Turkey baked by US Smart bombs and German Billions of Euro intensify Killing Kurd around the clock.

March 13, 2016 By administrator

207992 Turkey is Killing non stop Kurds in Iraq, Syria and in Turkey,

army said on Saturday, March 12 it killed 67 Kurdish militants in air strikes on camps and ammunition storage sites in neighboring northern Iraq on Wednesday, Reuters reports.

Jets targeted sites at Qandil, Metina, Avasin, Haftanin and Basyan used by Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants, the armed forces said.

Separately, a bomb blast blamed on PKK militants hit an armored police vehicle near Turkey’s border with Iraq on Friday, Turkish officials said. Two special force police officers were injured in the explosion on a road in Hakkari province’s Yuksekova district, they added.

A ceasefire between the PKK and the state collapsed in July and attacks on Turkey’s security forces have increased amid a surge in violence in the predominantly Kurdish southeast, killing hundreds of people.

Saudi delegation quits Arab League meet after Iraq FM defends Hezbollah

March 11, 2016 By administrator

503000_img650x420_img650x420_crop Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari’s defense of Hezbollah in a speech before the Arab League has prompted the Saudi delegation to withdraw from the meeting, an Iraqi news agency reported Friday.

Islamic State controlled Armenian church totally destroyed in Iraq

March 2, 2016 By administrator

f56d6a65140e57_56d6a65140e7a.thumb The St Mary Armenian church of Sinjar (northern Iraq) has been totally destroyed by Islamic State (IS) militants who kept the sacred place under control.

Citing its sources from Erbil (capital of Iraqi Kurdistan), the local Armenian website Arevelk (East) reports that scores of skeletons thought to have belonged to residents of the region were recently found in the vicinities of the church.

The Armenian population of Sinjar left the province after the Islamic State’s invasion.

Sinjar is considered the main center of the Yezidi community of Iraq.

US to Decide Soon Whether to Call Mideast Killings of Christians ‘Genocide’

February 24, 2016 By administrator

The United States will soon make a decision on whether to call the mass killings of Christian by Islamist extremists in the Middle East a genocide, US Secretary of State John Kerry told members of the House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations on Wednesday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Kerry added that so far, he has been given initial recommendations on how the Obama administration should label the atrocities, and noted has since asked for “further evaluation.”

“We are currently doing what I have to do, which is review very carefully the legal standards and precedence for whatever judgement is made,” Kerry explained when urged by a US lawmaker to use his authority to call the killings a genocide.

“I will make a decision on this and I will make a decision on it as soon as I have that additional evaluation and we will proceed forward from there.”

Kerry added he has been given initial recommendations on how the Obama administration should label the atrocities, and noted he has since asked for “further evaluation.”

Earlier this month, Russian Patriarch Kirill and Pope Francis called on the international community to prevent the killing and expulsion of Christians from the Middle East and end the violence in the region. The two religious leaders also discussed the possibility of forming jointly a political association to counter the genocide of Christians.

Iraq sends more troops north for planned offensive to retake Mosul

February 22, 2016 By administrator

Iraqi army forces. Photo: Wikimedia

BAGHDAD,— Iraq sent more troops north on Sunday to prepare for an offensive the government has pledged to launch this year to retake the city of Mosul from the Islamic State (IS).

Hundreds of forces from the army’s 15th division have already massed at Makhmour base, 70 km (45 miles) south of Mosul, and more forces, including Sunni Muslim tribal fighters, were expected to arrive in the coming days.

Accompanied by a large number of Humvees and armored vehicles, hundreds of troops of the army’s 71st Brigade left Taji camp, north of Baghdad heading for Makhmour as military build-up continues ahead of the offensive.

“We are here today to bid farewell to Mosul liberation troops. This is the first batch of 71st brigades. The troops are heading to Nineveh preceded by three battalions, which are based at Makhmour camp. Thank God, preparations are on and the morale of fighters is high. The movement of troops will continue,” said Minister of Defense Khaled al-Obeidi who oversaw the movement of troops.

Obaidi told Reuters last month that Iraq would launch the Mosul operation in the first half of the year and Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has said 2016 would see the “final victory” against the militants.

Some U.S. officials have endorsed that assessment, but a top U.S. intelligence officer told Congress last week any operation to retake Mosul would be long and complex and unlikely to finish this year.

Asked if the Shiite Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) known in Arabic as Hashid Shaabi would take part in the Mosul offensive, Obeidi said the decision has to be made by Abadi in his capacity as the general commander of the armed forces.

“The decision is up to the general commander of the armed forces. He has the final say. If he sees a need for Hashid, they will take part and if not, they will not take part,” he said.

Hashid Shaabi, is a loosely knit coalition of mostly Iran-backed Shiite militias set up to fight IS. The government sidelined the PMF in the Ramadi battle to ensure air support from the U.S. which is reluctant to be seen fighting on the same side as the Iranian-backed militias.

With more than a million people still living there, Mosul is the largest city controlled by IS, which declared a ‘caliphate’ in swathes of territory it seized in Iraq and neighboring Syria in 2014.

Retaking it would be a huge boost for Iraqi forces who, backed by air strikes from a U.S.-led coalition, reclaimed the western city of Ramadi from IS in late December.

Mosul, however, is a far larger city with a populace made up of many sects. And even in Ramadi, Iraqi forces are still working to secure that city and its environs.

Iraq censures US, EU for inaction over Turkey’s troops deployment

February 17, 2016 By administrator

044c5b5e-ffcf-4e80-9f95-47911770ef38 Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi censured the United States and the European Union Tuesday for inaction on Turkey’s military deployment north of Iraq, warning that Baghdad may be forced to get help from Russia for pushing back the Turkish forces.

In a phone conversation, Abadi has warned US President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden that Turkey may be aiming to occupy the northern Iraqi city of Mosul and areas surrounding it in the same manner that it invaded Cyprus in 1974, urging the US and European allies to make Turkey leave the Iraqi territory as soon as possible, the Lebanese al-Mayadeen news channel reported.

In early December 2015, Turkey deployed a contingent of its troops to the Bashiqa military camp north of Mosul, claiming that the move had been earlier coordinated with Iraqi officials. Baghdad swiftly denied the claim and called on Ankara to immediately withdraw its forces from the camp.

Abadi warned the White House and leaders of major European powers that Iraq may be compelled to ask for Russia’s intervention in northern Iraq if Turkey does not pull back its troops from Bashiqa.

The Iraqi prime minister also warned Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu that if Ankara does not specify a clear timetable for the withdrawal of the troops, Iraq could resort to other options.

Baghdad had previously filed an official complaint with the United Nations Security Council, demanding the immediate withdrawal of the Turkish contingent.

Abadi also slammed an emerging plan by some Persian Gulf Arab states for deploying troops into Syria, saying such action would directly affect the security of Iraq and could fan the flames of militancy in the Middle East.

VATICAN: Pope Francis recalls the Christians with Iraqi Prime Minister

February 11, 2016 By administrator

arton121986-480x319 Pope Francis received Wednesday, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, with whom he discussed the importance of maintaining the Christians and other minorities in the country, announced the Vatican.

“After discussing their good relations, the parties focused on the Church’s life and the situation of Christians like other minorities in Iraq, emphasizing the importance of their presence and the need to protect their rights” announced a short statement from the Holy See. “It was then question of the place of interreligious dialogue in society and the responsibility of religious communities in spreading tolerance and civil peace,” added the Vatican.

Mr. Abadi also met with Secretary of State of the Vatican, Monsignor Pietro Parolin and the two men “stressed the importance of the reconciliation process in progress” in Iraq and raised the thorny humanitarian issue throughout the region.

The Argentine pontiff, who had received late January Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in urging him to work for peace in the Middle East, had on Sunday launched a heartfelt appeal for the tens of thousands of civilians fleeing fighting in northern Syria .

Thursday, February 11, 2016,
Stéphane © armenews.com

Iraq deploys troops to seize Mosul: Army official

February 8, 2016 By administrator

Iraqi soldiers patrol a suburb close to the area of Jweibah, east of the city of Ramadi, on February 4, 2016. (AFP photo)

An Iraqi army official says thousands of soldiers are being deployed to an army base in northern Iraq in order to prepare for retaking Mosul from Daesh Takfiri militants.

“Units from the Iraqi army have begun arriving to [at] a military base near the Makhmur district to start launching initial military operations toward Mosul,” the official said on Monday. Makhmur is some 70 kilometers southeast of Mosul.

The official added that three brigades have so far been stationed at the base and some 4,500 soldiers would eventually arrive.

Daesh captured Mosul in June 2014 and from there began to seize other areas in the north and west of Iraq.

The army official further noted that the aim of the military operation is to cut off Daesh supply lines between Mosul and surrounding areas like Hawijah in Kirkuk Province and Baiji in Salaheddin Province.

Halgurd Hekmat, a spokesman for Kurdish forces, also said that the majority of the deployed troops are Kurdish.

“These forces came with the approval of the presidency and government of the Kurdistan region of Iraq,” Hekmat added, noting that the base is for both aircraft and soldiers.

On Sunday, a senior Saudi-born Daesh commander, named as Shobaib Abu Majd al-Kanani, was killed in an airstrike in Nineveh Province. Eight other Takfiri militants were also killed in the attack.

Gruesome violence has plagued the northern and western parts of Iraq ever since Daesh launched an offensive in the country in June 2014.

The militants have been committing vicious crimes against all ethnic and religious communities in Iraq, including Shias, Sunnis, Kurds, Christians and others.

Iraqi army soldiers and fighters from allied Popular Mobilization Units are seeking to win back militant-held regions in joint operations.

Ankara on Offensive? Baghdad Slams Turkey for Bombing Iraqi Village

February 6, 2016 By administrator

Baghdad sharply criticized Turkish armed forces for the recent bombardment of its village in the northern part of the country and demanded that Ankara should withdraw its military from the Iraqi territory, media reported.

Iraqi Defense Ministry spokesman Nasir Nouri accused Ankara of violating Iraq’s sovereignty and called for the Turkish forces to withdraw from the Iraqi territory without any preconditions.

Earlier this week, Turkish aircraft carried out a series of airstrikes in an Iraqi village in the Kurdistan region. The military operation was a part of Ankara’s efforts to eliminate militants of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which the Turkish government views as terrorists.

Turkey intensified its military operations against Kurdish militants and Daesh terrorists after a series of terrorist attacks that hit the country since July 20, 2015 and claimed the lives of many civilians.

On December 4, Turkey unilaterally deployed 150 soldiers and 25 tanks in northern Iraq near Mosul without authorization from Baghdad. The de-facto “invasion” was carried out under the pretext of war against Daesh and counterterrorism training of Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga fighters.

Baghdad sharply criticized the intervention of Turkish forces and urged Ankara to immediately withdraw its troops from the region, a request that the Turkish government has not met so far.

Washington would have given the green light for Turkey to send troops to Iraq

February 2, 2016 By administrator

Biden securing lobbying job
for Turkey

Turkey would have received the green light from Washington to send troops into northern Iraq in late 2015, according to the Arabic-language newspaper published in London Al Arab, near Riyadh. “The insistence of Turkey to justify its military presence in northern Iraq on behalf of the lute against Islamic terrorists and the failure of efforts by the Iraqi authorities to push the Turkish troops from Iraqi territory show that Ankara took the initiative under the orders of Washington, “the newspaper reported in its edition of January 29.

Speaking on background the acute crisis between Turkey and Russia, sending fresh Turkish troops in northern Iraq, Ankara had provoked strong criticism from the Iraqi government controlled by Shiites and close to Iran . Turkey had argued a simple rotation of its troops present in the vicinity of Mosul and aspiring to train local Sunni tribes to the recovery of this city fell to Daech in June 2014. But the argument did not Baghdad convinced, especially since shortly after the Turkish President Erdogan received the President of the Autonomous Province of Iraqi Kurdistan, Massoud Barzani in Ankara, raising fears the Iraqi authorities an alliance between Turks and Iraqi Kurds would reduce to none Mosul regaining their hopes.

The Al Arab newspaper adds that the recent statements by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu under which the Turkish military presence in northern Iraq had the support of the international community betray the existence of a secret agreement between Ankara and Washington on sending the Turkish troops in the region. The newspaper points out that these troops are still in northern Iraq, near Mosul, which remains under the control of the jihadist Islamic state, despite repeated calls by Baghdad authorities in order to a withdrawal of the Turkish troops. On December 8, the Arab League condemned the deployment of Turkish troops in northern Iraq, referred to as a “intervention”.

Echoing the criticism raised by the Turkish decision to send troops into northern Iraq without the approval of Baghdad under the pretext of mentor Kurdish fighters and Sunni Arab, Nabil Elaraby, Secretary-General of the Arab League, called the Turkish initiative of “clear response”. In an interview with the newspaper El Youm Al Sabe, it stated that if the Arab League could take direct action against Turkey, it gave itself the right to publish a statement in which it condemned Ankara for violating national sovereignty of Iraq. Mr. Elaraby also warned Turkey, stressing that if she continued to work on the territory of Iraq without the approval of authorities in Baghdad, while the Arab League would have no choice but to appeal the UN Security Council to address the issue. It is sending some 130 Turkish soldiers, equipped with blinds and heavy artillery in areas of northern Iraq controlled by Kurdish Peshmerga that sparked this new crisis between Ankara and its neighbors.

The Islamist Turkish authorities attempted to ease tensions by stating that the deployment was part of the framework of a routine training exercise to assist Kurdish forces in their offensive against Daech and in their efforts to take control of Mosul, whose fate is another contentious issue between the Baghdad government and the autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan. But the Iraqi authorities rejected the arguments of Ankara, denouncing a “serious violation of the sovereignty” of Iraq.

Against the backdrop of growing tensions, Baghdad Sunday, January 31 threatened to bring the matter before the Security Council of the United Nations if Turkey did not withdraw its forces within 48 hours. “Iraq has the right to use all available options, including an appeal to the UN Security Council if these forces are not withdrawn within 48 hours,” said Iraqi Prime Minister al-Haider Abadi, whose ultimatum comes as laboriously begin at Geneva talks on Syria, in the absence of significant components of the Syrian opposition, like the Kurds, yet direct allies of the West in its attacks against Daech, but dedicated to public obloquy by Turkey because of their links with the PKK.

The Iraqi defense minister Khaled al-Obeidi, echoing the Prime Minister said for his part that Turkey had to consult the Iraqi government, whatever may be the reasons for its action and even though it would target jihadist forces in the region. “No matter how many soldiers entering Iraq, they will be repulsed. It was possible to provide a kind of coordination that would have avoided the current crisis between the two countries, “added al-Obeidi.