Islamic State of Iraq and Syria

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – One of the thirty-nine victims of the Daesh (ISIL, ISIS) shooting at the Reina nightclub in Istanbul, Layan Nasser, 19, was buried on Tuesday in her home town, Tira, in central Israel. Roughly a fifth of Israeli citizens are of Palestinian heritage, the majority of them […]

Turkey’s Syrian blowback

Neil Thompson

London (Informed Comment) – With the New Year terrorist attack in Istanbul now being claimed by the Islamic State (IS) movement, it is clear that Turkey has suffered yet more blowback from its earlier tolerance of the Middle East’s most vicious terrorist network. The rampage, suspected to have been carried out by a Central Asian […]

Iraq

Iraq: ISIL Attacking Civilians in Mosul Retreat

contributors

Human Rights Watch | – – Calls ‘Unbelievers’ Valid Targets (Erbil) – Fighters with the [so-called] Islamic State [Group} (also known as ISIL) have indiscriminately attacked civilian areas in eastern Mosul with mortar rounds and explosives, and deliberately shot at fleeing residents, Human Rights Watch said today. Iraqi and coalition forces have also killed and […]

Displaced and Refugees

Raining Bombs: Mosul Fight hits Trapped Civilians

contributors

By a Special Correspondent | Mosul | (Niqash.org) | – – Inside their homes, a lack of food and water; outside, bombs, snipers and crossfire. Yet many Mosul locals are choosing to stay in the city, even though it’s a war zone. Despite the fact that extremists have been driven out of their Mosul neighbourhood, […]

Iraq

After ISIL, is there any hope of Iraqi National Unity?

contributors

Mustafa Habib | Baghdad | (Niqash.org) | – – The fight against the [so-called] Islamic State [group, or IS] has united Iraqis. Details of a new Shiite-sponsored plan that will try and make that unity last leaked in Baghdad last week. If the extremist group that caused Iraq’s current security crisis starting mid-2014, have done […]

Iraq

Iraq’s Mosul Campaign: ISIL using civilians as Human Shields

contributors

Human Rights Watch | – – All Forces Should Take Necessary Precautions to Protect Civilians (Erbil) – In areas around Mosul, the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, is forcibly evacuating civilians under their control with its fighters, apparently to use them as human shields. There are also grave concerns that ISIS is rounding up […]

Iraq

Mosul Is My Hometown, Here Is Why ISIL Was Able To Stay There

contributors

Special Correspondent | Baghdad | Niqash.org | – – NIQASH’s Mosul correspondent explains why people in the city did not resist the [so-called] Islamic State group at first, why his family and others decided to stay and how extremists kept control of a city of around 2 million. Mohammed* is NIQASH’s Mosul correspondent. He grew […]

Iraq

Payback Time: Mosul Militias Backstabbed By ISIL Plot Revenge

contributors

By Mustafa Habib | Baghdad | (Niqash.org) | – – It’s not only the Iraqi army gunning for the Islamic State in Mosul. The extremists’ former allies, who helped them control the city, have also declared a desire for revenge, two years after they were betrayed. On October 17, just before dawn in Iraq, the […]

Islamic State of Iraq and Syria

Is the Islamic State finished? Five possible scenarios

contributors

By James L. Gelvin | (The Conversation) | – – Most military analysts believe it’s only a matter of time before Mosul falls. Mosul is Iraq’s third largest city. The Islamic State captured it in June 2014 during a campaign that left it in control of territory the size of the United Kingdom. But on […]