Islamic State issued video trying to appeal to Kurds to join organization. Iraqi Kurdistan has legacy of Salafi jihadist groups since 1990s and a few hundred people from rural areas have joined IS over the years. Full details here.
New weekly security report for Iraq out. Govt still clearing Ramadi-Fallujah corridor and making slow progress north towards Mosul. IS carrying out large executions trying to maintain control of areas and attacking Baghdad. Here's a link.
Islamic State issued video trying to appeal to Kurds to join organization. Iraqi Kurdistan has legacy of Salafi jihadist groups since 1990s and a few hundred people from rural areas have joined IS over the years. Full details here.
Review of violence in Iraq in August 2016. After steady decline attacks were back up in the month driven by more terrorist attacks in Baghdad, counter attacks to govt offensives Ninewa & Kirkuk and executions by Islamic State trying to maintain control over its last areas in Iraq. Here's link.
PM Abadi has continued PM Maliki's Syria policy letting Iraqis go fight there for Iran & Assad and offered to allow Russia to carry out air missions from Iran into Syria. Read the whole article here.
Just did an interview with Naval Postgraduate School Asst Prof Afshon Ostovar on the history of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in Iraq from its creation during the Iran-Iraq War up to the present war against the Islamic State. Here's a link.
New weekly security report out for 1st week of Sep 2016. Incidents dipped but casualties remained high in Iraq. Here's a link to the article.
New security report for 2nd week of Sep 2016 in Iraq. Violence remained at low level across country. Main focus of IS was terrorist attacks in Baghdad. Here's a link.
Little blast from the past. For years while Maliki was PM of Iraq the govt's official death counts were far lower than anyone else tracking violence in the country. Many suspected this was on purpose. Now there's proof. Inspector General in Health Ministry who was from Maliki's Dawa party told Baghdad hospitals and morgues to cut their death counts in half in autumn 07 to make the prime minister look better. Here's a link.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mi...-idUSKCN11R2RBThe U.S. military is testing to see if a chemical agent may have been used in a rocket attack in Iraq by Islamic State that came within hundreds of yards (meters) of U.S. forces but injured no one, a U.S. military official said on Wednesday.
The rocket fell on Tuesday in an unpopulated area near the Qayyara West base, where hundreds of U.S. forces are working to prepare an airfield ahead of Iraq's offensive to retake the city of Mosul from the radical group Islamic State, said the official, who spoke with Pentagon reporters on condition of anonymity.
A group of U.S. forces inspected the fragments afterwards and took a small sample of a suspicious "tar-like, black, oily" substance, which initially tested positive for mustard agent but then tested negative in a subsequent examination, the official said. Further tests were underway. The incident was first reported by CNN.
As a precaution, they underwent routine decontamination procedures, including showers, but did not display symptoms that would typically show up within 12 hours of exposure
A scrimmage in a Border Station
A canter down some dark defile
Two thousand pounds of education
Drops to a ten-rupee jezail
http://i.imgur.com/IPT1uLH.jpg
Just posted new weekly security report in Iraq. Attacks have been creeping up in September, but still far below earlier in year when IS conducting spring offensive. Here's a link.
Analysis of violence in Iraq in the 3rd quarter of 2015. Was a spike in violence across the country by the Islamic State before dipping in the winter. Here's a link.
Last week of September saw highest number of security incidents in Baghdad ever recorded by Musings On Iraq since 2014. Govt forces also finally took on Shirqat district, last section of Salahaddin still under IS control. Here's link to article.
Violence across Iraq increased each week of September, but by end of month was at same level as August. Link to article.
New weekly security report for 1st week of Oct in Iraq out. Violence continues to fluctuate up and down. Iraqi forces trying to clear area from Ramadi to Hit in Anbar. Here's a link.
New security report out for 2nd week of October in Iraq. Violence down across the country but terrorism staying steady in Baghdad. Here's a link.
Overview of the political and military implications of new Mosul offensive and rundown of 1st days events. Here's a link.
Everything you want to know about day 2 of the Mosul operation here.
Everything you want to know about Day 3 of Mosul operation here.
Australian General Jim Molan has a short overview of Iraq as the attack on Mosul gains momentum:http://www.lowyinterpreter.org/post/2016/10/19/How-the-fight-for-Mosul-is-likely-to-play-out.aspx?
On the regular military:Our Australian trainers in Taji say they have been impressed by with the Iraqis' willingness to learn, but again, when you are working from such a low base, any change is dramatic.
davidbfpo
Good article from War On The Rocks: After the Battle for Mosul, Get Ready for the Islamic State to Go Underground
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