Iraq SITREP 13th July: The time of the Kurds, and Terroristan

13th July: Kurdish MPs agreed to attend Parliament on Sunday but were delayed at Erbil airport on account of bad weather.

13th July: An audio recording released by rebels has Saddam’s Ba’athist general Ibrahim Izzat Al Douri praising Jihadist rebel fighters: “We give them a special salute with pride, appreciation and love;” talks about amnesty given; and other Sunni groups falling in line behind Daash. The recording remains unverified.

13th July: Hamid al-Hayes, head of the Anbar Salvation Council says that there are only 600 Daash fighters in Anbar provinve and that they move from place to place to assert power. He was confident that local tribes and security forces will get rid of Daash soon.

13th July: Gunmen have blown up the Sunni Endowment Building in Tal Afar. Daash and rebel forces have been in control of Tal Afar since 25th June. It is unclear who carried out the bombing.

13th July: A refugee family is attacked in Sinjar on its way to Iraqi Kurdistan. Two people are killed when the car they were travelling in was attacked by Daash fighters. Similar incidents have been reported earlier. The families are trying to make their way South from Iraqi Kurdistan.

13th July: Gunmen attack two buildings in Iraq and execute 25 women residing there with silenced weapons. The attackers left a note on the entrance stating “this is the fate of all prostitutes.” You can kill each other, but as long as you keep your morals intact.
The district where the killing took place had seen a similar attack in May 2013 when 6 women and 5 men were similarly summarily executed.

13th July: Army shelling and air strikes have left 10 dead and 24 injured in Fallujah

13th July: Daash fighters/rebels assault the town of Haditha, manage to take hold of a few crossroads despite heavy resistance, and withdraw abruptly. Hadtha is the site of a hydro electric power plant and is under government control. The government is defending the town with the help of the local Al-Jegayfa tribe, Awakening members and local volunteers.
The government had carried out airstrikes that destroyed 15 Daash/rebel vehicles

13th July: The Sunni Motahedoun party has selected Salim al-Jobouri as its choice of speaker. He replaces Usama al-Nujayfi who previously held this post.

13th July: Kurdish forces are demobilizing child soldiers in keeping with International Law.

13th July: Massoud Barzani (President of Iraqi Kurdistan) and Joe Biden (Vice President of the USA) discuss government formation in Iraq and concur that any new government should recognize ground realities and political changes that have taken place.

13th July: Dhuluiyah, a town to the north of Baghdad, has been more or less overrun by Daash/rebel fighters. The town had earlier been taken by rebels who were repelled by government troops and allied tribes but have steadily made a comeback.

13th July: Daash fighters prevent Sunni Imams from reciting the Quran before and after Friday prayers in Falujah calling it an innovation. They have also prevented mourners from putting up details of the deceased on boards.

13th July: Atta’s/Government claims for the day:
Clashes between security forces in Muqdadiya, north eastern Baqouba have left 4 Daash/rebel fighters and two policemen dead
Iraqi air force bombs a convoy of Daash/rebel fighters north of Tikrit
20 individuals are arrested by the police in Basra
The Iraqi Air Force bombards Cobra Camp held by Daash/rebel fighters and is proud of destroying its own looted equipment at the camp. Government claims that 50+ Daash/rebel fighters are killed
Security Forces in Basra nab kidnappers in Basra and frees a hostage held by them

12th July:  hopes to establish an Islamic emirate similar to the DI of Daash with backing from the Saudi cleric Sheikh Abdullah Mohaisany. Welcome to Terroristan!

13th July: A businessman linked with financing terrorism/extremism is assassinated in Mombasa, Kenya. His death is believed to be linked to other killings of people suspected of financing extremist groups, in a possible government run anti terrorism drive.

13th July: Hezballah is running a soup kitchen that supplies 2100 packets of food aid daily to 700 poor families in four suburbs of Beirut. A third of the families are Sunni Muslim. The soup kitchen is for the duration of Ramadan. It is called the “Table of Imam Zain al-Abidin” named after the fourth Shia Imam.

13th July: The United States blacklists the Star Group of Holdings of Lebanon for having ties with Hezballah.

13th July: Abu Mohammed Al Maqdissi an Al Qaida spiritual leader in Jordan issues a Fatwa calling the DI of Daash “null and void.” It ain’t the right Islam, without the right fanatics.