"The Dinar Daily ", Friday, 13 June 2014 - Page 4
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  1. #31

    The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, backed by other Sunni militants, now contro

    The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, backed by other Sunni militants, now controls swaths of northern Syria and northwestern Iraq in which it can impose its harsh rule.

    By Scott Peterson, Staff writer

    June 12, 2014

    Istanbul, Turkey — A transnational jihadist group now controls a swath of territory across northern Iraq and Syria, creating a de facto Sunni Islamic “caliphate” in its wake as it pushes south toward the Iraqi capital of Baghdad. The group, the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) endangered the oil refinery of Baiji and yesterday seized Saddam Hussein’s hometown of Tikrit, 80 miles northwest of Baghdad. The advances came just a day after ISIS shocked observers by easily taking full control of Mosul, one of Iraq’s largest cities, where Iraqi soldiers trained and equipped by the US shed their uniforms as they fled. On Thursday the militant group claimed to have surrounded Samarra, bringing it closer to Baghdad. ISIS is dramatically changing the map, often seizing ground without a shot being fired, and working with other Sunni militants and Saddam-era military officers.

    https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middl...to-focus-video



  2. #32

    UAE Assures Project Implementation in Kurdistan

    UAE Assures Project Implementation in Kurdistan

    Posted on 13 June 2014. Tags: Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB), Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (TAQA), Dana Gas, Kurdistan, Maydan, TradeUAE, UAE, United Arab Emirates
    Pages: 1 2

    The United Arab Emirates Deputy Minister of Economy and Trade, Abdullah Saleh, visited the Kurdistan Region this week to attend the 2014 TradeUAE Iraq conference in Erbil.
    The conference included 115 Emirati companies specializing in a wide range of sectors, including energy, the food industry, petrochemicals, construction, as well as companies offering banking and communications services.
    Deputy Trade Minister Saleh said that the UAE remains committed to its investment projects in the Kurdistan Region, clarifying that they have not been halted. He attributed delays to minor obstacles, which include bureaucratic issues common in most countries in the region.
    He said, “The UAE is committed to contribute to the economic growth of Kurdistan, where we have been among the pioneers.”
    The Deputy Minister added that business and investment opportunities continue to expand and that this has led to increased opportunities for potential investors in various sectors. He emphasized that the UAE remains committed to investing in Kurdistan as well as expanding its operations and activities, stating that the UAE is not under pressure from the federal government in Baghdad regarding its investment projects in the Kurdistan Region.
    Deputy Minister Saleh also said that UAE companies are looking to establish heavy industrial projects to serve the Kurdistan Region as well as Iraq as a whole. He reaffirmed that last year’s conference, the first TradeUAE conference held in Iraq, was also a success and that Erbil will be the gateway for UAE investment. He pointed out that the volume of bilateral trade between Iraq and the UAE exceeds $13 billion, $4 billion of which is invested in Kurdistan, with the majority, $3 billion, dedicated to Erbil.
    UAE Consul General Rashid al-Mansouri said that there are more than 120 Emirati companies operating in the Kurdistan Region. He said, “The UAE is committed to strengthening relations with the Kurdistan Region politically and economically, and we will work together towards a strong, strategic relationship.”

    https://www.iraq-businessnews.com/201...-in-kurdistan/

  3. #33

    The History Behind Iraq’s Current Mess: Understanding What is Going On

    The History Behind Iraq’s Current Mess: Understanding What is Going On

    Sarkawt Shamsulddin

    Mosul is Iraq’s second-largest province and in less than two days Sunni insurgents managed to seize the entire city. The militants are organized under the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), but three major groups contributed to the attack: ISIS, Naqshabandis and tribal leaders.

    ISIS, which is a splinter of al-Qaeda, is perceived to be in the forefront of the insurgents, whose vision is to build an Islamic Sunni state straddling Iraq and Syria. What they want is to cut the access of Iraq’s Shiites to Syria and Lebanon. Currently, this strategy is far from becoming a reality.

    The followers of Iraq’s former Baath regime, known as Naqshabandis, are the real players behind the fall of Mosul. The Baathists have experience in engineering coup d’états, and have access to the Iraqi Army elite, former Iraqi officers and the support of tribal leaders. Their vision is to regain power in Iraq.

    For nearly eight decades they were part of the ruling classes, and for the past decade they have been on the other side of the ruling spectrum. Realistically speaking, the return of the Baaathists to power is unlikely, due to the US-Iraq strategic agreement. Their return would result in the country disintegrating, because the Kurds have already abandoned Baghdad, and the return of Baathists would separate them from the country for good.

    The third group categorized above is the Sunni tribal fighters. They are the voice of Sunni communities in Iraq, and fought al-Qaeda for years alongside US troops, supporting the Coalition Forces in Iraq. The US forces formed special armed militias called Sahwa. But these were dissolved by Iraq’s central government after US troops left in 2011.

    The Sunnis are bitterly disappointed about their national government, as well as the political process. Their prominent leaders have been accused of murder, and tens of them have been imprisoned. Within a few days of the US Army withdrawal from Iraq, the Sunni vice president, Tariq al-Hashimi, was accused of murder by the Iraqi High Court. He was later sentenced to death in absentia.

    The operation to target Sunni figures has continued until recently, and this has heightened grievances amongst Sunnis. Basic services in Sunni provinces, particularly in Anbar and Salahaddin, are extremely poor. Sunni-populated areas have the highest rate of unemployment – 24 percent, according to local government data. The national government has spent less than 20 percent of its budget to improve public services in the Sunni provinces.

    The Shiite-led government has issued an anti-terrorism law which many believe specifically targets Sunnis, resulting in thousands of youth being imprisoned. Tribal leaders want to have some control over the local government, similar to that in the Kurdistan Region. They have attempted to build an autonomous region in the past, but Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki did not allow them. This resulted in a civil disobedience movement which lasted nearly a year in Anbar and Mosul, resulting in the arrests of protesters and their leaders.

    Arab Sunnis make up 25 percent of Iraq. They live in the northwest of the country, where the Iraqi and Syrian border meets. Prior to the 2003 regime change, Sunnis dominated the high-ranking positions in the government. The strategic sectors were also run by Sunnis, who also dominated the army.

    After the fall of the Baathists in 2003, the US Civil Authority dissolved the Iraqi army. Members of the army were sent home without any retirement benefits. The majority of high-ranking positions in the government on a national and local level were taken away from Sunnis.

    After the regime change the Shiites, who make up 55 percent of the Iraqi population, were recognized as the majority rulers. They have since acquired high-ranking positions within the government, including the post of prime minister.

    The Kurds have the second-highest position in the government, which is the presidency of Iraq. Furthermore, the Kurds have complete control over the Kurdistan Region.

    The Sunnis, on the other hand, did not accept the changes or the new constitution. Unlike the Shiites, they are not united ideologically and are divided into different groups. They have refused federalism and are agitated with the central government’s control over Sunni provinces. Ironically, they are against the Kurdish domination in disputed areas, but tend to seek assistance from Kurdistan during times of crisis with Baghdad.

    The Sunnis have emerged as the losers in Iraq, and they are angry at a Shiite-led government they feel keeps them marginalized and out of the political process.

    The writer is studying for his Master’s in governance and global security at the University of Virginia Tech in the United States.

    -Email:ShamsaldeenSL@yahoo.com

    https://rudaw.net/english/opinion/13062014

  4. #34

    George W. Bush Won't Weigh In on Iraq

    George W. Bush Won't Weigh In on Iraq










    By Shushannah Walshe
    @ Shushwalshe
    Follow on Twitter


    Jun 13, 2014 6:18 pm
    (Photo Credit: ABC News)

    Former President George W. Bush will make no public statement on the developing crisis in Iraq, his spokesman said today.
    "President Bush has vowed not to criticize his successor and does not have a comment," Freddy Ford told ABC News in a statement.
    Bush spent years engaged in the war in Iraq, while President Obama campaigned against it and eventually pulled out US troops. Some Republicans have blamed Obama for the violence because they believe the troop pullout has left a security vacuum.
    A Simple and Useful Guide to Understanding the Conflict in Iraq
    This Is The Militant Islamic Group Taking Over Iraq
    President Obama today Ruled out sending U.S. troops "back into combat" in Iraq Despite the Threat from a Surging army of Islamic Militants.
    But as Several Cities in the U.S. once-occupied nation fall under the flags of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, Obama Told Reporters his National Security Council was still Considering options.
    "I'll be reviewing those options in the days ahead," Obama said on the White House South Lawn. "I do want to be clear, though. This is not solely, or even primarily, a military challenge.



    https://translate.googleusercontent.c...h2tywmfUnhKBhQ

  5. #35

    US to evacuate its citizens from Iraq

    US to evacuate its citizens from Iraq

    Friday, 13 June 2014 18:22

    Baghdad (AIN) - The United States rushed Thursday to evacuate hundreds of Americans from Iraq and was desperately making plans to rescue thousands of others as advancing al Qaeda-inspired forces vowed to attack Baghdad and topple the government.

    There are about 5,000 American contractors remaining in the increasingly dangerous country, including a team that was bailed out Thursday from a base in Balad, an hour north of the threatened capital.

    The three plane loads of Americans were mostly civilians who were part of one of the largest training programs for the Iraqi military — which so far has been largely impotent in the fight against bloodthirsty rebels.

    Private companies were rushing American workers out of harm’s way as the country teetered on the brink of disintegration.

    The State Department warned that US citizens remain “at high risk for kidnapping and terrorist violence,” and told them to avoid public places for fear of kidnappings or attacks.

    Intelligence sources stated that officials are scrambling to find ways to get other Americans out fast if the situation on the ground continues to deteriorate.

    “We need places to land. We need safe and secure airfields,” one source said, noting the extremists are “seizing airfields and they have surface-to-air missiles, which very clearly threatens our pilots and planes if we do go into evacuation mode.”

    https://www.alliraqnews.com/en/index....zens-from-iraq

  6. #36

    Army’s Quick Defeat Mirrors Baghdad’s Political Failures

    Army’s Quick Defeat Mirrors Baghdad’s Political Failures
    By Ako Mohammed


    The quick collapse of the Iraqi army in the Sunni areas and parts of Kurdish land is the outcome of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s political failures with the Kurds and Sunnis. His military defeat is the outcome of his unsuccessful management of Iraq and shaky relationship with Iraq’s different ethnic and religious groups.



    The answer to one simple question is enough to understand what is happening now: Would the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) have been able to occupy Mosul and other areas so easily, had Maliki built genuine and good relations with the Kurds and Sunnis?



    The answer is, of course: No.



    In Mosul, the Kurdish Peshmerga forces would have been able to defend the city, and they can easily retake it from the Islamic militants now. But neither then nor now do they have orders to move. They see no need to get involved in the war in such circumstances. It can be done only as part of a solid political agreement with Baghdad.



    An agreement should be built on three important points: First, the Peshmerga forces must stay where they are now, including the disputed territories they have taken over. Second, Kurdistan’s budget, including that of the Peshmerga forces, should be released by Baghdad and sent to Erbil immediately. Third, a clear understanding should be signed between Baghdad and Erbil about the Kurdistan Region’s oil exports with the full knowledge and consent of the State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO).



    Without a clear agreement, Kurdish involvement in a war on the side of a government that has lost all legitimacy in the Sunni areas -- and all love among the Kurds -- would be political suicide.



    Kurdish leaders should be careful and not fall for rumors spread by some Shia leaders, blaming the rapid advance of the ISIS on a Kurdish plot, a revenge against Maliki for freezing Kurdistan’s budget and blocking Kurdish oil exports.



    In any multiethnic and multi-faith country, the al-Qaeda and ISIS can wreak havoc and cause violence and bloodshed. And now that they are in Iraq, we should expect more violence between Shias and Sunnis. With his antagonizing policies, Maliki has indeed created a fertile ground for such a scenario.



    However, it is not too late.



    There is still an easy way to restore the situation. But it needs a clear and healthy mentality in order to work.



    The way is this: A return to a genuine agreement on running the country. Power-sharing practiced genuinely, not just with words and deception.

    https://rudaw.net/english/opinion/130620141

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