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Iraq has announced it's offering financial rewards for information regarding the whereabouts of dozens of Indian citizens believed to have been kidnapped by the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) in 2014.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafarivisited India Monday to discuss his country's efforts to find the 39 Indian construction workers with Indian Foreign MinisterSushma Swaraj. While Indian officials remained quiet about what exactly was said during the meeting, Jaafari said afterward that Iraq still had "no substantial information" as to the location or fate of the suspected ISIS captives, The Hindustan Times reported. As the final pockets of ISIS members are cleared in Iraq, Baghdad has apparently upped the ante byputting an undisclosed amount of money on the table for anyone who is able to find the missing Indians.

Related: U.S. ally Iraq turns to Russia for military support, oil deals and nation building

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"There are financial incentives from the Iraqi government for people who help us to locate those Indians," Jaafari said after speaking with Swaraj, according to a tweet by New Delhibased Asia News Internationalthat was later shared by Swaraj's official account. "We are trying to follow news gained through intelligence sources, and we consider that all the Indians are alive."

Rakesh holds up a photograph of his father Balwant, an Indian worker who has been kidnapped in Iraq, at a Gurudwara (Sikh temple) before meeting India's Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj in New Delhi, June 19, 2014. Balwant was one of about 39 Indian construction workers kidnapped by the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) when it overran Iraq's second largest city of Mosul in 2014. More than three years later, their fate remains unknown. Adnan Abidi/Reuters

Swaraj last week brought up the possibility that the Indians were at the Badush prison, where ISIS slaughtered hundreds of Shiite Muslims during the group's lightning advance nationwide in 2014. The prison is situated west of Iraq's second city, Mosul, where the Indian laborers were reportedly abducted after ISIS overran the city that year. After Iraqi President Haider al-Abadi declared Iraqi forces and their allies had defeated ISIS in Mosul earlier this month, Swaraj said she sent Indian Minister of State for External AffairsVijay Kumar Singh to the northern Kurdish Iraqi city of Erbil in order to investigate any leads,The Times of India reported.

While residual fighting near Badush reportedly restricted access to the restive region, Swaraj said she learned that the Indians had been transferred to do agricultural work before being sent to the prison, and that the Indians may have remained there. A follow-up report disputed this, citing a commander of Iraq's elite counterterror Golden Division, which played a crucial role in expelling ISIS.

"I have no information about the abducted Indians but there is nothing at the prison anymore," Brigadier General Abdul Amin al-Kazraji told The Hindustan Times.

Less than a month after the 39 Indian workers went missing in 2014, a separate group of Indian nurses wasreturned to India after being held captive by ISIS in the northern Iraqi city of Tikrit, NDTV reported.

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Iraq Will Give Money to Anyone Who Can Find the Missing Indians Kidnapped by ISIS - Newsweek

Revolutionary soldiers in a street of Baghdad, Iraq, July 14, 1958. Photograph: AP/HO

Bagdad, July 25

Bagdad is hot but apparently not excessively bothered as Iraq settles down into its new revolutionary mould.

A ruined office here and there, a plethora of posters, a few erased slogans, an armed guard at the airport, an elated taxi-cab driver - these are the only signs you will see as you drive into the city of the Caliphs that the old order has been obliterated and the house of the Hashemites expunged from Bagdad.

Through a placid veneer, though, some of the violence and tragedy of the coup protrudes. A man demonstrates to you with cruel, clutching movements of his hands how Nuri es-Said was dismembered by the mob. The British Ambassador sits calm but anxious in a suite in the Grand Hotel. A troop of Iraqi soldiers guard the scarred British Embassy, that old symbol of British hegemony.

You ask the whereabouts of a well-known official and the Second Lieutenant gives you a sad, wry smile as he replies: That gentleman has now retired. It is a new world in Bagdad to-day. The dear old London buses still lurch down Rashid Street and the British still drink their gin happily enough in its bars; but behind the familiar faade of the city, that mercurial mixture of the sleazy and the brilliant, all is changed and all is blurred.

We do not yet know for certain what kind of a world the revolutionary leaders envisage for their people; whether they want Iraq to maintain her condition of prosperous independence or whether they want to contribute her vast resources to a United Arab State led by Egypt; whether they want to maintain the old special links with the West; whether they are positive neutralists like Nasser; or whether they incline towards the Soviet block.

To my mind the odds are heavily in favour of an association between Iraq and Colonel Nassers United Arab Republic, with all that such a link would imply; but we dont really know.

The New Government, under Brigadier Abdul Karim Kassem, has done so many things in so short a time, has upset so many rigidities, and has instituted so many innovations that it is difficult to descry for certain the shape of its policies. It has for example, expressed its regrets to Britain for the assault on the Embassy and has stuck outside the ruined consulate a reproving message to the mob You should not have done this: these are your friends. The Embassy will probably be functioning again in its own building in a few days.

Relations with West It has expressed its admiration for Nasser, but it has reportedly made clear that it intends to preserve the national independence of Iraq. It has dissolved the Arab Union with Jordan, but maintains that the revolution was purely an internal convulsion that will not affect the welcome to journalists from the West. Its relationship with the Western Powers is obviously a peculiar and precarious one, not only because the Western Governments do not recognise it but also because of the Anglo-American landings to the west, which some Iraqis still view as a precursor of a counter-revolutionary assault on Bagdad; yet the Iraq Petroleum Company still seems to be functioning normally and there has been no interruption of the flow of oil to Europe.

Certainly the new Government seems to be in firm control of the whole country and reports current in Jordan of dissident armies bearing down on Bagdad are nonsense. Nearly all the members of the previous Government are under arrest, together with many miscellaneous appendages of the ancient regime. Sixty-eight men are listed as persons who are accused of embezzling peoples property. Corruption seems to be the charge most often levelled against the old order. As the newspaper AI Bilad said this morning: The small ruling clique simply executed the will of the imperialists to embezzle our wealth.

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Military coup in Iraq ousts monarchy - archive, 1958 - The Guardian

Thomas Maresca, Special for USA TODAY Published 8:00 p.m. ET July 25, 2017 | Updated 8:08 p.m. ET July 25, 2017

Airstrikes in Marawi as Philippines troops try to retake city Video provided by AFP Newslook

Merlinda Obedencio, whose husband and three children are being held by militants in Marawi, Philippines, waits for word about them at an evacuation center for refugees.(Photo: Thomas Maresca)

MARAWI, Philippines At a crowded center for refugees fleeing the fighting that has ravaged this city, Merlinda Obedencio never lets her most valuable possession out of sight: a blue cellphone.

It is the only link she has to her husband and three of their six childrenbeing held by Islamic State-linked extremists.

Philippine Marines prepare to fire mortars at Muslim militant positions at the front line in Marawi, on the southern island of Mindanao, on July 22, 2017. The Philippine Congress voted July 22 to extend President Rodrigo Duterte's declaration of martial law in the south until the end of the year.(Photo: Ted Aljibe, AFP/Getty Images)

Obedencios husband, Raul, and their children were captured by the local Maute extremist group during a siege that started May 23 and has left almost 600 dead.

Almost 400,000 people have been displaced by the fighting in Marawi, a cityon the southern island of Mindanao, according to the Philippine military. And like Obedencio, most facean uncertain future ina region turned upside down by extremist violence.

The Islamic State, also known as ISIS, views the drawn-out battle as a major win at a time when it is being driven out of its base in Iraq and Syria, bringing greater attention to the Philippines and Southeast Asia as a new beachhead for extremists.

This is what I consider the first significant example of how foreign fighters from the Syria/Iraq battle space can be brought to bear in another part of the world, said Thomas Sanderson, director of the Transnational Threats Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C.

After weeks of not knowing whether her family was alive, Obedenciogot a call from her husband, who gotaccess to a hidden cellphone. He said he is forced to cook for his captors. He said their 20-year-oldsonis being used as a human shield on the front lines, while their daughter, 17, was married to one of the fighters.

Her husband has since been able to call or text a handful of times, and this contact helps Obedencioda, a devout Christian, keep going.

For almost two months, I cant sleep well, she said. Im always thinking of them are they in good hands? Sometimes when they call I thank God that my family is still alive. I dont know what we will do after this. All I can do is pray.

Farhan Macapandia, 23, anEnglish teacher, spent 13 days trapped at home with 11 family members and neighbors after the fighting broke out. The last four days were spent without food, having only rainwater they could collect.

The group finally made a break to safety, carrying only a few essentials. Theyre now staying at an evacuation center in the military-controlled compound near the heart of the fighting, where daily airstrikes rattle the buildings and stray bullets are a routine danger.

We don't have any idea right now if our house is still there, said Macapandia. We don't have money. Our access to work, lost. Our house, lost. Everything, lost. It seems that we need to have a new life, a new beginning.

While residents blame the extremists for the violence and chaos, many are also growing impatient with the military and its heavy airstrikes, which are leveling buildings throughout the city.

We are angry at the two sides ISIS and the military, said Macapandias mother, Nabiliah. We are trapped here in a war zone.

The fighting has been contained to a 7,500-square-footarea of the city, with 60 to 70 militants holding about 100 hostages, said Lt. Col. Jo-Ar Herrera, spokesman for the militarys Task Force Marawi.

The fighting, which initially was expected to end in a matter of days, has killed 427 militants, 99 soldiers and 45 civilians, according to the military.

The Philippine congress voted Saturdayto extend martial law on Mindanao until the end of the year. President Rodrigo Duterte had declared martial law for 60 days when the fighting began.

Herrera admitted the battle has exposed the gaps and weaknesses in the militarys ability to conduct urban warfare. We should see the city or urban area as the battleground of the future, and we need to upgrade our capabilities, he said.

Read more:

ISIS expands foothold in Southeast Asia with Philippine siege

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Among the fighters who were killed are militants from Chechnya, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and Yemen, while fighters from Pakistan and Morocco are still active in the city, the Philippine military said. A greater future danger may be fighters from Southeast Asia returning from Iraq and Syria, said analyst Sanderson.

Without a doubt, Southeast Asians returning is perhaps the most lethal element of the discussion, because they are coming with the same high-level combat skills that the other combatants have, but these are guys who know the local territory and language, Sanderson said.

As ISIS losesground in the Middle East, militants from around this region are moving their operations to Southeast Asia primarily the Philippines, saidSidney Jones, director of Jakarta-based Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict,

The idea that the Philippines is now the destination of choice rather than Syria has sunk in, she said. That's definite now.

Destroyed buildings are seen from a government sniper's position on the front line in Marawi, Philippines, on July 22, 2017.(Photo: Ted Aljibe, AFP/Getty Images)

Jones warned that the Philippine military is treading a thin line by using excessive force, because of its long history of taking a harsh stance against extremist groups in Mindanao.

One theme that was used to bring people on board to the ISIS message isthe brutality of the security services," she said. This was before even the airstrikes. So I think there's got to be a serious re-think of how the Duterte administration responds to extremism. Because if they're not careful, they're going to be building a new generation of extremists, not eradicating the generation that's there now.

Many in Marawi agree that the aftermath of the fight may be the biggest challenge.

There will be social disorder, political instability, health issues, said Norodin Alonto Lucman, a well-known former politician and Muslim chieftain.

Lucman, who harbored in his home 74 civilians including 31 Christians for 12 days during the conflict before escaping, said many conditions that caused extremism in the first place will be exacerbated by the fighting here.

We believe that this rebellion in Mindanao is caused by poverty, he said. With the Marawi crisis, you reduce thousands more people into poverty but now they have guns.

In the meantime, Obedencio waits with her blue phone for news about her trapped family.

"Its so hard to be a mother trying to look forward to their release," she said. "I pray all the time. It's just a great nightmare.

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As it loses in Syria and Iraq, ISIS establishes a new beachhead: the Philippines - USA TODAY

History will not look kindly on the failure of the United States and its allies to intervene early against the Islamic State and Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. Hundreds of thousands have been killed in Iraq and Syria since the beginning of the Syrian Civil War in 2011, and the U.S. Congress and the European Parliament have officially declared the Islamic State's slaughter of Yazidis, Christians, and other minorities in the region a genocide.

America's allies in Europe are faced with an unprecedented refugee crisis that has shaken the continent's political foundations to the core. The terror threat in both Europe and the U.S. is higher than ever.

It is now up to the Trump administration to get things right in Iraq and Syria. President Trump's missile strike against the Assad regime in April was a welcome sign that the U.S. has found its moral resolve after years of passivity. The recent liberation of Mosul is another step in the right direction.

However, to succeed in the long term, the U.S. and its allies will have to bring more to the table than the will to act militarily. The refugee crisis makes it paramount to restore the ability of Iraqis and Syrians to build a safe and prosperous future for themselves. Without security and economic opportunity, refugees will be unable to return home, and their host countries will have to carry an enormous economic and social burden until refugees are fully integrated.

Restoring the devastated regions of Iraq and Syria will require a new, bottom-up approach to post-conflict reconstruction, focusing on local security and entrepreneurship rather than the traditional approach of central planning by national governments and international organizations. Economist Carl Schramm made the case for this new kind of "expeditionary economics" in a Foreign Affairs article in 2010. It is high time to implement Schramm's vision.

What would expeditionary economics look like in Iraq and Syria?

First, security should be locally driven and encompass all segments of society, including minority groups. This is a time-honored principle of policing in the Western world. Many of America's European allies have built great expertise in training police forces and could add tremendous value by taking on the task of enabling local Iraqi and Syrian communities, including Yazidis, Christians, and other minorities, to police themselves. The Christian communities on the Nineveh Plain in northern Iraq, who are currently excluded from policing their own areas by the majority groups in power, would be an excellent place to start such a local policing effort.

Second, the rule of law should be locally driven and focused on defining and securing property rights. International aid and development organizations rarely pay much attention to property rights, perhaps because we in the West have come to take such institutions as the local county clerk for granted. But ill-defined and insecure property rights are a constant source of conflict that often undermine social stability and economic growth in developing countries. This has been documented in the groundbreaking work of economist Hernando de Soto.

Third, economic redevelopment in the region should focus on local entrepreneurs, local workers, and the development of indigenous growth businesses. Returning refugees can play a key role in this process, serving as a link between investors and customers in the West and local businesses in Iraq and Syria.

The U.S. and the European Union can help by removing barriers to trade and facilitating a mapping of microeconomic assets in the region and in the refugee communities. Right now, asylum centers and refugee camps should be busy collecting information on the skills of the refugees they are housing, matching these enormous human resources up with entrepreneurial leaders who can put them to work.

The U.S. has a long track record of welcoming the world's "huddled masses, yearning to breathe free" and turning them into successful citizens and entrepreneurs. It is perhaps this history as a better, future-oriented place that sometimes tempts America to turn its back on the Old World, even when it is on fire. The challenge now is to harness America's exceptional entrepreneurial expertise to deny genocidal tyrants and terrorists the social chaos and economic misery they thrive on.

Stephen Hollingshead is an entrepreneur and director of IraqHaven.org. Henrik Fogh Rasmussen is an entrepreneur and non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council.

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Trump can make the best of things in Iraq and Syria with 'expeditionary economics' - Washington Examiner

Karar Nushi, a male model and student at the Institute of Fine Art in central Baghdad who was murdered in early July, is seen in a picture uploaded July 7, 2017. (photo byFacebook/derechos)

Author:Hassan al-Shanoun Posted July 25, 2017

BAGHDAD The recent and widely publicized murder of Iraqi model and actor Karar Nushiis only one of the horrific crimesfrequently witnessed in Iraqi society as religious extremists call for exterminating whatever they find offensive.

Ahmad al-Iraqi, one of Nushis close friends, told Al-Monitor hebelieves Nushi was killed July 3 over his appearance. Iraqi blames the extremist religious militias and groups and their inflammatory speeches through religious platforms.Nushiwas a student at the Institute of Fine Art in central Baghdad and participated in several plays in the city. He was known for his long, blond hair and fashionable, often tightclothing.

He stayed two days away from home. We thought that he had been working on a theatrical project, but his family was shocked by a call from the forensic medicine department to pick up the body, Iraqi said.Nushis murder was a shock to everyone who knew him. He did not have any problem with anyone. He was calm and friendly with everyone."

Nushiwas reportedly torturedand stabbed; hisbody was thrown in a landfill. His murder stirred angry reactionson the Iraqi street. Some bloggers posted on social media videos of clerics inciting the killing of what they called effeminate men.

Nushis story is one of many similar incidents, as criminals walk the streets with impunityin what has become a widespread phenomenon in Iraq, especially as security forces have beenbusy fighting the Islamic State (IS).

On March 20, Lulu a pseudonym received death threats over the phone from anonymous callers. Lulu isgay. In Iraq, gay menare degradingly referred to as tante," which is French for "auntie."

Lulu fled from Baghdad to Erbiland then all the way to Beirut to escape what he believed wasinevitable death. He told Al-Monitor by phone that there are people inciting hate crimes, especially against gays, a phenomenon that has only grown worse in the absence of security and human rights organizations.

Gangs and killers have found a safe haven in Iraqto commit their crimes,and threatening or killing members of the LGBT(lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual community)is not new.

At thebeginning of 2008, gay men in Iraq were torturedat the hands of some armed groupswho used glue to seal mens rectums.

A member of the parliamentary Defense Committee, Abdul Aziz Hassan, said outlawswho exploit the preoccupation of the Iraqi military units in the war against terror have intimidated citizens and imposed their power and control over society through the threat of weapons.However, even with the gradual defeat of ISin Iraq, the violence and militancy against people with different viewsis not likely to end, given the power of several militias upholding religious agendas in different parts of Iraq.

Hassan told Al-Monitor that thegovernment won't be able tocontrol such atrocities unless all weapons are limited to the state only.

Heunderscoredthe need to fight extremist ideology and prosecute religious extremists whoincitehatred.

Iraq is a multi-ethnic and religious country. Calls [for hatred] contribute to widening the gap between the different components of society, Hassan said. "These crimes are aimed also at intimidation, and someare linked to terrorist actsdesigned to gather money or stir sectarian strife.

The first public reaction to Nushis death and the brutal practices used by some radicalscame when a group of intellectuals held a sit-in in central Baghdad, calling on authorities to investigate the crime and capture the killers.

Many people believe crimes in Iraq are committed at the hands of regressive forces seeking to suppress public freedoms through intimidation. Parliament memberShuruq al-Abayjicalled Nushis killing a horrific murder aimed at killing the pure spirit of Iraq." He said, "The perpetrators are trying to deliver a message to society that there is no room for public and private freedoms.

Abayji told Al-Monitor, The peoples reaction will be massive against this crime, and [they] will denounce any other crime suppressing freedoms.

Abayji also accused extremist religious authorities [of] seeking to spread the culture of killing in the community. He calledon the government and its security services to restrict those who use religion as a cover for their criminal actions and who impose de facto authority on Iraqis.

According to a report by the British Observer newspaper, an organization known as the LGBT group in Iraq,headed by London-based activist Ali Bin Ali, saidin 2009that 680 gay people in the country had been killed between 2004 and 2009, 130 of them at the hands of an extremist religious group luring gays online and through chat rooms.

Read More: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2017/07/karar-nushi-lgbt-iraq-human-rights-extreme-militias.html

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Appearances get people killed in Iraq - Al-Monitor