By Simon Kent. Christmas has been celebrated in Baghdad for centuries, but over time the small Christian minority has been dwindling at an alarming rate, especially since they have been singled out by ISIS. There are now thought to be only half a million Christians left in Iraq, out of a population that was once […]
By Simon Kent. US General Sean McFarland, remembered by historians of the Iraq war for stabilizing the restive town of Tal Afar, has returned to lead the mission against ISIS in Iraq. In an interview with the BBC, the general explained how ISIS were a different enemy to their predecessors that the US faced in […]
By Simon Kent. It was the victory of the so called "Islamic State," also known as Daesh, that shocked the world. Ramadi, capital of Anbar province and home to half a million Sunnis, fell to ISIS over the spring despite repeated proclamations from the Obama administration that the war against the terrorists was going well. […]
By Simon Kent. Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve have released their latest press statement on the most recent air strikes in Iraq and Syria against ISIS, whom they refer to here as ISIL, or the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. The recent reports of strikes suggest that the so called "Islamic […]
By Simon Kent. Aircraft from the US led Coalition in Iraq have attacked 15 targets in Iraq in the past 24 hrs, according to an official statement from the "Combined Joint Task Force," better known as the US led Coalition. As per recent waves of strikes, the latest attacks were centred on Ramadi, where an […]
By Simon Kent. Last Summer, the Jordanian government closed the Trebil border crossing with Iraq as fighters from the so called "Islamic State," also known as Daesh, took control of huge areas of Anbar in Iraq. Jordan's Ministry of Transport subsequently forbade truckers to transit into Iraq, causing over 300 million Jordanian Dinars worth of […]
By Simon Kent. The US air force has eliminated Abu Saleh, the financial coordinator of ISIS (also known as Daesh) in an air strike at the end of November. US military spokesman Col. Steve Warren announced the strike, noting that Abu Saleh was "a legacy al Qaeda member." The strike was one of a series […]
By Simon Kent. Two twins have been detained in Finland on suspicion of involvement in the so called "Speicher massacre" which occurred near Tikrit last June. Finnish security services had apparently been anticipating the arrival of the men in the country, whose faces appear un-masked in a video by the so called "Islamic State," also […]
By Simon Kent. Iraqi forces in Anbar province's capital city of Ramadi are close to victory, several publications report. According to The Wall St. Journal, Iraqi sources on the ground say that US air strikes were critical in the latest advances and most of the city's districts are now once again under government control. At this point, […]
By Simon Kent. Iraqi Shi'a paramilitary group Kata'ib Hezbollah, or "Hezbollah Brigades" have threatened Turkish troops and Turkish interests in Iraq over the recent deployment of the Turkish army in Kurdish areas. Due to the location of Turkish troops however, the militant group is currently unable to target the Turkish army. Last week it was […]
By Simon Kent. According to fighters from northern Iraq's Yezidi ethnic minority, ISIS or "Daesh" have opened a new supply route from Syria to Mosul, which enters the northern occupied city from the south and moves through at Ba'aj, south of Sinjar. Yezidis currently working with Kurdish Peshmerga fighters have been observing the route, which […]
By Simon Kent. US Defense Secretary Ash Carter has said that, if requested the Iraqi army can benefit from US ground attack helicopters and embedded military advisers in the final stages of the fight for Ramadi. The Iraqi army have recently made significant advances into the center of the town, (pictured above) which is the capital […]
