By Juan Cole Al-Zaman reports that a US drone hit mortar emplacements and F-18s struck artillery arrays and armored vehicles deployed by the so-called “Islamic State” (IS) in Kuwair east of Mosul on the way to the Kurdistan capital of Irbil, and near a major dam, some ares of which are controlled by the IS […]
Archives for August 2014
Iraq: Yazidis Trapped By Extremists: ‘We Will Run Out Of Food, Water In Two Days’
By Khales Joumah | Mosul | via Niqash.org Over the weekend, the Sunni Muslim extremist group, Islamic State, entered the Sinjar area in northern Iraq. Their arrival saw the population, mostly members of the ethno-religious Yazidi group, flee. NIQASH spoke with three refugee families, one trapped in the mountains, another that made it to relative […]
The Capital of the Caliphate: VICE on the so-called “Islamic State” in Syria & Iraq
By VICE: “The Islamic State, a hardline Sunni jihadist group that formerly had ties to al Qaeda, has conquered large swathes of Iraq and Syria. Previously known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), the group has announced their intention to reestablish the caliphate and declared their leader, the shadowy Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, […]
Israelis Knocked out Gaza Power Plant, causing Hospital, Bakery and Water Crisis
Middle East Eye: “MEE report shows the effect of Israel’s bombardment of Gaza’s power plant, which has severe impact on hospitals, bakers and other vital facilities for Palestinians in the besieged Strip.” Middle East Eye: Video: impact of Israeli bombing of Gaza power plant
The US helped Break up the Sudan, and now South Sudan Faces Famine
By Nick Turse [This story was reported in partnership with the Investigative Fund at The Nation Institute. Additional funding was provided through the generosity of Adelaide Gomer.] Juba, South Sudan — The soft glow of the dancing white lights is a dead giveaway. It’s Christmas in July at the U.S. Embassy compound. Behind high walls […]
Obama & Airstrikes to Protect Iraqi Kurds: 1991 Deja Vu all Over Again
By Juan Cole During the Gulf War in early 1991, then-president George H. W. Bush called on Iraqis to rise up against Saddam Hussein and the Baath Party. In the Kurdish north and in the Shiite South, hundreds of thousands heeded his call. But after the short war was over in March, Bush appears to […]
With Warming Lake Water, Toledo’s Algae Problem will Get Worse
PBS News Hour: “Conversation with Richard Stumpf of NOAA on the science behind the algal bloom.” Stumpf points out that the algae like war water and so this problem will get worse with global warming. Also if climate change leads to more rain in the Erie region, that precipitation could wash phosphates from the soil […]
A Discourse of sexualized violence rises among the Israel Firsters, including on Bill Maher
By Alex Shams BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — As the bombs have been falling on Gaza over the past four weeks, another war has been ongoing for the hearts and minds of the global public. Although less deadly, this war of words offers a telling look into ongoing intellectual shifts in the Israeli and Zionist mainstream, revealing […]
Gaza Crisis Spills Into Nigeria
by Allan Christelow On Friday, July 25, in the city of Zaria, a procession of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria came into conflict with Nigerian army troops. The procession had gathered for the occasion of Quds Day, the last Friday in Ramadan, to protest against the Israeli invasion of Gaza. Some 35 people were killed. […]