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IBBC Women’s Group Roundtable: Judge Marilyn Mornington on Women in the Workplace

The Iraq Britain Business Council (IBBC) Women’s Group held its first roundtable with District Judge Marilyn Mornington as the key note speaker.

The event was held at G4S offices in Victoria on the 7th April and was attended by representatives of member universities and international companies, think tanks, Iraqi guests and the Iraqi government.

Angelique Lecorps, Senior Consultant at G4S and Chairman of the IBBC Women’s Group, gave an introduction on the Group’s background and explained its aim to become a networking platform to help Iraqi women to enter and advance in the work place.

Judge Mornington asked for a minute of silence to remember Zaha Hadid, the famous Iraqi-British architect who died last week, as ‘a role model for women around the world’. The judge praised Zaha Hadid and pointed out how she overcame her situation as a female working in a male dominated sector, as a refugee and as an immigrant.

The roundtable touched upon topics such as women’s access to education and the workplace, how women’s choices affect the next generations, and the Judge’s experience in countries such as the UK, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The contradictory fact of highly educated Muslim women being forced into arranged marriages, the existence of laws that protect women but are not enforced by the society, and the difficulty of the work-life balance were highlighted.

Iraqi guests from the audience gave their views about the situation of women in their country, highlighting how poverty, regional and social aspects have direct impact on women’s access to the work place.

Participants spoke about successful female entrepreneurship programmes and encouraged the Group and the IBBC to think about a way of promoting this amongst Iraqi women. ‘Women have the duty to help other women’ said Judge Mornington whilst explaining her own experience as a mentor. She was quick to add that ‘the best work I’ve done though is with the best men’, highlighting the importance of getting men on board in any initiative towards women empowerment.

The IBBC Women’s Group hopes to hold another roundtable in June/July 2016 on Women in Iraq and the KRI.

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Judge Mornington is an international lecturer, broadcaster and writer on international women’s rights, domestic violence, gender crime and international peace and has dedicated her life to eradicating violence against children and women. For over 20 years she has been instrumental in advancing many UK policies, laws and practices concerning issues of domestic violence, forced marriage and honour‐based violence.

She has founded and chaired many prestigious committees, advised governments, written and lectured to a wide range of audiences, on Family Law and issues affecting Asian/Muslim communities, nationally and internationally, recently including giving the concluding keynote speech in Abu Dhabi at the Worldwide Forum for “The Promotion of Peace in Muslim Communities” at the invitation of HRH Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister UAE.

(Source: IBBC)

U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Iraq and Syria yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

Officials reported details of the latest strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Strikes in Syria

Attack aircraft conducted four strikes in Syria:

• Near Manbij, a strike struck a large ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two ISIL fighting positions and an ISIL mortar system.
• Near Mara, three strikes struck three separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL vehicles, an ISIL tunnel entrance, two ISIL fighting positions and an ISIL improvised explosive device.

Strikes in Iraq

Fighter aircraft and rocket artillery conducted nine strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq’s government:

• Near Hit, two strikes struck two ISIL tactical units and destroyed 20 ISIL fighting positions, 16 ISIL heavy machine guns, four ISIL rocket-propelled grenade systems, an ISIL anti-air artillery piece and two ISIL staging areas and denied ISL access to terrain.
• Near Mosul, four strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and two separate ISIL headquarters and destroyed an ISIL fighting position and an ISIL assembly area.
• Near Qayyarah, a strike destroyed three ISIL machine guns and denied ISIL access to terrain.
• Near Sinjar, two strikes destroyed an ISIL staging area and suppressed an ISIL mortar position.

Task force officials define a strike as one or more kinetic events that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single, sometimes cumulative, effect. Therefore, officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIL vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against buildings, vehicles and weapon systems in a compound, for example, having the cumulative effect of making those targets harder or impossible for ISIL to use. Accordingly, officials said, they do 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.

Part of Operation Inherent Resolve

The strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate the ISIL terrorist group and the threat they pose to Iraq, Syria, and the wider international community. The destruction of ISIL targets in Syria and Iraq further limits the terrorist group's ability to project terror and conduct operations, officials said.

Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Iraq include the United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Syria include the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, France, Jordan, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.

(Source: US Dept of Defense)

U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Iraq and Syria yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported on Sunday.

Officials reported details of the latest strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Strikes in Syria

Attack aircraft conducted one strike in Syria:

• Near Raqqah, a strike destroyed two ISIL oil pump jacks.

Strikes in Iraq

Fighter, ground attack and remotely piloted aircraft and rocket artillery conducted 24 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq’s government:

• Near Huwayjah, a strike destroyed an ISIL heavy machine gun.
• Near Albu Hayat, two strikes struck a large ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL tactical vehicle and three ISIL fighting positions.
• Near Fallujah, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit.
• Near Haditha, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting position.
• Near Hit, two strikes struck a large ISIL tactical unit and destroyed nine ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL heavy machine gun and an ISIL mortar system and denied ISIL access to terrain.
• Near Kirkuk, four strikes struck three separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL heavy machine guns, an ISIL fighting position, five ISIL assembly areas and an ISIL supply cache.
• Near Mosul, eight strikes struck three separate ISIL tactical units and five ISIL communication facilities and destroyed two ISIL vehicles and an ISIL boat.
• Near Qayyarah, three strikes destroyed two ISIL boats and an ISIL vehicle and denied ISIL access to terrain.
• Near Sinjar, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL assembly area.
• Near Sultan Abdallah, two strikes destroyed an ISIL heavy machine gun.

Task force officials define a strike as one or more kinetic events that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single, sometimes cumulative, effect. Therefore, officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIL vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against buildings, vehicles and weapon systems in a compound, for example, having the cumulative effect of making those targets harder or impossible for ISIL to use. Accordingly, officials said, they do 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.

Part of Operation Inherent Resolve

The strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate the ISIL terrorist group and the threat they pose to Iraq, Syria, and the wider international community. The destruction of ISIL targets in Syria and Iraq further limits the terrorist group's ability to project terror and conduct operations, officials said.

Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Iraq include the United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Syria include the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, France, Jordan, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.

(Source: US Dept of Defense)

By Mustafa Saadoun for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News.

Iraq is facing a new crisis with Saudi Arabia as a result of their differing points of view regarding regional issues, most notably those related to Lebanon-based Hezbollah, which was recently classified by the Arab League and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) as a terrorist organization.

The crisis started March 11 when Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari dropped a bombshell during the Arab League meetings in Cairo. He said, “Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units and Lebanon’s Hezbollah preserved the dignity of the Arabs. Those accusing them of terrorism are the terrorists.”

The Saudi delegation withdrew from the meeting, but returned after Jaafari finished speaking.

Tense Saudi-Iranian ties were already affecting the whole region. In a Jan. 19 article by Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, Saudi Arabia accused Iran of “supporting all radical and violent groups, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen and sectarian militias in Iraq.”

At the March 11 meeting, Saudi Arabia was obviously angered by the Iraqi minister defending Hezbollah. However, Jaafari told the press later that day that his defense of Hezbollah “will not affect Iraqi-Saudi ties, and it is normal that two countries have different perspectives." Those divergent views will not harm bilateral ties between Arab parties, he added.

This article was originally published by Niqash. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News.

Secret plan for Kurdish Oil Pipeline Through Iran May Soon Be Reality

An oil pipeline from Iraqi Kurdistan through Iran to the world has the potential to change the balance of political power, with both the Kurdish and the Iranians benefitting. But Turkey is apparently not so keen.

A pipeline bringing oil from Iraqi Kurdistan to Iran, and then onto the Persian Gulf: it’s an idea that could change the economic and political balance in the area. And it’s an idea that has been floated before, albeit unsuccessfully.

But after an October 2015 visit to Iran by Nechirvan Barzani, the Prime Minister of the semi-autonomous northern region, and the easing of Western sanctions against Iran, a pipeline via Iran is looking closer to becoming a reality.

On March 2, Iraqi Kurdistan’s representative in Iran, Nazem Dabbagh, returned to Iraqi Kurdistan to meet with Barzani. A letter had been sent to the Iraqi Kurdish government asking them to seriously consider the idea of a pipeline and NIQASH has heard that the pair discussed the issue at their meeting. A positive response was sent back to Iran and apparently now preliminary talks are being held on the new cooperation between the two.

There has also been talk about Iranian loans to cash-strapped Iraqi Kurdistan, which, like the rest of Iraq, is teetering on the brink of an economic breakdown.

The pipeline itself is not a new idea. Rumour has had it that there’s been a confidential agreement between Iraqi Kurdistan’s two major parties on the subject of pipelines since 2010. The Kurdistan Democratic Party, or KDP, is traditionally, diplomatically closer to Turkey and would build a pipeline that could take Kurdish oil to the world through that country.

U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported on Thursday.

Officials reported details of the latest strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Strikes in Syria

Attack, fighter, and remotely piloted aircraft conducted eight strikes in Syria:

• Near Raqqah, two strikes destroyed an ISIL front-end loader, disabled seven ISIL well-heads and neutralized an ISIL pump-jack.
• Near Ayn Isa, a strike destroyed four ISIL fighting positions.
• Near Manbij, three strikes struck three separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL mortar systems, an ISIL rocket system, four ISIL vehicles, three ISIL excavators, and three ISIL fighting positions.
• Near Mar’a, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL fighting position.

Strikes in Iraq

Rocket artillery and attack, fighter, and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 19 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with Iraq’s government:

• Near Baghdadi, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting position and a cache of ISIL improvised bombs.
• Near Rutbah, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit.
• Near Habbaniyah, a strike destroyed two ISIL-used bridges.
• Near Hit, two strikes struck a large ISIL tactical unit and destroyed 10 ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL front end loader, an ISIL supply cache and an ISIL vehicle bomb and denied ISIL access to terrain.
• Near Kirkuk, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL supply cache, three ISIL assembly areas and an ISIL fighting position.
• Near Kisik, a strike destroyed an ISIL tunnel system.
• Near Mosul, five strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL tunnel system, an ISIL assembly area, an ISIL fighting position and an ISIL vehicle.
• Near Qayyarah, a strike destroyed eight ISIL fighting positions.
• Near Sinjar, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two ISIL assembly areas, an ISIL vehicle and an ISIL fighting position.
• Near Sultan Abdallah, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL assembly areas.

Task force officials define a strike as one or more kinetic events that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single, sometimes cumulative, effect. Therefore, officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIL vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against buildings, vehicles and weapon systems in a compound, for example, having the cumulative effect of making those targets harder or impossible for ISIL to use. Accordingly, officials said, they do 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.

The strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate the ISIL terrorist group and the threat they pose to Iraq, Syria, and the wider international community. The destruction of ISIL targets in Syria and Iraq further limits the group's ability to project terror and conduct operations.

Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Iraq include the United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Syria include the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, France, Jordan, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.

(Source: US Dept of Defense)

U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported on Wednesday.

Officials reported details of the latest strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Strikes in Syria

Attack, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted four strikes in Syria:

• Near Hawl, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL mortar system.
• Near Idlib, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL vehicle.
• Near Manbij, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit.
• Near Mara, a strike destroyed an ISIL fighting position and an ISIL vehicle.

Strikes in Iraq

Attack, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 19 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq’s government:

• Near Hit, two strikes struck a large ISIL tactical unit and destroyed six ISIL fighting positions, six ISIL boats, two ISIL vehicles, an ISIL supply cache, an ISIL medium machine gun and three ISIL vehicle bombs and denied ISIL access to terrain.
• Near Kirkuk, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL command and control node, an ISIL bed-down location, three ISIL assembly areas, an ISIL vehicle bomb and an ISIL machine gun.
• Near Kisik, a strike destroyed an ISIL fighting position.
• Near Mosul, seven strikes struck five separate ISIL tactical units, an ISIL financial storage center and an ISIL headquarters and destroyed two ISIL supply caches, two ISIL vehicles, an ISIL command and control node and three ISIL assembly areas.
• Near Qayyarah, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit.
• Near Sinjar, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL supply cache and three ISIL assembly areas.
• Near Sultan Abdallah, three strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL vehicle bomb, two ISIL fighting positions, six ISIL assembly areas, an ISIL vehicle, two ISIL mortar systems and an ISIL tunnel system.
• Near Tal Afar, a strike suppressed an ISIL tactical unit.

Task force officials define a strike as one or more kinetic events that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single, sometimes cumulative, effect. Therefore, officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIL vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against buildings, vehicles and weapon systems in a compound, for example, having the cumulative effect of making those targets harder or impossible for ISIL to use. Accordingly, officials said, they do 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.

Part of Operation Inherent Resolve

The strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate the ISIL terrorist group and the threat they pose to Iraq, Syria, and the wider international community. The destruction of ISIL targets in Syria and Iraq further limits the terrorist group's ability to project terror and conduct operations, officials said.

Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Iraq include the United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Syria include the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, France, Jordan, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.

(Source: US Dept of Defense)

U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq yesterday, 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

Attack, fighter, and remotely piloted aircraft conducted six strikes in Syria:

• Near Raqqah, a strike disabled two ISIL pump jacks.
• Near Dayr Az Zawr, a strike destroyed an ISIL vehicle.
• Near Manbij, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting position, an ISIL vehicle, two ISIL rocket systems and an ISIL heavy machine gun.
• Near Mara, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units.

Strikes in Iraq

Rocket artillery and attack, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 19 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of the Iraqi government:

• Near Baghdadi, three strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units, destroying three ISIL vehicles, an ISIL front-end loader, seven ISIL vehicle bombs and an ISIL mortar position and suppressing two ISIL rocket positions.
• Near Huwayjah, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL vehicle.
• Near Fallujah, a strike struck a large ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL vehicle and five ISIL defensive fighting positions.
• Near Hit, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL vehicle, an ISIL heavy machine gun, an ISIL supply cache, an ISIL fighting position and seven ISIL boats.
• Near Kisik, four strikes struck three ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL staging area, an ISIL bunker, an ISIL supply cache and an ISIL fighting position.
• Near Mosul, one strike struck an ISIL headquarters.
• Near Sultan Abdallah, six strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units, destroying an ISIL vehicle bomb, five ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL assembly area, an ISIL vehicle, an ISIL rocket system and an ISIL trench, suppressing an ISIL sniper position and denying ISIL access to terrain.
• Near Tal Afar, a strike suppressed an ISIL tactical unit.

Task force officials define a strike as one or more kinetic events that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single, sometimes cumulative, effect. Therefore, officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIL vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against buildings, vehicles and weapon systems in a compound, for example, having the cumulative effect of making those targets harder or impossible for ISIL to use. Accordingly, officials said, they do 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.

Part of Operation Inherent Resolve

The strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate the ISIL terrorist group and the threat they pose to Iraq, Syria, the region, and the wider international community. The destruction of ISIL targets in Syria and Iraq further limits the terrorist group's ability to project terror and conduct operations, officials said.

Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Iraq include the United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Syria include the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, France, Jordan, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.

(Source: US Dept of Defense)

U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported on Sunday.

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

Attack, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted four strikes in Syria:

• Near Manbij, two strikes destroyed an ISIL rocket rail system and two ISIL fighting positions.
• Near Mara, two strikes struck a large ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL vehicle bomb.

Strikes in Iraq

Rocket artillery and attack, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 22 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of the Iraqi government:

• Near Fallujah, a strike struck a large ISIL tactical unit.
• Near Haditha, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL heavy machine gun.
• Near Hit, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit, destroying a bridge ISIL had used, an ISIL vehicle bomb factory, 22 ISIL boats and an ISIL beddown location and denying ISIL access to terrain.
• Near Kirkuk, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two ISIL assembly areas, an ISIL mortar system, an ISIL vehicle bomb and an ISIL vehicle.
• Near Mosul, six strikes struck six separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL assembly areas, an ISIL machine gun and two ISIL vehicles.
• Near Qayyarah, six strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and an ISIL weapons storage facility and destroyed four ISIL mortar firing positions, an ISIL supply cache, an ISIL vehicle bomb production facility and 13 ISIL staging areas.
• Near Rawah, a strike destroyed an ISIL tactical vehicle.
• Near Sultan Abdallah, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed four ISIL assembly areas and an ISIL vehicle.
• Near Tal Afar, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL mortar system.

Task force officials define a strike as one or more kinetic events that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single, sometimes cumulative, effect. Therefore, officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIL vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against buildings, vehicles and weapon systems in a compound, for example, having the cumulative effect of making those targets harder or impossible for ISIL to use. Accordingly, officials said, they do 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.

Part of Operation Inherent Resolve

The strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate the ISIL terrorist group and the threat they pose to Iraq, Syria, the region, and the wider international community. The destruction of ISIL targets in Syria and Iraq further limits the terrorist group's ability to project terror and conduct operations, officials said.

Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Iraq include the United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Syria include the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, France, Jordan, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.

(Source: US Dept of Defense)

By Ali Mamouri for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News.

On March 12, US Consul General Steve Walker visited Al-Sadr Teaching Hospital in Basra to pay his respects to wounded members of the Popular Mobilization Units. The visit marked the first time a US official has publicly met these troops.

This is particularly remarkable as until now, the official US position toward the Popular Mobilization Units was negative, and the United States had even demanded that the Iraqi government prevent the forces from taking part in the operations to liberate some areas, such as the city of Ramadi in Anbar, that were freed without their participation by US request.

Walker made it clear that the trip was not just a courtesy visit. Accompanied by TV stations such as the US-based Alhurra, which broadcast the visit and his remarks in Arabic, Walker said, “The US recognizes the important contribution of the Popular Mobilization Units under the command of Prime Minister [Haider al-Abadi], and most of the Popular Mobilization troops came from the south. This is why I would like to express my condolences to the people of Basra and the south who have lost their loved ones or friends in the war against the Islamic State.”

Walker expressed his solidarity with the wounded, who welcomed his visit. He told them, “The US and Iraqi people are very, very proud of you.”

The visit coincided with the debate on the Popular Mobilization Units’ participation in the battle for Mosul. On Feb. 29, the Ninevah Provincial Council voted against their participation in the operations to liberate the city. Atheel al-Nujaifi, the former governor of Ninevah province and head of a small military force consisting of volunteers from Mosul called Hashid Watani (Arabic for "National Mobilization"), said, “The Popular Mobilization Units’ participation in the battle for Mosul is unacceptable … and the insistence on such participation implies an insistence on the destruction of Mosul.”