Iraqi PM vows defeat of IS after Ramadi recapture
Source: BBC Iraqi PM Haider al-Abadi has said so-called Islamic State (IS) will be ousted from the country, after government forces recaptured Ramadi. In a televised address, Mr Abadi vowed […]
Iraq declares Ramadi liberated from Islamic State
Source: BBC The Iraqi city of Ramadi has been “liberated” from so-called Islamic State, the Iraqi military has declared. Spokesman Brig Gen Yahya Rasul said forces had achieved an “epic” […]
Iraqi forces inching towards full recapture of Ramadi
By AFP – Dec 26,2015 – JORDAN TIMES – AFP Iraqi counterterrorism forces drive a tank past rubble south of Anbar province’s capital Ramadi on Thrusday (AFP photo) BAGHDAD — Die-hard militants made a desperate last stand Saturday in Ramadi’s former government complex, the main remaining target of Iraqi forces […]
Erdogan warns against Mideast sectarian divisions
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has told Al Arabiya News Channel that the Middle East is suffering from sectarian plots. (Al Arabiya) By Staff writer, Al Arabiya NewsSaturday, 26 December 2015 The full interview with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, by Al Arabiya News Channel presenter Mountaha al-Ramahi, will be […]
Iraqi forces ‘advance into Islamic State-held Ramadi’
Source: BBC Iraqi government forces are advancing into the centre of the city of Ramadi, which is controlled by jihadist group Islamic State (IS), officials say. Security sources told the […]
US defence chief Carter, in Baghdad, seeks to step up Daesh fight
By Reuters – Dec 16,2015 – JORDAN TIMES US Defence Secretary Ash Carter addresses the US troops as he stands in front of a drone at the Incirlik Air Base near Adana, Turkey, Tuesday (AP photo) BAGHDAD — US Defence Secretary Ash Carter and Iraqi leaders on Wednesday discussed the […]
Qatar hunters abducted in Iraq desert by gunmen
Source: BBC Gunmen have kidnapped at least 27 Qatari hunters – including members of the ruling family – in a desert area of Iraq near the Saudi border, say police […]
Turkish troops withdrawn from camp near Iraq’s Mosul
By AFP – Dec 14,2015 – JORDAN TIMES ERBIL, Iraq — Turkey withdrew forces Monday from a north Iraq camp where Baghdad said they were deployed without its permission, a move that may help defuse a bitter diplomatic row with Ankara. It was not immediately clear how many soldiers […]
More evidence on how not to fight Daesh
Dec 10,2015 – JORDAN TIMES – RAMI G. KHOURI The continuing stream of recent terror attacks against targets in several countries across four continents continues to vex governments and other institutions that seek desperately to counter and eventually stop this dangerous trend. The evidence of policy actions and new research […]
US ready to send advisers, helicopters to help retake Iraq city
By Reuters – Dec 09,2015 -JORDAN TIMES WASHINGTON — The United States is prepared to deploy advisers and attack helicopters if requested by Iraq to help it “finish the job” of retaking the city of Ramadi from the Daesh terror group, US Defence Secretary Ash Carter said on Wednesday. […]
Ex-US Intelligence Chief on Islamic State’s Rise: ‘We Were Too Dumb’
Interview Conducted By Matthias Gebauer and Holger Stark AP Islamic State fighters in Raqqa, Syria: “The sad fact is that we have to put troops on the ground. We won’t succeed against this enemy with air strikes alone.” Without the Iraq war, Islamic State wouldn’t exist today, former US special […]
After the UN security council vote, the west must heed the lessons of Iraq
Source: The Guardian By Rosemary Hollis; A professor of Middle East policy studies at City University The UN security council’s unanimous adoption of resolution 2249 signals a new level of international resolve to […]
Rational Monster: How Terror Fits into Islamic State’s Plan
By Christoph Reuter spiegel.de AFP/ WELAYAT TARABLOS Analysts falsely believed Islamic State was too weak to carry out terror attacks abroad. But IS views terror as a means to an end — and will launch attacks as long as they continue to serve its broader strategy. “It was a terrible night. […]
Severing the Islamic State’s Supply Lines
Severing the Islamic State’s Supply Lines Analysis NOVEMBER 12, 2015 | 19:41 GMT Print Analysis Editor’s Note: Stratfor closely monitors conflict zones from a geopolitical perspective. What is perhaps the most volatile conflict today can be found in the territories of Iraq and Syria that are controlled by the Islamic State. […]
Iraq Kurds block key Daesh supply line in battle for Sinjar
By AFP – Nov 12,2015 – JORDAN TIMES Heavy smoke billows during an operation by Iraqi Kurdish forces backed by US-led strikes in the northern Iraqi town of Sinjar on Thursday, to retake the town from the Daesh group and cut a key supply line to Syria (AFP photo) MOUNT […]
Kurdish forces launch battle to retake Iraq’s Sinjar
Reuters International NOV 12, 2015 – 09:53 By Isabel Coles NEAR SINJAR TOWN, Iraq (Reuters) – Backed by U.S. air strikes, Kurdish forces said they captured several villages in an offensive on Thursday to retake the Iraqi town of Sinjar from Islamic State militants who overran it more than a […]
The Guardian view on Ahmed Chalabi: mission incredible
The Guardian view on Ahmed Chalabi: mission incredible Editorial Could one man’s shameless inventions really have triggered the invasion of Iraq? Ahmed Chalabi – ‘an adventurer of astonishing energy and chutzpah’ – in 1998. Photograph: Sipa Press/Rex Shutterstock Thursday 5 November 2015 Comments 62 The death of Ahmed Chalabi is […]
TERRORISM: Task force wants travel ban for Swiss jihadis
TERRORISM Task force wants travel ban for Swiss jihadis NOV 2, 2015 – 11:53 A photo from a militant website showing Islamic State fighters in Syria (Keystone) The Swiss intelligence services are monitoring 70 Swiss alleged to have travelled to conflict zones to join jihadi groups. Given the scale of […]
Daesh executed 70 Sunni tribesmen in Iraq’s Anbar: elder, UN
By AFP – Oct 08,2015 – JORDAN TIMES In this Tuesday photo Iraqi anti-terrorism forces watch enemy movements after regaining control of the Ramadi Stadium and the neighbouring Al Bugleeb area (AP photo) BAGHDAD — The Daesh terror group executed 70 members of a Sunni tribe allied to the […]
Danger facing Syria and Iraq
Oct 06,2015 – JORDAN TIMES EDITORIAL Faced with similar threats from a common enemy, Daesh, Iraq and Syria are being drawn closer at rapid speed. Daesh occupies large swathes of territory in both Iraq and Syria, and continue to pose grave dangers to both countries. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al Abadi […]