Iraq Wants Turkish Troops Out Once and for All

December 21, 2015 By administrator

Baghdad has welcomed Turkey’s decision to start removing its troops from northern Iraq, but said it would press for a complete withdrawal of Turkish forces from its territory, Iranian media wrote on Sunday.

“What has been reported in the media is a step in the right direction,” Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari said in a statement released in Baghdad, Press TV reported.

Jaafari stressed that Baghdad will carry on its process with the UN Security Council until “full withdrawal is achieved.”

First Step Toward Annexation? The Real Reason Turkey Sent Troops to Northern Iraq

On Saturday, the Turkish Foreign Ministry announced that Ankara would continue its military pullout from the Bashiqa military base in Iraq’s northern Nineveh province.

Ankara started withdrawing its troops on December 14, after Iraq had officially filed a complaint with the UN Security Council, calling on the United Nations to ensure an immediate pullout of the Turkish forces from its country’s territory.

On December 18, US President Barack Obama urged his Turkish counterpart “to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq” and take additional steps to deescalate tensions with the country, including by continuing to withdraw Turkish military forces.

Baghdad also called on the Security Council to adopt a resolution, urging Turkey to end its “illegal incursion” and immediately withdraw all of its troops from the Iraqi soil.

Turkey claims that the troops are deployed to train Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga fighters battling the Daesh terrorist group.

Tensions between Baghdad and Ankara have been running high since December 4, when Turkey deployed heavily armed soldiers backed by two dozen tanks to the Bashiqa base.

Turkey has deployed about 150 troops and 25 tanks to the Bashiqa camp in the northern Iraqi province, without Baghdad’s approval, allegedly as part of an international mission to train and equip Iraqi forces to fight Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL or Daesh in Arabic).

Source: sputniknews.com

Report: Terrorist State of Turkey Withdrawal of Turkish Troops From Northern Iraqi Province Underway

December 19, 2015 By administrator

index Turkey continues the process of its troops’ withdrawal from the Iraqi province of Nineveh, the country’s Foreign Ministry said Saturday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – On December 4, Turkey deployed about 150 troops and 25 tanks to the Bashiqa camp in the northern Iraqi province, without Baghdad’s approval, allegedly as part of an international mission to train and equip Iraqi forces to fight Islamic State (ISIL or Daesh in Arabic).

“Turkey, in recognition of the Iraqi concerns and in accordance with the requirements of the fight against DAESH, is continuing to move military forces from Ninewa [Nineveh] province that were the source of the miscommunication,” the ministry said in a statement.

On Friday, US President Barack Obama urged his Turkish counterpart to respect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Iraq and take additional steps to deescalate tensions with the country, including by continuing to withdraw Turkish military forces.

Miss Iraq beauty contest 2015, first time in 40 years

December 19, 2015 By administrator

Some Iraqi candidates for Miss Iraq beauty contest pose at the ancient archaeological site of Babylon. Photo: AFP

BAGHDAD,— The Miss Iraq beauty pageant is taking place Saturday for the first time in more than 40 years. The contest is being held in a bid to boost tourism for the country.

The Iraqi Beauty Pageant contest started in 1947. All of the beauty contests are still held in Baghdad in Al-Alwaiyah center. Sources disagree on the location. According to the website The History of the Miss Iraq Pageant: “The 2011, 2012, 2013 Miss Iraq Pageants were held in Kenya. 2014 Miss Iraq was held in Istanbul-Turkey, the 2015 edition will take place in Cyprus on December 16”.

In 2013, the Kurdistan capital city of Erbil started holding the first beauty contest for Kurdish speakers only organized by a Lebanese management group.

The final round of the Iraqi 2015 contest was postponed from October, after some local tribal leaders expressed their opposition to women taking part in such an event.

At least two contestants have withdrawn the contest after receiving threats.

As seen on the photo, some Iraqi candidates for Miss Iraq beauty contest pose at the ancient archaeological site of Babylon, outside the modern city of Hilla, south of the capital Baghdad on December 17, 2015.

The beauty contest, which is the first one in more than 40 years, will take place on December 19, 2015.

Source: eKurd

Land Grab: ‘Disintegration of Iraq Major Objective of Turkish Invasion’

December 19, 2015 By administrator

Turkey’s invasion into northern Iraq could well be part of a plan to split Iraq into three separate states, undertaken with the approval of the US, while the recent Daesh attack on the Turkish troops plays right into the hands of Ankara, according to Russian political analyst and Middle East expert Semyon Bagdasarov.

The rocket attack at a base in northern Iraq where Turkish troops are currently stationed was solely to the benefit of the Turkish leadership, Semyon Bagdasarov, who is also the Director of the Center for the Middle East and Central Asian Studies, told Radio Sputnik.

On Wednesday, Daesh militants fired rockets at a base in northern Iraq, as they launched a wave of attacks against Kurdish forces.

The Turkish Armed Forces said its soldiers returned fire, with four of them sustaining minor injuries.

The expert says that it could well have been a planned act by Ankara.

“In fact, it is all about [the city of] Mosul — who takes Mosul and kicks Daesh out. The Turks want control over it. Well, in the worst case, jointly with Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga forces. To be more exact, with the Iraqi Kurdistan Democratic Party, led and controlled by Masoud Barzani, with whom the Turks, altogether, have a good relationship.”

“So, incredible as it may seem, this strike plays into the hands of the Turkish leaders, who will now justify the country’s presence there and the increase of its military contingent,” said Bagdasarov.

His words have already been supported by the statement of the Turkish foreign ministry that Wednesday’s fighting demonstrated it had been right to send additional forces to protect its personnel.

“This attack showed how legitimate our concerns were about the security of Bashiqa camp,” it said.

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu also said that Wednesday attack on its Iraq base by Daesh militants “justified the recent military deployment”.

Bagdasarov therefore said that it was, in fact, “an occupation of a territory of a different state” which Iraq is unable to withstand.

“In this case there could be only one appropriate countermeasure — military. However the fact is that there is almost no Iraqi army present in this region, it is mostly the Turks and Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga. And the reality is that Iraq is unable to resist the Turkish aggression. The Iraqi army is very weak on the ground. But the conflict is ripening and it is only the matter of time when there will be a clash between the Iraqis and the Turks.”

It is impossible that the Turkish military invasion of Iraq could have occurred without US approval.

“I think that the decision to bring the Turkish military into the Iraqi territory has been agreed upon with the US. And America’s current inaction speaks volumes. Then right after it there emerged information that US, Turkey and Iraqi Kurdistan decided to meet first in Ankara and then in Erbil to discuss the future of Iraq. Without Baghdad, without the central government. And it is easy to figure out what future for Iraq they foresee.”

“And several months ago one of America’s generals announced in a soldierly way that a unified Iraq ceased to exist. So we should regard three separate states: Iraqi Kurdistan, Shia state in Baghdad and Sunni Mosul.”

“So I think it is all about the implementation of this very project with the help of Turkey, moreover that it is now a member of the Saudi-led coalition on the fight against terrorism. All the above is going to be implemented on the Iraqi territory and, I am afraid, on the Syrian as well.”

Three goals of the Saudi-led coalition

The expert explained that the coalition proclaims its aim as the fight against Daesh. It is forming a special forces out of the servicemen of its member states. The second aim is the so-called protection of civilians.

“Such a wording often conceals the desire to topple President Assad, accusing him of alleged fight against peaceful civilians,” he said.

The third aim is the ideological counter-strategy against Daesh.

“The Turks will carry it out from the Iraqi territory they will seize under their control. And I think, most likely from part of the Syrian territory.”

“There, many understand that the new borders are being shaped out. And it is very important who will own what. Thus we are witnessing some stepping-up with everyone claiming that they are fighting against Daesh.”

Source: sputniknews.com

Iraq calls for UN Security Council resolution condemning Turkish invasion

December 19, 2015 By administrator

Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim Jaafari told the UN Security Council that Turkey had invaded Iraqi territory without permission, and asked for a Council resolution condemning the invasion and ordering the withdrawal of Turkish troops, Sputniknews.com reports.
Earlier this month, Turkey deployed about 150 troops and 25 tanks to a base in the Iraqi Nineveh province, without Baghdad’s approval. Baghdad regards the deployment as illegal.

“Iraq is requesting the Security Council to assume its international legal responsibilities under the UN Charter, and to adopt a clear and explicit resolution includes the following, first, condemnation of the Turkish occupation and illegal incursion against the will of a founding member state of the UN, in breaching the rules and provisions of the UN Charter and the norms of international law. Second, demanding Turkey to withdraw its troops immediately,” Jaafari told the UN Security Council of Friday.
Last week, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry said it had officially filed a complaint with the UN Security Council, calling on the United Nations to ensure an immediate withdrawal of the Turkish forces from its country’s territory.

Jaafari told the Council on Friday that Iraq retains its right of self-defense and is ready to take all necessary measures to end Turkey’s “hostile act” if it is carried out again.

The Turkish authorities reported after the Nineveh incident that their troops had entered Iraq to ensure the security of the Turkish soldiers deployed earlier at the base to train local militias, fighting against terrorist groups.

30+ Iraqi soldiers killed, 20 injured after US airstrike – Iraqi MP cited by Sputnik

December 18, 2015 By administrator

Archive photo © Kai Pfaffenbach / Reuters

More than 30 Iraqi soldiers have been killed and 20 more injured in an airstrike carried out by the US military, an Iraqi said in a statement cited by Sputnik.

“30 Iraqi servicemen from the 55th brigade of the Iraqi Army have been killed and 20 injured after an airstrike carried out by US aviation in the town of Al-Naimiya, Fallujah province,” Hakim al-Zamili, the head of the Parliamentary Security and Defense Committee, said in a statement cited by Sputnik.

The death toll may rise as many Iraqi soldiers were heavily injured in the attack, the official said.

Al-Zamili said he called upon the Iraqi prime minister “to carry out an immediate investigation into the airstrike on the 55th brigade that earlier achieved success in battling” Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) militants.

According to the official, Iraq is going to go to court over the alleged airstrike.

Earlier, the Russian Defense Ministry said four Western coalition warplanes had been spotted over the Deir ez-Zor area in Syria on December 6, when a Syrian Army camp came under attack.

An airstrike on a field camp of the 168th Brigade of the 7th Division of the Syrian Army left four servicemen dead and 12 injured. It also destroyed three APCs and four vehicles bearing 12.7mm heavy machine guns.

The information about two pairs of warplanes, members of the US-led international anti-ISIS coalition, which were operating in the Deir ez-Zor area on the day of the attack, was announced by Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov.

“If they were not involved in that airstrike, than why are the Pentagon’s representatives, as leaders of the anti-ISIS coalition, hushing up the presence of their allies’ aircraft in the Deir ez-Zor region on December 6? Isn’t it because the [anti-ISIS] coalition air force gets all the information on Islamic State targets in Syria from the Pentagon?” he asked.

The US has been bombing IS positions in Iraq since August 2014. However, according to Iraq’s former PM Nouri al-Maliki, this campaign has been “unbelievably” ineffective in fighting the terror group.

Source: RT

Barzani siding with Turkey is turning Kurds fight among themselves in Iraq

December 17, 2015 By administrator

While Erdogan busy slaughtering Kurd in Turkey he also turning the Kurds in Iraq against each other

Mrs. Talabany, has warned Mr. Barzani not to support Turkey in any shape or way and she is against any agreement with the Turkish government. She is advocating that the Kurds must turn to Baghdad and not Turkey when trying to solve all internal problems.

Gorran party, and other Islamic parties, are pushing to form a new military wing to counter the KDP influence and to “protect” themselves from any harm, or physical threat, that will come from the KDP. Isn’t all that great!? So much hate and disagreement among those so called “leaders” that are vying for position, influence and power to satisfy their power needs.

War in making like 1990s when the KDP and the PUK fought a deadly battle that lasted for years. He seemed very pessimistic and worried that indeed the day of conflict between these parties will be ignited once more.

IRAQ: Turkish troops in Iraq: Arab League meeting on December 24

December 17, 2015 By administrator

The foreign ministers of the countries of the Arab League will meet on December 24 in an extraordinary session in Cairo to discuss the deployment of Turkish troops in northern Iraq, said Wednesday the pan-Arab organization.

Turkey had deployed there about ten days a contingent of soldiers and 150-300 twenty armored vehicles in the Bachiqa camp in northern Iraq. Turkish and Iraqi officials had reported Monday a partial withdrawal of the military.

Ankara said it was simply rushed reinforcements to protect the Turkish military advisers to train Iraqi soldiers in the fight against jihadist Islamic State Group (EI), which include monitoring the big city of Mosul. But Baghdad saw an illegal incursion.

The “extraordinary” meeting of ministers of Arab Foreign Affairs will be held on December 24 “on the request of Iraq (…), to study the deployment of Turkish military forces on its territory,” said Wednesday the journalists the Deputy Secretary-General of the Arab League, Ahmed Ben Helli.

Turkish and Iraqi officials reported Monday the withdrawal of Turkish soldiers from Bachiqa camp, but counselors are apparently remained. Ankara has similar military camps in the autonomous region of Kurdistan, also in northern Iraq. Iraq demanded on Tuesday a “complete withdrawal” of Turkish forces from its territory.

Breaking News: US Vice President Joe Biden: Turkey must immediately withdraw from Iraq

December 16, 2015 By administrator

US Vice President Joe Biden

US Vice President Joe Biden, Iraqi city of Mosul in the press in the town near the Turkish troops ‘said a moment ago,’ you must withdraw from the region.

BBC Turkish organized by the ISID’s Başika According to the news, and four Turkish soldiers , including a total of 10 people were injured in the attack after Iraqi Prime Minister Haydar Biden spoke by phone with Al Abadi, he said that Turkish troops on Iraqi soil to enter without Baghdad’s consent.

In a statement from Biden’s office “Turkey and reducing tensions increase Iraq’s dialogue is now more important than ever. USA, respects Iraq’s territorial integrity. We expect the same from Turkey,” the statement said.

The statement on the response of Turkish troops in Baghdad after the dispatch of the Başika also reminded Turkey’s troops begin to withdraw, and made a call that should continue this retreat.

The Associated Press news agency, to tensions between Turkey and Iraq “was an unwelcome development for the US. Washington is trying to persuade Ankara to be more effective against Isidor” review progress.

Especially in Turkey’s sending troops to Iraq’s Shiite regions Başika heavily protested by Iraqi Prime Minister Abadi, he said that it would move the issue to the agenda of the United Nations.

Turkey, Başika leading association providing education to the soldiers of the Peshmerga forces meant that the tasks change.

Report Two Turkish soldiers killed in ISIL Sunni forces camp bombing in Bashiqa region

December 16, 2015 By administrator

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) carried out an attack against a Sunni military camp in the Bashiqa region of northern Iraq, killing two and injuring six, Iraqi Kurdish news website Rudaw has reported.

Four Turkish soldiers were slighlty injured as they responded to the attack, Turkey’s state-run TRT-TÜRK reported.

Turkey has provided training for Sunni Iraqi personnel in recent years

A number of Turkish troops stationed at Bashiqa Camp near Mosul on Dec. 14 were transferred to a region under the control of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in northern Iraq.

The decision came after the international community put pressure on Ankara over Baghdad’s reaction to the deployment of Turkish soldiers to the camp, though Turkey continues to keep some of its troops stationed inside.