By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – Daesh (ISIL, ISIS), the murderous terrorist organization that has taken over the eastern desert of Syria and the western desert of Iraq, along with perhaps 3 million townspeople, is now making a move on Syria’s largest city, Aleppo. For the past five days, Daesh has been fighting […]
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Islamic State of Iraq and Syria
Iraqi Army, Shiite Militias Retake area west of Ramadi from ISIL/ Daesh
Press TV | (Video) — Reports coming out of Iraq suggest that government forces have managed to recapture a 5-kilometer area in the west of the flashpoint city. The latest advances follow fierce battles with the Takfiri terrorists. Dozens of terrorists have already been killed in the confrontation. Iraqi volunteer forces are advancing on Ramadi […]
Kurdish Muslims abandoning Islam for Zoroastrianism in Disgust at ISIL/ Daesh?
By Alaa Latif | (Niqash.org) The small, ancient religion of Zoroastrianism is being revived in northern Iraq. Followers say locals should join because it’s a truly Kurdish belief. Others say the revival is a reaction to extremist Islam. One of the smallest and oldest religions in the world is experiencing a revival in the semi-autonomous […]
Nasty, New Neighbours: How Close Will Extremists Get To Baghdad?
By Mustafa Habib | (Niqash.org) | – The fall of Ramadi means that Baghdad, Karbala and Babel have unpleasant new neighbours in the Islamic State group. How long before the extremists are in the capital’s backyard? At one stage it seemed as though the chances of the extremist group known as the Islamic State entering […]
Why ISIL’s Attacks on Shiites of Saudi Arabia Threaten World Economy
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – Daesh (ISIL, ISIS) took responsibility for a terrorist attack Friday on the Shiite al-Husayn Mosque in Dammam, which left three victims dead. Saudi security forces are taking credit for spotting that the car the terrorists were driving was suspicious and preventing it from getting too near the […]
85,000 Refugees from Ramadi Restricted from Entering Baghdad, despite 110°F Heat
Human Rights Watch | – (Beirut) – Iraqi authorities are preventing thousands of families fleeing the fighting in Ramadi from reaching safer parts of the country. The government of Iraq has primary responsibility for protecting internally displaced people and should allow those fleeing danger in Ramadi or elsewhere to enter safer areas. Since April 2015, […]
Iraq: Shiite Militias change Ramadi Campaign to “I’m Here, O Iraq”, capture southern reaches
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – After an outcry and Pentagon criticism, the Shiite militias in Iraq have changed their name for their current campaign to take Ramadi from Daesh (ISIS, ISIL) from “I am here, O Husayn’ to “I am here, O Iraq.” A spokesman for the militias said that the two […]
Shiite Militias announce “Here I am, O Husayn” Campaign for Sunni Ramadi
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – Shiite militias in Iraq, joined by some Sunni tribal levies, on Tuesday reached a university campus just to the southwest of Ramadi in what is called a “shaping operation” intended to set the stage for an all-out assault. There were some scattered firefights with Daesh (ISIS, ISIL) […]
Is it the US that isn’t stepping up to fight Daesh/ ISIL?
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) — Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter’s blunt remarks on Sunday about the Iraqi army not having the will to fight have ruffled feathers in Baghdad and Tehran, and Vice President Joe Biden was constrained to call Iraqi Prime Minister Haydar al-Abadi and reassure him that the US was standing […]