Iraq insurgents take Saddam's home town in lightning advance

Tell me about it. Imagine, we have to live with those people & listen to their wasted sectarian tone every minute of every day. Democracy sucks sometimes. I'm not sure how those managed to sneak in here, but I certainly know how they're going to get out. Thanks God he's not 1. The last thing Syrians need is to be ruled by some pathetic angel. What Syria needs right now is an actual man able to stand for the right stuff. You know, your mouth needs to be washed out to bleach sometimes. About time to get over this 'Assad is a murderer' propaganda; the tune is getting old & boring already. You think he was cruel over the past couple of years? Brace yourself, because things are about to go from depressing to despondent from now on. And how about starting to live your own life instead of editing peoples' intentions? If you really believe that Assad must go, then perhaps you should stand in the line.Your insults are a compliment, and thanks. You know, complaining here is like barking the wrong tree, so why don't you bear all that in mind and raise it in the coming Geneva conference, where the serious talk will be held? You might make a difference there, who knows ... Wait a minute! Your country won't even be invited, since it has no job in the Syrian crisis, in the first place... So technically you, guys, are not that important, and all what you say or do remains irrelevant and won't be taken seriously or into consideration. So you keep dribbling those loads of hot air, and Assad will continue to ignore you, the way he used to treat you all way through. The more you harass him, the more attention you're granting him. Things have come a LONG way, now. About time to stop burying your head in the sand, and start admitting neat facts as they are: Purging the alien noses out of the Syrian business is the best solution for all; Assad is staying; and you think you're funny while I believe you're as rude as f*ck. See the line in between? Thin but true. Now say goodbye to everybody.

'Multiple groups may be joining ISIS jihadists in fight against Iraqi govt' Published time: June 14, 2014 04:22 Members of Iraqi security forces chant slogans in Baghdad June 13, 2014 (Reuters / Ahmed Saad) Conflict, Iraq, Kevin Owen, Military, Security, USA, Violence, War The relative ease with which insurgents have taken control of major cities in Iraq suggests former military officers and others may have joined forces with jihadists to target Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's Shiite-led government, Edmund Ghareeb told RT. "What also makes this interesting and what raises a lot of questions about what's going on is that there are many forces fighting under the name of ISIS (the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant)," said Ghareeb, a professor at American University, adding that the many groups have a common enemy in Maliki. He added that there could be "Iraqi officers, who are from Saddam Hussein's army, who come from the Tikrit area and the Mosul area, and probably that explains [how] military tactics were used, because these were very effective. There was professional planning here." RT: Is it fair to say, as President Barack Obama has said, that Iraq is solely responsible for its own security situation? Edmund Ghareeb: Clearly what's going on in Iraq was a surprise to the [Obama] administration, as I'm sure that, probably, it was a surprise to the Iraqi government as well. The rapidity with which these forces are able to advance and take over a city like Mosul raises a lot of questions about the Iraqi army, which was trained, supposedly, by the United States. They, of course, didn't have very sophisticated weapons in terms of airplanes or missiles. But this is an army where $25 billion was spent to help prepare it for future duties, to help protect Iraq's government, and the population of Iraq. But I think what is happening here is that this all raises questions about the way the US government is looking at this situation, and, of course, the president still has his perception of his own legacy. President Obama, when he was a candidate for the presidency, promised to get out of Iraq. He does not want to return to Iraq. At the same time, this is a complex and difficult situation, and he cannot remain totally out of touch with this situation. That's why we're seeing this response, this careful evaluation of what the US could do or should do. On the other hand, the president has taken into account the political realities on the ground. RT: If the Iraqi army is left to their own devices, can they really defend Iraq from this onslaught? EG: On the one hand, you have an army that has somewhere between 250,000 and 300,000 men. You have security forces that are close to 900,000. So that should be sufficient to protect Baghdad and to protect some of the cities, even against the onslaught of several thousand or hundred, in some cases, fighters. Of course the Islamic state of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) is experienced, it's composed of many hardened fighters. What also makes this interesting and what raises a lot of questions about what's going on is that there are many forces fighting under the name of ISIS. What we are seeing is that the fighters are fighting under the banner of ISIS, and at the same time, it seems there are other groups. You have the forces of the former vice president of Iraq, Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, who is of the Naqshbandi, the Sufi order. You have Iraqi officers who are from Saddam Hussein's army, who come from the Tikrit area and the Mosul area, and probably that explains [how] military tactics were used, because these were very effective. There was professional planning here. Also, the Baathists, the former Baathists, may also have been involved, as well as the tribes. These people have a common stand against Prime Minister Maliki. They're all opposed to Maliki. At the same time, I don't think these groups have the same objectives. For example, ISIS wants to have an Islamic caliphate. I don't think this is necessarily shared by some of the Sufi groups, and it wouldn't be shared by the former Iraqi army officers, or the Baath Party. Nevertheless, right now, they may be working together against Maliki. As for the situation also going down in Baghdad, I don't think it will be easy for this force to take over Baghdad, particularly if there is a defense. The demography of Baghdad was changed over the past several years, and it is mostly a Shiite majority city. At the same time, there are professional and elite forces which are defending Baghdad, so it won't be easy. Nevertheless, the fact is these forces are moving. They've taken Mosul and, reportedly, Tikrit – though there is a question about parts of it – and Baiji, which is a very important town where you have oil facilities there. They are taking the cities, and that's significant. ============================ Iran's Rouhani says ready to aid Iraq, nuclear deal by July 20 possible Sat, Jun 14 03:30 AM EDT image ANKARA (Reuters) - Iran stands ready to help Iraq's government in its fight against Sunni Muslim insurgents within the framework of international law, although Baghdad has so far not requested assistance, President Hassan Rouhani said on Saturday. In a press conference broadcast live on state television, Rouhani also said Iran believed it was possible to conclude a comprehensive agreement ending its nuclear dispute with major powers by a July 2 Remaining differences could be settled through goodwill and flexibility, he said. Shi'ite Muslim Iran, which has strong leverage in Shi'ite-majority Iraq, is so alarmed by the Sunni jihadist advance from Iraq's north that it may be ready to cooperate with longtime arch-enemy Washington in helping Baghdad fight back. A senior Iranian official told Reuters earlier this week that the idea is being discussed within the Tehran leadership. For now, officials say, Iran will send its neighbour advisers and weaponry, although probably not troops, to boost Baghdad. In the nuclear talks the main stumbling block has been the permissible scope of Iran's uranium enrichment. The lack of progress in bridging gaps has left the parties' deadline for a long-term settlement looking increasingly unrealistic and Iran has said a six-month extension may be necessary. (Reporting by Parisa Hafezi, writing by William Maclean, editing by Mark Heinrich) ========================================= Kurds could ask for #Kirkuk city as the big payoff for riding to Baghdad’s aid http://rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/140620141 … #ISIS pic.twitter.com/3hFqPm9uJF Iraqi fighter jets shelling Rabia according to #Rudaw – this is the border crossing town between Iraq & Syria on the road between Qamishli. Hassan Rouhani ‏@HassanRouhani · 43m Where did #ISIS come from? Who's funding them? We warned everyone, esp the West, about dangers of supporting such violent& reckless groups. الجيش وغيارى العراق يقتلون أمير تنظيم داعش (ابو ناصر الجنوبي) وعدداً كبيراً من مرافقيه بعملية نوعية في تقاطع النعيمية , مقابل مجمع الهياكل بالفلوجة . الجيش العراقي البطل وغيارى العراق والعشائر الاصيلة يقتلون 40 بعثي وداعشي شمال محافظة اديالى . Among those killed in an airstrike is Izzat Ibrahim Al-Douri's son — former Military commander in Ba'ath regime. #ISIS السيد مرتضى القزويني سيلقي خطبة بعد قليل في الحرام الحسيني وهو يرتدي الزي العسكري , استجابة لفتوى المرجعية في الدفاع عن الوطن. #‏عااااااااجل‬: الجيش العراقي وبعد وصول رئيس الوزراء معه الى تكريت يشن هجومه الكاسح وانباء عن قتل احمد ابن المجرم عزت الدوري والمجرم أبو بكر البغدادي " إبراهيم عواد السامرائي" وقيادات بعثيه اخرى كانو يبايعون البغدادي هناك. View translation Dijla Operations Command northern AoR, Kirkūk, northern Diyālā province completely abandoned by ISF. الراية الاخبارية ‏@alraya_n · 2h View translation أسفر القصف الجوي الذي شنه طيران الجيش العراقي على مسجد شمالي #تكريت، عن مقتل 80 وإصابة أكثر من 20 آخرين. #الراية #العراق BREAKING THE SHOMER tribe joined YPG and scure the area of till kocer #TwitterKurds #ISIS pic.twitter.com/umJwTiQdnu #Iraq interior ministry claim they killed son of Baath leader Izzat al-Duri together with #ISIS fighters near Tikrit http://alghadpress.com/ar/NewsDetails.aspx?NewsID=15169 … Baath party militia say they wanted to fight #Iraq army 9 months ago but did not for 'organisational reasons' http://www.niqash.org/articles/?id=3460 … ISIS now control Qayara and Najm oil fields http://www.iraqoilreport.com/security/energy-sector/key-energy-facilities-isis-control-12517/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter … Key energy facilities under ISIS control Key energy facilities under ISIS control A soldier stands guard over the Baiji refinery. (AYMAN OGHANNA/Iraq Oil Report) By Kamaran al-Najar, Ben Lando, Ben Van Heuvelen and Staff of Iraq Oil Report Published Friday, June 13th, 2014 The Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) has seized several parts of Iraq's northern energy sector in what could be an attempt to hijack a portion of Iraq's oil revenue stream. The Baiji refinery, Iraq's largest, is now under the control of local tribes aligned with ISIS, according to refinery workers, two senior North Oil Company (NOC) officials, and a senior Interior Ministry official. Militants have caused no damage and instructed workers to keep the facility online. "ISIS left all ... Six things that went wrong for Iraq Published June 12, 2014 Jonathan Marcus reports for BBC: The borders of the modern Middle East are in large part a legacy of World War One. They were established by the colonial powers after the defeat and dismemberment of the Ottoman Empire. Those borders could now be in peril for two main reasons - the continuing fighting and fragmentation of Syria and the ISIS assault in Iraq Unless the military gains of ISIS can be reversed, the Iraqi state is in peril as never before. The dual crises in Syria and Iraq combine to offer the possibility of a "state" encompassing eastern Syria and western Iraq where the jihadists of ISIS hold sway. ================================== ============================================== Iraq insurgents take Saddam's home town in lightning advance Wed, Jun 11 21:04 PM EDT image 1 of 5 By Ghazwan Hassan TIKRIT Iraq (Reuters) - Sunni rebels from an al Qaeda splinter group overran the Iraqi city of Tikrit on Wednesday and closed in on the biggest oil refinery in the country, making further gains in their rapid military advance against the Shi'ite-led government in Baghdad. The threat to the Baiji refinery comes after militants from the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) seized the northern city of Mosul, advancing their aim of creating a Sunni Caliphate straddling the border between Iraq and Syria. The fall of Mosul, Iraq's second biggest city, is a blow to Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's attempts to defeat the militants, who have seized territory in Iraq over the past year following the withdrawal of U.S. forces. About 500,000 Iraqis have fled Mosul, home to 2 million people, and the surrounding province, many seeking safety in the autonomous Kurdistan region. Having also taken two small towns north of Baghdad, Dhiluiya and Yathrib, the insurgents are in control of between 10 and 15 pct of Iraqi territory, excluding Kurdistan, and have led many Iraqis to fear they have the capital, Baghdad, in their sights. Security sources said ISIL militants on Wednesday drove more than 60 vehicles into Tikrit, the home town of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, which lies about 100 miles (160 km) north of Baghdad. The militants occupied the provincial government headquarters and raised the black flag of ISIL. "Our forces were caught by surprise, they never expected ISIL would use police and army Humvee vehicles, we mistook them for government forces and it was too late to stop them," said a police captain who fled from Tikrit to Samarra. "We are fighting devils and not ordinary people". Around 100 ISIL fighters held mass prayers in central Tikrit after taking control. Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said Iraq's leaders must unite to face a "mortal" threat. "There has to be a quick response to what has happened," he said during a trip to Greece. Zebari said Baghdad would work with forces from Kurdistan in the north to drive the fighters out of Mosul after Iraqi security forces there fled on Tuesday. CONSPIRACY Maliki described the fall of Mosul as a "conspiracy" and said those who had abandoned their posts would be punished. He also said Iraqis were volunteering in several provinces to join army brigades to fight ISIL. In a show of the militants' reach, a car bombing in a crowded market in the town of Safwan, which sits on Iraq's southernmost border with Kuwait, killed five people. In a statement on its Twitter account, ISIL said it had taken Mosul as part of a plan "to conquer the entire state and cleanse it from the apostates", referring to the province of Nineveh of which the city is the capital. Militants executed 10 soldiers and policemen on Wednesday near the town of Riyadh, 60 km (40 miles) southwest of Kirkuk, after setting up a checkpoint on the road, police sources said, while in Tikrit six police officers were executed. In Mosul, 80 Turkish citizens were being held hostage by the militants, the foreign ministry in Ankara said. Turkey threatened to retaliate if any of the group, which included special forces soldiers, diplomats and children, were harmed. Ambassadors of the NATO defence alliance held an emergency meeting in Brussels at Turkey's request and Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan held talks with U.S. Vice President Joe Biden about the developments. ISIL, led by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, broke with al Qaeda's international leader, Osama bin Laden's former lieutenant Ayman al-Zawahri, and has clashed with al Qaeda fighters in Syria. ISIL's advances show that Iraq's security forces - trained and equipped by Washington at a cost of nearly $25 billion and numbering more than a million - are outmatched against insurgents who once took on the might of the United States. Overnight on Tuesday, ISIL militants moved on Baiji, home to Iraq's largest refinery, which can process 300,000 barrels per day and supplies oil products to most of Iraq's provinces and as well as Baghdad. Security sources said the fighters drove into the town of Baiji in armed vehicles, torching the court house and police station before freeing prisoners. The militants later withdrew into surrounding villages after tribal leaders persuaded them not to take over the energy installations in Baiji, local officials and residents said. However, the violence in Iraq prompted fears about the outlook for oil supplies, with futures prices in New York pushed higher towards $110 a barrel. DOMINANT PLAYER ISIL has become a dominant player in Iraq and Syria, where it has seized a string of cities over the past year, often fighting other Sunni groups. The United States expressed concern about the deteriorating security situation in Iraq and pledged "any appropriate assistance" to help the Iraqi government. White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters on Air Force One: "There's no doubt that the situation has deteriorated over the last 24 hours. "The deterioration of security is rapidly becoming a humanitarian issue and requires a coordinated response by Iraqi leaders across the country to halt the advances that the ISIL has made and regain control of territory currently in ISIL's hands," he added. In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the United States believed that the Baiji refinery remained under control of the Iraqi government. ISIL control in the Sunni Anbar province as well as around Mosul would help the Islamist group consolidate its grip along the frontier with Syria, where it is fighting President Bashar al-Assad, an ally of Shi'ite Iran. Members of Iraq's Shi'ite majority have also been crossing the border to fight in Syria alongside Assad's forces. In Sadr city, a Shi'ite slum in Baghdad, men were stockpiling weapons in anticipation of a battle against ISIL. "The army has proven to be a big failure. People have begun to depend on themselves because ISIL may enter Baghdad any minute," said Muhannad al-Darraji from Sadr City. At about the same time, a suicide bomber blew himself up in Sadr City, killing at least 38 people. A further 18 people were killed when a car bomb exploded near the northern Kadhimiya district, where there is a Shi'ite shrine. DISPLACEMENT The governor of Mosul blamed Maliki for failing to act upon his warnings about the threat of ISIL. "The entry of ISIL to Mosul was through the desert from Syria," Atheel al-Nujaifi said. "There are camps in the desert and we have repeatedly asked the government to bomb these camps instead of luring ISIL into the cities to fight it." At a checkpoint on the road between Mosul and Arbil, residents who fled with little more than the clothes on their backs were stunned by the turn of events. A 40-year-old man who fled the city with his family said: "We are frightened because we don't know who they are. They call themselves revolutionaries. They told us not to be scared and that they came to liberate and free us from oppression." (Additional reporting by Raheem Salman, Ahmed Rasheed and Isra al-Rubei'i in Baghdad,; Steve Holland on Air Force One; Writing by Isabel Coles; Editing by Samia Nakhoul and Giles Elgood) ================================= Iraq Kurds seize Kirkuk; Sunni militants surge toward Baghdad Thu, Jun 12 05:35 AM EDT By Ahmed Rasheed and Isabel Coles BAGHDAD/ARBIL Iraq (Reuters) - Iraqi Kurds seized control of the northern oil city of Kirkuk on Thursday, while surging Sunni Islamist rebels advanced towards Baghdad, as the central government's army abandoned its posts in a rapid collapse that has lost it control of the north. Peshmerga fighters, the security forces of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish north, swept into Kirkuk after the army abandoned its posts there, a peshmerga spokesman said.

"The whole of Kirkuk has fallen into the hands of peshmerga," said Jabbar Yawar. "No Iraqi army remains in Kirkuk now."

Kurds have long dreamed of taking Kirkuk, a city with huge oil reserves just outside their autonomous region, which they regard as their historical capital. The swift move by their highly organized security forces demonstrates how this week's sudden advance by fighters of the Al Qaeda offshoot Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has redrawn Iraq's map. Since Tuesday, black clad ISIL fighters have seized Iraq's second biggest city Mosul and Tikrit, hometown of former dictator Saddam Hussein, as well as other towns and cities north of Baghdad. They continued their lightning advance on Thursday, moving into towns just an hour's drive from the capital. The army of the Shi'ite-led government in Baghdad has essentially fled in the face of the onslaught, abandoning buildings and weapons to the fighters who aim to create a strict Sunni Caliphate on both sides of the Iraq-Syria frontier. Security and police sources said militants now controlled parts of the small town of Udhaim, 90 km (60 miles) north of Baghdad, after most of the army troops left their positions and withdrew towards the nearby town of Khalis. “We are waiting for supporting troops and we are determined not to let them take control. We are afraid that terrorists are seeking to cut the main highway that links Baghdad to the north," said a police officer in Udhaim. In Tikrit, militants have set up military councils to run the towns they captured, residents said. “They came in hundreds to my town and said they are not here for blood or revenge but they seek reforms and to impose justice. They picked a retired general to run the town,” said a tribal figure from the town of Alam, north of Tikrit.

“'Our final destination will be Baghdad, the decisive battle will be there,' that’s what their leader of the militants group kept repeating," the tribal figure said.

Security was stepped up in Baghdad to prevent the Sunni militants from reaching the capital, which is itself divided into Sunni and Shi'ite neighborhoods and saw ferocious sectarian street fighting in 2006-2007 under U.S. occupation. The stunning advance of ISIL, effectively seizing northern Iraq's main population centers in a matter of days, is the biggest threat to Iraq since U.S. troops withdrew in 2011. The administration of President Barack Obama has come under fire for failing to do enough to shore up the government in Baghdad before pulling out its troops. LOW MORALE The million-strong Iraqi army, trained by the United States at a cost of nearly $25 billion, suffers from low morale. Its effectiveness is hurt by the view in Sunni areas that it represents the hostile interests of the Shi'ite-led government. In Washington, an Obama administration official said the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki had in the past sought U.S. air strikes against ISIL positions. The White House suggested such strikes were not being considered and said Washington's main focus now is on building up government forces. Iraq's parliament is due to hold an extraordinary session on Thursday to vote on declaring a state of emergency which should expand the powers of Shi’ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. About 500,000 Iraqis have fled Mosul, home to 2 million people, and the surrounding province, many seeking safety in autonomous Kurdistan, a region that has prospered while patrolled by the powerful peshmerga, avoiding the violence that has plagued the rest of Iraq since the U.S. invasion in 2003. The Kurdish capture of Kirkuk instantly overturns the fragile balance of power that has held Iraq together as a state since Saddam's fall. Iraq's Kurds have done well since 2003, running their own affairs while being given a fixed percentage of the country's overall oil revenue. But with full control of Kirkuk - and the vast oil deposits beneath it - they could earn more on their own, eliminating the incentive to remain part of a failing Iraq. Maliki's army already lost control of much of the Euphrates valley west of the capital to ISIL last year, and with the evaporation of the army in the Tigris valley to the north this week, the government could be left in control only of Baghdad and areas south. The surge also potentially leaves the long desert frontier between Iraq and Syria effectively in ISIL hands, advancing its stated goal of erasing the border altogether and creating a single state ruled according to mediaeval Islamic principles. Maliki described the fall of Mosul as a "conspiracy" and said the security forces who had abandoned their posts would be punished. He also said Iraqis were volunteering in several provinces to join army brigades to fight ISIL. In a statement on its Twitter account, ISIL said it had taken Mosul as part of a plan "to conquer the entire state and cleanse it from the apostates", referring to the province of Nineveh of which the city is the capital. Militants were reported to have executed soldiers and policemen after their seizure of some towns. In Mosul, 80 Turkish citizens were being held hostage by ISIL, the foreign ministry in Ankara said, after its consulate there was overrun. Turkey threatened to retaliate if any of the group, which included special forces soldiers, diplomats and children, were harmed. Ambassadors of the NATO defense alliance held an emergency meeting in Brussels at Turkey's request and Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan held talks with U.S. Vice President Joe Biden about the developments. [ID:nL5N0OS3G7] ISIL, led by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, broke with al Qaeda's international leader, Osama bin Laden's former lieutenant Ayman al-Zawahri, and has clashed with al Qaeda fighters in Syria.[ID:nL5N0OR5ID] In Iraq, it has carried out endless bombings against Shi'ite civilians, killing hundreds a month. The violence in Iraq raised fears about the outlook for oil supplies, with futures prices in New York pushed higher towards $110 a barrel. [ID:nL5N0OS27Z] (Reporting by Ahmed Rasheed and Isabel Coles; Editing by Oliver Holmes, Samia Nakhoul and Peter Graff) ==========================================================================