Tag "Iraq"
Syria SITREP October 31st, 2015 by John Rambo
The Middle East Wars The Middle East is once again swept up in wars. Not since the early 80s has the Middle East experienced such a wide array of conflicts. Not only do we have the mother of all proxy wars in Syria but also a slew of campaigns and operations dotting the entire region and greater area from tribal skirmishes to transnational conflicts. In tangent with the Syrian crisis
Al-Qaeda says its prison raids in Iraq freed 500
Al-Akhbar reports: Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for simultaneous raids on two Iraqi prisons and said more than 500 inmates had been set free, in a statement posted on militant forums on Tuesday. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, which was formed earlier this year through a merger between al-Qaeda’s affiliates in Syria and Iraq, said it had carried out the attacks on Abu Ghraib and Taji jails after months
Iraq denies cancelling $4.2 bln arms deal with Russia over ‘corruption concerns’
RT reports: Iraqi Prime Minister’s spokesperson Ali Mussawi told RT that the deal hasn’t been cancelled, it is simply under review. He also confirmed it was because of earlier allegations of corruption from the Iraqi side. Iraqi Defense Minister Saadun al-Dulaimi also confirmed that there was no cancellation of the agreement. “The deal is going ahead,” he said. Earlier, media reports claimed the deal – which would have made Russia Iraq’s
US Jarheads “Winning the hearts and minds” in Iraq
——- Commentary: What this testosterone-poisoned moron clearly does not realize is that these “fucking pussy cowards with their thumbs up their ass” (as he so delicately puts it when talking about, and to, the Iraqi Shia) have comprehensively defeated every single US tactic and strategy in Iraq and have won both the civil war and the war against the occupation. It is rather pitiful to listen to this idiot calling
No friends but the mountains – The Saker interviews Zerkes from Kurdistan
It has been three years now since I interviewed Mizgin, a pro-PKK Kurdish blogger who very kindly introduced me to the topic of the struggle of the Kurds for self-determination and my interview with her was mostly about the ‘inner’ aspects of the Kurdish struggle. Today, I am publishing another interview with a Kurd – Zerkes – but this time the interview deals mostly with the “regional picture”. The regions
Iraqi Resistance Responds to President Obama
RafidanThe Political CommitteeBaghdadThe Republic of Iraq Statement in Response to President Obama’s Remarks made on the 27th or February 2009 regarding the proclaimed ending to the occupation of The Republic of Iraq. Official English Transcript Release No: 57 March 02, 2009Exclusive for “Information Clearing House” Good Evening, In Respect to the remarks of President Barak Hussain Obama, The president of the United States of America. The Political Committee of a
Muntadhar al-Zaidi is becoming an international hero
Press TV reports: People from around the world have rejoiced in the glory of a frogmarched Iraqi reporter and vow to make him rich and eternally famous. World eyes were fixed on Sunday on looped video of Iraqi journalist Muntadhar al-Zaidi throwing his two shoes at President George W. Bush during a press conference. It seems, however, that world fascination over the shoe attack will live on. In Saudi Arabia,
Iranian Parliament Speaker Larijani warns Iraq against US SOFA
Press TV reports that Iran’s Majlis (parliament) speaker says an Iraq-US security pact would have dire consequences for the Iraqi nation and regional states. Under the proposed security agreement, American troops will be able to legally stay in Iraq for three more years after a UN mandate allowing their military presence on Iraqi soil expires on December 31. The Iraqi parliament is scheduled to vote on the controversial treaty on
Sunni bloc may boycott vote on US pact
Press TV reports: The main Sunni-Arab bloc in the Iraqi Parliament threatens to boycott a parliament session to vote on the Iraq-US security agreement. “The IAF would not enter the parliament if there was no popular referendum over the agreement or assurances from the US side,” Abdelkareem al-Samarraie, a leading lawmaker from the Iraqi Accord Front (IAF), told the Voices of Iraq on Tuesday. The lawmaker said parliament should postpone
What are the Israelis up to next?
Amazing article in Ha’aretz today. Check this one out (my comments added in blue): Defense establishment paper: Golan for Syria peace, plan for Iran strike By Barak Ravid A defense establishment paper recommends making contingency plans to attack Iran, reaching an agreement with Syria that includes leaving the Golan Heights and preventing new elections in the Palestinian Authority, even if this means a confrontation with the United States. The paper
Hezbollah Condemns US-Iraq Pact, Calls to Reject It
Al-Manar TV reports that while the Iraqi parliament was likely to approve a “suspicious” pact with the US occupation forces allowing them to stay in the country for another three years, Hezbollah finally broke its silence on Thursday and denounced the pact as harmful and called on all Iraqi MPs to assume their responsibilities and reject it as soon as possible. In a statement it released, Hezbollah emphasized that the
Unofficial Translation of US SOFA from the Arabic Text
By McClatchy Newspapers An Agreement between the Republic of Iraq and the United States of America regarding the Withdrawal of the American Forces from Iraq and Regulating their Activities During their Temporary Presence in it PREFACE The United States of America and the Republic of Iraq – which will hereafter be referred to as the two parties – recognize the importance of strengthening their joint security and participating in global
So what’s the deal with the US SOFA in Iraq?
First, let me point you to some other analyses about the SOFA: Juan Cole,Robert Dreyfuss, Stratfor and Pepe Escobar. Reading through these analyses I amazed that nobody seems to be very concerned about the fact that the final text has still not been leaked. It will, probably before the end of the week, but for the time being everybody is commenting mostly on the basis of what can only be
Breaking News: Iraqi Cabinet endorses US SOFA
According to the BBC, the Iraqi Cabinet has endorsed the US SOFA which includes the following elements: placing US forces in Iraq under the authority of the Iraqi government US forces to leave the streets of Iraq’s towns and villages by the middle of 2009 US forces to hand over their bases to Iraq during the course of 2009 US forces to lose the authority to raid Iraqi homes without
The President of Iraq’s Kurdistan local government threatens a ‘civil war’ if SOFA not signed
Press TV reports: The President of Iraq’s Kurdistan local government has warned of a ‘civil war’ if Baghdad refuses to sign a security agreement with the US. “If the pact is not signed, the situation in the country may deteriorate to the point of a civil war,” Voices of Iraq news agency quoted Masoud Barzani as saying at a press conference on Wednesday. Barzani had earlier said his region will
Understanding the SOFA
by Ya Baqiyatullah Five years after the invasion of Iraq by the Allied Forces, the people of Iraq find themselves at a crossroad; to accept the SOFA and legalize an occupation or reject it and live indefinitely under the shadows of the US forces. The Iraqi people, after being promised so much in the name of liberation are now left in a dilemma in which either choice will adds to
More fallout from the botched US raid on Syrian village
The shit is hitting the fan after the botched US raid on the Syrian village near the Iraqi border and even nominal US allies such as the Maliki government and even Fouad Siniora (!!) in Lebanon are condemning this aggression. Other protesting voices include Qatar, the OIC, the Arab League, Russia and China. Even the otherwise ‘tame and lame’ EU “voiced concerns” about this raid (which just goes to show
US raid on Syria ‘will hamper SOFA’
Exactly as I predicted: Press TV reports that An Iraqi lawmaker has warned that Sunday’s attack on Syria would negatively affect a security pact the US is insisting to sign with Iraq. “The air strike will send a negative message to Iraq’s neighbors,” MP Abbass al-Bayati told Voices of Iraq news agency on Tuesday. US commandoes onboard four helicopters attacked a Syrian border region on Sunday, killing at least eight
Iraqi VP: US blackmailing Iraq over SOFA
Press TV reports: The US military has threatened to halt vital services in Iraq if Baghdad refuses to sign a controversial US security pact with Washington. In addition to halting all military actions, US forces would cease activities that support Iraq’s economy, educational sector and other areas- ‘everything’ – Tariq al-Hashemi, Iraq’sVice President told the US newspaper McClatchy. According to al-Hashemi, many Iraqi politicians view the move as ‘political blackmail’.
