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Iraq
Day 2: Death toll rises to 15 amid Clashes after Iraqi Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr resigned
2022-08-30
Day 1 can be seen here and here.

[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Iraqi Shia holy man Moqtada Tater al-Sadr
...hereditary Iraqi holy man and leader of a political movement in Iraq. He had his hereditary rival al-Khoei assassinated shortly after the holy rival's appearance out of exile in 2003. Formerly an Iranian catspaw, lately he's gagged over some of their more outlandish antics, then went back to catspawry...
 announced Monday that he would resign from Iraqi politics, prompting hundreds of his angry followers to storm the government palace and sparking festivities with security forces and between rival militias. At least 15 protesters were killed.

Protesters loyal to al-Sadr pulled down the cement barriers outside the government palace with ropes and breached the palace gates. Many rushed into the lavish salons and marbled halls of the palace, a key meeting place for Iraqi heads of state and foreign dignitaries.

Iraq’s military announced a nationwide curfew, and the caretaker premier suspended Cabinet sessions in response to the violence. Medical officials said dozens of protesters were maimed by gunfire and tear gas and physical altercations with riot police.

As night fell, a militia loyal to al-Sadr clashed with the Popular Mobilization Forces security inside the heavily fortified Green Zone, the seat of Iraq’s government, wounding at least one woman, according to two security officials. Several mortar rounds were heard, the officials said.

The crackle of machine gun fire persisted and echoed throughout central Baghdad.

The PMF is an umbrella group composed of state-sanctioned paramilitary groups, the most powerful of which are aligned with al-Sadr’s rivals in the Iran-backed political camp.

Security officials said mortars and rocket-propelled grenades were used in the festivities, a culmination of intractable political impasse between the rival camps.

Iraq’s government has been deadlocked since al-Sadr’s party won the largest share of seats in October parliamentary elections but not enough to secure a majority government. His refusal to negotiate with his Iran-backed Shia rivals and subsequent exit from the talks has catapulted the country into political uncertainty and volatility amid intensifying intra-Shia wrangling.

Iraq’s majority Moslem population is split into two sects, Shias and Sunnis. Under Saddam Hussein, the Shias were oppressed until the US-led invasion reversed the political order. Now the Shias are fighting among themselves, with the dispute centering around power and state resources but also influence over the Shia street.

To further his political interests, al-Sadr has wrapped his rhetoric with a nationalist and reform agenda that resonates powerfully among his broad grassroots base of supporters who hail from Iraq’s poorest sectors of society and have historically been shut out from the political system.

Many were first followers of his father, a revered figure in Shia Islam. They are calling for the dissolution of parliament and early elections without the participation of Iran-backed Shia groups, which they see as responsible for the status quo.

During Monday’s festivities, Saraya Salam, a militia aligned with al-Sadr gathered in the capital’s Tahrir Square to "protect" protesters, one of its commanders said.

An News Agency that Dare Not be Named photographer heard gunshots being fired in the capital and saw several protesters bleeding and being carried away. It was not immediately clear who fired the gunshots.

A senior medical official confirmed at least 10 protesters were killed by gunfire. The number was also confirmed by the Sadrist media office, which provided a list of 10 names.

Iraq’s caretaker premier said he would open an investigation into the shootings and said the use of live ammunition against protesters was forbidden.

Protests also broke out in the Shia-majority southern provinces, with al-Sadr’s supporters burning tires and blocking roads in the oil-rich province of Basra and hundreds demonstrating outside the governorate building in Missan.

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...
considers intra-Shia disharmony as a threat against its influence in Iraq and has repeatedly attempted to broker dialogue with al-Sadr.

In July, al-Sadr’s supporters broke into the parliament to deter his rivals in the Coordination Framework, an alliance of mostly Iran-aligned Shia parties, from forming a government. Hundreds have been staging a sit-in outside the building for over four weeks. His bloc has also resigned from parliament. The Framework is led by al-Sadr’s chief nemesis, former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

This is not the first time al-Sadr, who has called for early elections and the dissolution of parliament, has announced his retirement from politics — and many dismissed Monday’s move as another bluff to gain greater leverage against his rivals amid a worsening stalemate. The holy man has used the tactic on previous occasions when political developments did not go his way.

But many are concerned that it’s a risky gambit and are worried how it will impact Iraq’s fragile political climate. By stepping out of the political process, al-Sadr is giving his followers, most disenfranchised from the political system, the green light to act as they see fit.

Al-Sadr also commands a militia and maintains a great degree of influence within Iraq’s state institutions through the appointments of key civil servant positions. His Iran-backed rivals also have militia groups.

Iraq’s military swiftly announced a nationwide curfew beginning at 7 p.m. It called on the holy man’s supporters to withdraw immediately from the heavily fortified government zone and to practice self-restraint "to prevent festivities or the spilling of Iraqi blood," according to a statement.

"The security forces affirm their responsibility to protect government institutions, international missions, public and private properties," the statement said.

Iraq’s caretaker Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi also demanded that al-Sadr call on his followers to withdraw from government institutions.

The UN mission in Iraq said Monday’s protests were an "extremely dangerous escalation," and called on demonstrators to vacate all government buildings to allow the caretaker government to continue running the state.

It urged all to remain peaceful and "refrain from acts that could lead to an unstoppable chain of events."

"The very survival of the state is at stake," the statement said.

Al-Sadr announced his withdrawal from politics in a tweet, and ordered the closure of his party offices. Religious and cultural institutions will remain open, it said.

The true motivations behind al-Sadr’s announcement appeared to be a reaction to the retirement of Shia spiritual leader Ayatollah Kadhim al-Haeri, who counts many of al-Sadr’s supporters as followers.

In a surprise announcement Sunday, al-Haeri said he would be stepping down as a religious authority for health reasons and called on his followers to throw their allegiance behind Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
...the very aged actual dictator of Iran, successor to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini...
, rather than the Shia spiritual center in Iraq’s holy city of Najaf.

The move was a blow to al-Sadr, who despite harboring ambitions to be a religious authority lacks the scholarly credentials to be an ayatollah. al-Haeri, who resides in the Iranian holy city of Qom, once provided him with the legitimacy he lacked by designating al-Sadr as his representative in Iraq. He cut ties shortly after with the holy man, but continued to enjoy the support of his followers.

By calling on his followers to side with Khamenei, al-Haeri brought on a crisis of legitimacy for al-Sadr.

In his tweet, al-Sadr said al-Haeri’s stepping down "was not out of his own volition."
DShK=14.5mm antiaircraft machine gun, mounted on a "technical."

HQ's of most of the pro-Iran groups are burning all over Shia Iraq. Basra has had street battles too.

Related: U.S. spokesman denies the Green Zone embassy was evacuated.
"Who ya gonna believe? Your own lying eyes? Or the transparent honesty of the Biden Regime?"
Link


Iraq
Iraqi president rejects prime minister nominee, threatens to resign
2019-12-27
[Rudaw] Iraqi President Barham Salih submitted his resignation letter to parliament in the face of pressure from the Bina coalition to name Basra’s current governor as the next Prime Minister of Iraq.

The pro-Iran Bina coalition claims to be the largest bloc in Iraqi parliament. According to the Iraqi constitution, the largest bloc in parliament has the constitutional prerogative to select Iraq’s new prime minister.

The coalition, headed by Hadi al-Ameri and former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, nominated Basra governor Asaad al-Aidani. They sent a letter to President Salih requesting that he assign al-Aidani to lead Iraq’s new cabinet.
Link


Iraq
Iraq-Saudi border crossing to reopen after nearly 30 years
2019-09-13
[Rudaw] An Iraq-Soddy Arabia
...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face...
 border crossing is set to reopen after nearly three decades of closure, Iraq’s border crossing department announced on Thursday.

A meeting held between Iraqi and Saudi border authorities at the Arar crossing set October 15 as a test period for its reopening, a department statement said.

Anbar provincial council member Amira Odaie spoke to Rudaw on Thursday about the meeting.

"Early on Thursday morning, Iraq’s border crossing department met with their Saudi Arabian counterparts to discuss the opening of Arar crossing border, in order to boost trades and tourism between the two countries," Odaie said.

Opening the Arar crossing will also provide job opportunities to Anbar province’s young people currently suffering from high rates of unemployment, she added.

Arar crossing closed back in 1991, when relations between the two countries deteriorated after then-president Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait. Iraq-Saudi relations were further damaged under former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s tenure.

Rapprochement between the two began in 2015, when Saudi Arabia reopened their Baghdad embassy after 25 years of closure.

A Saudi-Iraqi Coordination Council was established in October 2017 with the aim of strengthening relations between the two countries.

Vying for influence in the country over regional rival Iran, Saudi Arabia opened a consulate in Baghdad in April 2019 after a visit from a 100-person Saudi delegation, including nine ministers. Riyadh pledged $1.5 billion in loans to Iraq during the trip.

Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi visited Saudi Arabia later that month, when the two countries signed 13 deals in the fields of political consultation, investment promotion and protection, agriculture, energy, electricity, and higher education.

The Arar border crossing currently opens once a year, to allow Iraqi pilgrims to enter Saudi Arabia to perform the Islamic rite of Hajj.
Link


International-UN-NGOs
Muslim countries urged to play role on Al-Quds issue
2019-06-01
[DAWN] Federal Minister for Human Rights Dr Shireen Mazari on Thursday urged Moslem countries to play their role in developing a consensus on the issue of al-Quds.

Addressing an al-Quds conference held to express solidarity with Paleostine at a local hotel, she said Moslem countries, particularly Pakistain, Indonesia, Malaysia and The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
...Qatar's colony in Asia Minor....
, should play their role to revive the issue of al-Quds and highlight the lost agenda at the international platform.

She said the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) had lost its relevance as it could not take up the issue of al-Quds.

Iran hardliners to lead show of force for Palestinians on Quds Day

[Rudaw] Moslems across the world will take to the street on Friday in simultaneous rallies to protest against the Israel occupation of Paleostinian lands, the biggest of which to be held in the Iranian capital where hardliners will burn the Israeli and US flags, while chanting "Death to America and Israel!"

Several top holy manal authorities in Iran on Thursday called on people to take part in Islamic Revolution founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's rally who began it 40 years ago to show worldwide Moslem solidarity with Paleostinians on the last Friday of fasting during Ramadan.

Khomeini introduced the concept a few months after the 1979 Revolution in response to Israeli cross border attacks against Paleostinian militia groups in Leb.

"For many years, I have warned about Israel the usurper, which has intensified its attacks on Paleostinian brothers and sisters these days and in particular in Leb intending to destroy the Paleostinian fighters, constantly bombing their homes," Khomeini said in his terse message naming the occasion on August 7, 1979.

Former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki emphasized the importance of Quds (Jerusalem) Day) in a tweet.

"Commemorating International Quds Day is surely heeding the wise call that Imam Khomeini, may God have mercy on, him made. It shows the extent of the commitment of Arab and Islam peoples to the Paleostinian cause," he said on Friday.

Protesters in ’Quds Day’ parades often carry signs supporting Hezbollah and other holy warriors groups across the Middle East. However the UK parliament on March 1 added Hezbollah to a list of terrorist organizations and supporting the group carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.

Protestors in the southern Iraqi city of Basra demonstrated against the United States and President Donald Trump
...New York real estate developer, described by Dems as illiterate, racist, misogynistic, and what ever other unpleasant descriptions they can think of, elected by the rest of us as 45th President of the United States...
, Israel, and Saudi King Salman
...either the largest species of Pacific salmon or the current Sheikh of the Burnin' Sands, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and Lord of Most of the Arabians....
 on Friday.

For a several years there have been attempts to ban the parade in London.

"I've raised my deep concerns about the support shown for Hezbollah at the annual Al Quds march in London on a number of occasions - and the fact the Home Secretary has finally listened and is taking action is welcome," Sadiq Khan the Mayor of London responded to a question on March 21. "However,
we can't all be heroes. Somebody has to sit on the curb and applaud when they go by...
 neither myself nor the Met have the power to ban marches or protest; that power lies with the Home Secretary."

The day is officially called International Quds Day.

Iranian Minister of Culture Abbas Salehi said this week that the day's goal is to defend Paleostinians' democratic rights.

"It’s more than 40 years from Camp David to the Deal of the Century. US peace further fueled war and violence in the region from Carter to Trump," he wrote on Twitter.

Rhetoric and emotion will run high following midday prayers across the Islamic world, with many protesting US President Donald Trump's decision to move its embassy to Jerusalem and the re-election of Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu.
Link


Iraq
Iraqis set Iran consulate in southern city ablaze, decry Tehran’s interference, curfew set in Basra
2018-09-08
[IsraelTimes] Iraqis set Iran consulate in southern city ablaze, decry Tehran’s interference

Demonstrators against corruption in restive Basra accuse Iranian-backed political parties of interfering with Iraqi politics

Angry protesters stormed the Iranian consulate in the southern city of Basra Friday, setting a fire inside as part of ongoing demonstrations that have turned deadly in the past few days, a security official and eyewitnesses said.

At least 10 protesters have died in festivities with security forces since Monday, including three who were rubbed out by security forces on Thursday night as protesters lobbed Molotov cocktails and set fire to a government building and offices of Shiite militias in the city.

Residents of Basra and other cities in Iraq’s oil-rich southern Shiite heartland have been protesting since July over endemic corruption, soaring joblessness and poor public services. Clashes erupted earlier this week, leaving several civilians and police dead. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has ordered an investigation into the violence which shows no sign of abating.

The violence prompted the temporary head of Iraq’s parliament, the eldest politician, to call an emergency meeting on Saturday to discuss the snowballing protests.

The protesters shouted anti-Iranian slogans outside the Iranian consulate Friday evening, including "Iran, out, out!" before they stormed it and set a fire inside. Smoke could be seen rising from the building. Protesters also burned an Iranian flag. Many residents of the predominantly Shiite city accuse Iranian-backed political parties of interfering with Iraqi politics and some hold them responsible for mismanagement and the poor services in the city.

In Baghdad, security forces launched a search operation to determine the source of three mortar shells that landed inside Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the mortar shells that landed just after midnight Friday in an abandoned lot in the Green Zone, and no casualties were reported.

The rare attack comes amid a political crisis and against the backdrop of the Basra protests, adding to overall tensions in the country.

The newly-elected parliament earlier this week held its first session since the national elections in May. The session was adjourned amid disagreements as two blocs, both claiming to hold the most seats, vied for the right to form a new government.

The new parliament faces the twin tasks of rebuilding the north of the country following the war against the Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're 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 the pols talk they're not really Moslems....
 group and rehabilitating services in the south, where severe water and electricity shortages have fueled protests.

A coalition led by al-Abadi and populist 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...
 has the support of the US and Soddy Arabia
...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face...
, while an alliance between former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and militia leader Hadi al-Amiri has the backing of Iran.

Both alliances are dominated by Shiites, who have held the preponderance of power in Iraq since Saddam Hussein’s ouster in 2003. But the largest Sunni blocs are aligned with al-Abadi and al-Sadr. Iraq’s two main Kurdish parties have not taken a side.

A representative of the Shiite community’s spiritual leader, the Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, condemned during the Friday prayers sermon the violence against peaceful protesters and called for the quick formation of a new government that can deal with the challenges facing the country.

Curfew Imposed in Iraq's Basra as One Dies in Protests

[AnNahar] A curfew was imposed in the southern Iraqi city of Basra after a fresh outbreak of violent protests over poor public services left one person dead and 35 injured.

Thousands of demonstrators converged in central Basra Thursday after local officials decided to scrap an earlier curfew imposed by central authorities in Baghdad, with the atmosphere appearing calmer than in previous days.

"One person was killed and 35 were maimed; 24 civilians and 11 coppers," said health ministry front man Seif al-Badr, without giving any more details.

The statement came as authorities announced a new curfew in the city, where the local government headquarters and the offices of political organizations were in flames.

Fire was seen spreading around the massive government complex that has been the focus of anger, with witnesses saying it tore through offices housing state TV channel Iraqiya.

AFP journalists also reported that the nearby governor's residence was alight, while witnesses and sources said fires were raging at the local offices of several political organizations.

It was unclear if the blaze started as the result of a fresh attack with incendiary devices or was due to earlier fires that emergency services had failed to extinguish.
Link


Iraq
Iraq’s pro-Iranian militias threaten to break Iran’s blockade
2018-08-09
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Following the United States’ sanctions going into effect against the Islamic Theocratic Republic on Tuesday, Iraq’s pro-Iranian militias threatened to break Iran’s blockade at all cost.

In a statement, Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada, an Iraqi Shiite militia, said that work is in progress to break the blockade.

The militia statement criticized Iraqi Prime Minister Haydar al-Abadi’s stance, describing it as disappointing and a failure compared to what Iran has given to Iraq, according to the statement.

The statement added that without Iran, al-Abadi would not have been in power, pointing out that the duty of the Iraqi government was to stand by Iran in order to break the US economic blockade.

In a presser on Tuesday evening, Iraqi Haydar al-Abadi said that Iraq is committed to the US sanctions against Iran, pointing to the Iraqi interests.

In the same context of the positions of other Iraqi pro-Iranian militias, Hassan Salem, the head of the parliamentary bloc Sadikun, representing the political front of the Shiite militia As’aib Ahl al-haq, said in a statement that it was time for the Iraqi government to return the favors to Iran, in reference to Iran’s financial and military support for its militias.

For his part, former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki received on Wednesday, the Iranian ambassador to Iraq, Irj Muasjidi. During the meeting, they discussed the latest political and security developments in the region.

Maliki called on the Iraqi government not to be part of the US policy to impose economic sanctions on Iran.

For its part, Doa’at al-Islam Shiite militia said in a statement on Wednesday that the actions of imposing unilateral sanctions on Iran by the United States and its president Donald Trump
...New York real estate developer, described by Dems as illiterate, racist, misogynistic, and what ever other unpleasant descriptions they can think of, elected by the rest of us as 45th President of the United States...
 was a violation of all human values and international norms.

The statement called on the Moslem world to reject the sanctions and to work on expanding relations between these nations in order to confront the American political and economic arrogance, according to the statement.

Link


Iraq
More Than Militias: Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces Are Here To Stay
2018-04-04
[WarOnTheRocks] Over the last several years, I have met with commanders and fighters from Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (al-hashd al-sha’abi, or PMF), an umbrella organization of some 50 paramilitary groups, to hear about their perspectives on the situation in Iraq. Last month, I re-visited a leader whom I hadn’t seen in some time. As I walked into the room, I noticed that he no longer wore army fatigues ‐ instead, he was in a suit. He joked that things had changed, and he was now returning to politics.

He is not the only one. The PMF have become much more than a group of militias, now seeking to establish a legitimate institutional presence and play a role in politics and the economy, against the backdrop of a fragile Iraqi state that remains weak after the fall of ISIL.

A critical aspect of the state rebuilding process is reforming the security sector, which collapsed in 2014 when a few thousand fighters took over one-third of Iraq. During the 3-year fight against ISIL, a number of armed groups ‐ united in opposition to a common enemy but not in command structure or vision ‐ emerged in place of the struggling state armed forces. Although the Iraqi armed forces have since recovered, the state’s weakness has allowed many of these paramilitary groups continue to control territory in liberated areas from Mosul to Kirkuk.

The largest of these groups is the PMF, established in June 2014 by former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki after the fall of Mosul. The PMF includes groups with competing ideologies and rivalling allegiances to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, and Iraqi Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. However, the most powerful groups and leaders in the PMF come from a network of conservative Shia Islamists who enjoy good relations with Khamenei and the regime in Tehran. PMF forces played a key role in the liberation of territory, first on the front lines in much of the initial fighting, and then holding areas as Iraqi forces recovered and began leading the liberation.

Today, in recently liberated areas, the PMF has recruited local fighters and serves as a de facto national guard. Its political influence is also growing. Organized into the Fatah Alliance electoral bloc, PMF leadership is focused on making gains in the upcoming 2018 elections.

The Iraqi government and its international allies have demanded that the PMF integrate into the central state apparatus. Most recently, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi issued a decree to rein in the militias through an integration process. This has traditionally meant incorporating fighters into the command chain of the traditional state armed forces (al-quwwat al-musalaha), which legally fall under the Ministry of Defence or the Ministry of Interior.

But realities on the ground paint a different picture. Benefitting from the weakness of Iraqi state institutions, the PMF leadership has rejected Baghdad’s decrees, and instead offered its own vision for the future of the militias: to become an independent security body protecting the political system, like a praetorian guard for the state. Under this proposal, the paramilitary groups would fall under the Prime Minister’s Office, which separates it from the Ministry of Defence of Ministry of Interior.

Despite Abadi’s ongoing efforts at security-sector reform, so far the PMF leadership has won the debate. It will not integrate in the traditional way; rather, it will become an institutionalized autonomous force, fundamentally altering Iraq’s security architecture and challenging Baghdad’s command structure and monopoly over legitimate violence. Institutionalization, rather than integration, will define the PMF’s role as the Iraqi state rebuilds itself.
Long, click through for the whole thing.
Herb, please don’t use p and /p to separate paragraphs, but just put a blank line between them (except when doing in-lines, of course). For whatever reason, using p and /p results in two blank lines appearing between the paragraphs, and it’s time-consuming to clean up.

Thanking you for the moderators,
trailing wife
Link


Iraq
Maliki rejects joint electoral list with Abadi: Dawa Party
2018-01-09
[ARABNEWS] Former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki will participate in the forthcoming parliamentary election, but refuses to do so as part of a joint electoral list with his successor Haider Abadi, big shots of the Islamic Dawa Party told Arab News.

Both Abadi and Maliki belong to the party. The current prime minister replaced his predecessor in September 2014 following widespread opposition to Maliki’s desire for a third term. Tensions between the two have persisted ever since.

So far, 205 political parties and 12 registered alliances will participate in the election, which is due to take place on May 12, the Independent High Electoral Commission told Arab News.

Ali Alaq, a Dawa leader, told Arab News that the party "wants to participate in the election in one electoral list."

This "will preserve the interests of the party and won’t disperse the (electoral) votes, but Maliki has another opinion," Alaq said.

But Maliki’s political adviser Abbas Mossowie told Arab News: "Participating in two electoral lists, one headed by Maliki and the other by Abadi, has been discussed during recent party meetings."

Mossowie added: "The final decision hasn’t been made yet, but the majority (of the party) supports having two lists. Maliki prefers to run the election in two lists."

The rebuilding of the security establishment, the retaking of territory lost to ISIS and the Kurds, and increased international and regional support for Abadi’s government, contributed to his nomination as head of Dawa’s electoral list, party leaders told Arab News.

"Abadi is more worthy than anyone else to head the list. Our field research suggests he has a great chance at re-election as head of the next government," a Dawa leader told Arab News on condition of anonymity.

"There’s almost an international, Arab and popular consensus on Abadi. He deserves to win another term to finish his work on the economy, fight corruption and rebuild liberated areas."

Maliki believes that Abadi, Dawa and his Shiite rivals betrayed him when they opposed him having a third term even though he gained the most votes in the 2014 election.
Link


Terror Networks
The myth of ISIS has been ‘blown up’
2017-01-19
[RUDAW.NET] The myth of ISIS has been "blown up" and the Kurds have played an "indispensable" role in combatting them, said a senior White House staffer reflecting on the objective of President Barack Obama
I am the change that you seek...
to degrade and destroy the holy warrior group.

Twenty-eight months ago, Obama addressed the US nation on his strategy to counter ISIS, also known as ISIS. "Our objective is clear: We will degrade, and ultimately destroy, ISIS through a comprehensive and sustained counter-terrorism strategy."

He outlined four prongs to this strategy: systematic Arclight airstrikes, increased support to forces on the ground, increased counter-terrorism efforts to cut ISIS’ funding and counter its message, and provide humanitarian assistance to the displaced.

At a press briefing on Tuesday with Ben Rhodes, Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications at the White House, Rudaw’s Namo Abdulla asked him to assess achievements made against ISIS in the last days of Obama’s presidency.

Describing ISIS’ appeal as a group "on the move," establishing a Caliphate, Rhodes said, "I think that myth has been blown up. There is no longer this triumphalism."

It is clear, he continued, "that ultimately they are going to lose the territory they hold and they’re gonna be what they are, which is a terrorist organization and not a state."

Rhodes detailed that ISIS has been degraded in many ways. They have lost nearly half of the territory they once controlled in Iraq and Syria, "and that includes major population centres."

The number of imported muscle seeking to join the group has declined significantly. "And that’s the clearest indicator that you have that the allure is not what it was a few years ago."

ISIS has also taken a big hit financially, inhibiting their efforts to establish governance.

In the fight against ISIS, Kurds have been an invaluable partner. Kurdish forces were the first to push back against ISIS in Iraq and it was through their coordination with Iraqi forces, Sunni tribes, and local militias that has allowed the whole anti-ISIS campaign in the country to see the success it has, Rhodes said.

"In the darkest days when we first intervened and we were seeking to organise a mix of security forces, the Kurdish Peshmerga forces in northern Iraq really began the first push back against ISIS to hold that line when we intervened to save the Yazidis in Sinjar to obviously protect Erbil and to start to push back."

He commended the coordination between Kurdish and Iraqi forces, noting that this effective coordination was partly possible because Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi replaced former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki "who had soured relations completely with the Sunni community and significantly with the Kurdish community inside Iraq."

Routing ISIS in Kobane was also only possible because of the Kurdish forces, Rhodes added, who are working well with Arab forces in northern Syria and taking care to balance all the ethnic groups in the region.

The effectiveness of the forces in northern Syria against ISIS is partly because Kurds have "worked across lines of sects and communities in ways that have allowed their campaign to move forward," he said.

Going forward, Rhodes believes the main fight against ISIS will be taken out of the Middle East as forces of Evil leave Iraq and Syria and seek to carry out attacks in Europe and around the world.

"That becomes a more traditional intelligence and law enforcement challenge and that necessitates continued efforts to work more with Moslem majority countries around the world to push back against the ideology of ISIS," said Rhodes.
Link


Iraq
Angry protestors describe Iraq’s ex-PM Maliki ‘head of thieves,’ ‘trash’
2016-12-13
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Angry protesters on Sunday have stormed a meeting held by Iraq’s former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in the country’s most southern city of Basra.

News of Maliki touring Basra prompted protesters to take to the streets asking the former premier from 2006 to 2014 to leave the city. Maliki was scheduled to hold the meeting at the Cultural Center in Basra.

In one of the videos published, protestors outside the center were heard chanting: "Maliki you are trash, head of the thieves."

Iraqis from the south to the north have long complained about their living conditions and standards compared to the prosperity enjoyed by their politicians, whom they deem as corrupt.

In another video, one protester said: "In truth, Maliki is corrupt, a thief and a murderer," adding that since Sunday early morning, "we were looking out for him."

Maliki was also Iraq’s vice president from 2014 to 2015. He is currently secretary-general of the Islamic Dawa Party.
Link


Terror Networks
Former DCI & SecDef Robert Gates Gives His Two Reasons Why ISIS Exists
2016-06-30
[Daily Caller] Former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates shared what he believes are the two main reasons why Islamic State exists in an interview with Business Insider Thursday.

Gates, who served in both President George W. Bush and President Barack Obama administrations, said it is the Syrian civil war and former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s anti-Sunni policies that gave rise to ISIS.

Gates referred to ISIS as an "outgrowth of the conflict inside Syria." Undoubtedly, the turbulence inside the country certainly gave Islamic State a vacuum from which it could entrench itself. ISIS’ rise in 2014 saw the terrorist organization conquering a large swathe of territory in eastern and central Syria. Syrian President Bashar Assad and the various Syrian rebel groups had been fighting for about three years by the time ISIS came around, and neither were prepared to counter a secondary threat. ISIS took advantage of the opportunity, and set up its capital in the Syrian city of Raqqa, which it holds to this day.

The former Pentagon chief’s second factor, al-Maliki’s "wrongheaded" anti-Sunni policies, is more nuanced than the Syrian factor, but it is just as important to understanding ISIS.
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Iraq
Delta Force secretly killed Iranian agents in Iraq ‐ with IEDs
2015-10-04
We need a Qods Organization tab?
By early 2007, some US intelligence estimates held that as many as 150 Iranian operatives were in Iraq. Many were member of the Quds Force, the covert arm of Iran's Shi'ite theocracy. Their mission was to coordinate the violent campaign being waged against US forces by Iraq's Shi'ite militias.

"It was 100 percent, ‘Are you willing to kill Americans and are you willing to coordinate attacks?' " said an officer who studied the Quds Force's approach closely. " ‘If the answer is "yes," here's arms, here's money.' "

The Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) set up a new task force, named Task Force 17.

Its mandate was simple: go after "anything that Iran is doing to aid in the destabilization of Iraq," said a Task Force 17 officer. But political restrictions hobbled Task Force 17, particularly as the US lowered its profile in Iraq. The country's Shi'ite-dominated government, headed by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, wasn't happy with any attacks that targeted Iran operatives or their Iraqi proxies.

But for a small number of Shi'ite targets, JSOC found a way around the political restrictions by killing its enemies without leaving any US fingerprints.

The command did this using a device called the "Xbox."

Developed jointly by Delta Force and SEAL Team 6, the Xbox was a bomb designed to look and behave exactly like one made by Iraqi insurgents, using materials typically found in locally made improvised explosive devices.
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