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Thread: Iraq in 2016

  1. #41
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    Violence was up across the board in 1st week of March in Iraq. Govt had several offensives going on in Anbar and another in Salahaddin. Check out the article here.

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    As IS loses ground in Iraq it is reverting back to being an insurgent/terrorist organization. Perfect example was recent raid upon Abu Ghraib in western Baghdad. While the attack upon an army base got the headlines it appeared the real purpose was to raid a silo and bring food back to Fallujah, which was where the attack originated from. For all the details read here.

  3. #43
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    New weekly security report for Iraq is out. Violence has dramatically escalated in March after it was going down the last few months. IS and Iraqi forces continue to be focused in Anbar. Baghdad most attacks in country as IS returning to terrorist attacks. IS also fired chemical rockets at Kurds in Kirkuk and Ninewa. Full report here.

  4. #44
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    New paper by Dr. Michael Knights gives a breakdown of Iraq's forces along the frontlines. Check out the chart here.

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    New security report for Iraq during the 3rd week of March is out. Here's a link.

  6. #46
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    Default How Iraqi widow's resistance became a symbol of hope

    An optimistic report for once and one that shows Shia and Sunni can and do live together:http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middl...ymbol-of-hope?
    davidbfpo

  7. #47
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    Just published my 104th interview for Musings On Iraq. I talked with ret COl Rick Welts who was a member of the Force Strategic Engagement Cell which was created during the Surge to reach out to Iraq's tribes insurgents and militias. The interview focuses upon how the U.S. tried to talk with Sadr and Asaib Ahl Al-Haq and how Maliki used those two groups against each other. Here's a link to the interview.

  8. #48
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    US troops in Iraq has surpassed the official 3,800 and is now around 5,000. US also taking part in combat although unofficially like what happened in Makhmour camp in Ninewa. Here's an article on the US's expanded military role in Iraq.

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    The Hashd don't officially announce their losses. The government is also censoring its casualties. Two recent articles might have given a hint at their losses. Here's a link.

  10. #50
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    New security report for 3rd week of March in Iraq is out. Iraqi govt still focused upon clearing out Anbar and started new campaign in Makhmour, Ninewa that was going slowly. IS is also carrying out more terrorist attacks as it is thrown on the defensive. Read the report here.

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    When the Syrian civil war started in early 2011 the Assad govt was still backing the Iraqi insurgency. Anbar council said it caught insurgents crossing over from Syria with backing from Damascus. Syria started letting its nationals and Arabs go to Iraq in 2002 to fight US invasion and created ties with insurgents afterward. Read the full article here.

  12. #52
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    Default On the Kurdish frontline against the Islamic State

    A first-hand report by a British journalist, although maybe too much PR it does have a few acute points - even if one wonders if true. I cite:
    We haven’t got the weapons we need....All the support from Europe and the US goes through Baghdad, and the Iraqis don’t send any of it to us.
    Link:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016...islamic-state/

    I understood that the considerable German aid and the small UK donation had been flown their aid in direct.
    davidbfpo

  13. #53
    Council Member Red Rat's Avatar
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    It's largely rubbish.

    The Kurds are actively briefing against the Iraqis for a number of reasons. Are the Kurds short of weaponry? Yes, but the Iraqis are in exactly the same position as the Kurds and for largely the same reasons.

    It is also worth pointing out that as well as donations the Kurds have received extensive training from the Coalition and even now Kurds are being trained and equipped to the same levels as the Iraqi army is by the Coalition.
    RR

    "War is an option of difficulties"

  14. #54
    Council Member CrowBat's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by JWing View Post
    New paper by Dr. Michael Knights gives a breakdown of Iraq's forces along the frontlines. Check out the chart here.
    Thanks for that feature; Michael is great in researching this kind of details.

    That said, operations of the Hashd are reaching new levels of absurdity: they should have over 100,000 under arms meanwhile, but according to that list only 19,200 of these are fighting the Daesh in Iraq.

    ...while there are at least 30,000 of them fighting in Syria...

  15. #55
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    Quote Originally Posted by CrowBat View Post
    Thanks for that feature; Michael is great in researching this kind of details.

    That said, operations of the Hashd are reaching new levels of absurdity: they should have over 100,000 under arms meanwhile, but according to that list only 19,200 of these are fighting the Daesh in Iraq.

    ...while there are at least 30,000 of them fighting in Syria...
    Yeah, when the Iran-Russia Aleppo offensive started huge numbers of Hashd went to Syria. Plans to clear out the rest of Salahaddin for example got shelved as a result.

  16. #56
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    Review of violence in Iraq overall in March and casualties. As IS loses territory it is rapidly transitioning back into insurgent-terrorist attacks. Main focus has shifted to attacking Baghdad and carrying out mass casualty-headline grabbing bombings. Here's the report.

  17. #57
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    Good article on Asaib Ahl Al-Haq's TV station run out of Iraq. http://www.the-american-interest.com...e-living-room/

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    Jurf al-Sakhr in northwest Babil was freed in Oct 2014. Since then no civilians have been allowed to return. Babil govt claims it's because there are still too many IEDs there. Actually political decision. Read about it here.

  19. #59
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    New weekly security report for 1st week of April in Iraq is out. Looks like IS might be starting a spring offensive again. Iraqi forces continue to push through Anbar while other operations are a bit stalled. Here's a link.

  20. #60
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    Default Better than rubbish: two retd US Marines report

    Hat tip to WoTR for this report after a visit to the Peshmerga frontlines:http://warontherocks.com/2016/04/a-v...-against-isil/

    They end with:
    ....the Peshmerga struck us as a force that was there to fight. They don’t need to be a mirror image of us in terms of weapons, culture, and tactics in order to help destroy ISIL. But if the United States does choose to provide them with munitions and equipment, it is vital that we understand the ways in which they differ.
    Leaving aside how the Syrian Kurds appear to be using US supplies and fighting the FSA. Could this reversal happen in Iraqi Kurdistan?
    davidbfpo

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