Saudi Arabia wants to remove Maliki by bullets when it failed to remove him by ballets

Saudi Arabia wants to remove Maliki by bullets when it failed to remove him by ballets

    Tuesday, June 17, 2014   No comments

It is no secret that Saudi Arabia and its allies among Sunni Iraqi politicians wanted Maliki out. They have tried since the end of his first term. But he kept winning. Most recently, they expected him to loose the elections that was held on April 30. Instead, he surprised them helping his coalition win about three times more than the Saudi favorites'. He won in a fair and transparent elections. 

It should be noted that Saudi Arabia warned even before the elections that electing Maliki to a third term will mean the splintering of Iraq into three areas: Sunni, Kurdish, and Shiite areas. Saudi Arabia has no respect for the will of the people and for election results. So they used ISIL and its Sunni allies to undo the elections' results. After the fall of Mosul in the hands on ISIL and Baathists, Saudi Arabia issued a statement essentially legitimizing the violence and demanding that Iraq produces a "unity government," again ignoring the fact that elections have consequences. 

One of its allies, speaker of of the outgoing parliament, Osama al-Nujaifi, said this of Mr. Maliki: “We don’t want this prime minister; we reject him. We tried to take him down on more than one occasion.”

One does not have to like Maliki, but must recognize that elections have consequences. When one does not like the results, they cannot use plan be and try violence to get what they want, especially when these countries do not have elections themselves.

In the news, Iraq now is naming names:

Iraq's Maliki defies call to reach out, accuses Saudis of 'genocide'

while ISIL continues its work: more killing on sectarian basis:

ISIL claim to kill hundreds of Iraqi soldiers, release 'execution' video (2:19)

and the world is re-aligned:

British embassy in Tehran to reopen as West stands beside Iran to protect Iraq

Pentagon, State Dept. at odds over coordinating with Iran on Iraq crisis

Pentagon, State Dept. at odds over coordinating with Iran on Iraq crisis

    Monday, June 16, 2014   No comments

The Pentagon is pushing back against a State Department assertion that there is the potential for a military coordination with Iran to help Iraq combat violent al Qaeda-inspired Sunni extremists.

Pentagon spokesman Rear Adm. John Kirby told reporters Monday morning that although there is the potential for discussions with Iran about aggressive actions committed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in Iraq, there is “no plan to consult Iran on military activities inside Iraq.”

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The killing season restarts in Iraq: more war crimes and crimes against humanity taking place in regions inhabited by religious minorities

The killing season restarts in Iraq: more war crimes and crimes against humanity taking place in regions inhabited by religious minorities

    Sunday, June 15, 2014   No comments

ISIL executing civilians in Iraq

The killing season restarts in Iraq: more war crimes and crimes against humanity taking place in regions inhabited by religious minorities:

Militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria boasted on Twitter that they had executed 1,700 Iraqi government soldiers, posting gruesome photos to support their claim.

The authenticity of the photographs and the insurgents’ claim could not be verified, and Iraqi government officials initially cast doubt on whether such a mass execution took place. There were also no reports of large numbers of funerals in the Salahuddin Province area, where the executions were said to have been conducted.

If the claim is true, it would be the worst mass atrocity in either Syria or Iraq in recent years, surpassing even the chemical weapons attacks in the Syrian suburbs of Damascus last year, which killed 1,400 people and were attributed to the Syrian government. New York Times

Iraqi security forces found the burned bodies of 12 policemen when they recaptured a town north of Baghdad from militants on Saturday, a police colonel and a doctor said.

Troops backed by tribal militia recaptured Ishaqi in Salaheddin province as they readied a fightback against the offensive that saw Sunni Arab militants overrun a large chunk of northern and north-central Iraq this week.

It was one of the closest points to the capital that the militants had reached in the assault they launched in second city Mosul late on Monday. YME

Iraq is now in the same struggle as Syria; can U.S., and Saudi Arabia solve the problem of one without the other?

Iraq is now in the same struggle as Syria; can U.S., and Saudi Arabia solve the problem of one without the other?

    Thursday, June 12, 2014   No comments

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi

Can U.S. and Saudi Arabia fight ISIL in Iraq and not in Syria? Or will they wait and see until another country is taken over?
 
By the time Western governments and their Gulf allies realize their mistake in Syria, ISIL will be in Mecca. The United states spent $25 billion training the Iraqi army. That modern army, whose members were vetted by the U.S. trainers, deserted before the advances of ISIL. The U.S. still insists on building another army of "moderate forces" in Syria to fight both the Syrian government and ISIL; another example of of "keep doing the same thing and expecting different results."

Iraq News Stories:


Iraq borders shift as Kurds take Kirkuk, ISIL surges toward Baghdad

Iraq crisis: al-Qaeda militants push towards Baghdad - live

KCK: Guerrilla forces are ready to defend South Kurdistan

Lavrov: Iraq developments show total failure of American-British 'adventure'

Caught off guard by al Qaeda uprising, Obama considers more aid to Iraq

Iran’s president says the Islamic Republic will not tolerate violence and terror as foreign-backed Takfiri militants wreak havoc in northern Iraq.

What the Saudi Think?  It’s Maliki’s Fault

Mosul emergency: Who is the jihadi leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi?

Battle to establish Islamic state across Iraq and Syria

Battle to establish Islamic state across Iraq and Syria

    Monday, June 09, 2014   No comments

Islamic fundamentalists have opened new fronts in their battle to establish an Islamic state across Iraq and Syria as they launch attacks in cities which were previously under the control of the Baghdad government.

A multi-pronged assault across central and northern Iraq in the past four days shows that the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isis) has taken over from the al-Qa’ida organisation founded by Osama bin Laden as the most powerful and effective extreme jihadi group in the world.

Isis now controls or can operate with impunity in a great stretch of territory in western Iraq and eastern Syria, making it militarily the most successful jihadi movement ever.

Led since 2010 by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, also known as Abu Dua, it has proved itself even more violent and sectarian than what US officials call the “core” al-Qa’ida, led by Ayman al-Zawahiri, who is based in Pakistan. Isis is highly fanatical, killing Shia Muslims and Christians whenever possible, as well as militarily efficient and under tight direction by top leaders.

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Interview with UN Peace Envoy Brahimi: 'Syria Will Become Another Somalia' ... armed group used chemical weapons ... are using civilians as human shields

Interview with UN Peace Envoy Brahimi: 'Syria Will Become Another Somalia' ... armed group used chemical weapons ... are using civilians as human shields

    Sunday, June 08, 2014   No comments

For almost two years, Lakhdar Brahimi sought to bring peace to Syria. But in May, the United Nations special envoy stepped down. He speaks with SPIEGEL about the stubbornness of Syrian President Assad, the mistakes of the West and the dangers presented by Islamic radicals.

 SPIEGEL: Mr. Brahimi, in May, you stepped down as the United Nations special envoy to Syria. When you took the position in 2012, many considered the task of achieving peace in Syria to be a mission impossible. What did you hope to achieve?

Brahimi: The idea was, and still is, for Bashar al-Assad to agree to become the kingmaker instead of staying on as president, an orderly transition with his participation to go to the new Syria. This is what I was and still am dreaming of.

SPIEGEL: Can you point to a particular incident that showed you that it was time to give up?

Brahimi: When I ended the second round of discussions at the so-called Geneva II conference at the beginning of this year, I realized that this process was not going to move forward any time soon.

SPIEGEL: What happened?

Brahimi: Neither Russia nor the US could convince their friends to participate in the negotiations with serious intent.

SPIEGEL: To what degree is the dispute about the person of President Bashar al Assad?

Brahimi: The issue of President Assad was a huge hurdle. The Syrian regime only came to Geneva to please the Russians, thinking that they were winning militarily. I told them "I'm sure that your instructions were: 'Go to Geneva. But not only don't make any concessions, don't discuss anything seriously.'"

SPIEGEL: What about on the other side?

Brahimi: The majority among the opposition were against coming to Geneva. They preferred a military solution and they came completely unprepared. But at least they were willing to start talking with President Assad still there as long as it was clear that, somewhere along the line, he would go.

SPIEGEL: So, you didn't have a chance at all?

Brahimi: I told the Americans and the Russians several times while we were preparing for Geneva that they were bringing these two delegations kicking and screaming, against their will.

SPIEGEL: For the sake of his country, why couldn't President Bashar accept a replacement leader that everybody could live with?

Brahimi: It is his regime. He still has an appetite for power. The regime is built around his person and he still has enough authority over people that having him stay in power is a fundamental part of their vision of the future. The way he puts it is, "The people want me there and I cannot say no." He said, "I am a Syrian national. If I have 50 percent plus one vote at the elections, I'll stay. If I have 50 percent less one vote, I will go." Yesterday he was just re-elected for another seven years! You have a situation where one side says there can be no solution unless Assad stays in power. While the other side says there can be no solution unless Assad goes. Do you know how to square a circle?

SPIEGEL: Is Assad aware of the way the war is being conducted by his army?

Brahimi: One-hundred percent.

SPIEGEL: The barrel bombs being thrown from helicopters on civilian populations? The targeted bombing of hospitals? The systematic torture and killing of thousands or tens-of-thousands?

Brahimi: He knows a hell of a lot. Maybe he doesn't know every single detail of what is happening, but I'm sure he is aware that people are being tortured, that people are being killed, that bombs are being thrown, that cities are being destroyed. He cannot ignore the fact that there are 2.5 million refugees. That number is going to be 4 million next year, and there are 6 million people who are internally displaced. He knows that there are 50,000 to 100,000 people in his jails. And that some of them are tortured every day.

SPIEGEL: Did you confront him with those facts?

Brahimi: Sure! I spoke to him of a list of 29,000 people in his prisons and I gave a copy of the list to his office.

SPIEGEL: Is the regime the major culprit or are war crimes also committed by others?

Brahimi: War crimes are being committed every day, by both sides. Starvation is being used as a weapon. When you prevent water and food from reaching 250,000 people, what else can you call that? And at the same time, some of the armed groups are using civilians as human shields. But the regime has a state, has an army with 300,000 men, has airplanes, which the opposition doesn't have.

read rest of interview >>

Iran president to visit Turkey Monday to meet Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan

Iran president to visit Turkey Monday to meet Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan

    Thursday, June 05, 2014   No comments

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is expected to visit Turkey on Monday, for the first time since he was elected last year, a Turkish official said.

     

The Iranian leader is expected to meet Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara for talks on bilateral ties and the broader Middle East, the official told AFP on Thursday.

     

"The visit has been in the making for a while, and Rouhani is expected to be flanked by a crowded delegation of ministers," according to the official speaking on condition of anonymity.       

Ankara and Tehran are trying to mend relations strained over the Syria conflict, with Iran supporting President Bashar al-Assad and Turkey backing the rebels seeking to oust him.

     

In January, Erdoğan visited Tehran where he said the two neighbouring countries aimed to more than double trade to $30 billion (22 billion euros) next year from $13.5 billion in 2013 despite strained relations.

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Syrian Rebels Describe U.S.-Backed Training in Qatar

Syrian Rebels Describe U.S.-Backed Training in Qatar

    Wednesday, May 28, 2014   No comments

With reports indicating that forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad are gaining ground in that country’s brutal civil war, moderate Syrian rebels have told a visiting journalist that the United States is arranging their training in Qatar (watch video).

In a documentary to be aired Tuesday night, the rebels describe their clandestine journey from the Syrian battlefield to meet with their American handlers in Turkey and then travel on to Qatar, where they say they received training in the use of sophisticated weapons and fighting techniques, including, one rebel said, “how to finish off soldiers still alive after an ambush.”

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Echoing Syria's brutal civil war, dozens dead, morgues overflowing after siege turns one of Ukraine’s largest airports into a war zone

Echoing Syria's brutal civil war, dozens dead, morgues overflowing after siege turns one of Ukraine’s largest airports into a war zone

    Wednesday, May 28, 2014   No comments

DONETSK, Ukraine — High-calibre weapons fire echoed sporadically Tuesday through the eastern city of Donetsk and the mayor urged residents to stay home a day after fighting between Ukrainian troops and separatist rebels reportedly killed dozens.

Donetsk mayor Oleksandr Lukyanchenko said 40 people, including two civilians, were killed after troops repelled a rebel attempt Monday to seize control of the airport, Ukraine’s second-largest.

Local morgues were overflowing with bodies Tuesday and rebel leaders said the death toll could rise up to 100.

The city of about 1 million was mostly quiet in the afternoon after an arson attack in the morning that torched a local hockey rink. Occasional gunfire was heard in the morning outside Donetsk airport.

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Assad's staying power leaves Turkey frustrated and exposed

Assad's staying power leaves Turkey frustrated and exposed

    Tuesday, May 27, 2014   No comments

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's certain victory in an election next month, derided internationally as a charade, leaves Turkey facing a bitter truth - its assumption of his quick demise was a costly miscalculation.

With al-Qaeda-linked armed groups controlling patches of territory across Turkey's southern border and a registered refugee influx set to top a million within months, Syria's three-year old war presents Ankara with an increasing financial burden and a growing security threat.

A gun battle in March when special forces raided the suspected İstanbul hide-out of a militant group active in Syria highlighted the potential threat to Turkey from the thousands of foreign jihadis who have been drawn into the conflict, a portion of them entering Syria over the Turkish border.

The torching of a building housing Syrian refugees in Ankara this month meanwhile pointed to anger at the growing social and economic costs of a humanitarian response which has already cost Turkey close to $3 billion.

With Assad facing no serious challenger in a June 3 election which his Western and Arab foes, as well as the Syrian opposition, have dismissed as a parody of democracy, such tensions are unlikely to dissipate any time soon.

"We may describe Turkish Syria policy as a mess. We've committed too much, we've talked too big," said Osman Bahadır Dinçer, Syria expert at the Turkish non-partisan thinktank USAK.

"At the very beginning Turkey underestimated the humanitarian problem. Turkey was not prepared and I think the same can be applied to border security."

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