Mediaboss Marketing

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

Daily Emails and Alerts - Get the best of Newsweek delivered to your inbox

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.

Go here to read the rest:
"CBSN: On Assignment" explores the influence of ISIS on children in Iraq and Syria - CBS News

DETROIT, United States Iraqis living in America still fear deportation order, even though an injunction was passed to halt deportations for at least 90 days this week.

One American woman voiced her disappointment in the US legal system regarding the deportation order from Washington.

The Iraqi fianc of Shanna Stevens, Najah Koja, who has been in the US for more than 40 years was arrested on June 11 for a crime he committed over two decades ago.

I didnt know the government worked this way, Stevens told Rudaw's Namo Abdullah. I didnt know they were so cruel.

Koja spent 23 years in prison after he was convicted for intent to sell cocaine.

We are all immigrants. We all come here, some good, some bad, but its up to what we do to be here to make a difference and pay our dues if we do any wrong, and we learn from them, Stevens stated. That is what he did.

Video:Shanna Stevens

Shaki Koja, Najahs brother said he got involved with the wrong people as a youth which led to his crime.

Unfortunately, he got involved with the wrong crowd of people at a young age of his life and he was convicted of conspiracy to sell drugs, his brother said.

A majority of the Iraqi nationals detained in Michigan who are Chaldean Christians have historically faced discrimination in Iraq and do not even speak Arabic, their defenders argue.

A lot of these people, once they go back to Iraq might be a target of criminals, a target of gangsters that know these people come from America or have relatives in America and they will be targeted, Rudy Zoma believes, a Pastor of the Saint Joseph Chaldean Catholic Church in Troy, Michigan, a suburb of the Detroit area.

Another man who has been detained pending deportation is named Anas. He was convicted of raping a 12-year-old boy in Sterling Heights, Michigan after having just fled Iraq at the age of 19 and has already served his prison term.

His mother said that now, at the age of 42, he is a responsible and hardworking man who would never pose a threat to anyone.

Iraq has ended, where should he go? she said. If my son goes to Iraq, he would be killed.

There are now a total of 230 Iraqi nationals across America who have been arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Almost half of those live in the Detroit area.

In exchange for Iraq to be removed from US President Donald Trumps travel ban, Iraq had agreed to accept any deportees from the US. The arrests were a direct result of this agreement.

While both stays as well as the injunction issued on Monday are victories in delaying deportations, for the 1,400 men and women and their loved ones, the ordeal is not over yet.

Now that the injunction has been issued, each detainee will have a 90-day stay starting from the time the government provides two important immigration records needed to reopen each petitioners case, which could take at least up to five months or more to obtain.

Judge Goldsmiths order will provide the additional time needed for detainees to secure lawyers, for lawyers to request the necessary documentation to protect their clients and for each case to be heard before immigration judges and boards before they are possibly deported to dangerous situations.

"Although most were ordered removed to Iraq years ago (some for overstaying visas, others based on criminal convictions for which they long ago completed any sentences), the government released them, often under orders of supervision," read the original class action lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

However, Almanhal Alsafi, Iraqs Consul General in Detroit, Michigan rejects the notion that his government is behind Americas renewed interest in deporting Iraqi nationals, including those in the Kurdish community.

The detainees had committed some sort of crime and are not only Christians, they are Muslims, Kurds, Arabs, you name it, Alsafi said. Those people are citizens of Iraq. If they are willing to go back, we will accept them.

We will not accept any detainee going back involuntarily, he added.

If this is true, it will come as good news to the many Iraqis who would not voluntarily return to a country they fled at an early age due to persecution or war.

The US has a long history of protecting vulnerable populations seeking refuge in this country, read a statement on ACLUs website.

We must live up to that tradition now.

Read the original post:
Families in America still fear return to Iraq, even though injunction issued to halt deportation - Rudaw

SOUTHWEST ASIA, July 28, 2017 U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria yesterday, conducting 21 strikes consisting of 25 engagements, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

Officials reported details of yesterday's strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Strikes in Syria

In Syria, coalition military forces conducted 17 strikes consisting of 20 engagements against ISIS targets:

-- Near Abu Kamal, three strikes destroyed two ISIS oil storage tanks, two oil trailers, an oil refinement still and a wellhead.

-- Near Dayr Az Zawr, five strikes destroyed 18 ISIS oil refinement stills and three wellheads and suppressed a supply route.

-- Near Raqqa, eight strikes engaged four ISIS tactical units and destroyed six fighting positions, a supply cache, an ISIS communication headquarters and an anti-air artillery system.

-- Near Shadaddi, a strike destroyed an ISIS tunnel.

Strikes in Iraq

In Iraq, coalition military forces conducted four strikes consisting of five engagements against ISIS targets:

-- Near Baghdad, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit.

-- Near Rawah, a strike destroyed an ISIS chemical storage site.

- Near Tal Afar, two strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units and destroyed four fighting positions and a supply cache.

July 26 Strikes

Additionally, 14 strikes were conducted in Syria and Iraq on July 26 that closed within the last 24 hours.

-- Near Qaim, Iraq, two strikes destroyed two ISIS vehicle-borne-bomb factories and a front-end loader and damaged a crane and a front-end loader.

-- Near Raqqa, Syria, 18 strikes engaged 12 ISIS tactical units; destroyed eight fighting positions, two command-and-control nodes, an improvised explosive device facility, a supply cache and a logistics node; and suppressed an ISIS tactical unit.

-- Near Tal Afar, Iraq, four strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units; destroyed an ISIS-held building, a vehicle, a front-end loader and a supply cache; and suppressed a mortar team.

Part of Operation Inherent Resolve

These strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to destroy ISIS in Iraq and Syria. The destruction of ISIS targets in Iraq and Syria also further limits the group's ability to project terror and conduct external operations throughout the region and the rest of the world, task force officials said.

The list above contains all strikes conducted by fighter, attack, bomber, rotary-wing or remotely piloted aircraft; rocket-propelled artillery; and some ground-based tactical artillery when fired on planned targets, officials noted.

Ground-based artillery fired in counterfire or in fire support to maneuver roles is not classified as a strike, they added. A strike, as defined by the coalition, refers to one or more kinetic engagements that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single or cumulative effect.

For example, task force officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIS vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against a group of ISIS-held buildings and weapon systems in a compound, having the cumulative effect of making that facility harder or impossible to use. Strike assessments are based on initial reports and may be refined, officials said.

The task force does not report the number or type of aircraft employed in a strike, the number of munitions dropped in each strike, or the number of individual munition impact points against a target.

Read the rest here:
Officials Release Latest Details of Strikes Against ISIS in Syria, Iraq - Department of Defense