Tag Archives: Kurdish forces

U.S.-backed Syrian forces clash with Islamic State militants inside Manbij: monitor

Syrian fighter with weapon

AMMAN (Reuters) – U.S.-backed Syrian forces fought Islamic State militants on Thursday inside the city of Manbij for the first time since they laid siege to the militant stronghold near the Turkish border, a monitor said.

The British-based Observatory for Human Rights said heavy clashes were taking place in western districts of Manbij after the alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters swept into the city near the Kutab roundabout, almost 2km from the city center.

The Syria Democratic Forces (SDF), including a Kurdish militia and Arab allies that joined it last year, launched the campaign late last month with the backing of U.S. special forces to drive Islamic State from its last stretch of the Syrian-Turkish frontier.

If successful it could cut the militants’ main access route to the outside world, paving the way for an assault on their Syrian capital Raqqa.

Manbij is in a region some 40 km (25 miles) from the Turkish border and since the start of the offensive on May 31, the SDF has taken dozens of villages and farms around it but had held back from entering the city with many thousands of people still trapped there.

(Reporting by Suleiman Al-Khalidi; Editing by Alison Williams)

Assad tasks minister with forming new government: Syria state media

Syrian's President Bashar al-Assad

BEIRUT (Reuters) – Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad tasked Electricity Minister Emad Khamis with forming a new government on Wednesday, state news agency SANA reported, without giving an immediate reason for the formation of a new cabinet.

SANA gave no details on why Khamis would replace Wael al-Halaki as prime minister, or whether Halaki would be included in the new administration or had left government. Halaki himself replaced a prime minister who defected to the opposition.

The Damascus-based government controls most of the war-torn country’s major population centers in the west, with the notable exceptions of Idlib, which is held by insurgents, and Aleppo, where it controls half of the city.

Kurdish forces are in control of vast areas along the Turkish border, and Islamic State holds Raqqa and Deir al-Zor provinces in the east.

Parliamentary elections were held in government-controlled areas in April, which the opposition said were meaningless.

Syria’s conflict, which began as a peaceful uprising against Assad, is now in its sixth year and has drawn in military involvement from regional and world powers and allowed for the growth of Islamic State.

Damascus formed a new government more than a year into the war in 2012, but its prime minister at the time, Riad Hijab, fled Syria soon afterwards. Hijab is now a prominent member of the main Syrian opposition that attended failed peace talks this year.

Assad ally Russia said last week there were U.S. proposals to incorporate parts of the opposition into the current Syrian government. Washington denied any such proposals and insists Assad must leave power.

The war has killed more than 250,000 people and displaced more than 11 million, half Syria’s pre-war population.

It has damaged the economy, causing the Syrian pound to lose more than 90 percent of its value.

(Reporting by John Davison and Lisa Barrington; Editing by Alison Williams)

Post-Islamic State Iraq should be split in three: top Kurdish official

Iraqi soldiers fighting ISIS

By Maher Chmaytelli and Isabel Coles

ERBIL, Iraq (Reuters) – Once Islamic State is defeated, Iraq should be divided into three separate entities to prevent further sectarian bloodshed, with a state each given to Shi’ite Muslims, Sunnis and Kurds, a top Kurdish official said on Thursday.

Iraqi troops have expelled Islamic State from some key cities the militants seized in 2014, and are advancing on Mosul, the largest city under IS control. Its fall would likely mean the end of the group’s self-proclaimed caliphate.

But even if Islamic State was eliminated, Iraq would still be deeply divided. Sectarian violence has continued for years and a power-sharing agreement in Baghdad has only led to discontent, deadlock and corruption.

Masrour Barzani, head of the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Security Council and son of KRG President Massoud Barzani, said the level of mistrust was such that they should not remain “under one roof”.

“Federation hasn’t worked, so it has to be either confederation or full separation,” Barzani told Reuters in an interview on Wednesday in the Kurdish capital Erbil. “If we have three confederated states, we will have equal three capitals, so one is not above the other.”

The Kurds have already taken steps toward realizing their long-held dream of independence from Iraq, which has been led by the Shi’ite majority since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, a Sunni, in 2003, following a U.S.-led invasion.

They run their own affairs in the north and have their own armed forces, the Peshmerga, which have been fighting Islamic State militants with help from a U.S.-led coalition.

Sunnis should be given the option of doing the same in the provinces where they are in the majority in the north and the west of Iraq, said Barzani.

“What we are offering is a solution,” he said. “This doesn’t mean they live under one roof but they can be good neighbors. Once they feel comfortable that they have a bright and secure future, they can start cooperating with each other.”

His father has called for a referendum on Kurdish independence this year as the region is locked in territorial and financial disputes with the central government.

Baghdad has cut off payments from the federal budget to the KRG to try to force the Kurds to sell crude produced on their territory through the state oil marketing company and not independently. The Kurds also claim the oil region of Kirkuk, in northern Iraq, as part of their territory.

Barzani said that the Sunnis’ feeling of marginalization by the Shi’ite leadership had facilitated the takeover of their regions by Islamic State militants.

In addition, Iraq endured months of wrangling and chaos over a government reshuffle that was to curb corruption. In May, frustration over the delays culminated in the unprecedented breach by protesters of the Green Zone, which houses parliament, government offices and many foreign embassies.

Ahead of the battle for Mosul, Barzani said the city’s different communities should agree in advance on how to handle the aftermath. Mosul’s pre-war population of 2 million was mostly Sunni, but included religious and ethnic minorities including Christians, Shi’ites, Yazidis, Kurds and Turkmen.

Almost all non-Sunnis fled the Islamic State takeover, along with hundreds of thousands of Sunnis who could not live under the militants’ harsh rule or could not endure Baghdad’s financial blockade imposed on IS-held regions.

“I think the most important part is how you manage Mosul after Daesh is defeated,” he said, referring to an Arabic name of Islamic State. “We don’t want to see the gap of liberation and then a vacuum, which probably will turn into chaos.”

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi at the end of last year expressed hope that 2016 would be the year of “final victory” over Islamic State with the capture of Mosul.

The army, counter-terrorism forces and Shi’ite Muslim paramilitary fighters backed by air strikes from a U.S.-led coalition are also in a major operation to retake the mainly Sunni city of Falluja, an hour’s drive from Baghdad.

(Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)

U.S. Officials Believe ISIS Leader “Jihadi John” Killed in U.S. Airstrikes

Multiple news agencies are reporting today that Islamic State leader “Jihadi John” was possibly killed during an airstrike in northern Syria led by the United States.

According to ABC News, a U.S. official stated that the jihadist, Mohammed Emwazi, was hit after leaving a building in Raqqa, Syria and entering a car. The official added that it was a “clean hit” where Emwazi was basically “evaporated.”

“U.S. forces conducted an airstrike in Raqqa, Syria, on Nov. 12, 2015 targeting Mohammed Emwazi, also known as ‘Jihadi John,'” Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said.

“Emwazi, a British citizen, participated in the videos showing the murders of U.S. journalists Steven Sotloff and James Foley, U.S. aid worker Abdul-Rahman Kassig, British aid workers David Haines and Alan Henning, Japanese journalist Kenji Goto, and a number of other hostages,” Cook said. “We are assessing the results of tonight’s operation and will provide additional information as and where appropriate.”

In the ISIS videos, Emwazi always wore all black, covering his entire body except his eyes and the bridge of his nose. He soon became a symbol of the Islamic State’s brutality after being featured many horrific videos where he killed innocent people in various, sadistic ways.

British Prime Minister David Cameron stated that the airstrike was a combined effort between the U.S. and Britain and was an act of self-defense, according to CNN.

“We always said we will do whatever is necessary to track down Emwazi and stop him taking the lives of others,” he said.

He added, “I want to thank the United States, the United Kingdom has no better ally.”

CNN adds that while officials are confident that Emwazi is dead, the Pentagon would not officially confirm his death at this time.

In another blow to ISIS, Reuters reports that Kurdish forces were able to seize back the Iraqi town of Sinjar back from the Islamic State on Friday. The Kurdish troops were able to take several of Sinjar’s public buildings including a cement factory, hospital, and wheat silo. Officials believe this win over the terrorist organization may give the Kurds the momentum needed to take back Mosul.

“The liberation of Sinjar will have a big impact on liberating Mosul,” Iraq Kurdish regional President Massoud Barzani told reporters atop Mount Sinjar, overlooking the town.

The operation has not only liberated the town, but has cut off vital trade routes that ISIS used to move weapons, oil, fighters, and other commodities.

Kurdish Forces Battle to Retake Iraq’s Sinjar Town

Kurdish Iraqi fighters, backed by U.S. airstrikes, launched an assault Thursday aimed at retaking the strategic town of Sinjar. ISIS had seized Sinjar last year murdering, raping, and enslaving thousands of Yazidis.

According to Reuters, the Kurds have captured three villages and penetrated parts of Highway 47, a supply route between Raqqa in Syria and the Iraqi city of Mosul, both of them Islamic State base areas.

“The ground assault began in the early morning hours of Nov. 12, when peshmerga units successfully established blocking positions along Highway 47 and began clearing Sinjar,” said the coalition in a statement.

Some 7,500 Kurdish fighters were deployed on a three-pronged front seeking to reclaim Sinjar, Kurdish authorities said.

Another spokesman, Col. Steve Warren, told the Reuters news agency that some U.S. advisers were among the peshmerga ground forces to help with targeting airstrikes. He gave no further details. The Associated Press reported that a small American military team was seen on a hilltop, directing and confirming airstrikes

The Washington Post reported that the capture of Sinjar by Islamic State militants in August 2014 sent tens of thousands of Yazidis fleeing to Mount Sinjar, where they became trapped. Thousands of women were captured by the group and have been used as sex slaves.

Should the Kurds win a victory in Sinjar it may give government forces and Shiite militias the biggest push to increase efforts to defeat the Islamic State. ISIS still controls large areas of Iraq and Syria.

Turkey Warning U.S. & Russia, Do Not Back Kurds in Syria

Turkey summoned the U.S. and Russian ambassadors separately on Tuesday to convey their concerns regarding Syrian Kurdish forces fighting the ISIS terrorist group in Syria and “unacceptable military and political support by the U.S. or by Russia.”

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, said in televised comments: “We have a clear position. That position has been conveyed to the United States and the Russian Federation. Turkey cannot accept any cooperation with terrorist organisations which have waged war against it.”

Turkey has been active on its war on terror against ISIS and with the Kurdistan Workers’ party (PKK) who has waged a bloody insurgency since 1984 into Turkey, but has so far focused almost exclusively on bombing of the Kurdish militants in northern Iraq. The Democratic Union party (PYD) is considered to be a Syrian offshoot of the PKK by Turkey and military officials there are concerned that weapon drops to Syrian rebels by the U.S. and ammunitions being supplied to Assad’s forces by Russia are being confiscated and used by the PYD.   

Involved in harsh fighting with ISIS for many months, the PYD’s Kurdish fighters control large parts of northern Syria on the Turkish border.  

“We know that some of those who fled from [Turkish] operations against the PKK in northern Iraq joined the ranks of the PYD in Syria. We have a clear stance against terrorist organisations which waged a war against Turkey. We have the same attitude against their affiliates.” said Prime Minister Davutoğlu. “Just as the United States and other friendly allies fight against al-Qaida linked groups, Turkey is determined to fight against the PKK and its affiliates.”

Aid Groups Claim ISIS Used Chemical Weapons

At least two aid groups working to help civilians trapped by the terrorist group ISIS say that many are showing wounds that correspond with a mustard gas attack.

Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said that it has treated potential chemical weapons victims in Marea although they did not officially confirm mustard gas.  The Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS) said their doctors were able to identify the agent as mustard gas.

“Personally, I’ve never encountered these symptoms before, and clinical features and the evolution in time were highly suggestive of intoxication by a chemical agent,” an MSF doctor, who requested anonymity, told the Guardian newspaper. “I think we are never prepared to face this kind of atrocities among civilian population and children. As medics, we are trained to react in difficult and stressful situations, but events like this are overwhelming.”

At least one former military official with expertise in the field says the attack used mustard gas.

“This is classic mustard agent symptoms, I have no doubt,” Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, a former commanding officer of the UK Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear regiment and Nato’s Rapid Reaction CBRN battalion, told the Guardian.

U.S. Central Command had previously reported that ISIS is suspected to have used chemical weapons on Kurdish forces in northern Syria.  Also, they reported a sulphur mustard gas attack on Kurdish forces in Iraq by the terrorists.

Pentagon Believes ISIS Used Chemical Weapons

Pentagon officials have confirmed that they are investigating reports of Islamic terrorist group ISIS using chemical weapons against Kurdish fighters in northern Iraq.

The officials were quick to emphasize that it was likely a small amount and in a weak concentration, but it still would confirm the terrorists have found at least one cache of Syrian chemical weapons.

A senior U.S. official said that after a barrage fired at a Peshmerga unit last week, there were  “wounds consistent with a blister-producing agent.”

“We continue to monitor these reports closely, and would further stress that any use of chemicals or biological material as a weapon is completely inconsistent with international standards and norms regarding such capabilities,” Alistair Baskey, spokesman for the White House’s National Security Council, said in a statement.

Peshmerga Brig. Gen. Sirwan Barzani told CNN they suspect the agent used was mustard gas because some troops also suffered breathing difficulties beyond the skin blistering.

ISIS had been previously accused by monitoring groups of using chlorine based chemical weapons against Kurdish forces.

“We continue to take these and all allegations of chemical weapons use very seriously. As in previous instances of alleged ISIL use of chemicals as weapons, we are aware of the reports and are seeking additional information. We continue to monitor these reports closely, and would further stress that use of any chemicals or biological material as a weapon is completely inconsistent with international standards and norms regarding such capabilities,” Blake Narendra, a spokesperson for the State Department’s Arms Control, Verification and Compliance Bureau, told reporters.

Mustard gas is only deadly in large quantities but can cause painful burns and blisters that could render an enemy immobile from pain.

ISIS Slaughters Kobani Families In Their Homes

Islamic terrorist group ISIS launched a surprise attack on the Kurdish held city of Kobani Thursday night, slaughtering entire families inside their homes.

Survivors of the assault told the Christian Science Monitor of the devastation of the assault.

Silva Sheikh, 7, talked to CSM outside of a hospital with her T-shirt covered in the blood of her mother, father, grandfather and grandmother who were gunned down by the terrorists.

“I took my brothers and sisters by the hand and we escaped, but I forgot the pram with baby Linda inside,” she cries as her other siblings sit silently with her.

“My neighbors told me IS entered the house and killed everyone but the children” explains their aunt, Aida Sheikh, who collected them after an ambulance brought them across the border. “Everyone we’ve called in Kobane is too scared to go rescue the baby. Look at these innocent children. How will I care for them? What will I tell them?”

Witnesses say the terrorists were disguised as allied militia.

“I assume that the main purpose of the attack was almost certainly not to take and hold Kobane, but to throw the Kurds off balance and force them to divert forces to protect Kobane and other rear areas, so as to ease the threat they pose to Isis’s ‘capital’ in Raqqa,” said Yezid Sayegh, an expert at the Carnegie Middle East Centre in Beirut. “Consequently, Isis didn’t need to use large numbers of fighters, just enough to do something dramatic – easily done by attacking a ‘soft’ target such as civilians.”

ISIS Carries Out Bombing Near U.S. Consulate in Irbil

The Islamic terrorist group ISIS has claimed responsibility for a bombing near the U.S. Consulate in the Kurdish Iraqi city of Irbil.

The terrorists said the consulate was their target.

Police said four people are dead and at least 18 people were injured by the car bomb.  The U.S. State Department said that all Consulate personnel were safe.

Police told reporters that a small improvised bomb detonated in the area which was followed by a car moving toward the consulate.  Security personnel began to fire on the car and when it was clear they would not make the consulate, the people within the car detonated their devices.

A witness reported a gun battle between the terrorists and police.

The blast took place across the street from a row of bars, cafes and shops frequented by consular employees.

“The United States will continue to stand with the people of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region and all Iraqis as we work together in confronting these terrorist acts and towards our shared goal of degrading and defeating (ISIS),” the State Department said in a statement.