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Iraq Tag

Posted by Mary Chastain on December 27, 2018 40 Comments
I know the news tends to be slow at the end of the year, but this is ridiculous. CNN reported that troops may have violated Department of Defense guidelines when they asked President Donald Trump to sign their Make America Great Again hats. Or maybe the troops just wanted to get their commander-in-chief's autograph and who knows when they'd have another opportunity to get it?

Posted by Mary Chastain on December 24, 2018 5 Comments
I shed a few tears after reading this article. People in Mosul, Iraq, had to endure hell for three years under Sharia law was set in place by the Islamic State (ISIS). This meant women covered head to toe in black while men had to grow long beards. Without the terrorist group around, men and women have now dashed to salons for makeovers, plastic surgery, and dental treatments.

Posted by Mary Chastain on May 10, 2018 39 Comments
Two Iraqi officials announced that an operation between U.S. and Iraqi forces led to the capture of five top ISIS members. From The New York Times:
The three-month operation, which tracked a group of senior Islamic State leaders who had been hiding in Syria and Turkey, represents a significant intelligence victory for the American-led coalition fighting the extremist group and underscores the strengthening relationship between Washington and Baghdad.

Posted by Mary Chastain on December 09, 2017 6 Comments
Iraq Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has declared that the country has fully liberated itself from the Islamic State (ISIS). The defeat of ISIS comes after three years of battles since the terrorist group leaked into Iraq and captured Mosul, the country's second largest city, and other key cities along the border of Syria.

Posted by Mary Chastain on November 13, 2017 3 Comments
A 7.3 magnitude earthquake shook the border of Iran and Iraq over the weekend and the death roll has risen to 348 people. From Reuters:
State television said more than 348 people were killed in Iran and at least 6,600 were injured. Local officials said the death toll would rise as search and rescue teams reached remote areas of Iran.

Posted by Fuzzy Slippers on October 21, 2017 6 Comments
In a deliberate show of anti-Israel sentiment, a Palestinian city has erected a statue of Saddam Hussein bearing the words:  "Arab Palestine From River To Sea."  This was Hussein's rallying call for the destruction of Israel. The Times of Israel reports:
The Palestinian city of Qalqilya has named a street after Saddam Hussein and erected a memorial with his likeness, an NGO monitoring Arabic media reported.

Posted by Fuzzy Slippers on October 16, 2017 4 Comments
Kirkuk, Iraq has become a centerpiece in the Iraqi government's rejection of the overwhelmingly successful Kurdish Independence Referendum. Monday, Iraq took control of Kirkuk, which has been under Kurdish control since they took it from ISIS in 2014 as Iraqi forces fled.  It is surprising that the Kurds did not stand and fight for the hard-won Kirkuk, but it's not yet clear this was the case as there have been reports of gunfire and "clashes" in the city.  The resistance by Kurdish forces appears to have been somewhat minimal. The BBC reports:
The Iraqi military moved into Kirkuk three weeks after the Kurdistan Region held a controversial independence referendum.

Posted by Fuzzy Slippers on October 01, 2017 10 Comments
We blogged about the Kurdish Independence vote held last week and about the resulting international threats and tensions, including the closing of Kurdish airports. Pro-western Iraqi Kurds are disappointed by the lukewarm European response to their overwhelming victory, and can't be too happy with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's statement that the U. S. does not recognize their independence referendum. Turkey, Iran, and Iraq are stepping up their disapproval of the referendum and moving to isolate the Kurdish region of Iraq.

Posted by Mary Chastain on July 16, 2017 6 Comments
Two years ago, former President Barack Obama agreed to the Iran Nuclear Deal and told The New York Times that "Iran will be and should be a regional power." He also said that Iran has "that ability now to take some decisive steps to move toward a more constructive relationship with the world community." Obama encouraged Iranian leaders "to seize that opportunity." Well, Obama, you got your wish. Iran seized that opportunity and has taken over Iraq. Goods from Iran fill up the Iraqi markets. Not to mention that Iranian militias had a hand in dispelling ISIS from Mosul and other areas.

Posted by Mary Chastain on July 10, 2017 6 Comments
After three long years, forces have liberated Mosul, Iraq's second largest city, from the grips of ISIS. From CNN:
"From here, from the heart of the liberated and free Mosul, by the sacrifices of the Iraqis from all the provinces, we declare the great victory for all of Iraq and Iraqis," [Iraqi PM Haider] al-Abadi said. "This is a great celebration that crowned the victories of the fighters and the Iraqis over the last three years."

Posted by Mary Chastain on March 08, 2017 15 Comments
As the Islamic state (ISIS) retreats from Mosul, Iraq, more locals have spoken out about life under the terrorist group. ISIS captured Iraq's second largest city in the summer of 2014. OB-GYN Dr. Fatima Khaleel spoke with The Sunday Times about the females she treated in Mosul, noting most of them desperately wanted to get pregnant by ISIS fighters to breed caliphate cubs.
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