War against ISIS

[Jaeger]

Iraq launches attack to retake city of Mosul | News | DW.COM | 24.03.2016
A ground offensive has been launched - backed by US airstrikes - to recapture Iraq's second-largest city, now under control of the "Islamic State." The city of 2 million fell to IS in 2014.



The Iraqi military announced Thursday that its forces have opened an offensive against IS and had already pushed the militants out of several villages on the outskirts of Makhmour, east of Mosul.

"The first phase of the Fatah (Conquest) Operation has been launched at dawn to liberate Nineveh, raising the Iraqi flag in several villages," the military statement said on Iraqi state TV.

Brigadier General Yahya Rasool said the US-led anti-IS coalition is providing air cover to Iraqi ground forces in a long-awaited plan that's been discussed openly for months.

"Since the early hours of the operation, Iraqi troops were able to liberate a number of villages and raise the Iraqi flag there," Rasool told state television al-Iraqiya without elaborating.

City held by IS since 2014

It's not clear how long the operation could take.

Mosul lies 360 kilometers (225 miles) northwest of Baghdad and is the country's second-largest city. It fell to IS in June 2014 and is the largest city in the extremist group's self-declared caliphate.

In December, the Iraqi government regained the western city of Ramadi, marking the first major setback for the al Qaeda breakaway group in months.


Kurds supporting Baghdad troops

Peshmerga fighters from Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region have also been heavily involved in the campaign against IS in northern Iraq.

The peshmerga deputy commander for the sector, Araz Mirkhan, told the AFP news agency that the offensive had started.

"Iraq forces in Makhmour have begun their advance towards Qayyarah to the south of Mosul," he said, referring to the town on the Tigris River to the west of Makhmour. "The advance has allowed us to liberate four or five villages from the Daesh terrorists," he added, using an Arabic acronym for IS.

US military skeptical of Iraqi success
In this June 16, 2014 file photo, demonstrators chant pro-"Islamic State" slogans in front of the provincial government headquarters in Mosul.

The Iraqi military's offensive comes only a few days after the US announced that it had set up a small Marine artillery outpost in northern Iraq to protect an Iraqi military base in Makhmour - the likely staging ground for a Mosul assault, located 67 kilometers (40 miles) southeast of the city.

Despite Baghdad's announcement, the number of Iraqi troops needed to carry out the operation to retake Mosul may not be sufficient.

US military leaders have said that the Iraqi government is facing political pressure to show victory.

Lieutenant General Vincent Stewart, head of the US Defense Intelligence Agency, told US lawmakers last month that he is "not as optimistic" as Iraqi leaders are of a military victory.

Coalition and Iraqi officials estimate that 24,000 to 36,000 troops would be needed for the Mosul operation. Yet only 2,000 to 3,000 Iraqi troops have been deployed at Makhmour base

 

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Sat Apr 9, 2016 | 8:25 AM EDT
U.S. deploys B-52 bombers to Qatar for fight against Islamic State

An Islamic State flag is seen in this picture illustration taken February 18, 2016.

REUTERS/DADORUVIC/ILLUSTRATION

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Air Force deployed B-52 bombers to Qatar on Saturday to join the fight against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, the first time they have been based in the Middle East since the end of the Gulf War in 1991.

U.S. Air Forces Central Command said it last flew the long-range bombers operationally in the region in May 2006 as part of the war in Afghanistan, and during a U.S.-led military exercise in Jordan in May 2015.

"The B-52 demonstrates our continued resolve to apply persistent pressure on Daesh and defend the region in any future contingency," said Air Force Lieutenant General Charles Brown, commander of U.S. Air Forces Central Command.

Daesh is the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State militant movement.

Lieutenant Colonel Chris Karns, spokesman for the Central Command, said he could not provide the exact number of B-52 bombers to be based at Al Udeid Air Basein Qatar due to "operational security reasons."

Washington's decision to deploy its powerful B-52 bombers to Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar came as the U.S. military stepped up the fight against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

Brown said the bombers would be able to deliver precision weapons and carry out a range of missions, including strategic attack, close-air support, air interdiction, and maritime operations.

Karns said the bombers would enable U.S. forces to drop one or two munitions in an area, rather than use carpet bombing.

"Accuracy is critically important in this war," he said. "Carpet-bombing would not be effective for the operation we're in because Daesh doesn't mass as large groups. Often, they blend into population centers. We always look to minimize civilian casualties."

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Tom Heneghan)
U.S. deploys B-52 bombers to Qatar for fight against Islamic State| Reuters

 

[Corzhens]

In the southern Philippines, there is the rebel group called Abu Sayyaf. It's actually a group of bandits that separated from the Muslim rebels. To me, I see Abu Sayyaf as an organized kidnapping group and their business is kidnap-for-ransom. Just recently, they beheaded one John Ridsdel, a Canadian hostage. And they did that for the failing to pay the demanded ransom.

The Abu Sayyaf is claiming to be have a direct link to ISIS. And if they wouldn't be recognized by ISIS, they are going to execute a series of bombings in Metro Manila.

 

[Diane Lane]

In the southern Philippines, there is the rebel group called Abu Sayyaf. It's actually a group of bandits that separated from the Muslim rebels. To me, I see Abu Sayyaf as an organized kidnapping group and their business is kidnap-for-ransom. Just recently, they beheaded one John Ridsdel, a Canadian hostage. And they did that for the failing to pay the demanded ransom.

The Abu Sayyaf is claiming to be have a direct link to ISIS. And if they wouldn't be recognized by ISIS, they are going to execute a series of bombings in Metro Manila.

I just watched a show about one such kidnapping conducted by Abu Sayyaf. I had hear the group's name in the past, but only rarely, so I wasn't all that familiar with them. Apparently they've been in existence for quite a while, because I believe the kidnapping in question (the main people shown was a couple from South Africa, kidnapped from a dive resort on Sipadan) took place I believe about the year 2000, although a quick internet search also showed an incident dating back to 1993.

I think in the past, these situations were handled as isolated incidents, so they didn't get much attention, at least outside of the areas where they have taken place, or where the kidnapped people lived. However, the world has changed, and with the rise of the Taliban, Al Qaeda, ISIS and other such groups, the stories seem to be covered more readily these days.

 

[Corzhens]

I just watched a show about one such kidnapping conducted by Abu Sayyaf. I had hear the group's name in the past, but only rarely, so I wasn't all that familiar with them. Apparently they've been in existence for quite a while, because I believe the kidnapping in question (the main people shown was a couple from South Africa, kidnapped from a dive resort on Sipadan) took place I believe about the year 2000, although a quick internet search also showed an incident dating back to 1993.

I think in the past, these situations were handled as isolated incidents, so they didn't get much attention, at least outside of the areas where they have taken place, or where the kidnapped people lived. However, the world has changed, and with the rise of the Taliban, Al Qaeda, ISIS and other such groups, the stories seem to be covered more readily these days.

Pardon me but this is not to smear the Muslims. That Abu Sayyaf group is solid Muslims and now trying to ride on the issue of ISIS. Even if the Philippines government looks at them as bandits, the Abu Sayyaf is still trying to portray themselves as jihadists and that they are doing the kidnappings in honor of their religion. But sometimes I wonder why the big rebel groups like MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front) is not mentioning Abu Sayyaf. Maybe they want to distance their group with those bandits.

 

[Diane Lane]

Pardon me but this is not to smear the Muslims. That Abu Sayyaf group is solid Muslims and now trying to ride on the issue of ISIS. Even if the Philippines government looks at them as bandits, the Abu Sayyaf is still trying to portray themselves as jihadists and that they are doing the kidnappings in honor of their religion. But sometimes I wonder why the big rebel groups like MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front) is not mentioning Abu Sayyaf. Maybe they want to distance their group with those bandits.

@Corzhens It sounds as if you're saying that Abu Sayyaf members and as a group happen to be muslim, but that they are not jihadists fighting for a cause and kidnapping for ransom in order to use those funds to promote their cause, but are rather simply criminals along the line of pirates. I'm sure you know more on the subject than I do, since they're active in the Philippines. That could be why we're not hearing much about them, although they've been active for years. I haven't heard of Moro Islamic Liberation Front, is that another that's prevalent in the Philippines?

 

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[tgthewriter1]

The war against ISIS is stupid. I think it’s stupid that people die over religion. People are dying because of their choice of book. I believe that the world needs someone to protect the unfortunate. But, I also believe that some countries should just protect themselves. I don’t have a right to judge this matter because i do not know the full event. I just know what people say about it.

 

[Corzhens]

@Corzhens It sounds as if you're saying that Abu Sayyaf members and as a group happen to be muslim, but that they are not jihadists fighting for a cause and kidnapping for ransom in order to use those funds to promote their cause, but are rather simply criminals along the line of pirates. I'm sure you know more on the subject than I do, since they're active in the Philippines. That could be why we're not hearing much about them, although they've been active for years. I haven't heard of Moro Islamic Liberation Front, is that another that's prevalent in the Philippines?

Yes, Abu Sayyaf is a Muslim group. I have no proof but my impression is that those bandits are the logistics arm of MILF, a legitimate Islamic rebel group. And when there is news of their crimes, Abu Sayyaf distances itself from MILF. It's really sad to think that the government is "babying" those rebels. They are few in numbers but they survive because the government have no volition to annihilate them.

 

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Belgium's F-16 fighters will start bombing Daesh in Syria from July

 

[Diane Lane]

Yes, Abu Sayyaf is a Muslim group. I have no proof but my impression is that those bandits are the logistics arm of MILF, a legitimate Islamic rebel group. And when there is news of their crimes, Abu Sayyaf distances itself from MILF. It's really sad to think that the government is "babying" those rebels. They are few in numbers but they survive because the government have no volition to annihilate them.

Yes, I wondered about that when I saw that the group (groups, or factions of one group, apparently) have been around for quite a while, apparently creating havoc and dangerous conditions for residents and travelers in the area. It seems the issue should have been addressed long before now, especially once the kidnappings, rapes and murders were publicized outside of the country. The group has been on the show Locked Up Abroad at least twice that I've seen, and I've only recently become aware of the show. Add in how long it takes to film and pull together a production, and you'd think something would have been done to stop the group's criminal activities by now.

 

[remnant]

The war against ISIS is rapidly evolving with the insurgents losing territory both in Iraq and Syria. Versatile and adaptable to a fault, ISIS is looking to diversify its territorial exploits by giving a franchise to other lesser terrorist groups like Al Shabbab and spreading its tentacles to unstable countries like Libya and Yemen where its registering some success. Ominously, it has resumed its old and more devastating tactics of terror in urban areas in both Iraq and Syria. It seems that ISIS, like the indefatigable Taliban in Afghanistan are in for the long haul.

 

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Coalition air strikes kill ISIS militants in Syria

Ten ISIS targets were hit in the strikes, which also destroyed one building used by the militants as a base, the agency said. (File Photo: Reuters)
Agencies Sunday, 10 July 2016

Air strikes by US-led coalition warplanes and artillery fire from Turkey killed eight ISIS militants in northern Syria, state-run Anadolu Agency cited the Turkish military as saying on Sunday.

Ten ISIS targets were hit in the strikes, which also destroyed one building used by the militants as a base, the agency said.

It said Turkish army howitzers fired on the militants as they were preparing to open fire on Turkey on Saturday from the areas of Baragitah, Tel Ahmar and Shabaniye in northern Syria.

Turkey and the coalition have carried out regular strikes against ISIS in the area in recent months after rocket attacks by the militants on the Turkish border town of Kilis.

Kilis, just across the frontier from an ISIS-controlled region of Syria, has been hit by rockets more than 70 times this year. More than 20 people have been killed.

Twenty-nine Syria rebels dead in fighting for key Aleppo road
Meanwhile, at least 29 Syrian rebels were killed in clashes with regime troops overnight during a failed bid to reopen the opposition’s key supply route into Aleppo city, a monitor said Sunday.

The fighters from the Faylaq al-Sham Islamist faction and al-Qaeda affiliate al-Nusra Front were killed trying to reopen the Castello Road, which regime forces effectively severed on Thursday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said.

The road was the only remaining supply route into the opposition-held east of Aleppo city, which has been divided between government and rebel control since mid-2012.

Government forces effectively severed the route on Thursday when they seized a hilltop within firing range of the Castello Road.

The Observatory said there were deaths among government forces in the overnight fighting, but had no immediate toll.

“The attack has ended and the road remains completely closed,” said Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman.

Kurdish militant bomb attack on Turkish army outpost kills two
Kurdish militants carried out a car bomb attack on a military outpost in southeastern Turkey overnight, killing one soldier and a member of the state-sponsored village guard militia, security sources said on Sunday.

It was the second such attack within 12 hours in the mainly Kurdish region, showing no let-up in a conflict between the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group and the state which flared up a year ago when a two-year-old ceasefire collapsed.

Ten soldiers and five village guards were also wounded in the attack by PKK guerrillas which took place in the Ercis district of Van province at 00:20 am (2120 GMT), the sources said. The army launched an operation to catch the perpetrators.

Around midday on Saturday a bomb attack on a similar military installation in the province of Mardin bordering Syria killed two soldiers and a civilian and wounded dozens.

More than 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict since the PKK, designated a terrorist group by Turkey and its Western allies, and began its insurgency in 1984. Just in the last year, thousands of militants, security force members and civilians have died.

Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency reported on Saturday that senior PKK commander Fehman Huseyin had been killed in a bomb attack on a car in which he was travelling in northeast Syria. The report has not been confirmed.

Huseyin, a Syrian Kurd also known by the code name Bahoz Erdal, was killed on Friday evening as he travelled to the northern Syrian city of Qamishli, Anadolu said, citing a spokesman of a Syrian rebel group it named as the Tel Khamis Brigades.

Last Update: Sunday, 10 July 2016 KSA 12:14 - GMT 09:14
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/New...air-strikes-kill-ISIS-militants-in-Syria.html

 

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http://www.reuters.com/article/us-m...=topNews&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=Social

 

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