ekurd.ne

Jad’ah displacement camp is still under construction but already hundreds of Iraqi families have arrived after fleeing Islamic State (Isis)-controlled territory. As workers rushed to erect more tents on Wednesday (26 October), the recent arrivals took stock of their new surroundings.

Men smoked their first cigarettes since escaping the draconian rule of the IS, women cast off the full-face niqab covering mandated by the extremist group and laundered clothing at UNICEF toilet facilities, while children queued up for haircuts offered by a pair of volunteer barbers.

In the middle of the camp eight men knelt in the dirt, their hands zip-tied behind their backs. Makeshift blindfolds of plastic garbage bags covered their eyes, and an officer in a black uniform tapped their heads with a cane, telling them to keep their heads bowed.

Inside a nearby tent, plainclothes men with sidearms on their belts sat around four laptops, checking the names from the huge stack of identification cards against a computerised list. As some were flagged up, they tossed the cards into a cardboard box on the floor. The men were from Iraq’s National Intelligence Service, tasked with preventing IS members from infiltrating alongside the fleeing civilians.

“These men are suspected of belonging to IS,” explained a black-uniformed officer, who said he was not permitted to give his name. “They will be sent to a court in Qayyarah. If there is no evidence against them and no witnesses testify against them, they will be released.”

As the operation to drive IS from Iraq progresses, authorities are screening all men considered to be of fighting age as they flee IS-controlled areas. The stakes are high, as the authorities must balance the rights of suspects against the need to protect against infiltration.

Already international human rights watchdogs are warning of arbitrary detention and other abuses, but with resources stretched thin, a predicted increased wave of displacement could overwhelm screening procedures entirely.

Since the operation to retake Mosul – Iraq’s second largest city – began on 17 October, over 16,000 people have fled fighting near their homes. The UN warns this number could increase to 200,000 just in the next few weeks alone. The biggest displacement so far has come from north of Qayyarah, where the Jad’ah camp is being built.

Iraqi and Kurdish authorities say a recent counter-attack by IS in Kirkuk highlights the threat of infiltration among civilians. On 21 October, dozens of IS fighters infiltrated the mixed-ethnicity city which Kurdish authorities have controlled since summer 2014.

Over the course of two days, IS snipers and suicide bombers wrought havoc across the oil-rich city. By the time the last IS raiders were killed the next day, nearly 100 people were dead.

Following the attack, Kirkuk governor Najmaldin Karim told local media he believed IS members had infiltrated the city with civilians who had fled from areas under their control. “It was expected that Isis sleeper cells would make a move one day in Kirkuk, now that the Mosul offensive has started and they want to boost their own morale this way,” he said.

But human rights watchdog Amnesty International has criticised the way screening is carried out and recently released a 70-page report detailing abuse of detainees in other parts of Iraq. While acknowledging the need for screening, Amnesty’s senior crisis response adviser Donatella Rovera said it was an “incredibly flawed process”.

“They rely heavily on informants,” she said. “It’s an opportunity for people who want to take revenge on someone else. There’s no awareness that the testimony of someone needs to be backed up by appropriate evidence. The system is just so incredibly under-resourced. Even if you had very skilled people there’s no way you could do a good job even in those circumstances.”

At a military checkpoint north of Qayyarah on Wednesday, Iraqi army soldiers and NIS officers screened scores of civilians as they crossed over from IS territory. Exhausted families arrived on foot, many telling tales of horror of life under the extremist Sunni militia and of risking their lives to escape.

Some individuals were near collapse, having walked for more than 20km to reach safety. The men made snap judgements on who to detain and who to place on trucks to be taken to Jed’ah camp. A man in plainclothes, who identified himself as an NIS officer, said suspects were detained based on tip-offs but also appearance and how they responded to questioning.

Overseeing the checkpoint, Iraqi army Colonel Khalid Al Jabouri seemed almost overwhelmed by the task at hand. “These people come from Isis [held territory] but we must help them,” he said. “We need more assistance though.”

The day before over 1,000 people had crossed the checkpoint, coming from small villages south of Mosul. Jabouri feared though that this number could only increase as fighting approaches Mosul itself – a city of perhaps 1.5 million people. “Then what will happen?” he asked.

ibtimes.co.uk

“Iranian military advisors play a crucial role in campaign against terrorism in regional countries, specially Iraq and Syria,” Amir Abdollahian said on Friday.

He reiterated Iran’s resolve restore security and peace to the region, and said, “Iran believes in political settlement to the regional and international crises and has never spared efforts in this respect.”

Amir Abdollahian reiterated that certain military advisors who were helping the Iraqi and Syrian governments at the request of those countries were killed while fulfilling their missions in those countries.

On Wednesday, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araqchi blasted certain western countries for supporting terrorism in Syria and Iraq, and called for a halt to their financial and logistical supports for the terrorist groups.

“We are calling on sponsors of terrorism that lend financial and military support to Takfiri terrorists to stop their support and instead take steps towards a real fight against terrorism,” Araqchi said, addressing a conference in the city of Mashhad in Northeastern Iran.

farsnews.com

Hezbollah Brigades (also known as Kata’ib Hezbollah), an Iranian-backed Shiite militia in Iraq, is transporting forces, including troops and artillery, to participate in the operation to retake Mosul from the Islamic State. Hezbollah Brigades is a US-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization that is one of several Iranian-backed militias that operates in Iraq.

The convoy, which was seen in a video released by Hezbollah Brigades propaganda wings, was shown to include dozens of vehicles. At least 11 rocket launchers, four howitzers (including two US-made M198 howitzers), one American-made M1 Abrams, and one US M88 Recovery Vehicle were spotted. Several other vehicles transporting troops to Mosul can also be seen.

The Shiite militias, which are part of the Popular Mobilization Forces, are expected to fight the Islamic State in areas east of Mosul. A spokesman for the PMF said that the militias are moving towards Tal Afar and would launch an offensive against Islamic State forces entrenched there in “a few days or hours,” Reuters reported today.

The Popular Mobilization Forces was established in June 2014 after the Iraqi military and police forces were overwhelmed by the Islamic State in northern, central, and western Iraq. Clerics put out the call for Iraq to support the collapsing security forces. Established militias that are supported by Iran and have openly fought US and British troops during the occupation answered the call and dominate the PMF. They were organized under the aegis of the Popular Mobilization Forces, which is commanded by Abu Mahdi al Muhandi, who was listed by the US government as a specially designated global terrorist in July 2009 and was described as “an advisor to” Qods Force commander Qassem Soleimani.

Hezbollah Brigades has been involved in most major operations to push back the Islamic State or to recapture Islamic State-held cities. For instance, last April, a month before the Islamic State took over the provincial capital of Ramadi, it sent its troops to take part in operations near the city. One video showed Hezbollah Brigade artillery units launching rockets against Islamic State forces in the Sijariyah district in eastern Ramadi. The city fell to the Islamic State last May and was recaptured in late December.

Hezbollah Brigades fighters were also involved in operations near the town of Karmah, just east of Baghdad, and in operations to recapture the town of Amerli in Salahaddin in Sept. 2014. [See LWJ reports, Hezbollah Brigades deploys fighters to Ramadi, US aided Hezbollah Brigades in breaking Islamic State siege of Iraqi town and Threat Matrix report, Hezbollah Brigades flaunts US equipment in Anbar operation.]

The militia has long been known to operate American M1 Abrams tanks. Last January, the militia showcased several US-made vehicles in a large convoy somewhere in Iraq. Some pictures of M1’s being in the hands of Hezbollah Brigades existed prior to the video, but these photos and videos have become much more prevalent since. The tanks and artillery were likely given to HB by the Iraqi military, or taken from the Islamic State during operations.

longwarjournal.org

The U.N.’s public health agency said Thursday it has trained 90 Iraqi medics in “mass casualty management,” with a special focus on chemical attacks, as part of its preparations for Iraq’s operation to retake Mosul from the Islamic State group.

The extremist group, which has ruled Iraq’s second largest city for more than two years, is believed to have crude chemical weapons capabilities, and Iraqi forces say they are prepared to encounter them on the battlefield.

The World Health Organization said Wednesday that of the 700,000 people expected to flee Mosul, some 200,000 will require emergency health services, including more than 90,000 children needing vaccinations and 8,000 pregnant women.

The operation to retake Mosul began Oct. 17 and is expected to take weeks, if not months. The fighting has not yet reached the city itself, which is home to more than a million people.

Iraq’s special forces said Thursday they have completed their objectives east of Mosul and are waiting on other forces to advance from the south in order to further isolate the city before moving in.

“The operation has not been stopped and is proceeding as planned,” Brig. Gen. Haider Fadhil said.

Iraqi forces have been battling IS militants around the town of Shura, some 25 miles (40 kilometers) south of Mosul, in recent days. Iraqi officials have said the offensive is proceeding according to plan and that some operations are ahead of schedule.

The Mosul offensive is the largest Iraqi military operation since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, and involves more than 25,000 Iraqi soldiers, Federal Police, Kurdish forces, Sunni tribal fighters and state-sanctioned Shiite militias.

Fighting units are approaching the city from the north, east and south, and the U.S.-led coalition is carrying out airstrikes and providing ground support.

The International Organization for Migration says around 9,000 people have fled so far, but aid groups are preparing to receive 200,000 displaced people in the coming weeks and fear many more could flee before the operation is over.

The United Nations’ refugee agency is shipping tents, blankets and other aid from the United Arab Emirates to northern Iraq to help those affected by the military campaign. The shipment, which left Dubai’s International Humanitarian City on Thursday, is expected to reach those affected as soon as Friday.

Soliman Mohamed Daud, a senior UNHCR supply officer, told The Associated Press that 7,000 units of the relief aid will be sent to northern Iraq. The UAE shipment that left Thursday includes some 1,500 kits.

nypost.com/

Iranian news agency Tasnim says drone can carry explosives, cover over 620 miles and fly for four hours

Iran unveiled photos of a new line of suicide drones. According to Iranian news agency Tasnim, the drone will primarily be used by the regime’s Revolutionary Guard for maritime surveillance, but has the capability of carrying bombs for “suicide missions.”

The drone can allegedly fly for four hours and cover over 620 miles, according to the Iranian news agency. The aircraft can reach heights of 3,000 feet and as low as 2 feet above ground or water. Even though the drone was photographed, no video was shown of the drone in flight.

The Islamic Republic of Iran had declared that it successfully reverse-engineered an American RQ-Sentinel 170 drone earlier this month, calling the copy Saegheh, or “Thunderbolt.” One of the American drones crashed on Iranian territory in December, 2011 due to technical difficulties, according to American sources.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday that Turkey’s military offensive in northern Syria will target the town of Manbij, captured from ISIS by Syrian Kurdish-led forces in August, and the jihadists’ stronghold of Raqqa.

Syrian rebels, backed by Turkish warplanes, tanks and artillery, launched the “Euphrates Shield” operation in August to push ISIS and Kurdish militia forces away from the border area of northern Syria.

In a speech in Ankara broadcast live, Erdogan said he had informed U.S. President Barack Obama about his plans for the operation in a telephone call on Wednesday. Before Manbij and Raqqa, the operation will target the town of al-Bab, he said.

The rebels are now advancing on al-Bab to clear ISIS elements. After retaking the city, they will target Manbij, and “then we will go towards Raqqa,” Erdogan stated.

According to the White House, Obama cited during the phone conversation the need for close coordination between the U.S. and Turkey to apply pressure on ISIS in Syria.

Turkey has been angered at Washington’s support for the Kurdish YPG militia in its battle against ISIS in Syria, with Ankara regarding it as a hostile force with deep ties to Kurdish militants fighting in southeast Turkey.

A top U.S. military commander said on Wednesday YPG fighters will be included in the force to isolate Raqqa. Arab forces, and not Kurdish ones, are expected to be the ones to take the city itself, U.S. officials say.

Defense Minister Fikri Isik told state broadcaster TRT on Thursday that Turkey had asked Washington not to allow the YPG to enter Raqqa, saying it was ready to provide the necessary military support to take over the town.

Erdogan also said that the Iraqi region of Sinjar, west of Mosul, was on its way to becoming a new base for Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants and that Turkey would not allow this to happen.

The White House said Obama welcomed continued dialogue between Turkey and Iraq to determine the appropriate level and form of Turkey’s participation in countering ISIS in northern Iraq.

It said the two leaders affirmed their support for Iraq’s sovereignty and the need to deny a haven to the PKK.

aawsat.com

Five members of the al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) terrorist organisation were killed in a US air strike, the US Central Command announced.

The strike took place in a remote area of Yemen’s Marib governorate, Central Command spokesman Josh T Jacques said in a statement, which did not disclose the identities of the terrorists killed in the strike.

“The al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula remains a significant threat to the region and to the United States,” said Jacques, adding that the United States is working to deny the terror group a safe haven from which to plan future attacks.

Designated by the US State Department as a foreign terrorist organisation in January 2010, the Yemen-based AQAP has claimed responsibility for numerous terrorist attacks since its inception in 2009.

bernama.com

The US-led coalition has announced a new military operation in northern Syria aimed at isolating Raqqa city, an Islamic State (ISIS) stronghold. According to US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, the coalition has started “laying the groundwork” for the operation.

Carter met with ministers from 12 other countries in Paris on Tuesday. After the meeting, he told reporters that the coalition was activating the rumored operation. “Our partners are to commence the isolation of Raqqa,” Carter said, in reference to the pro-Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and other allied factions.

The US-led coalition has simultaneously activated several remote fronts, forcing ISIS to stretch its limited forces. US Lieutenant General Sean MacFarland said in August that ISIS had dwindled to between 15,000 and 20,000 militants. Other estimates have been significantly higher.

Coalition-backed Kurdish Peshmerga and Iraqi Army soldiers, are now in the second week of a military operation, which aims to oust ISIS from Mosul city. The Raqqa operation, would force ISIS to prioritize deployments in Iraq or Syria. “There will be some simultaneity to these two operations [in Mosul and Raqqa],” the Carter said earlier on Sunday.

Raqqa is ISIS’ de facto capital in Syria, while Mosul is the group’s de facto capital in Iraq. As the joint Iraqi-Kurdish assault on Mosul has progressed, ISIS has endeavored to fortify its headquarters in Raqqa.

According to eyewitnesses and activists, the extremist group has imposed a curfew in the city centre, installed new checkpoints and erected concrete road blocks. There has also been a two-week-long state of alert amongst ISIS jihadists.

“ISIS erected barriers between major districts of Raqqa city,” media activist Abdulkarim al-Yousef told ARA News in Raqqa. “New security checkpoints have been installed across the city, including near the al-Naeem Roundabout, al-Muhafaza Square, Saad Bin Muaz Mosque and al-Zedan Square.”

Apparently, those security measures, will now be tested. Carter declared: “Today we resolved to follow through with the same sense of urgency [as in Mosul] and focus on enveloping and collapsing ISIS’ control of Raqqa.”

http://aranews.net

Daesh group fighters were shaving their beards and changing hideouts in Mosul, residents said, as Iraqi forces moved ever closer to the city Wednesday and civilians fled in growing numbers.
Reached by AFP inside Mosul, several residents said the jihadists seemed to be preparing for an assault after recent advances on the eastern front brought elite Iraqi forces to within five kilometers of city limits.

“I saw some Daesh (IS) members and they looked completely different from the last time I saw them,” said a resident of eastern Mosul who gave his name as Abu Saif.
“They had trimmed their beards and changed their clothes,” the former businessman said. “They must be scared… they are also probably preparing to escape the city.”

Residents and military officials said many IS fighters had relocated from eastern Mosul to their traditional bastions on the western bank of the Tigris river, closer to escape routes to Syria.
The sounds of fighting on the northern and eastern fronts of the Mosul offensive could now be heard inside the city, residents said, and US-led coalition aircraft were flying lower over the city than usual.
Tens of thousands of Iraqi fighters have been advancing on Mosul from the south, east and north after an offensive was launched on October 17 to retake the last major Iraqi city under Daesh control.
The assault is being backed with air and ground support from the US-led coalition which launched its campaign against Daesh two years ago, shortly after the jihadists seized control of large parts of Iraq and Syria.

Living in terror
Iraqi federal forces, allied with Kurdish Peshmerga fighters, have taken a string of towns and villages in a cautious but steady advance over the last week in the face of shelling, sniper fire and suicide car bombings.
Some 3,000 to 5,000 Daesh fighters are believed to be inside Mosul, Iraq’s second city, alongside more than a million trapped civilians.
Aid workers have warned of a major potential humanitarian crisis once fighting begins inside the city itself.

An Iraqi minister said Wednesday that more than 3,300 civilians fleeing the fighting had sought help from the government the day before, the most for a single day so far.
There was “a big wave of displaced people that is considered the greatest number since the start of the military operation to liberate Nineveh province,” Displacement and Migration Minister Jassem Mohammed Al-Jaff said in a statement.

Numbers of displaced residents were growing but stood at a relatively low 8,940 on Wednesday, according to a UN tally, because most of the fighting so far has taken place in sparsely populated areas.
Civilians in villages on the eastern outskirts of Mosul were being bused to a camp near Khazir, an AFP correspondent reported.

“The army made us get out, they told us to leave and said we would see about the details of our settlement” in a camp, said Umm Ali, a 35-year-old woman.
“We used to live in terror night and day, the shelling was coming closer. The Islamic State controlled our lives, so we decided to flee,” said Essam Saadou, a 22-year-old student.
A wave of displaced residents was also expected Wednesday from Al-Shoura, an IS stronghold between Mosul and Qayyarah, the main staging base on the southern front, federal police said.

Noose tightens
As the noose tightened on Mosul, 13 defense chiefs from the 60-nation coalition meeting in Paris set their sights on Syria’s Raqqa, which would be the last major city under Daesh control if it loses Mosul.
“We have already begun laying the groundwork for our partners to commence the isolation of Raqqa,” US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said after the talks.

The coalition — which also includes Britain and France — has provided support in the form of thousands of air strikes, training for Iraqi forces and advisers on the ground.
France said Wednesday it had extended the mission of its aircraft carrier, the Charles de Gaulle, in the eastern Mediterranean until at least mid-December to help the offensive on Mosul.
President Francois Hollande decided to extend the mission after France’s defense council “reviewed the military, humanitarian, political and security stakes involved in the recapture of Mosul,” a statement issued by his office said.

Leaders in Paris on Tuesday also discussed the post-Daesh future of Mosul, which is an ethnically and religiously mixed region and where achieving a political compromise might prove even harder than a military victory.

arabnews.com