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As Islamic State militants continue to lose territory in their declared caliphate in parts of Iraq and Syria, officials and analysts are expressing concern that al-Qaida is making efforts to turn those losses into gains for itself.

Al-Qaida had been largely eclipsed by IS in recent years, with IS militants grabbing headlines by seizing territory in Iraq and Syria and carrying out attacks in the West. But there are signs that al-Qaida may be re-emerging as a regional power.

"Al-Qaida in Syria is using opportunities to seize additional safe havens, to integrate itself into parts of the local population, parts of other forces, and bumping into other forces as well," said Joshua Geltzer, a former senior director for counterterrorism at the U.S National Security Council.

Tahrir al-Sham, an offshoot al-Qaida group originally known as the al-Nusra Front, has recently emerged as the most powerful Sunni insurgent faction in Syria after consolidating its control over most of the northwestern province of Idlib.

"Idlib now is a huge problem. It is an al-Qaida safe haven right on the border of Turkey," Brett McGurk, special presidential envoy for the U.S.-led global coalition to counter IS, said at the Middle East Institute in Washington on Thursday.

McGurk blamed the flow of weapons and foreign fighters into Syria for al-Qaida's gradual strengthening in Syria.

Measures under way

McGurk added that the U.S.-led coalition intended to work with Turkey to seal the northern Syrian border to prevent more recruits from joining al-Qaida affiliates in the region.

Hailing the progress of the Iraqi forces and the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, McGurk said the coalition's priority was defeating IS. But now that priority also includes ensuring that foreign fighters do not leave the region to cause trouble elsewhere.

"We do not want any foreign fighters getting out of Iraq and Syria," he said during a panel discussion at the Middle East Institute on the Trump administration's counterterrorism policy.

Experts warn that as IS-controlled territory shrinks, the terror group's foreign fighters will inevitably be drawn to al-Qaida.

"You may see on a local level al-Qaida affiliates being opportunistic and pulling in ISIS units who kind of feel lost," Charles Lister, a Syria analyst for the Middle East Institute said, using another acronym for IS. "They [IS militants] don't have the same kind of grandeur, they don't have the same powerful leadership, and they don't have the same powerful brand that they had before."

IS-al-Qaida alliance?

Led by Jordanian jihadist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, IS was founded as an offshoot of al-Qaida in Iraq in 2004. But as IS gained influence in Iraq and Syria in 2014, the terror group split from al-Qaida, and the two groups engaged in acrimonious and at times bloody competition over the leadership of the jihadist cause. For years, IS has been siphoning off followers of al-Qaida. That trend seems to have begun to reverse.

Iraq's Vice President Ayad Allawi told Reuters in April that he had information from Iraqi and regional contacts that "the discussion has started now" concerning a "possible alliance" between the two terror groups.

Referring to IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, Allawi said, "There are discussions and dialogue between messengers representing Baghdadi and representing Zawahiri."

While some analysts raise concerns about the possibility of IS and al-Qaida joining hands, others like Charles Lister of the Middle East Institute downplay it, arguing that an ultimate rapprochement between the two groups is unlikely, given the history of animosity and their fundamental differences on "global jihad."

Lister, however, highlighted that al-Qaida could take an opportunistic approach to draw IS members into its ranks as the terror group faces defeats on several fronts in Iraq and Syria.

Lister said Hamza bin Laden, son of Osama bin Laden, who has recently appeared as a new face of al-Qaida leadership, has been trying to ease tensions with IS in an effort to encourage the merger of IS fighters into al-Qaida.

"Hamza has very purposely, I think, not spoken out against ISIS in all of his recent statements," Lister said.

Al-Qaida in a blind spot

Experts warn that as the U.S-led coalition is cracking down on IS-controlled territory in Iraq and Syria, it should not allow al-Qaida to move to other areas and operate at ease. They say the group is trying to gain sympathy of the local Syrian population by showing itself as a moderate alternative to Islamic State.

"We continue to underestimate al-Qaida," said Jennifer Cafarella, an analyst at the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington think tank. "While al-Qaida in Syria is currently not actively attacking abroad, they have built an army. It has consolidated control in Idlib, and is preparing to do the same underneath the U.S.-Russian cease-fire deal in Daraa to expand that model of first destroying the moderate opposition and then begin instillation of al-Qaida governance to transform population over time."

She said the strategy of the U.S.-led coalition after removing IS from Iraq and Syria needs to shift to the reconstruction of infrastructure destroyed because of war, and that should be coupled with addressing the grievances of Sunni residents who feel marginalized by Iran-backed Shi'ite militias.

"This is a very long war and we haven't won it yet. These tactical successes are important but can be temporary if we do not set adequate conditions, which is much more than a military requirement," Cafarella said.

Link:
Will IS Losses in Iraq, Syria Boost al-Qaida? - Voice of America

On the evening of July 29, 2007, the streets of Baghdad, Iraq, echoed to the sound of gunfire.

Far from an uncommon occurrence, the rattle of bullets usually signaled the latest manifestation of sectarian violence that had engulfed the country in the wake of the US and allied invasion of 2003.

Yet on this particular evening thousands filled the streets, dancing and waving flags as cars honked their horns in delight.

The gunfire, far from being malicious, was a sign of celebration as Iraqis fired their weapons into the air to salute an unlikely group of soccer heroes.

By defeating Saudi Arabia 1-0 in the Asian Cup final in Jakarta, Indonesia, Iraq's national team had confounded the odds and claimed the continent's most prestigious competition for the first time.

They had also, however briefly, united a nation that was tearing itself apart.

Looking back at that period, Iraqi midfielder Hawar Mulla Mohammed who played in all six games of the 2007 tournament finds it hard to comprehend just how violent his country had become both during and after the invasion.

"The national security HQ was close to where I lived and when it got bombed the building would swing left and right," Mohammed said. "It was indescribable, we used to practice while the airstrikes were going on."

Mohammed said that between 50 and 60 people from his clan, including five of his cousins, died as a result of the Iraq conflict and its aftermath.

Yet violence was nothing new for the Iraqi national football team. They'd been ruled by fear from within their own locker-room for many years.

Uday Hussein, eldest son of Iraq's late tyrannical dictator Saddam Hussein, ensured that the consequences for failure on the field were brutal.

Tales of his cruelty were legion: beatings, torture, imprisonment. But by 2007, Uday was long gone -- killed along with his brother Qusay in 2003.

Still, on the eve of the Asian Cup four years later, the Iraqi national team was in disarray. With just weeks to go until the start of the tournament, they didn't even have a coach.

The Brazilian journeyman Jorvan Vieira was a last-minute call-up.

According to Salih Sadir, who played in the early rounds of the 2007 tournament and was an unused substitute in the final, such haphazard preparation ensured expectations remained low.

"We were expecting that it would be mere participation and then we'd leave the competition," Sadir said casting his mind back.

An opening match draw against unfancied Thailand did little to alter that theory.

But in the second game against Australia everything changed. A 3-1 defeat of the pre-tournament favorite transformed the belief among the Iraqi players. More importantly, it made people back home take notice.

"Every time we won, we return(ed to the dressing room) to listen and watch the response, and reaction from our families," Sadir said.

As the tournament progressed, that response became increasingly excited.

In a country that was fracturing along religious and ethnic lines, its soccer stars had begun to offer an example of how Iraqis could work together.

A team of Sunnis, Shias and Kurds could easily have been divided, just like their countrymen. But the players agreed to leave religion at the door.

They found a way to unite. Not only that, they inspired. "People's support for us started increasing. We started seeing that we are unifying the people," Sadir said. As such, "the players became determined to bring the cup back to Baghdad."

He recalls a group of players who had all been deeply impacted by the conflict in their homeland. "Many had lost loved ones while some had threats of violence directed against them or their families by insurgents. There was also the threat of kidnap by criminal gangs," he said.

But Montague also detected a strong determination among the players to put aside religious and cultural differences. He describes a camaraderie, humor and unity between teammates.

On top of this, Coach Vieira had decreed that the players would not pray together in the dressing room before the game or at half-time, something teams from the Middle East commonly do, Montague said.

Iraq finished top of their group, and a win against Vietnam in the last eight took them into the semi-finals.

A virtual unknown when he arrived, coach Vieira had worked wonders to bring his charges even this far.

The Brazilian had been able to instill a belief and togetherness in his squad. Living in each other's pockets as they prepared and trained certainly helped.

But as the tournament progressed, Vieira began to understand what he described in 2007 as his players' "pain" and desire to "give happiness to their people" who were suffering back home.

Talking to CNN again earlier this week, Vieira said "it was very difficult to manage the psychological side of things" given the situation back in Iraq.

Vieira recalled that before the competition began when the team was preparing in Jordan, the team's physiotherapist had requested to go home to Iraq be with his wife who was due to give birth. As he went to collect his ticket to return to be with the team, he was killed by a car bomb.

When something like that happens "you don't know (whether) to cry with them, to try to explain to them to be strong," Vieira said.

Sadir describes a manager strongly focused on the emotional side of the game.

"He was very close to the players, that was his main thing," Sadir said. "Not the tactics or the physical status, his main focus was how to get to be close to the players, make them love him and support him. He was very successful in doing so."

By the time of the semi-final against South Korea, Iraq were the darlings of the competition and support for their pursuit of the trophy had spread around the world.

When they beat the Koreans in a penalty shoot-out, it seemed that nothing could stop them -- except, perhaps, a violent jolt of reality.

One bomber detonated a vehicle in the Mansour district of the city killing 30 and wounding 75 more. A short while later, in the southeastern neighborhood of Ghadir, a second car bomb killed 20 and wounded at least 60.

It was rumored that some of the players didn't want to go on, considering the risk of further bloodshed a price too high for a simple football trophy.

Yet Sadir cites the reaction of one bereaved mother, whose son was killed while supporting the team, as providing the motivation for those who doubted whether they could play in the final.

"The biggest thing that impacted our morale and persistence and confidence to continue playing for the team ... was the incident that took place, the woman who lost her son," Sadir said. "This was a turning point."

Vieira becomes emotional, shedding a tear when he recalls the players meeting after hearing the words of this bereaved mother. Despite the doubts and difficulties, "we decided to continue (and that) we had to win this competition," he said.

And so, on 29 July 2007, Iraq took on regional heavyweights and three-time Asian Cup champions, Saudi Arabia, for the biggest prize in the country's sporting history.

Throughout the tournament, Iraq had been defensively sound, conceding only two goals. In the final, they were again resolute. But it wasn't until the 72nd minute when they scored the crucial and historic goal.

Mahmoud took off, with teammates chasing him beyond the advertising hoardings and along the running track which surrounded the pitch at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium.

The joy was just as unrestrained back home.

People took to the streets despite the fatal bombings just a few days previous.

Among those present was CNN's senior international correspondent Arwa Damon who describes the day as one of her "best moments" in reporting from Iraq.

Damon found herself witnessing scenes of happiness she had barely thought possible until that point.

She described heading out with US troops to a usually hostile Shia neighborhood in Baghdad after the game to be met with a scene of heartwarming jubilation.

"That particular day, nobody cared. We were swarmed. There were floats. There were small little fireworks. There were people wearing wigs with these huge glasses on spraying us and the troops with silly string. It was absolutely surreal and completely spectacular," Damon said.

"I'm still smiling now as I remember it. It was just such a rare and unique moment for that country that has been through so much," she added.

Iraq's footballers would go on to play in the 2009 Confederations Cup in South Africa, where they would face off against the best from Europe, Africa and the Americas.

But the memory of that brief national moment of togetherness and happiness would fade. Iraq continues to be a dangerous, violent and divided place.

In recent years, the emergence of ISIS has plunged major cities like Mosul and large swathes of the country into chaos.

The sectarian murders have also continued with 15,000 people killed in 2014 alone.

According to Iraq Body Count, there were 4,000 violent incidents across the country in 2016. That's seven times as many as were recorded in 2003, the year of the US and allied invasion.

Unsurprisingly, the football team has barely played within the country's borders in the decade since.

But thanks to the likes of Vieira, Mohammed and Sadir, Iraqis will always have the memory of 2007. Ten years on, it's a story still generates powerful emotions for those involved.

"There was fire inside each of us," Mohammed said. "The explosion, the people who died, hearing about friends who died -- we had to give this happiness to the Iraqi people," he added.

See the article here:
Ten years on: How Iraq's soccer stars brought warring nation together - CNN

A suicide bomber loyal to the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) managed to kill an entire family as he fled Iraqiforces sweeping the countryside for the last of the jihadists, according to local media.

IraqiMajor General Qasim al-Mohammadi, head of the al-Jazeeraoperations command in the western province of Anbar, told Al-Sumariya News that his forces faced an ISIS surprise attack in the city of al-Baghdadi on Thursday, less than 24 hours after they drove the militants out of the area, according to London-based, Arabic-language newspaper Al-Araby Al-Jadeed. Iraqi troops and militiamen from the Iran-backed, majority-Shiite Muslim Popular Mobilization Forces were reportedly able to kill four fighters strapped with explosive vests, but a fifth got away and ultimately fled into a nearby home. He blew himself up, killing a family of six.

Related: Iraq will give money to anyone who can find the missing Indians kidnapped by ISIS

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The security forces and the Popular Mobilization Forces supporting them were able to besiege five suicide bombers in the area of Baghdadi. Four of them were killed while the fifth suicide bomber detonated himself inside a house, killing a family of six people, which included a father, his wife and four of his children,Mohammadi said, as quoted by the state-run General Organization of Syrian Radio and Television.

Mohammadi said the fighters had infiltratedal-Baghdadi through the desert,according to Egypts Al-Fager media outlet. ISISs Anbar branch also confirmed the incident via its official Amaq News Agency, but referenced only four suicide bombers that caused deaths and injuries among Iraqi forces. The jihadist agency named the four soldiers of the caliphate and shared photographs on social media of three of them posingwith Kalashnikov rifles.

With the help of Kurdish fighters and a U.S.-led coalition, the Iraqi military and allied militias have largely reclaimed the country, nearly half of which fell under ISIS control in 2014. That year, a number of major cities were overrun by thegroup, which has its origins in an earlier movement, Al-Qaeda in Iraq. ISIS made international headlines when it took control of Iraqs second city of Mosul and its elusive leader, Sunni Muslim cleric Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, called on Muslims around the world to join his self-styled caliphate from the citys Grand al-Nuri Mosque.

The mosque, along with much else in the city, was leveled when Mosul became the target of a nearly nine-month battle to dislodge ISIS. Between ISIS brutality, intense firefights among fighters and U.S. air strikes, what has been described as one of the biggest battles of the 21st century killed over 6,300 civilians. This adds to the hundreds of thousands of deaths in the country during more than 15 years of war.

Iraqis check the remains of the bodies of victims found under the rubble of buildings in western Mosuls Zanjili district on July 26, 2017. The country continues to reel from nearly 16 consecutive years of warfare conducted by the U.S. military and jihadists such as the Islamic State militant group (ISIS), which grew out of Al-Qaeda in Iraq. SAFIN HAMED/AFP/Getty Images

Even after ISIS has been declared defeated in Mosul, its supporters continue to haunt pockets of the country. This is evidenced by Thursdays incident, as well as the groupsbriefbut deadly takeover of the village of Imam al-Gharbi south of Mosul earlier this month. The U.S. military also continues to bomb suspected ISIS positions in Iraq on a near daily basis.

Citing defense officials, the Associated Press reported Friday that there are up to 4,000 ISIS fighters and 3,000 paid supporters remaining in Iraq, as well as up to 7,000 fighters and 5,000 other affiliates in neighboring Syria, where the groups existence is also threatened by a number of forces. The number is slightly lower than that provided last week to Newsweek by U.S. Central Command Combined Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve, which placed the number at between 12,000 and 15,000, and may have been updated to account for losses incurred during the battle of Mosul.

Link:
ISIS Fighter Kills Family of Six in Iraq as Troops Hunt Down Last of Islamic State - Newsweek

Carl and Julie Gaede founded Tutapona, a trauma counseling organization, in 2008 in Uganda after hearing about the atrocities occurring there during the war.

"We just really felt like we needed to get involved and do something," Carl said.

So Carl and Julie moved their family, including their two daughters, to Uganda to provide immediate counseling to those dealing with trauma. After a few initial visits, the Gaedes were able to make partnerships with local communities to develop their organization.

"It was just amazing to see God open the doors," Carl said.

Their role quickly went from providing counseling, to training local staff on the techniques. Thanks to that focus, the organization began running smoothly with less and less oversight, allowing the Gaedes to expand their focus to an area of great need the Middle East.

"It was quite apparent that there was massive needs there," Carl said.

With continuous attacks by ISIS causing destruction and displacing thousands, Carl said they felt called to expand into Iraq.

"We really need to go to where that is taking place," he said.

The organization is based in Duhok, Iraq, near Mosul, where many military operations have taken place and is the former home of many refugees. There, the Gaedes are close to the refugee camps, more than 20 in the area. Most camps are at capacity, holding up to 20,000, and just as many live just outside the camps in makeshift tents.

"They would like to go back home when it's safe but it's just not safe," Carl said.

Members of the camps, both official and otherwise, are fleeing the destruction in the wake of ISIS their homes destroyed, villages taken over and families killed.

One group the organization has worked with extensively in Iraq is the Yazidi, an ethnic and religious minority in Iraq specifically targeted by ISIS. Yazidi men were killed and many women were taken as captives. These women were often sold multiple times and experienced multiple sexual assaults.

"ISIS was really brutal in their attempt at genocide," Carl said.

Those who survived and made it back home struggled with shame and trauma, Carl said.

"That's why our program is so important," he said.

Work in refugee camps so they can help people as soon as possible. Though people may initially be reserved, Tutapona has already developed a reputation for success, and now has waiting lists.

"People hear about it and they want to come," Carl said.

Counseling at Tutapona is focused on group work, following a two-week process. The program is designed to connect with survivors as soon as possible after the trauma, helping them process what they have experienced before it can do further harm.

"It's an early intervention program that really helps to prevent trauma from taking root in a person's life," Carl said.

The goal is to help those who have suffered grow through their trauma.

"In essence to help them move beyond what they ever would have been had this trauma not happened," Carl said.

Tests are given before and after the counseling, and Carl said participants have seen signification reductions in signs and symptoms of post traumatic stress.

"The results have been amazing," he said.

For the Gaedes, their faith is what drives them to serve others, but their organization is first and foremost a humanitarian one.

"We serve everybody," Carl said.

As Tutapona continues to serve those in need of counseling in both Uganda and Iraq, Carl said there is always the possibility of further expansion.

"I can't do much to stop the wars from happening, I wish I could," he said. "I wish there was not a need for our services, but as long as there are wars and conflicts then I would like for Tutapona to be involved in healing and restoration to those people who have suffered."

To support Tutapona, Carl said people can donate at its website at http://www.tutapona.com/, and pray for their work.

Read the original:
New Richmond family helping trauma victims in Iraq - Richmond-News

ISIS is on the run in Iraq and Syria, but it has left behind a generation of child soldiers brainwashed and trained to kill.

CBS News correspondent Charlie D'Agata, reporting from Iraq for "CBSN On Assignment," saw just how the terror group turned children toward violence.

A former journalist showed D'Agata English textbooks that ISIS used to indoctrinate kids as young as 5.

D'Agata, right, reporting from Iraq

CBS News

"They are teaching and brainwashing each other with these books: 'I can shoot.' 'Yes you can.' 'He can bomb," the journalist read from a lesson.

"This is crazy here," D'Agata said, pointing to another page. It contained a lesson for telling time.

A lesson for telling time in an ISIS textbook

CBS News

"You know how to tell the time in English, but rather than just having a regular clock it's a time bomb, it's a timer on a bomb," D'Agata said.

The book was used for first graders.

"Children of ISIS" will feature in the premiere of "CBSN: On Assignment" a new primetime documentary series which first airs Monday, July 31, 2017, (10 p.m. ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network and on CBSN, the network's 24/7 streaming news service.

2017 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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"CBSN: On Assignment" explores the influence of ISIS on children in Iraq and Syria - CBS News