Islamic State of Iraq and Syria

By Juan Cole | — Daesh, the brutal terrorist group the US calls ISIL or ISIS, is calling for attacks in Saudi Arabia. A voice recording has surfaced, attributed to Ibrahim al-Samarra’i, the leader of the brutal terrorist group Daesh (which the US calls ISIL or ISIS). Al-Samarra’i was wounded in a US airstrike on […]

Iraq

Women Targeted by Militarism in Strong States and Extremism in weak ones

contributors

By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS, Nov 6 2014 (IPS) – Ongoing military conflicts in the strife-torn Middle East – specifically in Iraq, Syria, Libya and Palestine – have resulted in widespread civilian casualties, impacting heavily on the most vulnerable in besieged communities: women and children. The biggest death toll has stemmed from the civil war […]

Bush

ISIL Grew out of Bush’s Destruction of Iraq’s Socialist Economy

contributors

By Noah Bassil via The Conversation To explain the disaster befalling Iraq, as well as the rise of Islamic State (IS), you have to go back a century – before modern Iraq even existed. That’s not to discount the shared culpability of Iraq’s numerous leaders, from King Faisal I to Saddam Hussein and Nuri al-Maliki, […]

Featured

Why it Isn’t that Important Whether ISIL Leader was Killed

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole Revised 11/10 Rumors are swirling that ISIL leader Ibrahim al-Samarra’i (who goes by the nom de guerre of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi) was severely wounded and that some of his chief lieutenants were killed by a US air strike on a meeting of ISIL leaders on Friday. (Update: ISIL is confirming the injury […]

Iraq

Unlikely Cavalry: Iraq’s Sunni Tribes Split on ISIL, Pursue own Feuds

contributors

By Mustafa Habib | Baghdad | via Niqash.org. Some tribes in the north of Iraq pledge allegiance to the extremist group, IS. In the south, tribes are divided as to whether to do this. The city of Anbar is becoming a battleground. But the fight is no longer as simple as the Iraqi government versus […]

Hizbullah

Can Hizbullah save Lebanon from ISIL?

contributors

VICE: “As the Islamic State massacred its way throughout Iraq and Syria this summer, a separate battle took place in neighboring Lebanon. This summer, the Islamic State invaded the Lebanese border town of Arsal, beheading captured soldiers and unleashing waves of lethal car bombs, destabilizing the country. Hezbollah, one of the world’s strongest guerrilla armies, […]

Iraq

Video: ISIL Pedophiles discuss Buying Minor Sex Slaves

contributors

via BReaking News “IS fighters talk about which female slaves to buy and sell ‘A new video has emerged showing IS fighters negotiating prices for female slaves . Footage shows ISIS fighters attending slave girl market – Disturbing: The clip begins with this bearded Islamic State fighter explaining it is . IS fighters talk about […]

Human Rights

Iraq: Lawless Islamic State Group In Mosul Targets Attorneys, Judges

contributors

Special Correspondent | Mosul | via Niqash When Sunni Muslim extremists took over Mosul in early June, they closed local courts and set up their own quasi-religious system of justice. They also put thousands of Mosul’s lawyers out of work. For those who didn’t flee the city, there was worse to come: judges have already […]

Islam

The Critical spirit of Islam against the mass insanity of ISIS

contributors

By Neslihan Çevik The Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), having declared itself a caliphate, is now making a call to all Muslims (especially engineers and doctors) to emigrate to their new home, “Sham,” the land of Ibrahim, with the caution that ones who remain outside will be drowned in apostasy and heresy. However, […]