan Democratic Party

...every time you hear the phrase white people, white supremacy, white anything but paint, you're listening to a Democrat. Ask him/her/it to reimagine something for you; they do that a lot, though not well. They can hear a dog whistle a mile or two away. They invented the spoils system and Tammany Hall, and inspired the addition of the word (Thomas) Nasty to the English language. They want to stop continental drift and repeal the law of unintended side effects...
(KDP) won two seats (52,278 votes) in the 16-seat provincial council, according to the results.

The Kurdish New Generation won 25,910 votes but failed to secure a seat. The party has been accused by the other two Kurdish parties of jeopardizing a Kurdish victory in the province - a claim disputed by the movement.

Arabs gained six seats and Turkmens won two seats. A party close to Shiite militia groups, won the Christian quota seat.

In the last polls held in the province nearly two decades ago, Kurdish parties had won most of the council’s seats.

The councils were dissolved in 2019 in response to demands by Tishreen protesters who criticized the system for its failures, including enabling corruption.

Kurds took control of Kirkuk when it was attacked by the 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) in 2014. However,
it was a brave man who first ate an oyster...
Iraqi federal forces expelled Kurdish forces from the province after an independence referendum was held in the province by Kurdish authorities in 2017.

Final electoral results from Iraq's provincial council elections announced

[Rudaw] Iraq's electoral commission on Thursday announced the final results of the latest local elections.

Local elections were held in Iraq’s 15 provinces, excluding the Kurdistan Region, on 18 December. Preliminary results representing 94 percent of the votes were announced the following day. The last provincial council elections took place in 2013, without Kirkuk.

According to Iraq's electoral body, 26 million people were eligible to vote.

The overall voter turnout reached 41 percent, higher than the parliamentary elections in 2021 despite the boycott by influential cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.

Kirkuk province recorded the highest turnout across all the provinces with 66 percent of eligible voters casting ballots, numbering over 566,000.

The councils were dissolved in 2019 in response to demands by Tishreen protesters who criticized the system for its failures and for enabling corruption.

According to final results of the votes from Iraq’s provincial council elections the main winning parties in each province are the following:

Kirkuk province:
Patriotic Union of Kurdistan: 5 seats

Salahaddin province:
Jamahir Party: 5 seats
National Framework Alliance: 2 seats
Al-Azm: 2 seats
Democratic Party : 2 seats

Anbar province:
Taqadum: 6 seats
Anbar Is Our Identity: 3 seats
Qimam Alliance: 2 seats

Nineveh province:
Nineveh For Its People: 5 seats
Kurdistan Democratic Party: 4 seats
National Contract Alliance: 3 seats

Baghdad province:
State of Law Coalition: 9 seats
We Build Alliance: 9 seats
Taqadum Party: 8 seats

Diyala province:
Diyalatuna al-Watani Alliance: 4 seats
Taqadum Party: 3 seats
Sovereignty: 3 seats
Patriotic Union of Kurdistan: 1 seat

Wasit province:
Wasit Ajmal Alliance: 7 seats
We Build Alliance: 2 seats
State of Law Coalition: 2 seats

Karbala province:
Ibdaa’ Karbala Alliance: 7 seats
State of Law Coalition: 2 seats
We Build Alliance: 2 seats

Najaf province:
We Build Alliance: 3 seats
State of Law Coalition: 3 seats
Wafah Movement: 2 seats

Maysan province:
We Build Alliance: 6 seats
State of Law Coalition: 3 seats
The National State Forces Alliance: 3 seats

Muthana province:
State of Law Coalition: 3 seats
The National State Forces Alliance: 3 seats
We Build Alliance: 3 seats

Dhi Qar province:
We Build Alliance: 5 seats
State of Law Coalition: 4 seats
The National State Forces Alliance: 2 seats

Babil province:
We Build Alliance: 4 seats
State of Law Coalition: 3 seats
The National State Forces Alliance: 3 seats

Diwaniya province:
We Build Alliance: 4 seats
State of Law Coalition: 3 seats
Qiyam Alliance: 3 seats

Basra province:
Tasmim Alliance: 12 seats
We Build Alliance: 5 seats
State of Law Coalition: 3 seats

Link

Iraq

Two ISIS suspects arrested in Kirkuk

2023-08-27

[Rudaw] Iraqi security forces on Saturday announced arresting two "dangerous" individuals suspected of being members of the Islamic State

Link

Iraq

Two Iraqi soldiers kaboomed in Diyala

2023-08-14

Two members of the Iraqi Army were injured today in an explosion that targeted a military patrol in Diyala province.

The explosion resulted in minor injuries to two soldiers.https://t.co/UW6CrFtFdk
— SHAFAQ News (@Shafaqnews) August 13, 2023

Two members of the Iraqi Army were maimed today, Sunday, in a kaboom that targeted a military patrol in Diyala province.

An anonymous security source informed Shafaq News Agency that an improvised bomb detonated, targeting a patrol from the Diyala Operations Forces' al-Maghaweer Brigade in the al-Bijat area, south of Baqubah (20 kilometers south of Baqubah).

The source added that the earth-shattering kaboom resulted in minor injuries to two soldiers.

Link

Iraq

Five wanted terrorists arrested in Baghdad and Diyala

2023-08-07

[NINANEWS] The Security Media Cell announced today, Sunday, the arrest of 5 wanted Lions of Islam in the provinces of Baghdad and Diyala.

The Cell stated in a statement: "The detachments of the Intelligence Agency specialized in combating terrorism in Baghdad, on the side of Karkh, and within intelligence information that included the presence of three wanted persons in accordance with the provisions of Article 4 of the fight against terrorism, and after following up and investigating the required targets and with an elaborate ambush, they were arrested."

It added, "The defendants belonged to ISIS gangs, and through interrogation with them, they confessed to belonging to those gangs," noting that "their statements were recorded and referred to the competent investigative authorities to bring them to the judiciary to receive their just punishment."

In the same context, the cell stated in another statement, "The Rapid Response Division commando regiment in the Ministry of Interior, in cooperation with the division's intelligence department, managed to arrest two drug pushers, one of whom holds a foreign nationality, in Harouniyah checkpoint in Muqdadiya district, Diyala province."

It continued: "Narcotics and drug paraphernalia were seized in their possession," pointing to "handing over the suspects, along with the seized items, to the duly competent authorities."

Link

Iraq

Explosive Device Targets Energy Transmission Tower in Diyala, Iraq

2023-08-05

[Shafaq News] An bomb targeted an energy transmission tower in Diyala province on Friday.

According to a security source, the incident occurred in the Mouradia area, situated approximately 15 kilometers southwest of Baquba, resulting in significant damage to the tower.

The source indicated that faceless myrmidons detonated the bomb, leading to the destruction of the electricity transmission tower, and a security force promptly arrived at the scene and launched an investigation to uncover the circumstances surrounding the incident.

This attack marks the first in Diyala province this summer. However,
the way to a man's heart remains through his stomach...
the Iraqi Ministry of Electricity confirmed several incidents, including attacks, technical malfunctions, and fires, targeting power towers across several regions, including Saladin, Kirkuk,
... a thick stew of Arabs, Turkmen, Kurds, and probably Antarcticans, all of them mutually hostile most of the time...
Wasit, and Basra. These assaults resulted in complete power line disconnections and subsequent shutdowns of the electrical grid.

As Iraqi cities grapple with record-breaking temperatures and water scarcity, the power crisis adds to citizens' burden.

Link

Iraq

Over 100 ISIS militants killed in Iraq since January: Army spox

2023-05-10

[Rudaw] The Iraqi army has killed over 100 members of the 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) terror group since the beginning of the year, a spokesperson for the Iraqi army said on Tuesday, assuring that the fight against the group will continue.

"Since the beginning of 2023, 105 ~~bandidos~~ murderous Moslems from ISIS gangs have been killed in various operations, mostly ~~Arclight~~ airstrike
<del>Arclight</del> airstrike

...KABOOM!...
s and qualitative operations," Major General Tahsin al-Khafaji, spokesperson for the Joint Operations Command, told state media.

The spokesperson affirmed that the fight against ISIS continues "even in geographically complex areas" and that the capabilities of the Iraqi army are expanding to more precisely identify areas where ISIS cells exist.

ISIS seized large swathes of Iraqi and Syrian territory in 2014 and declared a so-called "caliphate." While the group was declared territorially defeated in Iraq in 2017, it still continues to pose serious security risks through hit-and-run attacks, bombings, and abductions across several provinces.

The snuffies have particularly taken shelter in a security vacuum in parts of northern Iraq that are disputed between Baghdad and Erbil, stretching across several provinces including Diyala, Salahaddin, and Kirkuk.

"We believe that reaching this number of deaths in geographically complex areas is a major achievement in our scope of work against terrorism and to combat ~~bandidos~~ murderous Moslems in areas that they believe can be safe havens," Khafaji added.

A numver of ISIS snuffies were killed on Sunday when Iraqi warplanes delivered an airstrike to their hideout in Diyala province.

Link

Iraq

Iraqi security forces thwart terrorist Plot in Kirkuk, capture two prominent ISIS members

2023-04-23

[Shafaq News] Iraq's National Security Agency has foiled a "terrorist scheme targeting markets in Kirkuk" and apprehended two prominent ISIS murderous Moslems, an official statement said on Saturday.

The Agency's operatives, in collaboration with the advanced joint operations headquarters and the provincial police, arrested a notorious terrorist, identified as "Abu Dujana", and his accomplice, in a complex intelligence and field operation.

The detainees confessed to their sinister intentions of targeting civilians and security forces in the province via a series of explosions in crowded markets in a bid to destabilize the security and spread chaos.

"However,
death is not the end. There remains the litigation over the estate...
the vigilance of the security forces prevented the realization of these nefarious plans," the statement said.

Notably, "Abu Dujana," who recently renewed his allegiance to ISIS, had previously carried a kaboom targeting police patrols, killing an officer. He was also responsible for establishing a hideout for a terrorist cell in the Leilan sub-district of Kirkuk.

Colonel Jalil Mam Faiq, commander of the 3rd battalion of the 3rd Peshmerga brigade, revealed that the turbans are forced to move through the outskirts, and some neighborhoods of, Jalawla and the periphery of Qara Tapa in the northeast of the Diyala province in order to escape the aerial and missile bombardment of the security forces.

The commander said that ISIS members leave their strongholds in northern Jalawla and roam the areas and neighborhoods of Jalawla, 70 km northeast of Baqubah, and the peripheries of Qara Tapa (113 km northeast of Baqubah) during the night to avoid any ~~Arclight~~ airstrike
<del>Arclight</del> airstrike

...KABOOM!...
s or missile attacks targeting their hideouts.

Mam Faiq confirmed to Shafaq News Agency that security authorities are aware of the movements but are yet to address them. The commander attributed "the lack of reporting on them by locals to fears of threats and the existence of some enclaves that collaborate or sympathize with terrorists."

The territory northern Jalawla, including al-Islah basin, Sheikh Baba, the Jalawla border, and Qara Tapa, continue to harbor ISIS strongholds and hideouts due to the rugged geographical terrain and vast agricultural extensions.

Since the Peshmerga's withdrawal from their sectors following the October 2017 events, the areas between Jalawla, Qara Tapa, and the Khanaqin outskirts bordering the Kurdistan region have witnessed continuous attacks and incidents.

Link

Iraq

Plot to Attack Army Forces Foiled by Security Forces in Iraq

2023-03-29

[Shafaq News] On Tuesday, the director of Buhriz district in Diyala province, Nizar al-Luhaibi, announced that a plot to attack army forces by button men posing as security forces had been foiled.

A special force apprehended three individuals carrying fake IDs and ISIS flags in their vehicles at Checkpoint 109, which separates Baghdad and south Diyala on the outskirts of the Buhriz district.

The security forces have increased their operations between southern Diyala and the outskirts of Baghdad in response to the incident, said al-Luhaibi.

The individuals are being held for further investigations.

The area between Diyala and Baghdad in central Iraq has been a key battleground in the fight against ISIS.

Link

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