Iraq

Six Months of Mosul Onslaught[ER]: Thousands of Civilians Killed in Terrorist Capital Siege

https://www.rt.com/news/385131-mosul-siege-six-months/

"Six months have passed since the siege of Mosul was officially launched by the Iraqi army and its allies, including the US [and Canada].

Thousands  of civilians have been killed in the battle, with hundreds of thousands being force to flee the devastation."

And still no notice taken by Canadian 'progressives'...

The 'Liberation' of Mosul: Another Fallujah, Dresden or Hiroshima?

http://informationclearinghouse.info/47176.htm

"Will the UN, the relevant world bodies, the 'international community' wake up, before it is too late...?"

Canada: Operation Inherent Resolve

http://www.inherentresolve.mil/About-Us/Coalition/Coalition-Display/Arti...

"We will work with allies to defeat ISIL and the terrorist threat it represents."  - Justin Trudeau

So Progressives can never say 'We didn't know' or 'Canada didn't take part.'

Mosul Liberators Caught Torturing Captives Suspected of Terrorist Links (Disturbing Footage)

https://on.rt.com/8dqa

Meet your coalition allies Canada! "A unit actively supported by the US...."

Liberation Or Obliteration?

https://youtu.be/yK3ILW7RvpE

"A look at the price paid to recapture Mosul."

ps: "Canadian special forces have taken a more active role in the battle for Mosul..." #53

I put this here for lack of a better place, although it is really an issue with the US.

US judge says 'Democracy is broken' over drone strikes.

Washington, DC - A US federal appeals court has thrown out a lawsuit by the families of two Yemeni men allegedly killed as innocent bystanders in a US drone strike in 2012 but one of the judges said US "democracy is broken" after announcing the ruling.

...The case began in 2015 when two family members of Faisal bin Ali Jaber, who brought the "wrongful death" case against then-President Barack Obama in 2015, were killed by a drone strike Yemen in 2012.  

...Judge Janice Rogers Brown, who was appointed by former President George W Bush and is known for her conservative decisions, agreed with two other judges that the president is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces and only Congress can provide oversight of his military actions.

"But congressional oversight is a joke, and a bad one at that," Brown said in a separate opinion.

"This begs the question: if judges will not check this outsized power, then who will?"

​'Congressional oversight is a joke...' Ain't that the truth.

Mosul Paid Price For Anti-ISIS Op

https://youtu.be/pwQAnSTFA7A

"Civilian casualties massively increased  on the ground..."

Possible US-Backed War Crimes in Iraq Exposed

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/47415.htm

"A damning new report by Amnesty International sheds light on the killing of Iraqi civilians at the hands of the US-led coalition [Canada is a member, an RCAF Aurora  targeted for bombers and airstrikes], 'which may constitute war crimes', and demands that the coalition acknowledge the loss of civilian life..."

'Fight Far From Over': US Troops Expected To Stay in Iraq After ISIS Defeat

https://www.rt.com/usa/396111-us-troops-stay-iraq

"The Iraqi government has expressed an interest in having the US forces and coalition forces remain after the defeat of ISIS. Our government is equally interested in that,' [ or vice-versa] coalition commander General Stephen Townsend said during a video conference, adding that other coalition members may join the mission as it is 'still in the decision-making stages.'

The operation to retake Mosul, which was an IS stronghold for a long time, has left most of the city in ruins, led to thousands of civilian casualties, and displaced around a million people. Iraqi and US-led forces have been reportedly blamed for causing civilian casualties during the operation.

Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday that 'no conditions were created to allow civilians to leave in an organized way,' which may have led to an increased number of victims'. Amnesty International also issued a damning report slamming the US-led coalition in Mosul for errant and excessive airstrikes while urging it to publicly admit its failure to protect civilians."

I-R-A-Q: This is What Victory Looks Like

The Jimmy Dore Show

https://youtu.be/cDiKDfX5PWs

Watch who gets the big, juicy contracts for 'rebuilding' Mosul. 

'We Hear Nothing In Western Media About Devastation of Mosul': Academic Who Visited City To RT

https://on.rt.com/8ijh

"The devastation in Mosul and Aleppo are comparable, Professor Seyed Mohammad Marandi told RT, and yet the Western media only chose to highlight the suffering in the Syrian province and downplays the plight of those in the Iraqi city..."

Ep 29 Report on Iraq & Syria (podcast)

http://aroundtheempire.com/2017/08/09/ep-29-report-baghdad-iraq-syria-fe...

"We talk with Elijah Magnier, chief international war correspondent for Al Rai media, reporting from Baghdad on current situation in Iraq and Syria..."

Russian Rights Commissioner Wants UN To Help Evacuate Women, Kids From Mosul

https://sptnkne.ws/ftXq

"UNICEF has assessed that up to 650,000 children in Mosul have been affected by the war."

Popular Mobilization Units - Military Capabilities

https://youtu.be/Ezk1LRvJ4TU

"Their role in Iraq and ME."

SeekingAPoliticalHome wrote:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-iraq-kurds-idUSKBN18J2WT

I do not think the nationalists in Iraq will want to lose those oil fields.  Its given that the population iraqi kurdistan will vote for indepedence.  After that I see a major unknown as to how to solve this issue.  I think the kurds a going to have go light on the independence automony but in a iraq state.  Even if the government of iraq decided to give away those oil fields officially to kurdish state it probaly lead to the coup in the iraq government.  There is going to be bloodshed, if the Kurds want a state they are going to earn it through war.  I think the day that Kurdistan goes live they will an immediate embrago of the state, I believe its landlocked so Iran,Iraq,Turkey, and Syria will close borders.  Once ISIS is gone the decisions what maps will look in the future will be made.

In Syria the same will happen but syrians to weak to react independent Kurdish State.  I think that Americans given default permission for the a independent state.  And russia just signed oil deals with the Kurdish region in iraq, I think is a subtle signal there probably on broad with a new nation in the middle east.  We will see.

 

This is the sleeper issue in the Western press.  The vote for indepedence is getting closer and closer and the rhetroic is growing more. 

http://www.rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/140920174

Tensions keep rising.

http://www.rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/140920177

In the Field With Yazidi Fighters, Tales of Genocide at ISIS's Hands and More to Come   -   by Rania Khalek

https://t.co/Y79A1ysSma

"Iraqi Kurdistan's been expelling displaced Yazidi genocide survivors..."

As Kirkuk Boils, Kurdistan About to Hurl Iraq Into Turmoil Over 'Independence' Referendum

https://on.rt.com/8nw7

"Once again, minorities are being threatened in Kurdistan's bid to become independent from greater Iraq."

US, Israel Urging Kurdish To Break Away From Iraq: Ex US Diplomat (and vid)

http://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2017/09/26/536596/US-Kurdish--Michael-Sprin...

"The US and Israel have vast influence in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region and have great interest in the secession of Kurdistan from Iraq, says J Michael Springmann, a former US diplomat..."

And now Canucklheads, perhaps you understand why Canada is really in northern Iraq.

US 'Simulates' Anti-ISIS Fight in Iraq as Terrorists Cross Into Syria - MoD

https://on.rt.com/8pfc

"The Russian Defence Ministry has accused the US-led coalition of 'simulating' the fight against ISIS in Iraq..."

Like Canada, Iraq was created as a matter of imperialist expediency between Great Powers. Look on the map, and you see straight lines (not drawn by indigenous populations), with no consideration for watersheds and other geographical features which people (and flora and fauna) would naturally inhabit (and be separated by). As a result, populations who really don't like each other much are forced to live in the same state for the convenience of the "International Order". 

A nominally progressive (and also early Marxist) principle is national self-determination. Perhaps the way out of nationalism is internationalism, which is also a later Marxist concept. Do we support the Kurds who want a homeland, or do we oppose them because that would cause even more problems than it would solve? It is very much like debates over secession elsewhere. Like Catalonia, the proposed Kurdistan is on the periphery of the country it is forced to be part of, and were it to split off, Iraq would remain at least temporarily contiguous. 

Israel's main enemy is Iran. Netanyahu has made no bones about this. As well as in Iraq, there are large Kurdish populations in Iran and Turkey. The formation of a Kurdish state might cause demands for more Kurdish autonomy in Iran and Turkey, which would be very satisfactory to Netanyahu. Anything which would cause instability in the Islamic world would be to the benefit of the Zionist Israeli state. With the disappearance of Kurdistan, there could be an extremely traumatic (and relatively arbitrary - imposed from "above" like the 49th parallel) split between the Sunni and Shia areas in Iraq, somewhat like when India was partitioned and Pakistan was created, causing millions of displacements and deaths.

If a country can only be held together by a brutal dicatatorship, should it continue to exist?

Canadian Troops Safe After Iraqi, Kurdish Allies Open Fire On Each Other

https://t.co/xWDHGxATM5

"The eruption of violence has nonetheless raised concerns about the future of Iraq, which one senior Kurdish official says will plunge into civil war unless Canada and others speak up more forcefully. It has also confirmed the fears of many who warn that the Iraqis and Kurds, both of whom have been trained and equipped by Canada and its allies would turn on each other after ISIL is beaten."

With its slavish devotion to both Israeli and American foreign policy goals, Canada should STAY OUT of the Middle East. 

After the fall of Kirkuk, any steps towards the recognition of Iraqi Kurdistan independence vote is out of the question. Instead it’s highly possible that the region will lose its autonomous status. Therefore, now Barzani faces a difficult task of political survival, since he has suffered a crushing defeat in just one day. To achieve this he will have to minimize any military risks in a bid not to lose the whole province and oil fields along with it, which will be perceived in Iraqi Kurdistan as an obvious defeat. But this is a task too difficult for anybody to achieve.

Beyond Barzani’s losses, one must also consider Washington’s. Upon starting its attempts to push Iran out from Syria, it will now lose its stronghold in Iraq. Tehran’s determination to act quickly was further prompted by ongoing US threats to leave the Iran nuclear deal.

......where does this leave Canada, Barzani´s close ally

So Washington has once again contributed to the strengthening of Iran’s role across the Middle East due to the short-sightedness and incompetence of its elected representatives.

Alexander Orlov, Political Scientist and Expert Orientalist, exclusively for the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook”
https://journal-neo.org/2017/10/17/tehran-has-struck-a-crushing-to-washingtons-positions-in-iraq/

Kurds Offer To 'Freeze' Independence Referendum & Resolve Conflict Via Baghdad

https://www.newcoldwar.org/kurds-offer-freeze-independence-referendum-re...

"Turkey's Kurdish headache seems unlikely to subside anytime soon, despite the gloating in Ankara over the KRG's humiliating defeat in Iraq."

Environmental Threats, Lack of Water, Poor Job Opportunities and Declining Social Benefits Produce Massive Protests in Southern Iraq

Iraqis have been demonstrating for days in immense protests across southern Iraq—in Basra, Nasiriyah, Amarah, Kut, Karbala and Najaf—demanding basic services and rights, including water, electricity, and jobs. The frequency of demonstrations targeting oil fields, ports and airports, and the headquarters of political parties has mounted in recent days, especially as the temperature climbed to 48 degrees Celsius and higher. Organizers threatened that if their demands for water, basic services, and jobs are not met, the demonstrations will continue and grow.

This is a critical moment for the Iraqi government to ensure Iraqis’ access to clean water and to provide basic services, especially electricity. At the same time, international oil companies should provide jobs and social benefits to Iraqis, and take all necessary measures to protect the environment.

A week ago, demonstrators gathered in Basra at the entrances to three Iraqi oilfields: the West Qurna field run by Lukoil, the Rumaila field run by BP and the West Qurna field run by ExxonMobil. Protesters accused the foreign companies of polluting the water and the environment in the city of Basra and more widely throughout southern Iraq; of failing to provide social benefits for the cities in which they work; and of not providing jobs for Iraqis. On July 10th, a group of demonstrators from Garma, in the north of the province of Basra, denounced environmental destruction and demanded “treatment of high water salinity that has killed the trees and plants and destroyed our land”.

The protests intensified after Iraqi police opened fire in an attempt to disperse dozens of protesters near the West Qurna field, killing one person and injuring three others. The demonstrators, who include large numbers of young people are supported by several tribal leaders, then surrounded other oilfields.

On Tuesday July 17th, In front of the al-Zubayr oilfield in Basra, Iraqi police used batons and water cannons to disperse around 250 protesters gathered at the main entrance to another major oilfield managed by the Italian company, Eni, as reported by Reuters. The day before, dozens of people in the district of Rifai, in the north of the province of Dhi Qar, began an open sit-in  in front of the Malaysian company, Petronas, which operates the Gharaf oilfield; they too are demanding the improvement of the services.... 

NDPP wrote:

Iraq: ISIL Intensifying

https://youtu.be/rkE7CRRxQAs

"Islamic State is trying to make a comeback in Iraq with the number of lethal attacks doubled in the past month..."

And yet, al Qaeda's 'White Helmet' Syrian assets are being extracted, 250 to 'settle' in Canada, even while we send more Canadian Forces 'trainers' to Iraq in the fight against their ISIL brethren. What could possibly go wrong?

Lets get those poor souls over here and put em up in Toronto.

Paladin1 wrote:

NDPP wrote:

Iraq: ISIL Intensifying

https://youtu.be/rkE7CRRxQAs

"Islamic State is trying to make a comeback in Iraq with the number of lethal attacks doubled in the past month..."

And yet, al Qaeda's 'White Helmet' Syrian assets are being extracted, 250 to 'settle' in Canada, even while we send more Canadian Forces 'trainers' to Iraq in the fight against their ISIL brethren. What could possibly go wrong?

 

Lets get those poor souls over here and put em up in Toronto.

Many Syrian refugees are happy here in Vancouver including the Baklava Man!

The Mystery of the Baklava Man; The Tyee; Christopher Cheung; 5 April 2018;
https://thetyee.ca/News/2018/04/05/Mystery-Baklava-Man-Syria-Vancouver/

Quote:

Trouble arose when Bashar al-Assad took the presidency in 2000. He was attending postgraduate studies in London when he was called to return to Syria by his by his father and longtime president Hafez al-Assad to succeed him in power, and his rule was the beginning of a bloody reign.

Alhomsi went on a hunger strike to protest Assad’s human rights abuses. Then on an August morning in 2001, nine cars showed up at his office. Thirty police officers and a senior official arrested Alhomsi, and according to the Arab Commission of Human Rights, the regime began a defamation campaign against him through its controlled press.

...

Nour is anti-Assad as well. He has a personal connection to the president: they were classmates at Damascus University and one-time friends, until Nour felt Assad did not have the interests of the people at heart.

Alhomsi was imprisoned for five years. When he was finally released in 2006, he fled to Lebanon with his wife. His 16-year-old son was kidnapped and held overnight in an attempt to lure him back to Syria. From Lebanon, Alhomsi lobbied foreign governments to support democracy and human rights for his people.