Iraq

By Mustafa Habib | Baghdad | (Niqash.org) | – – Anti-extremist forces have been fighting in Fallujah for a week. But before they began, there were serious negotiations between the partners-in-battle. And the negotiations continue on the front lines. On May 23, Iraq’s Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi appeared near an Iraqi army camp near the […]

Featured

Baghdad advances on Fallujah but “slows down” for fear of Civilian Casualties

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Iraqi Prime Minister Haydar al-Abadi said Thursday that his troops were in position to move into the city of Fallujah from the south, after advances made during the past two days, but that he would “slow down” the assault for fear of civilians trapped in the […]

Featured

ISIL counter-attack in Fallujah: can Iraqi Forces maintain momentum?

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – The London pan-Arab daily al-Hayat [Life] reports that Iraqi troops are advancing on Fallujah despite facing fierce resistance from Daesh (ISIS, ISIL) . At the same time, fear is mounting abot the fate of the tens of thousands of non-combatants inside the city who are caught […]

Featured

On Memorial Day, US Troops at War with ISIL near Mosul

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – On Memorial Day, it is as well to remember that US troops are still at war. Afghanistan is our nation’s longest such military engagement. But although there are only about 3,000 troops in Iraq and just a couple hundred in Syria, they are at the front […]

Featured

Modern Mongols: Sunni Arabs outraged at Iran role in Iraqi Gov’t Fallujah Campaign

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – BBC Monitoring surveyed the Arabic press on 27 May for the issue of the Iranian role in the Iraq government campaign to take Fallujah from Daesh (ISIS, ISIL). Although Saudi and other newspapers say they want to see Daesh defeated, they are deeply critical of the […]

Democracy

Kurdish lawmakers Depart Baghdad: “Straighten up or We Won’t Be Back”

contributors

By Histyar Qader | Erbil | (Niqash.org) | – – After protestors invaded Baghdad’s Green Zone, Iraqi Kurdish politicians fled home. Despite the fact that their absence could paralyse Parliament, they say they won’t be back until certain conditions are met. After the first set of demonstrations during which protestors made it inside Baghdad’s highly […]

Featured

Iraq’s Fallujah: Grand Ayatollah Sistani Calls on Shiite Forces to protect Civilians

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani on Wednesday called on both regular Iraqi army forces and the popular mobilization units (Shiite militias) to avoid killing innocent noncombatants as they close in on Fallujah. An hour west of Baghdad and largely peopled by the Sunni Arab Dulaym tribe, Fallujah […]

Dissent

Baghdad on Lockdown not from fear of ISIL but of poor Protesters

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Baghdad was a ghost town on Saturday,, as security forces fanned out, blocking key roads into the Green Zone, the area downtown, closed off by blast walls, that houses parliament and foreign embassies. On Friday, over a hundred protesters were wounded and at least 2 died […]

Iraq

Baghdad Locals Fear Shiite-On-Shiite Violence As Alliance Fractures

contributors

By Mustafa Habib | Baghdad | (Niqash.org) | – – Protests and suicide bombings have caused tension within the Shiite Muslim alliance that’s been fighting extremists. As neighbourhoods are taken over by militias, locals fear intra-sectarian fighting. Abu Fatima al-Budairi is a member of the powerful Badr Organization, one of the largest Shiite Muslim militias […]