Obama Surrenders Iraq

[American Patriot]

Jul 01 2014
Leave a comment
"Intelligence", "Transparency", Foreign Policy, Government, Iraq, Military, Politics, Security, War
Yes, but they’re just “advisors”…

So Now There Are 750 American Troops In Iraq?

Remember how we were going to send up to 300 “advisers” to Iraq? That was sooo eleven days ago.
Now, the New York Times is reporting that

[O]n Monday, Obama administration officials said that about 200 more troops had been sent to protect the American Embassy in Baghdad and the Baghdad airport. The additional troops, who arrived on Sunday, will operate helicopters and drones to “bolster airfield and route security,” Rear Adm. John F. Kirby, the Pentagon spokesman, said in a statement.
In addition to those forces, another 100 troops who the Pentagon had previously said would be sent to Iraq are headed to Baghdad to help with security and logistics. The moves will raise the total number of American troops deployed to Iraq for security and advisory missions to about 750. [Bold mine}

Share this:

[American Patriot]

Russian Pilots Set to Fly Over Iraq.

July 1, 2014

Putin’s Pilots Set to Fly Over Iraq

By Josh Rogin 5 hours ago The Daily Beast

. View photo

Putin’s Pilots Set to Flying Over Iraq



While the Obama administration struggles to speed up delivery of U.S. military assistance to the government of Iraq, Vladimir Putin has already delivered not only fighter jets but also the pilots needed to fly them, diplomatic sources told The Daily Beast.
On Monday, Russian television trumpeted the arrival of the first 5 of 12 promised Sukhoi Su-25 combat fighter jets to the Iraqi government, saying it had also sent “trainers” to help the Iraqis use them. Gen. Anwar Hama Ameen, the commander of the Iraqi Air Force, told the New York Times the fighter jets would enter the battle against ISIS within a few days, after which the Russian trainers would leave Iraq. He claimed Iraq had plenty of pilots with “long experience” flying the Su-25.
READ MORE U.S. on Alert for Qaeda Revenge Attack
Perhaps. But diplomatic sources told The Daily Beast that Russian pilots will fly the planes due to a lack of Iraqi pilots with the proper training. The Su-25 planes were used in the Iraq-Iran war but have not been employed in Iraq since at least 2002, when Iraq’s military was controlled by the Baathist regime of Saddam Hussein.
The Russian assistance to Iraq is not a strategic decision by Moscow to commit to a long-term security relationship with Iraq, the sources said, but rather a limited measure to address the ISIS crisis. It’s also a convenient way to draw a public distinction between Moscow and Washington, whose direct military assistance to Iraq has been minimal and slow.

*Putin, is playing both ends! He supports somewhat the Syrians, but he wants Russia to a player in the whole region. But where is the USA, and the British?

[vector7]

Keeping boots off the ground in Iraq, as the skies get crowded

By Thomas Gibbons-Neff July 1 at 12:09 PM

While the Obama administration is trying its best to keep American boots off the ground in Iraq, the skies over the embattled Middle Eastern country are getting crowded.

Russian SU-25 fighter jets, to be flown by Russian pilots, have reportedly arrived in Iraq, while U.S. helicopter gunships have been tasked with supporting American troops sent to help secure the U.S. Embassy and Baghdad’s international airport. The U.S. has also been flying 30-35 daily surveillance missions over with a mixture of manned and unmanned aircraft, while to the north of the country, Iran has been flying drone sorties of its own.

Even though Iraq has an air force, it has taken a beating in the past weeks from Islamic State forces equipped with MANPADS and anti-aircraft guns.

Currently, Iraqi forces are awaiting the shipment of F-16s — set to be delivered in August — as well as a number of Apache gunships to supplement their aging force of Soviet helicopters.

Iraqi commanders have depleted their stock of the Hellfire missiles and expressed concern about their lack of aircraft capable of firing more of them.

The Iraqis have only a small number of modified Cessnas capable of firing the guided rocket and are currently awaiting more advanced aircraft.

As they await, the United States, Russia and Iran are all flying over the country. Here are some of the aircraft reported to be in Iraqi skies.

AH-64 Apache (U.S.): First flown in 1975, has gone through a variety of iterations. Carries Hellfire rockets and a 30mm cannon slaved to the gunner’s helmet.


An Apache helicopter takes to the air during an aerial gunnery exercise. (JUNG YEON-JE/AFP/Getty Images)
MQ-1 Predator (U.S.): Both armed or unarmed aircraft being used. Can stay airborne for more than 12 hours and travel up to 450 miles. It is the younger brother to the MQ-9 Reaper, which is also in flight over Iraq. The Reaper can carry more weapons, stay in the air longer and travel farther than the older Predator.


Maintenance personnel check a Predator drone before a flight near the Mexican border. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
RQ-4 Global Hawk (U.S): A high-altitude unarmed drone that can stay airborne for around 19 hours.

An RQ-4 Global Hawk. (AP Photo/Courtesy of Northrup Grumman)
F/A-18 Super Hornet (U.S): Carrier-based fighter, first flown in 1995. Has a number of variants for different mission types. Most likely being flown over Iraq from the aircraft carrier U.S.S. George W. Bush, which is currently stationed in the Persian Gulf.

A U.S. Navy F-18 fighter jet flies over North Beach on the opening day of the Chicago Air and Water Show in Chicago. (AP Photo/Sitthixay Ditthavong)
P-3 Orion (U.S.): First flown in 1959, it is a four engine turbo-prop aircraft used primarily for surveillance and anti-submarine operations.

Airman Timothy Aulman directs a “Fighting Tiger” P-3C Orion aircraft after its return from a mission. (Photo by Paul Farley/U.S. Navy via Getty Images)
SU-25 (Russia): The SU-25 is known as the “Frogfoot” by NATO-aligned countries and is used primarily for close air support.

A Russian officer guards a Su-25 ground attack aircraft. (VYACHESLAV OSELEDKOVYACHESLAV OSELEDKO/AFP/Getty Images)
Shahed-129 (Iran): While Iran has not identified the aircraft it is flying across the border, this drone, a Predator lookalike would be a likely choice. Iran is believed to have used the aircraft in Syria.

This picture made available by Sepah News, a service owned by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, claims to show the Shahed-129 in an undisclosed location in Iran. (AP Photo/Sepahnews.com)

[American Patriot]

Now America is fighting alongside IRAN to defeat ISIS: Evidence emerges that both sides are helping Iraq in its bid to stop Islamists

• Expert believes Iraq's latest aircraft delivery is from Iran, not Russia
• Jets will be deployed alongside U.S. forces in unlikely military alliance
• Aircraft likely delivered by Iranian pilots but it is unclear who will crew them
• Follows deployment of Russian military aircraft and extra U.S. troops
  

By Corey Charlton

Published: 11:16 EST, 2 July 2014 | Updated: 11:44 EST, 2 July 2014

The U.S. and Iran are now fighting alongside one another in a bid to counter the growing threat ISIS poses in the Middle East.



Military expert Joseph Dempsey believes the latest set of aircraft to be delivered to Iraq is Iranian, despite steps being taken to mask its origin.


The U.S. has just announced it's sending an additional 300 troops to Iraq, raising its total presence in the war-ravaged country to 750.


Those troops will now be working alongside the newly delivered Iranian fighter jets to form an unlikely international military aid package.





+5

The aircraft pictured in the footage have several key differences to Russian aircraft of the same type




The serial numbers on the aircraft pictured correspond to numbers on known Iranian fighter jets




+5

Joseph Dempsey also said the aircraft's camouflage scheme was unique from other known militaries




+5

Attempts to conceal imagery were visible - here the colours of the Iranian flag can be seen


Joseph Dempsey, an analyst for the IISS's Military Balance Online publication, said new footage showed Iraq's latest Su-25 Frogfoot attack aircraft originated from Iran.
Their arrival follows a delivery of identical aircraft from Russia - but with a number of key distinctions.


He said video footage of the fleet showed serial numbers matching those from known Iranian aircraft, while their camouflage scheme was unique and attempts to conceal Iranian insignia were noticeable.



'Although these aircraft were likely delivered to Iraq by Iranian pilots, it is unclear who will now be responsible for crewing and maintaining them.
'Given this recent apparent growth in their Su-25 inventory, it seems increasingly unlikely that Iraq retains the capacity to operate this type of aircraft in any significant number without some level of external support.



'Whilst the presence of Iran-sourced aircraft in Iraq is clearly significant, the exact circumstances surrounding their presence and intended use remain unknown, as does the existence of any wider arrangement between the governments of these neighboring countries to counter the ISIS threat.'
Iraq has been vocal in its opposition to ISIS, with public protests held in the capital last week and new reports of drone strikes taking place across its border.



+5

Protests took place in Tehran, Iran, last week where the public voiced its concerns about ISIS - it is believed Iran has now supplied fighter jets to assist the Iraqi Government to repel the Islamic extremists




+5

A map shows the areas ISIS aims to include in its caliphate, which include Spain, North Africa and India




Only days ago did ISIS formally announced the creation of its caliphate, or Islamic State, across the territory it holds in Syria and Iraq.



Its push across Iraq in recent weeks has been brutal, with more than 2,400 people killed in the month of June alone.



The group is responsible for committing a number of mass executions and bloody atrocities during its surge to the edge of the city of Baghdad and has called on all Muslims to join its campaign.


Yesterday, the leader of the extremist group called on Muslims to come to the territory his group has seized to help build an Islamic state, declaring: 'The earth is Allah's.'



Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi said: 'In this virtuous month or in any other month, there is no deed better than jihad in the path of Allah, so take advantage of this opportunity and walk the path of you righteous predecessors.



'So to arms, to arms, soldiers of the Islamic, fight, fight.'

[American Patriot]

No boots on the ground....

Just helicopters in the air....

Pentagon sends attack helicopters to Iraq

By Kristina Wong - 07/01/14 03:44 PM EDT
U.S. Sends 300 More Troops, Drones, Helicopters To Iraq


The Pentagon said on Monday, The United States is again ramping up its military presence in Iraq, sending around 300 additional troops into the country as well as a detachment of helicopters and drone aircraft....










The United States has sent Apache attack helicopters to Iraq as part of the buildup in U.S. military personnel, the Pentagon said Tuesday.



Officials would not say how many of the armed helicopters have been sent to the country, stating only that they will be based in Baghdad and could assist with evacuations of American personnel.

The Pentagon also sent over additional surveillance drones.

President Obama on Monday sent 200 additional U.S. troops to Iraq to protect diplomatic facilities and personnel amid growing fears that Sunni militants in the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) could overrun the country. The order brought the total number of U.S. ground forces in Iraq to 750.

On Monday, the State Department announced it was relocating some of its personnel from Baghdad.

Pentagon Press Secretary Adm. John Kirby declined Tuesday to say whether the situation in Iraq was getting better or worse, but said Iraqi forces in and around Baghdad are preparing to defend themselves.

"We have seen Iraqi security forces in and around Baghdad begin to reinforce themselves and prepare to defend, and they are taking the offensive. And we saw this over the weekend up near Tikrit. So it's a contested environment right now," Kirby said.

"The situation on the ground continues to change. It's very fluid. It's dynamic. The threat to Baghdad is still very legitimate. And we also want to make sure that we are doing what we can to help our colleagues in the State Department continue to function out of the embassy there and to have the flexibility, if they want to make resource and manning changes there, that we're able — we're in a position to help them do that," Kirby said.

[American Patriot]

by xbradtc | July 2, 2014 · 11:29 am
↓ Jump to Comments
Escalations in Iraq

[COLOR=#]Rate This[/COLOR]

Abruptly withdrawing all US forces from Iraq was one of the Obama administration’s proudest achievements. Using the supposed issue of a Status of Forces Agreement as a smoke screen to cover the abandonment of the Iraqi government, the US lest a mostly stable, but very nascent Iraq to its own devices. In the years since, the situation has deteriorated (as many outside the administration predicted). And of course, today the Islamic terror group ISIS has seized much of the northern and western regions of Iraq.
Seeing few options, the Maliki regime has turned to Iran for help.

On July 1, all seven of the operational Su-25 Frogfoot attack planes operated by the Pasdaran (the informal name of the IRGC – the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution) completed their deployment to Imam Ali Airbase in Baghdad.
The planes will join ex-Russian Air Force Su-25s already delivered to Iraq in the air war against ISIS.

But the US is also being drawn back to Iraq. While ISIS is likely to see far more effective resistance to its attacks on the Baghdad metroplex than in the regions it has already seized, even the Obama administration can grasp that the fall of the Iraqi government to ISIS would be a catastrophe. So the administration finally announced it was sending 275 Special Forces as advisors to the Iraqi Army. That mission has quietly but steadily grown in the past few days.
The United States has sent Apache attack helicopters to Iraq as part of the buildup in U.S. military personnel, the Pentagon said Tuesday.

Officials would not say how many of the armed helicopters have been sent to the country, stating only that they will be based in Baghdad and could assist with evacuations of American personnel.
The Pentagon also sent over additional surveillance drones.
President Obama on Monday sent 200 additional U.S. troops to Iraq to protect diplomatic facilities and personnel amid growing fears that Sunni militants in the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) could overrun the country. The order brought the total number of U.S. ground forces in Iraq to 750.

As a legal matter, I believe the President has the authority to deploy forces to Iraq under the 2002 AUMF, which Congress hasn’t seen fit to rescind. But the President would be well advised to at least consult with congressional leadership in an attempt to build a consensus, and establish both support for the mission, and parameters which will hopefully permit it to be effective, while minimizing mission creep.

[MinutemanCO]

I get the distinct impression that our military are pawns in a huge chess game, with the rules known and controlled by just a few.

[American Patriot]

Baghdad bodyguard: US troops in Iraq to receive Apache helicopters, drones

Published time: July 03, 2014 11:39 Get short URL

A US AH-64 Apache helicopter (AFP Photo / Park Ji-Hwan)

Tweet
Share on tumblr



Trends
Iraq carnage Tags
Al-Qaeda, Arms, Clashes, Drones, Iraq, Military, Politics, Robert Bridge, Terrorism, USA, War

US troops and advisors in Iraq with get Apache attack helicopters and spy drones to provide security for US embassy diplomats and staff as Iraq forces battle Sunni extremists linked to Al-Qaeda, according to Pentagon officials.
The transfer of Apache attack helicopters comes after President Barack Obama on Monday ordered 300 additional troops to Baghdad, where the United States operates the world’s largest embassy, a sprawling 4.7 million-square-foot complex that employs 15,000 people.

The Pentagon, which also delivered unmanned Shadow drones, is looking to secure Washington’s diplomatic presence amid a mounting challenge from militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, recently rebranded to the Islamic State.

The Shadow drone, which can fly at an altitude of 8,000 feet (2,400 meters), is equipped with cameras that can relay data in real time.

The US forces will focus on securing access to the Baghdad airport as well as the embassy, an anonymous senior defense official told AFP.

A girl jumps rope at Kalak Refugee camp in northern #Iraq. Her family fled #Mosul fearing airstrikes by Maliki govt pic.twitter.com/o2yux1BqCj
— Lucy Kafanov (@LucyKafanov) July 3, 2014

Pentagon press secretary Rear Admiral John Kirby told reporters that the additional troops would "help provide extra security for our facilities, our people, our property, and to also allow - to help allow the State Department and the embassy to continue to function as it is."

The embassy complex remains "open," he added.

More than 800 US troops, of which about 300 serve as advisors, are in the country with the purpose of studying the state of the Iraqi army, Kirby said.

The situation "continues to be very dangerous" and "the threat continues to be very real," Kirby said.

"But we have seen Iraqi security forces in and around Baghdad begin to reinforce themselves and prepare to defend, and they are taking the offensive," he said.

The US build-up of personnel and weapons in Iraq comes amid growing international concern that the Sunni-led extremist group will sweep across Iraq and into Syria, fulfilling its goal of creating a caliphate across the Mediterranean and the Levant.
ISIS declares creation of Islamic state in Middle East
This week, Russia delivered five Sukhoi fighter jets to Iraq to help the country resist the rebel advance.

“The Sukhoi Su-25 is an air-ground support and anti-terrorism mission aircraft. In these difficult times, we are in great need of such aircraft. With God’s help, we will be able to deploy them to support our ground forces on a mission against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant militants within the next three to four days,” Iraqi Army Lieutenant General Anwar Hamad Amen Ahmed told RT’s Ruptly news agency at an airport receiving the jets.

[Avvakum]

I get the distinct impression that our military are pawns in a huge chess game, with the rules known and controlled by just a few.

I agree. Problem is that those 'few' controllers you mention are playing a very dangerous game with military lives. It may become dangerous for them unfortunately. Peace is the best of temporal goods in this world, I wish people would try to make peace.

[MinutemanCO]

For a short time there will be something resembling peace. In reality, a mock peace. What will follow has never before experienced.

[vector7]

Obama Administration plans largest ever sale of Hellfire missiles to Iraq

Keywords: Iraq, Hellfire missiles, President Barack Obama, The State Department

18 hours ago

.View gallery

• 
  .

Washington (AFP) - The United States plans to sell 5,000 Hellfire missiles to Iraq in a $700 million deal, officials said Tuesday, as Washington tries to help Baghdad retake ground captured by Sunni militants.

Related Stories

• [$$] U.S. Approves More Hellfire Missiles for Iraq The Wall Street Journal
• US teams complete assessment of Iraqi forces AFP
• Initial review of Iraq forces done; no decisions Associated Press
• U.S. boosts Iraq surveillance flights to 50 daily from one monthly Reuters
• Iranian commanders on front line of Iraq's fight Associated Press

The US government, which has been reluctant so far to take military action in support of Baghdad, has rushed hundreds of the missiles to Iraq to help the Shiite-led government counter jihadists, who have seized areas north and west of the capital.

The proposed sale is the largest yet of the lethal missiles, which the Iraqis fire from AC-208 Cessna Caravan planes and other aircraft.

The deal calls for 5,000 AGM-114K/N/R Hellfire missiles and related equipment, parts, training and logistical support worth a total of $700 million, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a statement Tuesday.

"Iraq will use the Hellfire missiles to help improve the Iraq Security Forces' capability to support current on-going ground operations," the agency said.

The State Department has approved the deal and US law requires the government to inform members of Congress of a possible weapons sale. Lawmakers are not expected to try to block the sale.

View gallery

Iraqi army troops chant slogans against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant as they recruit vol …

Washington in July alone has delivered 466 Hellfire missiles to Iraq, and has shipped 780 since January, Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby told reporters.

Another 366 missiles will be delivered in August, he said.

The missiles, manufactured by US defense giant Lockheed Martin Corporation, have been used on American Predator and Reaper drone aircraft to take out suspected Al-Qaeda militants in Pakistan, Yemen and elsewhere.

President Barack Obama has sent more than 200 US military advisers to Iraq to "assess" the state of the Iraqi army, while leaving open the possibility of US air strikes in the future.

The advisers delivered their initial evaluation earlier this month and Pentagon chief Chuck Hagel and top officers are still reviewing their findings, Kirby said.

The Obama administration has signaled reluctance to be drawn into major military action, and has argued that the jihadists exploited a failure by the Shiite-led government to forge cooperation with Sunni and Kurdish leaders.

"There's not going to be a US military solution here. It's just not going to happen," Kirby said.

He also rejected the idea that the administration was "dithering" in its review of the assessment by military advisers.

Kirby said there was a sense of urgency but "whatever recommendations flow from these assessments have got to be the right ones, have got to be sound, and have to be based on logic, and not done in a rush."

[American Patriot]

ISIS just took the dam in Mosul.

[American Patriot]

Militants take Iraq's largest dam

Published 07/08/2014 | 10:55

Islamic State militants have taken over Iraq's largest dam, locals say

Sunni militants from the Islamic State group have seized Iraq's largest dam, placing them in control of enormous power and water resources.

• Share
  
  

After a week of attempts, the armed gunmen successfully stormed the Mosul Dam and forced Kurdish forces to withdraw from the area, residents living nearby said.
Islamic State posted a statement online confirming it had taken control of the dam and vowed to continue "the march in all directions". It added that it would not give up the "great Caliphate project".
The al Qaida breakaway group has imposed its idea of an Islamic state in territory it controls in Iraq and Syria, including its own harsh interpretation of Islamic law.
Iraqi government forces, Kurds and allied Sunni tribal militiamen have been struggling to dislodge the militants with little apparent success.
The Mosul Dam - or Saddam Dam as it was once known - is located north of Iraq's second-largest city Mosul, which fell to the militants on June 10. Fighting intensified in the region on Sunday after the nearby towns of Zumar and Sinjar fell to the militants.
Seizing dams and large reservoirs gives the militants control over water and electricity that they could use to help build support in the territory they now rule by providing the scarce resources to residents. Or they could sell the resources as a lucrative source of revenue.
advertisement







The Kurdish peshmerga units had initially managed to stall the militant advances, but their defence has waned in recent weeks.
Militants have also overrun a cluster of Christian villages alongside the semi-autonomous Kurdish region, clergymen say. It sent civilians and Kurdish fighters fleeing from the area, they added.
Bishop Joseph Tomas said the village of Qaraqoush and at least four other predominantly Christian hamlets are in the hands of the Islamic State.
The clergyman, based in the Kurdish-held city of Kirkuk, said the surrounding hamlets taken were Tilkaif, Bartella, Karamless and Alqosh.
He said Kurdish peshmerga units, which had protected the area, fled along with civilians. Other priests confirmed the information.
"All Christian villages are now empty," said Bishop Tomas.
When Mosul fell into the militant hands, the Islamic State gave members of the many ethnic and religious minorities an ultimatum to convert, pay a tax or leave. Those who did not obey risked death.
In Batella, Kurdish fighters and local Christian security guards went knocking on people's doors, urging them to leave, said Um Fadi.
A government employee who fled from Mosul with her family for refuge in Batella more than two weeks ago, Um Fadi said she was in despair. "Our situation is miserable," she said. "We do not know what to do or where to go."
The head of the Kurdish regional government, Nechirvan Barzani, urged Iraqi Kurds "not to panic but to remain calm", stay where they are and continue their "normal work and life".

- See more at: http://www.independent.ie/world-news....PpcWL6zw.dpuf

[American Patriot]

Islamic State fighters seize Iraq's biggest dam

Sunday, 3 Aug 2014 | 10:39 AM ETReuters

Islamic State fighters seized control of Iraq's biggest dam, an oilfield and three more towns on Sunday after inflicting their first major defeat on Kurdish forces since sweeping through the region in June.




Jacob Silberberg | AP
Helicopter flying over the Mosul Dam in Iraq.

Capture of the Mosul Dam after an offensive of barely 24 hours could give the Sunni militants the ability to flood major Iraqi cities, sharply raising the stakes in their bid to topple Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's Shi'ite-led government.
Islamic State, which sees Iraq's majority Shi'ites as apostates who deserve to be killed, also seized the Ain Zalah oil field, adding to four others already under their control, and three towns.

Read MoreUS tightens restrictions for flights over Iraq
They faced strong Kurdish resistance only at the start of their latest offensive when taking the town of Zumar. The Islamists then hoisted their black flags there, a ritual that usually precedes mass executions of their captured opponents and the imposition of an ideology even al-Qaeda finds excessive.

The group, which has declared a caliphate in parts of Iraq and Syria, poses the biggest challenge to the stability of OPEC member Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003.

Since thousands of Iraqi soldiers fled the Islamic State offensive, Shi'ite militias and Kurdish fighters have been seen as a critical line of defense against the militants, who have threatened to march on Baghdad.

But Sunday's battles have called into question the effectiveness of the Kurdish fighters and have increased pressure on Iraqi leaders to form a power-sharing government capable of countering the Islamic State.

Little Resistance

Islamic State fighters attacked Zumar from three directions in pick-up trucks mounted with weapons, defeating Kurdish forces which had poured reinforcements into the town.

The Islamic State later also seized the town of Sinjar, where witnesses said residents had fled after Kurdish fighters put up little resistance against the militants.

On its Twitter site, the Islamic State posted a picture of one of its masked fighters holding up a pistol and sitting at the abandoned desk of the mayor of Sinjar. Behind him was the image of a famous Kurdish guerilla leader.

Read MoreExtremists in Iraq need a history lesson: ex-WH adviser
In a statement on its website, Islamic State said its fighters had killed scores of Kurdish fighters. "Hundreds fled leaving vehicles and a huge number of weapons and munitions and the brothers control many areas," Islamic State said. "The fighters arrived in the border triangle between Iraq, Syria and Turkey," it said.

Islamic State has systematically blown up Shi'ite mosques and shrines in territory it has seized, fueling levels of sectarian violence not seen since a 2006-2007 civil war.

However, the group, which changed its name earlier this year from the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), has stalled in its drive to reach Baghdad, halting just before the town of Samarra, 100 km (62 miles) north of the capital.

Islamic State has been trying to consolidate its gains, setting its sights on strategic towns near oil fields, as well as border crossings with Syria so that it can move easily back and forth and transport supplies.

It has capitalized on Sunni disenchantment with Maliki.

Critics describe Maliki as an authoritarian leader who has put allies from the Shi'ite majority in key military and government positions at the expense of Sunnis, driving a growing number of the religious minority in Iraq to support the Islamic State and other insurgents. He is also at odds with the Kurds.

Independent state

The Kurds have long dreamed of their own independent state, an aspiration that has angered Maliki, who has frequently clashed with the non-Arabs over budgets, land and oil.

After the Islamic State arrived, Kurdish forces seized two oil fields in northern Iraq and took over operations from a state-run oil company, complicating the task of trying to hold the country together,

Read MoreAnd the buyer of the Kurdish crude oil is ...
In July, the Kurdish political bloc ended participation in Iraq's national government in protest over Maliki's accusation that Kurds were allowing "terrorists" to stay in Arbil, capital of their semi-autonomous region known as Kurdistan.

In another move certain to infuriate the Baghdad government, the Kurdish region is pressing Washington for sophisticated weapons it says Kurdish fighters need to push back the Islamist militants, Kurdish and U.S. officials said.

But Maliki needs the Kurds, who gained experience fighting Saddam Hussein's forces, to help defend his country from Islamic State, whose leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has a $10 million U.S. bounty on his head.

Islamic State's ambitions have alarmed other Arab states who fear their success could embolden militants in their countries.

Islamic State fighters were among militants who clashed with Lebanese forces overnight in and around Lebanon's border town of Arsal. At least 10 Lebanese soldiers and an unknown number of militants and civilians died in the fighting, security officials said.

On Friday, Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah urged regional leaders and religious scholars to prevent Islam from being hijacked by militants.

— Reuters

[American Patriot]

Some people appear to EXTREMELY concerned the terrorists are about to blow that dam in Iraq.....

[Malsua]

Well, I'm concerned that if they do, they don't get good video of it. That's some exciting stuff!

[American Patriot]

LOL

You know... there will probably be a lot of good videos. lol

[Malsua]

Have you read anything about that dam?

Apparently it's so poorly designed that voids are constantly needing mortar pumped in.

Just plain ole neglect will do the Jihadis job.

[American Patriot]

Naw, hadn't read anything on it.

[American Patriot]

on "convoys" IF "they move on the city".

What?


Obama Allows Limited Airstrikes on ISIS

By HELENE COOPER, MARK LANDLER and ALISSA J. RUBINAUG. 7, 2014

Continue reading the main story Video Play Video|8:23

Obama on Iraqi Airstrikes and Airdrops

Obama on Iraqi Airstrikes and Airdrops

President Obama spoke about actions taken by his administration in Iraq, including airdrops of humanitarian supplies and the authorization of airstrikes against ISIS forces.
Video Credit By whitehouse.gov on Publish Date August 7, 2014. Image CreditDoug Mills/The New York Times

Continue reading the main story


Continue reading the main story Share This Page

• email
• facebook
• twitter
• save
• more

Continue reading the main story
Continue reading the main story Continue reading the main story ​ Top Stories

This article and others like it are part of our new subscription.
Learn More »



WASHINGTON — President Obama on Thursday announced he had authorized limited airstrikes against Islamic militants in Iraq, scrambling to avert the fall of the Kurdish capital, Erbil, and returning the United States to a significant battlefield role in Iraq for the first time since the last American soldier left the country at the end of 2011.
Speaking at the White House on Thursday night, Mr. Obama also said that American military aircraft had dropped food and water to tens of thousands of Iraqis trapped on a barren mountain range in northwestern Iraq, having fled the militants, from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, who threaten them with what Mr. Obama called “genocide.”
“Earlier this week, one Iraqi cried that there is no one coming to help,” Mr. Obama said in a somber statement delivered from the State Dining Room. “Well, today America is coming to help.”

Continue reading the main story

Related Coverage

• News Analysis: Obama, With Reluctance, Returns to Action in IraqAUG. 7, 2014
  
  
• 
  Jihadists Rout Kurds in North and Seize Strategic Iraqi DamAUG. 7, 2014
  
  

The president insisted that these military operations did not amount to a full-scale re-engagement in Iraq. But the relentless advance of the militants, whom he described as “barbaric,” has put them within a 30-minute drive of Erbil, raising an immediate danger for the American diplomats, military advisers and other citizens who are based there.

Photo

Iraqi Yazidi people who fled their homes in Sinjar took shelter at Bajid Kandal refugee camp in Dohuk Province on Thursday. Credit Adam Ferguson for The New York Times

“As commander in chief, I will not allow the United States to be dragged into another war in Iraq,” said Mr. Obama, who built his run for the White House in part around his opposition to the war in Iraq.
While Mr. Obama has authorized airstrikes, American officials said there had not yet been any as of late Thursday. In addition to protecting Americans in Erbil and Baghdad, the president said he had authorized airstrikes, if necessary, to break the siege on Mount Sinjar, where tens of thousands of Yazidis, a religious minority group closely allied with the Kurds, have sought refuge.
The aircraft assigned to dropping food and water over the mountainside were a single C-17 and two C-130 aircraft. They were escorted by a pair of F-18 jet fighters, the administration official said. The planes were over the drop zone for about 15 minutes, and flew at a relatively low altitude. They flew over the Mount Sinjar area for less than 15 minutes, Pentagon officials said, and dropped a total of 5,300 gallons of fresh drinking water and 8,000 meals ready to eat. Mr. Obama, officials said, delayed announcing the steps he intended to take in Iraq until the planes had safely cleared the area.
A senior administration official said that the humanitarian effort would continue as needed, and that he expected further airdrops. “We expect that need to continue,” he said.

Continue reading the main story

Related in Opinion

• 
  Room for Debate: A Return to the Fight in IraqAUG. 7, 2014
  
  
• Editorial: Preventing a Slaughter in IraqAUG. 7, 2014
  
  

The official said that as conditions in Iraq deteriorated in recent days, the United States had worked with Iraqi security forces and Kurdish fighters to coordinate the response to militant advances. The official said the cooperation had included airstrikes by Iraqi forces against militant targets in the north.

Continue reading the main story

Graphic

The Iraq-ISIS Conflict in Maps, Photos and Video

A visual guide to the crisis in Iraq and Syria.

OPEN Graphic

Kurdish and Iraqi officials said that airstrikes were carried out Thursday night on two towns in northern Iraq seized by ISIS — Gwer and Mahmour, near Erbil. Earlier on Thursday, The New York Times quoted Kurdish and Iraqi officials as saying that the strikes were carried out by American planes.
Continue reading the main story
While the militants are not believed to have surface-to-air missiles, they do have machine guns that could hit planes flying at a low altitude, said James M. Dubik, a retired Army lieutenant general who oversaw the training of the Iraqi Army in 2007 and 2008.
“These are low and slow aircraft,” General Dubik said. At a minimum, he said, the United States must be prepared for “some defensive use of air power to prevent” the militants from attacking American planes, or going after the humanitarian supplies.
For Mr. Obama, who has steadfastly avoided being drawn into the sectarian furies of the Middle East, the decision raises a host of difficult questions, injecting the American military into Iraq’s broader political struggle — something Mr. Obama said he would not agree to unless Iraq’s three main ethnic groups agreed on a national unity government.
The decision could also open Mr. Obama to charges that he is willing to use American military might to protect Iraqi Christians and other religious minorities but not to prevent the slaughter of Muslims by other Muslims, either in Iraq or neighboring Syria.

Continue reading the main story Video Play Video|0:44

Unicef on Iraq’s Crisis in Sinjar

Unicef on Iraq’s Crisis in Sinjar

Will Parks, the United Nations Children’s Fund chief field officer in the northern Kurdish region of Iraq, discussed the crisis in Sinjar, where 40,000 people are still stuck in the mountains.
Publish Date August 7, 2014. Image CreditAdam Ferguson for The New York Times

But the president said the imminent threat to Erbil and the dire situation unfolding on Mount Sinjar met both his criteria for deploying American force: protecting American lives and assets, and averting a humanitarian disaster.
“When we have the unique capacity to avert a massacre, the United States cannot turn a blind eye,” he said.
Mr. Obama has been reluctant to order direct military action in Iraq while Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki remains in office, but in recent weeks there have been repeated pleas from the Kurdish officials for weapons and assistance as ISIS militants have swept across northwestern Iraq. The militants, an offshoot of Al Qaeda, view Iraq’s majority Shiite and minority Christians and Yazidis as infidels.
Deliberations at the White House went on all day Thursday as reports surfaced that administration officials were considering either humanitarian flights, airstrikes or both.

Continue reading the main story

Recent Comments

Franklin

29 minutes ago

The president is doing the right thing. There is no excuse for us not helping when we have the resources and ability to do so. It is...

scott k.

29 minutes ago

I feel sorry for our president. He is a thoughtful man of peace and is more interested in fixing our country. Unfortunately he has been...

sophia

33 minutes ago

Ah, what a quandary. Thanks, Bush and Cheney, for blowing up the Middle East. Those 40,000 people on the mountain, I'm sure they thank...

• See All Comments
• Write a comment

Shortly after 6 p.m., the White House posted a photo of Mr. Obama consulting his national security team in the Situation Room. To his right was the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Martin E. Dempsey. Watching from across the table were Susan E. Rice, the national security adviser, and her principal deputy, Antony J. Blinken. On the wall behind them, the clock recorded the time: 10:37 a.m.

Continue reading the main story

Interactive Graphic

A Rogue State Along Two Rivers

The victories gained by the militant group calling itself the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria were built on months of maneuvering along the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, which define a region known as the cradle of civilization.

OPEN Interactive Graphic

Mr. Obama made only one public appearance, a rushed visit to Fort Belvoir, Va., where he signed into law a bill expanding access to health care for veterans. But aides suggested he might make a statement Thursday night. Before getting into his limousine, Mr. Obama was observed holding an intense conversation with his chief of staff, Denis R. McDonough, stabbing his finger several times for emphasis.
Later, Mr. McDonough telephoned the House speaker, John A. Boehner, to inform him of the president’s plans, and other White House officials spoke with lawmakers — all in an effort to avoid bruised feelings like those that followed the prisoner swap for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl.
Continue reading the main story Continue reading the main story
Administration officials said on Thursday that the crisis on Mount Sinjar in northwestern Iraq had forced their hand. Some 40 children have already died from the heat and dehydration, according to Unicef, while as many as 40,000 people have been sheltering in the bare mountains without food, water or access to supplies.
Still, offensive strikes on militant targets around Erbil and Baghdad would take American involvement in the conflict to a new level — in effect, turning the American Air Force into the Iraqi Air Force.
“The White House is going to recognize that the need to commit air power to Iraq, even for a purely humanitarian mission, is going to open them up to greater criticism for their disengagement from Iraq,” said Kenneth M. Pollack, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. “So they will do their damnedest not to get further involved in Iraq because that would just further validate those criticisms.”
Ever since Sunni militants with ISIS took over Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city, on June 10, Iraqis have feared that Baghdad, to the south, was the insurgents’ ultimate goal. But in recent weeks, the militant group has concentrated on trying to push the Kurds back from areas where Sunnis also live along the border between Kurdistan and Nineveh Province.
It has taken on the powerful Kurdish militias, which were thought to be a bulwark against the advance, and which control huge oil reserves in Kurdistan and broader parts of northern Iraq. An administration official said the United States would expedite the delivery of weapons to the Kurds.
For Mr. Obama, the suffering of the refugees on the mountainside appeared to be a tipping point. He spoke in harrowing terms about their dire circumstances, saying thousands of people were “hiding high up on the mountain, with little but the clothes on their backs.”
“They’re without food, they’re without water,” he said. “People are starving. And children are dying of thirst. These innocent families are faced with a horrible choice: descend the mountain and be slaughtered, or stay and slowly die of thirst and hunger.”