Archive for the ‘Iraq’ Category

ISIS Threatens Putin Trigger for Coming Russian Onslaught in Iraq news – Video


ISIS Threatens Putin Trigger for Coming Russian Onslaught in Iraq news
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ISIS Threatens Putin Trigger for Coming Russian Onslaught in Iraq news - Video

Suspicions Run Deep in Iraq That CIA and the Islamic State Are United – Video


Suspicions Run Deep in Iraq That CIA and the Islamic State Are United
Suspicions Run Deep in Iraq That CIA and the Islamic State Are United http://www.tatoott1009.com/2014/09/22/suspicions-run-deep-in-iraq-that-cia-and-the-islamic-state-are-united/ WHO IS ISIS...

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Suspicions Run Deep in Iraq That CIA and the Islamic State Are United - Video

Iraq Officials Say Baghdad Car Bomb Has Killed 12

Islamic State militants disguised in Iraqi army uniforms and driving stolen Humvees killed at least 40 Iraqi soldiers and captured 68 others in western Anbar province, breaking through a deteriorating Iraqi military offensive in an area where the United States recently broadened its airstrike campaign.

The wave of suicide bombings dealt a heavy blow to government efforts to rein in the militants, whose rampage has seized much of the country's north and west even as the U.S. and its allies began training Iraq's Kurdish peshmerga fighters to bolster their ability to battle the Sunni extremists.

The attacks Sunday targeted troops stationed at Camp Saqlawiyah near the town of Sijir, 45 miles (70 kilometers) west of Baghdad. There has been no contact with the 68 captured Iraqi soldiers, who were believed to have been taken to the nearby city of Fallujah, an Islamic State stronghold, said Gen. Rasheed Fleih.

After the attacks, the Iraqi military withdrew 700 more troops stationed in the area, he said.

Following battlefield successes in both Iraq and neighboring Syria, Islamic State fighters, among them many Iraqi nationals, have re-entered Iraq through Anbar province, engaging in fierce battles with the Iraqi military. In this Sunni-majority territory, the group has quickly capitalized on long-standing grievances against the Shiite-led government in Baghdad, earning support from local populations.

Iraq's new Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said in a statement Monday that his government is committed to reinforcing military and police forces in Anbar and will increase airstrikes to target the pockets of militant fighters across the province. Last week, he declared an end to the shelling of towns where militants are suspected of hiding, so as not to rile the local populations.

Meanwhile, the U.S. military said Monday that airstrikes on Islamic State targets southwest of the oil-rich northern city of Kirkuk destroyed two military vehicles and a tank and damaged a Humvee, bringing the total U.S. strikes on the militants to 190 since the aerial campaign began on Aug. 8.

Backed by the U.S. airstrikes, Iraqi and Kurdish security forces have retaken the strategic Mosul Dam and several small towns. However, serious challenges remain since many Islamic State fighters are operating from cities with large civilian populations, such as Fallujah and Mosul.

In northern Iraq, meanwhile, the U.S. and its allies began training Kurdish peshmerga forces to enhance their ability to fight the Sunni extremists.

Helgurd Hikmet, general director of the ministry overseeing the Kurdish forces, said that France, Italy and Germany were among countries providing training in the use of the new machine guns, mortars, rockets and demining robots the Kurdish fighters have received.

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Iraq Officials Say Baghdad Car Bomb Has Killed 12

Iraq relying on oil wealth from Basra

BASRA, Iraq, Sept. 22 (UPI) -- Iraq is relying on Basra, the economic capital, to put the country on the road to recovery on the back of oil wealth, the oil minister said.

Iraqi Oil Minister Adil Abd al-Mahdi visited oil and natural gas installations in southern Iraq, saying there'd be a rise in production levels that would benefit the people of Iraq. Describing Basra as the economic capital of the country, the minister said oil, the ports and all parts of the energy sector would lift Iraq as a nation.

"These are not just promises," he said during Sunday's visit. "Our aim is to build Iraq."

Iraq last week said southern oil exports were 73.6 million barrels for August, down more than 2 percent from the previous month.

Oil ministry spokesman Assim Jihad said oil from the southern port city of Basra was sent to nearly three dozen international companies.

Kuwait Energy and Dragon Oil, two companies holding assets in Basra, announced the production of 2,000 barrels of oil per day during testing, describing the discovery as the "first significant success" in their Iraqi portfolio.

2014 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI's prior written consent.

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Iraq relying on oil wealth from Basra

Iraq War veteran's inspiring journey from front lines to 'Nashville'

LOS ANGELES Melvin Kearney may be best-known for playing Hayden Panettieres bodyguard Bo on the hit ABC series Nashville, but as a two-time Iraq combat veteran, his story away from the cameras is even more moving and drama-filled.

I grew up as an Army brat, my dad was my hero and I saw the sense of pride that came over his face every time he put on that uniform, Kearney told FOX411. I knew that was what I wanted to do. I thought I would just be guarding a base near my college in North Carolina, but halfway through basic training 9/11 happened.

Kearney deployed to Iraq in 2003, and lost a number of close friends on the battlefield. His plan was to finish college and become a U.S. Marshall after returning, but as he was walking to the stage on college graduation day, he received a call from the Army: Kearney, its Stop Loss. Youre going back to Iraq.

Stop Loss was a policy that extended ones military contract, which the Pentagon ended in 2011. From 2001 to 2009, an estimated 120,000 soldiers were affected by stop loss.

It was an honor for me to put the uniform back on, Kearney said. My dad always said you go to war but you pray for peace. I knew what I needed to do.

However, this tour primarily focused on training Baghdad police officers to take back their country changed his life in more ways than most could imagine. While he was out tending to a very young, wounded Iraqi girl, his base was blown up taking the lives of many in his platoon. His best friend was killed shielding a fellow soldier, who lost both his legs in the attack.

That just stayed on my mind, it could have been me, Kearney said. So as soon as I got home I got in my truck and drove to Walter Reed.

Kearney stayed by the bedside of the wounded soldier who he did not previously know for several months. It was through that traumatic experience that he recognized his life calling and became dedicated solely to helping injured veterans across the country; providing them with opportunities, sharing his infectious optimism and unfailing smile, and coordinating such experiences as one of the largest Military Appreciation days during a university of University of Michigan football game.

So how on earth did Kearney make the jump to Hollywood? By doing what he loved helping wounded soldiers. While in Nashville, Tenn. working with a soldier suffering from a traumatic brain injury, someone suggested he place a photo on his business card so that he could be easily identified and remembered.

The local photographer also suggested he send some head shots into casting agents seeking talent for a new television series about a country singer entitled Nashville.

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Iraq War veteran's inspiring journey from front lines to 'Nashville'