LATEST: US Armed Drones Giving “Force Protection” to Advisors

FRIDAY FEATURE

Iraq & Syria Audio: Beware of Exaggerating ISIS…& Merging 2 Conflicts

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki stole the headlines on Thursday, even as insurgents pressed their offensive in western and northern Iraq, with a provocative interview with the BBC.

Most news outlets chose al-Maliki’s confirmation that Syrian warplanes had carried out deadly airstrikes on Tuesday near Iraq’s border town of Al Qaim — albeit while saying the attacks occurred “within Syrian territory” — even though Damascus has denied carrying out the assault, which killed at least 57 people and wounded 132 in the town:

There was no coordination involved, but we welcome this action. We welcome any Syrian strike against Isis because this group targets both Iraq and Syria….They carry out their strikes and we carry out ours. The final winners are our two countries.

But the Prime Minister’s interview went beyond that declaration. As he fights for survival, Maliki was signalling that he was looking for support.

The Assad regime, embroiled in its own civil war, can offer little more than rhetoric, and Iran’s continued alliance with Maliki faces both the insurgency and the Western countries who are insisting on an emergency Government that might not include the Prime Minister.

So al-Maliki looked to Russia. He told the BBC that, if the US would not give him jets to destroy the insurgents from the air, then he would approach Moscow — the same force which, with Tehran, has been propping Damascus in its 39-month conflict.

Was the Prime Minister looking for an alliance with Moscow, seeking some leverage with a Washington which may wish to push him aside, or both?

Significantly, Maliki put out his message just before meeting British Foreign Secretary William Hague, who was following up on the visit by US Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday.

Hague later wrote the standard US-British lines about seeking an inclusive government to “break with the sectarian politics of the past”.

Maliki was silent after the discussion.


Kerry Meets Saudi King and Syrian Opposition

US Secretary of State John Kerry has had meetings with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia and with the head of the Syrian National Coalition, Ahmad Jarba, in Riyadh.

No details were given of the meetings but Kerry gave rhetorical support to the Coalition, saying it “has the ability to be a very important player in pushing back against ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and as-Sham) presence”.

Kerry added that Jarba “represents (the Shammar) tribe that reaches right into Iraq. He knows people there, and his point of view and that of the Syrian opposition will be very important going forward”.

The Saudi leadership has had long-standing concerns about US hesitancy in support of the Syrian insurgency. A visit by President Obama to King Abdullah in March failed to dispel the frustrations, although Washington has declared that it will give military aid to a “moderate” Syrian opposition.

(Cross-posted from Syria Daily)

US Armed Drones Giving “Force Protection” to Advisors

The Pentagon Armed has said that armed US drones are protecting military advisors on the ground.

The US has despatched almost half of the 300 special troops and advisors promised by President Obama to assist US security forces.

The Pentagon Press Secretary, Rear Admiral John Kirby, said:

We continue to fly manned and unmanned aircraft over Iraq at the Iraqis’ request.

Some of those are armed. The reason they are is for force protection measures because we have advisors there. Primary reason is for force protection purposes.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague Meets Kurdistan President Barzani

Following his meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, British Foreign Secretary William Hague visited Kurdistan President Masoud Barzani on Friday.

Barzani told Hague that the Kurds had fulfilled Article 140 of the Constitution, reversing the “Arabization” policy of Saddam Hussein, moving into towns and cities threatened by insurgents:

We have been patient for 10 years now trying to solve the problem of the disputed areas, but the Central Government did not propose any solutions. Following the withdrawal of the Iraqi military forces, Peshmerga entered these areas to protect them.

Witnesses Blame Kurds for Allowing Mass Killing by ISIS in Villages Near Kirkuk

Iraqi journalist Mazen Alzaedy, citing witnesses, writes of blame of Kurdish forces for allowing the Islamic State of Iraq and as-Sham to carry out mass killings near Kirkuk earlier this week.

The witnesses claimed Kurdish peshmera entered the villages of al-Bashir and Berwajli and pressured Iraqi security forces to give up their weapons and military uniforms, promising that Kirkuk and local areas — with a large population of Shia Turken — were under Kurdish protection.

The witnesses then alleged that Kurdish forces, rather than confronting ISIS, withdrew. This left ISIS to enter the village and kill civilians.

Witnesses said earlier this week that at least 40 people were killed, with more missing, in the ISIS attacks on four villages.

Ayatollah Sistani Calls for New Prime Minister by Tuesday

Speaking through a representative at Friday Prayers, Iraq’s top Shia cleric Ayatollah Ali Sistani has called for a new leadership — Prime Minister, President, and Speaker of Parliament — before Parliament convenes on Tuesday.

Sistani said agreeing the names would be a “prelude to the political solution that everyone seeks at the present”.

UN: 1.2 Million Iraqis Displaced

The United Nations calculates that more than 1.2 million Iraqis are now displaced, with a sharp rise since the escalation of the insurgency more than two weeks ago.

The UN says about 558,000 Iraqis have been forced from their homes in Anbar Province, and more than 500,000 in Mosul, captured by insurgents on June 11.

Iraq’s population is about 36 million.

Former PM Allawi: “Government Defeated by Dwarfs & Killers”; US “Without a Compass”

Former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi has harshly criticized the Government and the US, while warning that Russian influence is growing.

Allawi led the Iraqiyya bloc when it won the most seats in Parliamentary elections in 2010, but Nuri al-Maliki — backed by the US and Iran — was able to retain power. In April’s elections, Allawi’s current party took 21 seats, compared to more than 90 for Maliki’s bloc.

Allawi said the Government’s policies that seen it “defeated by a bunch of dwarfs and killers as it sought outsiders’ help”, rather than drawing on “strength from its honorable people, from the tribes, army officers, dignitaries, and politicians.”

He criticized Maliki for cracking down on “initially peaceful, constitutional” protests in Anbar Province in western Iraq in December, instead of “dealing with them morally and through a national dialogue”. Sunni groups, tribes, and the Islamic State of Iraq and as-Sham soon claimed territory, including parts of the cities of Fallujah and Ramadi, in the province.

As for the US, Allawi said Washington was “without a compass”. Meanwhile, Moscow was establishing “a crescent stretching from the Crimea and the Black Sea through Iran, Iraq, Syria, and part of Lebanon”.

Iraqi Helicopter Crashes During Commando Raid on Tikrit

An Iraqi helicopter crashed during a commando raid on insurgent-held Tikrit on Thursday.

Witnesses said the helicopter was one of three landing commandoes inside a stadium. It was downed after taking insurgent fire.

Clashes were reported inside the city, taken by insurgents two weeks ago, particularly around the University. Army snipers took up positions on tall buildings in the complex.