West Asia News and Discussions (YEMEN, gulf)

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 02 Jul 2015 22:16

X-pos...
The rise of ISIS means the post colonial monarchial Arab states are in jeopardy. The old post colonial order based on sheikhs and sultans and kings is on its way out. And is being swept away by religion inspired fundamentalist revolutionary movement.
Its return to old normal in the Middle East.

uddu · Post by **uddu** » 02 Jul 2015 22:34

A change of state religion in these affected region with full support of the people can be of help.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 03 Jul 2015 11:12

the first wave of overthrow was people like anwar sadat, quadhafi, assad senior, saddam hussein, whoever threw out zahir shah from kabul based on nationalist or ethnic lines overthrowing the western sponsored monarchs.
in parallel iran also had its revolution and threw out the american allied regime.

then these were all destroyed or curtailed by western powers.

the sunni monarchies of the gulf continued on.

wherever the secular tyrants were removed, the ISIS/AQ moved in.

the real fight starts now, which is against the gulf sunni monarchies who have exported their troublemakers and sat pretty all the time.

west would much prefer a friendly tyrant than a unruly democracy that will act in own interest.

Bhurishrava · Post by **Bhurishrava** » 03 Jul 2015 13:32

On July 2 1993, 33 intellectuals, musicians and artists were murdered after the friday prayers in Turkey by burning them to death.
How Erdogan has established his religious credentials allowing the perpetrators to get off the hook.

https://www.opendemocracy.net/derya-law ... s-massacre

Falijee · Post by **Falijee** » 03 Jul 2015 22:15

WikiLeaks Publishes More Documents Revealing Saudi Connection Against Syria And United States

According to documents leaked by WikiLeaks, a secret treaty among Qatar, Turkey and Saudi Arabia shows they intended to overthrow the Syrian government. The revelation came from Julian Assange, the founder of the controversial website.

According to other leaked documents, the Saudi ambassador in Pakistan had a meeting with Nasiruddin Haqqani in 2012. Haqqani is the main fundraiser for the Haqqani network, the extremist group that has been on the U.N. terrorism watch list since 2010.

Haqqani asked the Saudi ambassador to accommodate the medical treatment of his father, Jalaluddin Haqqani. Jalaluddin is the founder of the extremist organization. According to the leaked documents, the father has a Saudi passport.

WikiLeaks also released documents claiming Riyadh had contacts with one of the most dangerous rivals of the United States in Afghanistan. Saudi Arabia has been a U.S. ally for years, but Washington has expressed concerns over allegations that Saudi donors sponsor the Afghan insurgency as well as other militant groups in the region, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Multatuli · Post by **Multatuli** » 04 Jul 2015 18:02

This is almost comical. Forget the 'almost', it *is* comical. Apparently IS attacked the Al Qaeda affiliated Al Nusra (Al Nusra is the Al Qaeda branche in Syria). Dutch news reports say 15 dead but this Iranian source puts the number of dead much higher.

ISIL's Suicide Attack Kills Tens of Al-Nusra Terrorists in Idlib Province

Over 60 Al-Nusra Front terrorists were killed in ISIL's suicide attack on Salem mosque in Ariha region.

"Abu Hazifeh al-Tunesi, the commander of the Al-Nusra Front in Ariha region, was among the terrorists killed in Salem mosque," a Syrian military source said.

http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.as ... 0413000357

Mosque explosion kills 14 during Ramadan fast-breaking meal

A bomb has exploded inside a mosque where al-Qaedas branch in Syria was holding a fast-breaking meal, killing at least 14, activists said. The blast in the Salem Mosque in the northern town of Ariha reportedly occurred shortly after sunset on Friday night when scores of Nusra Front members had gathered to break their fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the explosion killed 31 Nusra Front members including five commanders. Syria-based activist Ahmad al-Ahmad said 15 Nusra Front fighters were killed and more than 30 wounded. The differences in casualty estimates could not be immediately explained since the Nusra Front cordoned off the area.

http://jenkers.com/en?_escaped_fragment ... !t=4483040

uddu · Post by **uddu** » 04 Jul 2015 18:48

ISIS is no more the pious. Jaysh al-Islam (Army of Islam) is the most pious.

Taste of their own medicine: Syrian rebels execute ISIS terrorists, mimicking jihadists’ tactics
http://rt.com/news/270973-rebels-syria-isis-execution/

The Syrian opposition group, Jaysh al-Islam has executed 18 alleged Islamic State militants. A video emerged of the rebel organization imitating many of the jihadist group’s own execution recordings, including similar sound effects and visuals.

The clip, which was just under 20 minutes long, showed fighters from Jaysh al-Islam (Army of Islam) wearing orange prison attire, that victims of Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) are often executed in.
However, the ‘executed’ became the ‘executioners,’ as they slayed 18 prisoners, who were dressed in black cloths, reminiscent of IS’s main dress style.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 04 Jul 2015 20:23

ISIS executes 13 senior commanders for failed coup plot

http://www.wnd.com/2015/07/isis-execute ... coup-plot/

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 05 Jul 2015 22:28

Not sure this has been posted yet.

http://www.ibtimes.co.in/saudi-arabia-s ... nts-638045
"Killed in Gunfight with Isis Militants Near Mecca"

A Saudi counter-terrorism personnel was killed in a gun-fight against suspected Islamic State (Isis) militants hiding in a populated area in Mecca on Friday.

The Daily Star reported that the security forces have arrested three people and recovered Isis flags, besides guns with silencers and sensitive material on their computers.

A widely shared video clip on social media shows masked Saudi security forces restraining a man resisting arrest. The video is claimed to have been shot by an eyewitness, following the gun battle in Taif.

The Saudi Press Agency identified the slain officer as sergeant Awad Siraj al-Maliki. It is reported that the security forces had gone to arrest a man identified as Yousef Abdullatif Shabab al-Ghamdi. He is still on the run and the police have issued a lookout circular against him, reported Saudi Gazette.

In recent months, Saudi Arabia has seen a surge in the number of attacks carried out both in KSA and other countries by its citizens. Islamic State (Isis), which is a Sunni terrorist group, has the largest number of recruits from the kingdom compared to other Middle Eastern countries.

RoyG · Post by **RoyG** » 05 Jul 2015 23:56

A_Gupta wrote:Not sure this has been posted yet.

http://www.ibtimes.co.in/saudi-arabia-s ... nts-638045
"Killed in Gunfight with Isis Militants Near Mecca"
A Saudi counter-terrorism personnel was killed in a gun-fight against suspected Islamic State (Isis) militants hiding in a populated area in Mecca on Friday.

The Daily Star reported that the security forces have arrested three people and recovered Isis flags, besides guns with silencers and sensitive material on their computers.

A widely shared video clip on social media shows masked Saudi security forces restraining a man resisting arrest. The video is claimed to have been shot by an eyewitness, following the gun battle in Taif.

The Saudi Press Agency identified the slain officer as sergeant Awad Siraj al-Maliki. It is reported that the security forces had gone to arrest a man identified as Yousef Abdullatif Shabab al-Ghamdi. He is still on the run and the police have issued a lookout circular against him, reported Saudi Gazette.

In recent months, Saudi Arabia has seen a surge in the number of attacks carried out both in KSA and other countries by its citizens. Islamic State (Isis), which is a Sunni terrorist group, has the largest number of recruits from the kingdom compared to other Middle Eastern countries.

The are beginning to creep in. The Saudi's have learned well from the Pakis.

It's only a matter of time before tribes vying for the top seat of the country begin to use them
to exert leverage.

Falijee · Post by **Falijee** » 06 Jul 2015 05:03

China says tourists attacked in Turkey during anti-China protests

China has warned its citizens traveling in Turkey to be careful of anti-Beijing protests, saying some Chinese tourists have recently been "attacked and disturbed".

The notice, posted on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website on Sunday, said there had been "multiple" demonstrations in Turkey targeting the Chinese government.

China's treatment of the Uighurs is an important issue for many Turks, who see themselves as sharing a common cultural and religious background. Turkey vowed on Friday to keep its doors open to ethnic Uighurs fleeing persecution.

"Turkey should embrace its brothers, should save them from the brutal hands of communist China."

Waiting for the day when Aam Abduls of Pakistan follow Ummah brother Turkey and join hands in

Islamic Solidarity

vijaykarthik · Post by **vijaykarthik** » 06 Jul 2015 14:43

http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/origina ... b-93135581

Semih Idiz reports this week on “a slew of reports in the media indicating that the Turkish military acting on orders from the government had prepared contingency plans to enter Syria and establish a buffer zone along the Turkish border 100 kilometers (62 miles) long and 10 to 15 kilometers (6 to 9 miles) wide.”

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has intensified his campaign for a buffer zone since Syrian Kurdish and rebel forces defeated the Islamic State (IS) in Tell Abyad on June 15. He warned June 27, “We will never allow a state to be established in northern Syria and in the south of our country. No matter what the cost, we will continue our struggle in this regard.”

The US-led coalition backed the ground campaign by Syrian Kurdish and rebel groups against IS with airstrikes. Pentagon spokesman Col. Steve Warren said June 16 that the liberation of Tell Abyad from IS was “a great example of the combination of airpower — devastating airpower — along with seasoned, trained and capable ground forces."

Turkish officials who support Erdogan claim a buffer zone “will not only meet Turkey’s security requirements, but also establish a safe haven for Syrian refugees who continue to flood into Turkey. They also say it will enable Turkey to contribute more effectively to the fight against IS, thus belying claims in the Western media that Ankara is aiding such groups,” Idiz writes.

But the controversial plan does not have the backing of Turkey’s military, according to Idiz: “Although it is opposed to any Kurdish entity along Turkey’s borders, the Turkish military is said to be wary of being dragged by the government into a military adventure in Syria. Reports from the chief of general staff’s office leaked to the media indicate that the top brass wants Ankara to consider the international ramifications of an engagement in a complex and multilayered conflict.”

Metin Gurcan writes that Erdogan has sought to weaken the military establishment’s resistance to Syrian intervention: “Intelligence reports reaching Ankara after the fall of Tell Abyad said the PYD [Democratic Union Party] was now turning westward to reach the last Kurdish canton, Afrin, and that the final goal of the PYD was to create a Kurdish corridor that will abut Turkey and reach the sea. Those reports naturally encouraged AKP leaders to disregard any restraints stemming from the military’s realism.

“Another factor that weakened the 'braking mechanism' was the crisis of confidence the Turkish military has been having with the US plans for Syria. Security officials who recently spoke to Al-Monitor in Ankara pointed to mounting tension between the US and Turkish security bureaucracies. These sources insist that Ankara’s worst fear is for the United States to reach an understanding with the Syrian regime to smash the Islamic State and hand over areas it vacates to the PYD. According to these officials, the Kurdish corridor project with its 'Made in the USA' tag has been testing the limits of the traditional alliance between Turkey and the United States.”

The United States has so far rejected a buffer or no-fly zone in Syria. US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said May 6 before Congress that no-fly zones are “a difficult thing to contemplate” and enforcing them requires “a major combat mission.” State Department spokesman Mark C. Toner said June 29, “We’ve actually seen reports out of Turkey as well about these so-called no-fly or military-enforced zones. For our part, our position hasn’t changed. … We’ve discussed this many times and addressed it from this podium. The creation and enforcement of a no-fly zone or any other military enforced zone presents significant challenges. We’ve been very upfront about that.”

Fehim Tastekin writes that, in addition to the reservations of the Turkish military and the opposition of the United States, the formation of a new Turkish government may also hinder Erdogan’s effort to implement a buffer zone: “It will not be possible to sustain the Syrian policy when a coalition government is formed in Turkey, so Erdogan is dragging Turkey into an adventure in the transition period. … Erdogan wants to win the elections he lost, this time as the commander in chief. Surely he must be aware that this calculation includes deadly risks such as clashing with the Kurds, fighting with the Syrian army and provoking the IS nightmare against Turkey.”

Barzani: "We have higher expectations from Turkey"

Masrour Barzani, chancellor of the Kurdistan Region Security Council and eldest son of Iraqi Kurdistan President Massoud Barzani, told Al-Monitor, “The Turks should be more concerned about having [IS] on the borders of Turkey. Indeed, Turkish reaction to this should be one of relief that Kurds, as friends of the Turks, are controlling the border rather than [IS], which is the enemy of the entire world."

In an interview with Amberin Zaman, Barzani said, “We have higher expectations from Turkey. They should be doing a lot more than they are doing now. They are members of NATO, so they have to work out a system with the rest of the coalition members of how Turkey can best contribute. We are concerned by the deteriorating situation in Syria but also by the deterioration in the Kurdish peace process in Turkey. What we would love to see happen is for [IS] to be defeated and for the peace process to be expedited so that we can once and for all solve this problem of the Turks and Kurds inside Turkey.”

Barzani alluded to tensions between the Kurdistan Regional Government and the Syrian PYD, which is linked to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in Turkey, over the role of the People’s Protection Units (YPG, the military wing of the PYD), in Sinjar:

“Sinjar is deep inside our territories. The problem there [the IS occupation] was solved with the help of coalition airstrikes but primarily by the peshmerga forces. Sinjar is a Kurdish territory inside Iraq and the PYD [the YPG’s political arm] is a guest exactly in the same way that our peshmerga forces were when they went to support them in Kobani, but then returned. It is the expectation of the people of Iraqi Kurdistan that foreign fighters eventually leave and go back to where they came from.”

Barzani added, “The PKK has no role to play. They should pull out and they must because the people of Sinjar will determine their own future and this is Iraqi Kurdistan. Would the PKK be happy if a Kurdish political party inside Iraq meddled in the affairs of Diyarbakir or Mardin? But there are parties inside the Kurdish community within Turkey that definitely should be allowed to play a role. We believe in a multiparty system. PYD-PKK elements must pull out when the situation gets back to normal … this is Iraqi territory and they must leave. And this is one of the reasons why we are so eager to see the Kurdish peace process inside Turkey succeed. We hope this problem will be resolved peacefully."

Barzani said that he does not see the future of Iraqi Kurdistan linked to Iraq: “I don’t think Iraq is a feasible project. It's time for the world to realize that the failed system needs to be reviewed. Repeating the same mistake and believing it will give you a different result is insanity. This is exactly true for Iraq. How many times have we tried to support a united, strong central government in Baghdad? It didn’t work. Kurdistan is controlled by the Kurds, the Sunni areas are controlled by [IS] and the Shiite areas are controlled by Shiite forces and the Popular Mobilization Units. Prime Minister [Haider al-] Abadi has been making a big effort to fix things. But the Iraqi government must accept this reality and look for other solutions. We are not pushing for forced separation. We are talking about an amicable divorce.”

Hugi: Syrian government key to stability on Israeli border

Jacky Hugi argues that the recent unrest among Israel’s Druze citizens should be considered another warning of the threat to Israel from the rise of jihadist groups in Syria:

“What Israel should learn from these events is that it must strive for the survival and bolstering of the current regime at any price. Anyone who wonders why is invited to look at neighboring Iraq or distant Libya. What’s happening there is likely to happen in Syria after President Bashar al-Assad.”

Hugi adds, “The Baath regime was cruel to its citizens and robbed them of basic rights, and its leaders should pay the fullest price so that justice is served. But in choosing between one bad thing and another, the balance tips toward the regime. The Israeli security establishment should gradually abandon its emerging alliance with the Syrian rebels and elegantly work with its friends in the West to stabilize Damascus as much as possible. It must not fortify the regime’s enemies, develop friendly relations with them nor weaken its rule. The bitter consequences of this tactic could hit Jerusalem like a boomerang.

"The survival of the Damascus regime guarantees stability on Israel’s northern border, and it is a keystone to its national security. The Syrian regime is secular, tacitly recognizes Israel’s right to exist and does not crave death. It does not have messianic religious beliefs and does not aim to establish an Islamic caliphate in the area it controls. Since Syria is a sovereign nation, there is an array of means of putting pressure on it in case of conflict or crisis. It’s possible to transmit diplomatic messages, to work against it in international arenas or to damage its regional interests. If there’s a need for military action against it, there’s no need to desperately look for it amid a civilian population and risk killing innocent civilians.”

Read more: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/origina ... z3f6Xm9vtc

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 07 Jul 2015 10:41

Palestine ‘shocked’ at Indian abstention

Palestenian ambassador talking to Ms. Haidar. He is miffed at the Indian abstention at the UN Voting.
Excerpt

Q: But is that unfair? In India, the question often asked is that while Palestine expects all this explicit support from India at the UN, India doesn’t get support from Palestine at the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation when it passes resolutions against India. How do you answer that?

A: Well you know that India is not itself a member of the OIC and never desired to be a member of it. In the OIC decisions are taken collectively, there is no resolution where you can make individual statements and vote separately. It is also well known that while the OIC was set up to espouse the Palestinian cause, the State of Palestine is the weakest state in it. During President Arafat’s time, he used to call Indira Gandhi his sister, and laid the issues before her. At the OIC, especially on the problems between India and Pakistan, Palestine has always supported any peaceful resolution of their problems. We have not taken sides against India. We can’t answer however for the 54 members of OIC.

No, that is not acceptable, just remaining neutral. We wanted you to take a position against Pakistan. If remaining neutral is acceptable, isn't that what exactly India has done now? By not voting, it did not take a position against either Palestine or Israel. The follow-up question that Ms. Suhasini Haidar should have asked him was "OK. If there is 'no voting' in OIC and that was why your stance could not be made known, please explain to us what is Palestine's position on J&K and terrorism sponsored by Pakistan. Indians would like to know". She must have held his feet to the fire.

It is becoming clear that India is becoming a 'normal nation-state' after largely taking a moral high-stand most of the time (no doubt that there were sporadic instances in the last 68 years of playing 'realpolitik'). We must take stance in Indian interests and demand reciprocity.

schinnas · Post by **schinnas** » 07 Jul 2015 11:20

The follow-up question that Ms. Suhasini Haidar should have asked him was "OK. If there is 'no voting' in OIC and that was why your stance could not be made known, please explain to us what is Palestine's position on J&K and terrorism sponsored by Pakistan. Indians would like to know". She must have held his feet to the fire.

SSji, Indian reporters, even the well connected Ms. Haider are often interested in relationship building with key dignitaries so they can score exclusive interviews rather than ask tough questions and really add value. If you notice this interview (actually most interviews with foreign leaders or ambassadors), it will just be a platform for these dignitaries to push their PoV and no hard questions ever asked.

The bar for our media and senior reporters is low compared to International standards. They have lot to learn from US reporters. Our media learns the wrong things from US media (sensationalizing trivialism, accent, mannerisms) and not their professional conduct and ability to dive deep and ask tough questions in interview regardless of the stature of the leaders.

vijaykarthik · Post by **vijaykarthik** » 07 Jul 2015 17:08

^ I think its also to do with the advantage of being a super power and the govt not rapping the knuckles of the reporter if reqd. Point in generally, agreed, though. The Indian media leaves a lot of be desired barring a few [and that few doesn't include Karan Thapar, imo]

vijaykarthik · Post by **vijaykarthik** » 07 Jul 2015 17:11

Funny that the nuclear negotiations keep dragging along though Kerry also warns that US could walk away. If they did want to, why extend the initial draft agreement by a wk.

And now while working on a full deal - why extend it for the second time today?

--> It seems apparent (obvious?) that both the parties aren't prepared to leave w/o a deal - I wonder who is being convinced now - are they the other parties in the talk (aside from Iran / US)?

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 07 Jul 2015 19:08

schinnas wrote:SSji, Indian reporters, even the well connected Ms. Haider are often interested in relationship building with key dignitaries so they can score exclusive interviews rather than ask tough questions and really add value. If you notice this interview (actually most interviews with foreign leaders or ambassadors), it will just be a platform for these dignitaries to push their PoV and no hard questions ever asked.

True and I understand that.

Bhurishrava · Post by **Bhurishrava** » 08 Jul 2015 14:22

US has trained only 60 rebels in last one year in Syria!!!
http://news.yahoo.com/only-60-syrian-fi ... ories.html

gandharva · Post by **gandharva** » 09 Jul 2015 05:16

Freudian slip? Obama vows to speed up ‘training ISIL’

Multatuli · Post by **Multatuli** » 09 Jul 2015 21:18

About the Turkish plans to invade, occupy and annex part of Syria: Syria and Iran should bait Turkey into doing this, it would be the best punishment/way to export the instability in Syria to Turkey.

A few things that would be accomplished:

1. It would end and likely reverse the rapprochement between the Turks and Kurds in Turkey.

2. Upset the very cosy relation Turkey has with the Kurdish authority in Iraqi Kurdistan.

3. Bog down the Turkish army in Syria (Turkey is a long-term competitor/rival of Iran).

4. Disturb Turkish-Arab relations in the long-term.

How to bait Turkey into an invasion?

Arm the Kurds in Syria and prepare them for independence. There would be no loss for Syria in doing so. Syria can't be put together, after all that has happened.

I have been thinking about how to export the instability in Syria to Turkey and Jordan, and here we have the Turkish President himself volunteering the solution.

uddu wrote:

ISIS is no more the pious. Jaysh al-Islam (Army of Islam) is the most pious.
Taste of their own medicine: Syrian rebels execute ISIS terrorists, mimicking jihadists’ tactics

http://rt.com/news/270973-rebels-syria-isis-execution/

This is intertextuality in a terrorist context. Pure satire. I hope the the Jaysh al-Islam will think of other and more subtle ways in a follow up to this. Hilarious! Made my day.

Falijee · Post by **Falijee** » 10 Jul 2015 23:28

Saudis Dont Appreciate Satire !

Saudi comedian gets death threats and huge ratings for TV show that mocks ISIS

The show, Selfie, has also brought a backlash. ISIS sympathisers have made death threats against its Saudi star and top writer on social media.

One mainstream Saudi cleric called the show heresy for mocking the country’s ultraconservative religious establishment.

Another sketch lampooned Saudi Arabia’s powerful, ultraconservative religious establishment and its stance against music. That was the episode that prompted cleric Saeed bin Mohammed bin Farwa to accuse al-Qasabi and MBC of heresy.

Al-Harbi explained the title, saying the show is trying to give a snapshot of Arab society today.

Selfie’s biggest success, he said, is in exposing how extremist groups manipulate religion.
ex
He added that the show would deliver that message to the Arab public more effectively than lectures or government-controlled newspapers.

Saudi Society has a long way to go to appreciate humour

Trappings of materialist culture (McDonalds, Tiffany, Rolls Royce) on top of extreme intolerance of anything that is not considered so - called Islamic (e.g. humour and satire ) is a recipe for future disaster

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 11 Jul 2015 02:58

The recently removed Saudi Saudi Foreign Minister died day before . He was only 75. Has the traditional cleaning the house, removing old challenger custom now in top gear by new Honcho? Then Many more in the old leadership are on way to join their King, slowly slowly.

vijaykarthik · Post by **vijaykarthik** » 13 Jul 2015 06:33

Yemen got a ceasefire which lasted a few hours before fighting started again. And its been fighting again for about 2-3 days now. More air strikes and civvies getting killed.

Yemen did end up sending a few scuds into KSA territory the last few wks though. Surprising that the news never makes it into MNO's.

abhik · Post by **abhik** » 13 Jul 2015 09:45

^^^
Yup, lots of "snackbar" videos on YouTube showing the houthis destroying soothi tanks and border posts.

Agnimitra · Post by **Agnimitra** » 14 Jul 2015 07:33

Killing insurgents drives the Darwinian ratchet & making them more effective

http://www.martin-van-creveld.com/?p=338

अग्निशेषं ऋणशेषं शत्रुशेषं तथैव च।
पुनःपुनः प्रवर्धेत तस्मात् शेषं न कारयेत्।

Residual fire, debt, enmity (or enemies) are alike.
They regrow again and again, so don't leave any behind.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 14 Jul 2015 09:41

Isis in Iraq: Thousands of Shia militiamen to join decisive battle to take back Fallujah - but lack of experience risks heavy casualties
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world ... 86501.html

Tens of thousands of Shia militiamen are poised to join the battle for Fallujah, 40 miles west of Baghdad, in a bid to recapture it from Isis fighters who seized the city 18 months ago. The battle is likely to be one of the decisive military engagements of the Iraq war as Fallujah has been at the centre of the Sunni revolt in Iraq since the US invaded the country in 2003.

“Fallujah is surrounded, but we will take it little by little,” Brigadier-General Ali Musleh, a senior commander of the Shia militia force known as the Hashid Shaabi, told The Independent as Iraqi armed forces pressed Fallujah on three sides. Iraqi forces say they are keeping open a corridor through which civilians can escape before ground fighting escalates.

In a brief statement, Iraq’s Prime Minister, Haider al-Abadi, vowed to “take revenge from Daesh [Isis] criminals on the battlefield … and their cowardly crimes against unarmed civilians will only increase our determination to chase them and to expel them from the land of Iraq”.

The Hashid Shaabi is made up of volunteers who answered a call to arms by Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani after Isis captured Mosul on 10 June 2014. The Iraqi government announced the beginning of the operation to retake the giant Sunni province of Anbar that is 85 per cent held by Isis. Hashid forces match Isis fighters in their fanatical willingness to fight to the death. They are numerous, inspired by religious faith and have been successful in fighting around Baghdad. But their failings include a lack of experienced commanders and training, leading to heavy casualties.

The Iraqi army was weakened and discredited when it unexpectedly lost Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province, to Isis fighters on 17 May this year. The Shia-dominated government badly needs a victory against Isis and has no alternative but to use Shia militia units.

In the build-up to the battle Hashid military leaders have been leaving the holy city of Karbala, site of two of the greatest Shia shrines, for the front line around Fallujah, 54 miles to the north.

“The fighting has already started and I have been told to be at the front by tomorrow morning,” a Hashid member said late last night. Isis fighters celebrating in Fallujah, which the militants took in 2014 Isis fighters celebrating in Fallujah, which the militants took in 2014

Fallujah was twice besieged by US Marines in 2004, their forces finally storming the city after prolonged bombardment by air strikes and heavy artillery. Isis has had a long time to plant IEDs and booby traps, which it has used to great effect in the past. Its tactics include well-trained snipers, mortar teams and suicide bombers, the latter deployed in large numbers and driving vehicles that have been specially armoured and packed with explosives.

The poor training of Hashid forces is confirmed by Colonel Salah Rajab, who was deputy commander of the Habib Battalion of the Ali Akbar Brigade, a 300-strong unit whose soldiers come from Karbala. He was so badly wounded by the blast from a mortar bomb on 3 July that his lower right leg has been amputated. Looking cheerful and resolute despite his injury, he explains that he is a 55-year-old military professional who was a colonel in the old Iraqi army from which he resigned in 1999. He says: “I joined the Hashid to defend my country against foreigners and I had been fighting in Baiji city for 16 days when a mortar bomb landed near me, leaving two of our men dead and four wounded.”

Lying in bed in the Hussein Teaching Hospital in Karbala in a ward full of wounded Hashid fighters, Col Rajab lists the main weaknesses of his men. He says that “there is a lack of experienced commanders who know how to direct an attack, though they do ask advice from professional military officers and usually listen to us”.

READ MORE: • Video from Fallujah shows people 'crucified' in the street
• Day-to-day life in the 'Islamic State'
• What does the 'Islamic State' really want?

There is a general lack of training for the volunteers, making them less efficient and liable to suffer losses, Col Rajab says, adding that “they get a maximum of three months’ training when they need six months”. This lack of experience and training not only affects tactics, but security. He says that “Daesh [Isis] is continually hacking into our communications, finding out what we are doing and inflicting heavy losses”.

These points are borne out by the stories of other wounded Hashid fighters in the hospital. Omar Abdullah, a thin-looking 18-year-old with a heavily bandaged broken arm and leg, says he had just 25 days’ training before being committed to battle in Baiji. What happened next shows the sophistication of Isis’s battlefield skills.

Mr Abdullah says: “We were shot at by snipers and we ran into a house to seek cover. There were 13 of us and we didn’t realise that the house was full of explosives.” No sooner had they fallen into the trap than Isis detonated the bombs in the house, killing nine and wounding four of the fighters. What did Mr Abdullah think of the short training period? He says: “It should be more, but we need to fight as soon as possible.”

Isis has always relied heavily on IEDs, booby traps and suicide bombers to slow the advance of their enemies and cause casualties. Fadil Rashid is a bomb disposal expert from Nassiriya, south-east of Baghdad, who was on patrol north of Samara in Salahuddin province when he saw a suspicious-looking bridge about 15ft long over a canal. Before he could prevent him, one of his men put a foot on the bridge, detonating a bomb that killed four and wounded three men.

It seems likely that Isis will fight for Fallujah in a way that it did not fight for Tikrit, Saddam Hussein’s home town, which fell on 1 April after a month’s siege to an assault led by Shia militiamen. But Isis did not fight hard to hold it while preparing for a surprise counter-attack at Baiji and Ramadi.

Fallujah is more important because it was the first Iraqi city to be taken over by the militants, in January 2014. It is close to Baghdad and poses a threat to the capital. An early sign of the military weakness of the Iraqi government early last year was its inability to launch a successful counter-offensive to recapture Fallujah.

•
READ MORE: • Have US tactics only made Islamists more powerful?
• Nine battles that made Isis
• Cameron should not delude himself about Western power

If Fallujah does fall then it will be a mixed blessing for the Iraqi government, which has only limited control over the Shia militias that are now its main fighting force. The regular army has only about between 10,000 and 12,000 reliable combat troops. These are, however, reported to be exhausted and fought-out by being rushed from crisis to crisis without rest.

An important feature in the battle for Fallujah will be the willingness of the US to use its air power to support the Hashid attack. At Tikrit and Ramadi the US insisted that its air power be used only to support regular Iraqi army troops. The US sees several of the Shia militias as being under the control of Iran, though there are others more closely allied to the government.

Yesterday, a delivery of 36 F-16 fighter jets purchased by the Iraqi government was reported to have arrived at Balad air base, north of Baghdad.

If Isis does fight for Fallujah street by street then the destruction may be greater even than it was in 2004 when the US used heavy artillery and air strikes on civilian areas. Isis is preventing civilians from leaving. Baghdad has postponed its bid to recapture Ramadi until after it has taken Fallujah but, if it fails to do so, there will be little long-term chance of defeating the “Islamic State” in Iraq.

vijaykarthik · Post by **vijaykarthik** » 14 Jul 2015 18:14

In an interesting dev, an umbrella consortium of several Kurdish roups incl PKK has called off the unilateral cease fire in Turkey. That seems like a serious step.

this will also likely mean that the long tortuous route towards a peace deal is out for now?

Shreeman · Post by **Shreeman** » 16 Jul 2015 19:06

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... tants.html

An Egyptian navy vessel caught fire off the coast of Sinai on Thursday after an exchange of gunshots with militants from the shore, the military said.

A new thing.

vijaykarthik · Post by **vijaykarthik** » 16 Jul 2015 19:25

Sinai province is Egypt, Sirte in Libya etc are infested with terrorists / Islamists / militants. So its not a surprise. I always wondered why the militants didn't try to attempt a naval blockade in the Suez canal. Egypt is trying to develop a 2nd canal and it should get ready in a few months. Once that happens, the importance of Suez canal will somewhat reduce.

Pranay · Post by **Pranay** » 16 Jul 2015 20:52

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/17/world ... -news&_r=0

BEIRUT, Lebanon — For decades, Saudi Arabia has poured billions of its oil dollars into sympathetic Islamic organizations around the world, quietly practicing checkbook diplomacy to advance its agenda.

But a trove of thousands of Saudi documents recently released by WikiLeaks reveals in surprising detail how the government’s goal in recent years was not just to spread its strict version of Sunni Islam — though that was a priority — but also to undermine its primary adversary: Shiite Iran.

The documents from Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry illustrate a near obsession with Iran, with diplomats in Africa, Asia and Europe monitoring Iranian activities in minute detail and top government agencies plotting moves to limit the spread of Shiite Islam.

The scope of this global oil-funded operation helps explain the kingdom’s alarm at the deal reached on Tuesday between world powers and Iran over its nuclear program. Saudi leaders worry that relief from sanctions will give Iran more money to strengthen its militant proxies. But the documents reveal a depth of competition that is far more comprehensive, with deep roots in the religious ideologies that underpin the two nations.

The documents indicate an extensive apparatus inside the Saudi government dedicated to missionary activity that brings in officials from the Foreign, Interior and Islamic Affairs Ministries; the intelligence service and the office of the king.

Recent initiatives have included putting foreign preachers on the Saudi payroll; building mosques, schools and study centers; and undermining foreign officials and news media deemed threatening to the kingdom’s agenda.

At times, the king got involved, ordering an Iranian television station off the air or granting $1 million to an Islamic association in India.

“We are talking about thousands and thousands of activist organizations and preachers who are in the Saudi sphere of influence because they are directly or indirectly funded by them,” said Usama Hasan, a senior researcher in Islamic studies at the Quilliam Foundation in London. “It has been a huge factor, and the Saudi influence is undeniable.”

While the documents do not show any Saudi support for militant activity, critics argue that the kingdom’s campaign against Shiites — and its promotion of a strict form of Islam — has eroded pluralism in the Muslim world and added to the tensions fueling conflicts in Iraq, Syria, Yemen and elsewhere.

The Saudi government has made no secret of its international religious mission, nor of its enmity toward Iran. But it has found the leaks deeply embarrassing and has told its citizens that spreading them is a crime.

The Foreign Ministry relayed funding requests to officials in Riyadh; the Interior Ministry and the intelligence agency sometimes vetted potential recipients; the Saudi-supported Muslim World League helped coordinate strategy; and Saudi diplomats across the globe oversaw projects. Together, these officials identified sympathetic Muslim leaders and associations abroad; distributed funds and religious literature produced in Saudi Arabia; trained preachers; and gave them salaries to work in their own countries.

One example of this is Sheikh Suhaib Hasan, an Indian Islamic scholar who was educated in Saudi Arabia and worked for the kingdom for four decades in Kenya and in Britain, where he helped found the Islamic Sharia Council, according to a cable from the Saudi Embassy in London whose contents were verified by his son, Mr. Hassan of the Quilliam Foundation.

Some of the costliest projects were in India, which Saudi Arabia sees as a sectarian battleground.

Cables indicated that $266,000 had been granted to an Islamic association to open a nursing college; $133,000 had been used for an Islamic conference; and another grant went to a vocational training center for girls.

King Abdullah, who died in January, signed off on a $1 million gift to the Khaja Education Society, and a smaller amount went to a medical college run by Kerala Nadvathul Mujahideen.

A member of first group, Janab Moazam, confirmed that it had been granted the money and said that half had already been delivered. An official from the second group, Abdullah Koya Madani, confirmed that the group had received Saudi funding.

sum · Post by **sum** » 17 Jul 2015 04:16

Some of the costliest projects were in India, which Saudi Arabia sees as a sectarian battleground.

Cables indicated that $266,000 had been granted to an Islamic association to open a nursing college; $133,000 had been used for an Islamic conference; and another grant went to a vocational training center for girls.

King Abdullah, who died in January, signed off on a $1 million gift to the Khaja Education Society, and a smaller amount went to a medical college run by Kerala Nadvathul Mujahideen.

A member of first group, Janab Moazam, confirmed that it had been granted the money and said that half had already been delivered. An official from the second group, Abdullah Koya Madani, confirmed that the group had received Saudi funding.

We will bear ( and already bearing) the fruits of this willful negligence from our end for generations to come

RamaY · Post by **RamaY** » 17 Jul 2015 04:43

Shreeman wrote:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... tants.html

An Egyptian navy vessel caught fire off the coast of Sinai on Thursday after an exchange of gunshots with militants from the shore, the military said.
A new thing.

A very bad new thing. Imagine the ship anchored by eyetaliyan marienes getting caught fire.

RamaY · Post by **RamaY** » 17 Jul 2015 04:46

sum wrote:
Some of the costliest projects were in India, which Saudi Arabia sees as a sectarian battleground.

Cables indicated that $266,000 had been granted to an Islamic association to open a nursing college; $133,000 had been used for an Islamic conference; and another grant went to a vocational training center for girls.

King Abdullah, who died in January, signed off on a $1 million gift to the Khaja Education Society, and a smaller amount went to a medical college run by Kerala Nadvathul Mujahideen.

A member of first group, Janab Moazam, confirmed that it had been granted the money and said that half had already been delivered. An official from the second group, Abdullah Koya Madani, confirmed that the group had received Saudi funding.
We will bear ( and already bearing) the fruits of this willful negligence from our end for generations to come

And these trained nurses go to Gelf to serve their Arab masters. I hope these colleges are meant only for Muslims. In otherwords, Secularism in India is sending their annual slave offerings to Arab masters.

I am sure resident secularists will sell this as access to education, women empowerment, jobs and of course foreign remittances.

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 17 Jul 2015 05:53

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/8bba2ab4 ... z3g64l7vX9
The toxic rivalry of Saudi Arabia and Isis
( Revenge of 911 on Sunnis 2b extracted by Shia )

Prince Saud was by instinct a bridge-builder. Saudi foreign policy at the moment seems to be burning a lot of bridges. King Salman, who succeeded the late King Abdullah in January and recentralised power around himself and his family, served notice in March that he would fight Shia fire with Sunni fire.The ruling House of Saud, legitimised by the kingdom’s absolutist strain of Wahhabi Islam, had watched in appalled paralysis as Iran and its proxies exploited the mayhem unleashed across Arab lands — from the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 to the Arab spring after 2011 — to forge a Shia axis from Baghdad to Beirut.In March the Saudis launched an air war in Yemen, claiming Iran was behind an attempt by Shia Houthi fighters to overrun the country. Three months of futile and indiscriminate bombing later, this multi-sided contest for a failed state is no closer to resolution. The Saudis, who have never managed to do much about their ungovernable southern neighbours except bribe a varying combination of tribes, know full well that Tehran has played little more than a peripheral role in their recent protagonism. The war in Yemen is more a signal of deep unhappiness at the deal the US and world powers have struck with Iran over its nuclear programme. The bombing started in late March
The veteran Arab diplomat had warned the Bush administration what would happen in Iraq and the region if it went ahead with the 2003 invasion. But it was also Prince Saud, Arab officials say, who told John Kerry, US secretary of state, last summer after Isis surged back from Syria into Iraq, that “Daesh [an Arabic acronym for Isis] is our [Sunni] response to your support for the Da’wa”, the Shia Islamist party that has dominated Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein’s minority Sunni regime — with varying degrees of support from Washington and Tehran.
Isis is, of course, a physical threat to Saudi Arabia, where online polling suggests it has alarmingly high support. But the main fear of Saudi rulers is of being outflanked on the religious right by the jihadi extremists. The competition, therefore, is between Wahhabi absolutists and the Sunni supremacists of Isis as to which of them is a more credible scourge of the Shia — branded in both ideologies as polytheist heretics and rafidah (“rejectionist”).The speeches of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the self-declared Isis caliph, are often marinated in pieces of Islamic lore ripped from their context and always threatening. But they repay examination. In mid-May, he labelled the Yemen operation, which the Saudis called Storm of Resolve, “the kick of a dying person”.He mocked the Saudi air strikes as “a storm of delusion” and spoke of “the Muslim public in the Arabian Peninsula rallying around the Islamic State since it defends them against the rafidah”.Picking up on reports that Saudi Arabia had held meetings with Israel to discuss the consequences of an Iran nuclear deal, the Isis leader said the al-Saud were “not people of war” but “people of luxury and extravagance, people of intoxication, prostitution, dances and feasts . . . accustomed to the defence of the Jews and Crusaders”.
Isis has a record of following up such rants with action. It bombed two Shia mosques in Saudi Arabia’s eastern province in May and then sent a Saudi suicide bomber to kill Shia in a mosque in Kuwait City. This sectarian carnage shows that, while the Wahhabis marginalise the “rafidah”, Isis exterminates them. Such attacks also show the limits of Saudi control, in the part of the kingdom that contains most of its Shia and nearly all its oil. But if the authorities move towards conciliating the Shia, that plays very well for Isis too.Saudi Arabia, an absolute monarchy dependent on the Wahhabi clerical establishment, is purportedly a vital ally in the fight against Isis. Yet the kingdom is hoist with its own petard of religious absolutism at a time when the crumbling region around it needs the emerging detente with Iran to become eventually an entente — something Saud al-Faisal would instinctively have grasped.

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 17 Jul 2015 06:15

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/07/17/wo ... ?referrer=
WikiLeaks Shows a Saudi Obsession With Iran

The scope of this global oil-funded operation helps explain the kingdom’s alarm at the deal reached on Tuesday between world powers and Iran over its nuclear program. Saudi leaders worry that relief from sanctions will give Iran more money to strengthen its militant proxies. But the documents reveal a depth of competition that is far more comprehensive, with deep roots in the religious ideologies that underpin the two nations.A cable from the Saudi Embassy in Pakistan noting that the president of the International Islamic University of Islamabad had invited the Iranian ambassador to a cultural week on campus.The documents indicate an extensive apparatus inside the Saudi government dedicated to missionary activity that brings in officials from the Foreign, Interior and Islamic Affairs Ministries, the intelligence service and the office of the king.Recent initiatives have included putting foreign preachers on the Saudi payroll, building mosques, schools and study centers, and undermining foreign officials and news media deemed threatening to the kingdom’s agenda.At times, the king got involved, ordering an Iranian television station off the air or granting $1 million to an Islamic association in India.
One example of this is Sheikh Suhaib Hasan, an Indian Islamic scholar who was educated in Saudi Arabia and worked for the kingdom for four decades in Kenya and in Britain, where he helped found the Islamic Sharia Council, according to a cable from the Saudi Embassy in London whose contents were verified by his son, Mr. Hasan of the Quilliam Foundation.Some of the costliest projects were in India, which Saudi Arabia sees as a sectarian battleground.Cables indicated that $266,000 had been granted to an Islamic association to open a nursing college; $133,000 had been used for an Islamic conference; and another grant went to a vocational training center for girls.King Abdullah, who died in January, signed off on a $1 million gift to the Khaja Education Society, and a smaller amount went to a medical college run by Kerala Nadvathul Mujahideen.A member of first group, Janab Moazam, confirmed that it had been granted the money and said that half had already been delivered. An official from the second group, Abdullah Koya Madani, confirmed that the group had received Saudi funding.

pankajs · Post by **pankajs** » 17 Jul 2015 06:43

Abdul Hamid Ahmad ‏@AbdulHamidAhmad 8h8 hours ago

Car explodes in Saudi capital, one dead, two injured: Saudi press agency. Gulf News

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 17 Jul 2015 07:38

good pix of the ISIS attack on the egyptian boat. could be a ATGM.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... anean.html

Shanu · Post by **Shanu** » 18 Jul 2015 21:11

My first post on this forum. Has been a lurker for a long time. Wanted to start off by expressing my respect for the Gurus and seniors of BR forum. Going through the posts here have been a great learning experience.

Was recently going through the Libyan war situation and the situation appears to be really turning worse. ISIS seems to be expanding east and west out of Sirte at a rapid pace since last month. Please refer to the picture here.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ ... il_War.png

Recent tweets say that ISIS have also taken over Abu Qurayn in the west and Bin Jawad in the east. Their next stop appears to be the oil port of Ras Lanuf. If they get that, they will control a big part of the Libyan oil flow - more money of course means more violence. So the North African theater may get really hot really soon.

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 18 Jul 2015 21:24

SauIED E Mubarak
Saudi arrests 431 ISIS-linked suspects

Saudi Arabia arrested 431 people as part of a crackdown on a cluster of cells linked to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militant group, the kingdom’s Ministry of Interior (MOI) said.
Authorities also thwarted seven mosque attacks that had been planned by the suspects in the capital Riyadh as well as the Eastern Province, MOI Spokesman Maj. Gen. Mansour Al Turki said in a press conference carried by Al Arabiya News Channel.Among the arrested were Saudi nationals and suspects from nine other nationalities, he said adding that the cluster of cells was divided by tasks and target, he told reporters.In one cell, made of five members, their task was to prep suicide bombers while another five-member cell had the mission to manufacture explosive belts.Of the 431 arrested, 190 made up the four cells suspected to behind the Al-Qadeeh and Al-Unoud mosques’ bombings which claimed the lives of dozens of worshippers in May.ISIS claimed responsibility for the May explosion at a mosque in al-Qadeeh village east of the kingdom during Friday prayers, which killed 20 people. The bombing in al-Qadeeh in Qatif province also targeted Shiites to stir sectarian strife in the country.In late May, another Shiite mosque called al-Anoud was also targeted when four people were killed in the Eastern Province’s capital Dammam.Also, 97 others suspected to be behind al-Dalwa incident were among those detained. In late 2014, gunmen killed eight people in the Shiite village of Dalwa, in the Ahsa region of the Eastern Province, at the end of the Shiite holiday of Ashura.The ministry, meanwhile, said it found an arms workshop in the home of Ali Mohammed Al-Ateeq, one of the suspects arrested.

Falijee · Post by **Falijee** » 18 Jul 2015 22:50

Saudi king holds rare talks with Hamas leader Meshaal

Saudi King Salman has held rare talks with the leader of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, Khaled Meshaal, who was on pilgrimage to Mecca.

Mr Meshaal "praised the positive stance of the kingdom's leadership towards the Palestinian cause", Saudi Arabia's SPA state news agency reported.

However, correspondents say that Saudi officials and Hamas are in regular contact behind the scenes.

Allying with Israel against Shia Iran is just a tactical move by the Wahabi Saudis ; ultimate aim, as the Book preaches and which is their strategic long term aim to convert Darul Harb nations ( like India , Israel, US, UK etc ) into Darul Aman