Tag Archives: Iraq

Video Claims to Show ISIS Beheading Russian Spy

A new Internet video purports to show the Islamic State beheading a Russian spy.

Multiple news agencies couldn’t verify the authenticity of the video or the claims within it.

The video ends with a man in an orange jumpsuit kneeling before a man holding a knife.

The man with the knife threatens Russian citizens and the country’s president, Vladimir Putin, according to reports. He then cuts the throat of the man in the jumpsuit and decapitates him.

Earlier in the video, the man in the jumpsuit is shown speaking to the camera.

Russian television network RT says the man in the jumpsuit claims to be Magomed Khasiev, a 23-year-old from Grozny. The report says the man describes how he was recruited by Russia’s Federal Security Service and gathered intelligence during undercover missions in Iraq and Syria.

CNN reports the man with the knife expressed displeasure with Russia’s recent airstrikes against the Islamic State and warned Russian citizens of retaliatory violent acts against life and property.

RT reports the Russian government hadn’t indicated any of its citizens were being held by ISIS.

ISIS Declares War Against “All the Jews” and Israel in Latest Video

On Sunday, the Islamic State released a new video across social media titled “A Message to Israel.” The 40 second video shows an ISIS jihadi speaking Hebrew and stating that ISIS was declaring war on Israel and the entire Jewish people.

“My message to the [Israel Defense Force] officers and soldiers and all the Jews – we will fight you with God’s help, we will come for you from across the world and we will slaughter you like sheep, prepare for the big war, the war of stone and wood. This is be soon and not long,” the terrorist said, according to a translation by the Jerusalem Post.

The terrorist’s face was pixelated and he was shown wielding a knife while two other men stood on either side of him. He continued:

“To all the Jews, grandsons of apes and pigs, we are coming at you from all over the world. … [The war] is soon; it won’t be long, God willing, God willing,” he said in the video according to the International Business Times.

This is the second video that ISIS has recently released that has called for the annihilation of Jews. Last month, they released a similar video with a masked member of ISIS talking to a camera in Hebrew, announcing war against Israel.

“This is an important message to all Jews — the first enemy of the Muslims. The real war has not yet begun. Whatever you had previously is child’s play [in comparison]. … Do whatever you want in the meantime, until we reach you, and then we will make you pay for the crimes you have committed. … Soon, there will not be even a single Jew left in Jerusalem or the rest of the country. We will keep going until we eradicate this disease worldwide.”

Sunday’s video was released after ISIS declared they were responsible for bringing down the Russian jet that crashed into the Sinai Peninsula, killing 224 people. At this time, it is still unclear as to what brought down the plane.

The Israel Defense Force has stated that they are closely monitoring ISIS, especially along Israel’s southern border with Egypt.

On Saturday, the Democratic Forces of Syria joined forces with U.S.-backed Kurdish militia and Syrian Arab rebel groups in order to start a new offensive against ISIS. Kurdish forces will be leading airstrikes and land offensives to interrupt the Islamic State’s supply lines across the Syria-Iraq border. CNN also reports that 5,000 Yazidi fighters are gearing up for an offensive that will take back the town of Sinjar from ISIS. If they can reclaim Sinjar then ISIS would have a more difficult time resupplying their people in Mosul.

8 ISIS Senior Figures Killed in Airstrike; Status of Main Leader Unknown

Eight ISIS senior figures were killed in an airstrike while meeting in a town in western Iraq. Residents of the town and hospital sources reported that the self-proclaimed leader of the ISIS caliphate in Iraq and Syria, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was not among them.

On Sunday, Iraq’s air force led a strike that hit the meeting and the convoy that was bringing Baghdadi to the meeting. After being struck, the convoy drove away with the leader in an unknown condition. So far, Baghdadi has survived a year of U.S.-led airstrikes.

A Twitter account used by the Islamic State said that the “rumors” of an airstrike hitting Baghdadi’s convoy were false. The account then issued another statement saying that if Baghdadi was injured or killed, his self-proclaimed caliphate would survive.

“Do you think we would leave the State of the caliphate and abandon it, oh vile world?,” asked one of his followers. “This is the religion of God, it rose on the skulls of heroes and martyrs and every time one of them is martyred we rise.”

Currently there are still very mixed reports about the condition of Baghdadi. Russian news outlets have stated that Baghdadi was injured and hospitalized in Al-Qa’im, an Iraqi town near the Syrian border. However, Iraqi military officials told Reuters that it’s a very distinct possibility that Baghdadi wasn’t in the convoy at all.

Twice in the past year, Iraqi officials have claimed that Baghdadi was injured in airstrikes. Each time, Baghdadi posted audio recordings on social media days after the airstrikes.

U.S. Ground Troops Back in Iraq

American troops are back on the ground in Iraq.

Around 300 soldiers from the 5-73 Squadron of the 82nd Airborne Division of the Army are now on the ground at an old Iraqi military base north of Baghdad.  Many of the troops are now in their fourth or later deployment to the region.

The troops are back for the first time since 2011.

Military officials say the troops are there officially to train the Iraqi Army again in the manner they did before leaving the country the first time.  Many of the American troops told reporters they were shocked at the condition of the Iraqi military upon their return.

“It’s pretty incredible,” Lt. Col. John Schwemmer said. “I was kind of surprised. What training did they have after we left?”

However, one Iraqi military official has told the Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed news service the troops are there to fight with them.

“The new forces’ mission does not appear to be training the Iraqi army or the tribes fighting with me. We expect that they will provide direct support in the upcoming battle to retake Ramadi,” the official said.

Mahmoud Hussein Al-Alwani, leader of a clan in Anbar fighting ISIS, stated a similar view.

“The American fighting force’s arrival to Anbar gives a major military momentum to combat troops, because this force is armed better and has better experience fighting battles in cities,” he said.

Iraq Documents Christian Persecution

The Iraqi government has begun to document the persecution of Christians in areas that are under the control of the Islamic terrorist group ISIS.

The revelation from Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki comes one day after the terrorists told Christians in their territory to pay a tax, convert to Islam or be killed.

“What is being done by the Daesh terrorist gang against our Christian citizens in Ninevah province, and their aggression against the churches and houses of worship in the areas under their control reveals beyond any doubt the extremist criminal and terrorist nature of this group,” al-Maliki said in a statement.  Daesh is the Arabic acronym for ISIS.

“Those people, through their crimes, are revealing their true identity and the false allegations made here and there about the existence of revolutionaries among their ranks.”

The news that the Iraqi government is tracking the abuse of Christians was welcomed by Christian persecution watchdog groups such as Open Doors.

“This is a positive first step, by which the government acknowledges that something is wrong with the way Christians are being treated in Iraq and that this needs to change. It is the first time that the government is officially investigating this, after decades of discrimination and abuse,” Henriette Kats, persecution analyst for Open Doors, stated to reporters.

“The establishment of the Islamic State (ISIS) in June 2014 has brought about a further radicalization of Iraqi society, a development that has been ongoing since the US invasion in 2003. Corruption plays an important role in the persecution of Christians as can be seen in the ransoms demanded and the illegal taking of Christian-owned houses and land.”

Iraq is listed third on Open Doors’ list of nations that persecute Christians.

Massive Sandstorm Strikes Middle East

An out-of-season sandstorm has struck the Middle East causing thousands to have medical issues and reducing visibility in region.

The Times of Israel called the storm “a brownish-yellow fog throughout the country.”  The storm has been working across Israel and into Lebanon, Iraq and Syria.  Meteorologists say the storm will be followed by an intense heat wave that will last through the weekend.

Health officials through the region are telling residents to stay inside to avoid breathing problems.  Schools were either closed to keep children inside to avoid the fine particulates in the air.

The head of a major hospital in Damascus told reporters that over 1,200 people had been treated for breathing problems.  At least 100 of the victims were children.

“It is unbelievable. This must be some test,” said Mansour, a Damascus resident, who gave only his first name told the Associated Press. “It’s hot. Temperatures are high and above that we have this dusty weather! It is something beyond reasonable. Enough please!”

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that some villages such as al-Mayadeen were so short of medical supplies that they ran out of oxygen canisters and had to turn away victims of the storm.

Turkish Construction Workers Kidnapped by Terrorists

A group of masked terrorists kidnapped 14 Turkish construction workers from a site in Baghdad early Wednesday.

Iraqi and Turkish officials say the gunmen stormed the complex around 3 a.m. when the workers were sleeping.  They specifically targeted the Turkish workers and separated them from the others before forcing them into SUVs.

“The Iraqi authorities for the time being do not have information on how the incident occurred or who captured them,” Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus told reporters.

The gunmen were reportedly wearing military uniforms.

Local officials told Time that it’s likely the kidnappings were revenge because of Turkey recently agreeing to allow the U.S. to use their bases for drone strikes against ISIS.

The workers had almost finished construction on a sports complex that includes a 30,000 seat soccer stadium.

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.

President Orders More Troops To Iraq

President Obama has ordered 450 more U.S. troops to Iraq, saying that they will not engage ISIS but train the Iraqi army.

The move by the White House will also including sending weapons to Sunni tribes and the Kurdish Peshmerga fighters that are operating under the Iraqi command structure.  An administration official said the hope is that a new “Sunni uprising” will take place against the terrorists.

The order comes after President Obama admitted last week ahead of the G7 conference that the U.S. did not have a cohesive plan to stop the Islamic terrorists.

The additional troops will be based at Taqaddum military base in Anbar province.

Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey told reporters the President asked military leaders to “take a look at what we’ve learned over the last eight months in the train-and-equip program and make recommendations to him on whether there are capabilities that we may want to provide to the Iraqis to actually make them more capable.”

Great Britain said they would be sending an additional 125 troops to help in training.

Currently, there are approximately 3,050 U.S. forces in Iraq. The majority support Iraqi security forces, about 450 train Iraqi troops, and roughly 200 fill advising and assisting roles.

ISIS Using Water As Weapon

The Islamic terrorist group ISIS is reducing the water flowing into Iraq’s Anbar province as the government is trying to retake land from the terrorists.

The tactic is not new to Middle East conflicts.  ISIS had previously restricted water flowing through the ISIS controlled town of Fallujah but reopened locks after residents complained about the lack of water.

Anbar Provincial Council Member Taha Abdul-Ghani told the Associated Press the terrorists are blocking water at a dam on the Euphrates river that will dry up irrigation system and water treatment plans for the government and tribes that are opposed to ISIS.  Other areas to the south and central areas of the country would be provided water from the Tigris River.

The United Nations quickly condemned the terrorist’s actions.

“The use of water as a tool of war is to be condemned in no uncertain terms,” the spokesman for the U.N. secretary-general, Stephane Dujarric, told reporters. “These kinds of reports are disturbing, to say the least.”

He said the U.N. would work to bring water to the impacted residents of the region.

Military experts say the withdrawl of water also lowers the level of the river to where terrorists would be able to walk across, allowing for attacks in locations that previously had been impeded by the water.

Residents of Habbaniya, Husaybah and Khalidiyah have been fleeing out of fear of an assault by the terrorists.