Fleeing Tikrit residents fear no return as Iraqi forces close in
ERBIL, Iraq (Reuters) - As Iraqi forces close in, Tikrits few remaining civilians are cutting up white clothes and fabric to make flags of surrender, fearing their Shiite liberators more than the Islamic State militants occupying the Sunni city. Most.
Shiite forces ordered to deploy after fall of Iraqi city
The citys fall marked a major setback for the forces ranged against Islamic State: the U.S.-led coalition and the Iraqi security forces, which have been propped up by Iranian-backed Shiite militias. It was also a harsh return to reality for.
Iraqi forces seize government headquarters in battle for Tikrit
Politics �� Military and Defense �� Law and Order.. TIKRIT, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraqi security forces and Shiite paramilitary fighters pushed deeper into the Sunni city of Tikrit on Tuesday, grabbing control of the governors headquarters and the main hospital which had been occupied. The advance on Tuesday saw Shiite militia groups return to battle after they had frozen their operations last Thursday when U.S.-led air strikes were requested by Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi.
The Sunni-Shia Divide - Council on Foreign Relations
Struggles between Sunni and Shia forces have fed a Syrian civil war that threatens to transform the map of the Middle East, spurred violence that is fracturing Iraq, and widened fissures in a number of tense Gulf countries.. Shias, a term that stems from shiatu Ali, Arabic for ���partisans of Ali,��� believe that Ali and his descendants are part of a divine order.. ISIS militants and other armed Sunni groups seize Mosul, Iraqs second-largest city, with little resistance from the Iraqi army.
Why arming U.S. allies can be like sending. - Reuters
A member of the Kurdish peshmerga forces sit with a weapon during an intensive security deployment against Islamic State militants in Makhmur, on the outskirts of the province of Nineveh August 7, 2014.. U.S. officials expressed further alarm when, in late January, someone posted a video to YouTube depicting the Hezbollah Brigades, an Iraqi Shiite militia heavily backed by Iran, rolling into battle against Islamic State in a convoy that included at least one M-1.
Shiite militias converge on Iraqs Ramadi after IS takeover.
Baghdad (AFP) - Shiite militia groups converged on Ramadi to help Iraqi security forces wrest the city back from Islamic State fighters who seized it in a deadly three-day blitz. The effective loss of the capital of Iraqs largest��.
Shiite fighters leave Tikrit after looting: Iraqi officials
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Almost all Shiite paramilitaries had left Tikrit on Saturday after locals complained that some fighters had spent several days looting the Sunni city after helping retake it from Islamic State.. The rampage of theft and burning.
News Roundup and Notes: April 30, 2015
Iraq is prepared to deploy Iran-backed Shiite militias to fight the Islamic State in Sunni tribal areas west of Baghdad, a move which may be necessary to defeat the group but which could spark further sectarian violence. [Reuters]. The U.S.-led.
Britain says scrambles Typhoon jets to escort Russian bombers
LONDON British Royal Air Force (RAF) Typhoon fighter jets were scrambled to intercept two Russian long-range bombers near UK airspace north of Scotland, Britains Ministry of Defence said on Thursday. Intercepts of Russian aircraft by NATO have .
Obama, Iraqs Abadi to discuss Islamic State fight in White House meeting
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi and President Barack Obama will discuss the fight against Islamic State on Tuesday at a White House meeting likely to be dominated by Iraqi requests for U.S. arms and tension over Irans role.
Iraqi city of Ramadi falls into hands of the enemy Islamic State
Bombs targeted Iraqi troops and police, killing 15 on Sunday, with reports members of the citys security forces had no choice but to withdraw from the Anbar Operations Command after the area to the west of the city of Ramadi came under attack by ISIS.. With the city on the brink of total collapse, local reports suggested that Iraqs prime minister Haider al-Abadi had authorised the deployment of Shiite paramilitaries to wrest back control of the mainly Sunni province.
Shiite militias prepare to deploy en masse to Iraqs Anbar
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Shiite paramilitaries were preparing on Monday to deploy en masse to Iraqs western province of Anbar after Islamic State militants overran the local capital Ramadi in their biggest victory since last summer.. They were waiting.
Iraqi PM orders arrest of lawless gangs looting in Tikrit
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Sunni politicians said looting raged out of control in Tikrit on Friday, hours after Iraqis prime minister called on security forces to arrest anyone breaking the law after the city had been wrested back from Islamic State.
Islamic State seizes Iraqi army base | Otago Daily Times.
Photo by Reuters. Islamic State militants drove security forces from a key military base in western Iraq and Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi authorised the deployment of Shiite paramilitaries to wrest back control of the mainly Sunni province. Members of the security forces said they had withdrawn from the Anbar Operations Command after it came under attack by the insurgents, who have now trapped them in an area to the west of the city of Ramadi. One officer among��.
Iraqi Troops Launch Counter Attack Against ISIS After Major Setback In Anbar.
BAGHDAD, April 13 (Reuters) - Iraqi security forces launched a counter-attack on Islamic State in the western province of Anbar on Monday, seeking to reverse an early setback in a new campaign to recapture the countrys Sunni heartland. Prime Minister.
Saudi-Led Coalition Airdrops Weapons To Pro-Hadi Forces In Aden
ADEN, April 3 (Reuters) - Fighters loyal to Yemens president pushed Houthi fighters back from central Aden on Friday after they were reinforced with weapons parachuted into their beleaguered section of the southern port city by Saudi-led warplanes.
Iraqi forces drive Islamic State out of central Tikrit: PM
TIKRIT, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraqi troops aided by Shiite paramilitaries have driven Islamic State out of central Tikrit, Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi said on Tuesday, but the fight to retake all of Saddam Husseins hometown continued. Government.
Iran Vows To Defend Shiite Muslim Holy Sites In Iraq From.
By Ghazwan Hassan BAGHDAD, June 18 (Reuters) - Irans president vowed on Wednesday to defend Shiite holy sites in Iraq, where Sunni militants battled their way into the biggest oil r.. Iraqi government forces are holding out against Sunni fighters in the city of Samarra north of Baghdad, site of one of the most important Shiite shrines. The Sunni fighters. Several sources described smoke billowing from the compound after parts of the refinery were hit. During the��.
Middle East Updates / Pentagon: Iran forces boarded Marshall Islands-flagged.
At least 15 killed in heavy fighting between Houthis, tribesmen in Yemen; ISIS has killed more than 2,150 non-combatants in Syria since June, monitor says. By Haaretz | Apr. 28, 2015 | 7:25 PM | 1 .
The biggest challenge to ISISs Caliphate may now come.
The disparity has actually led to violence between the groups within ISIS: foreign fighters and Syrian militants had a shootout in the town of Abu Kamal on the Iraqi border following an order that deployed the Syrians to the Iraqi front line, the Post reports.. Iraqi security forces and Shi?ite militia fighting the Islamic State took control of the center of a town on the southern outskirts of Saddam Husseins home city Tikrit on Sunday, security officials said. Currently, ISIS is��.
Maliki defiant as his special forces deploy in Baghdad.
REUTERS. BAGHDAD: Special forces loyal to Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki were deployed in strategic areas of Baghdad on Sunday night after he delivered a tough speech indicating he would not cave in to pressure to��.
ISIS Attacks Capital Of Iraqs Anbar Province, Hundreds Of Families Flee Area
Shiite militia have played a leading role in reversing the insurgents advances elsewhere, but officials from predominantly Sunni Anbar have expressed reservations about a role for the paramilitary forces on the battlefield. (Reporting by Saif Hameed.
Iraq crisis: Isis gains strength near Baghdad as Kurdish.
Half a million people are believed to be fleeing to the far north of Iraq as insurgent forces take Tikrit, a day after 35000 Iraq soldiers reportedly fled an Isis force of 800 in Mosul.. Two communities near Tikirt the key oil refining center of Beiji and the city of Samarra, home to a prominent Shiite shrine remained in government hands, according to Iraqi intelligence officials.. Kurdish Peshmerga forces and Iraqi special forces deploy their troops outside of the oil-rich��.
Assads Retreat Could Lead To Direct Confrontation Between Iran And Israel In.
Two days after this article was published, Amir Mousavi, the director of the Center for Strategic and International Relations in Tehran and a former adviser to the Iranian Ministry of Defense, reported that ���Syrian, Iranian and Hezbollah officials will.
Iran leads fight to seize Saddams town from Isis | The Times
Members of the Iraqi security forces and Shiite fighters celebrate after taking control of the town. 1 of 4. Iraqi security. The United States was sitting on the sidelines yesterday as Iran took the lead in an offensive to recapture Saddam Husseins home town from Islamic State, deploying ground forces, artillery and drones against the jihadists. The Pentagon said. Islamic State forces are on the point of seizing the Iraqi city of Ramadi after a surprise attack using waves of.
Islamic State seizes Iraqi army base, PM to send in Shiite fighters
A spokesman for Abadi said the prime minister had ordered paramilitaries to prepare to support the armed forces and restore control over all parts of Anbar���, after the provincial council voted in favour of their deployment. Shiite. A contingent of.
Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki Defiant As Allies Call For His.
REUTERS. A bloc comprising Iraqs biggest Shiite parties is close to nominating a prime minister, the deputy speaker of parliament said on Monday, suggesting Nuri al-Maliki would have to step aside. Haider al-Abadis comments in a tweet came after police sources said special forces and Shiite militias loyal to Maliki had been deployed in strategic areas of Baghdad after he made a defiant speech on television suggesting he would not cave in to pressure to drop his��.
Muqtada al-Sadr Issues Warning to Iraqs ISIS Militants.
Iraqs firebrand Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr vowed his supporters will shake the ground in the fight against Sunni militants wreaking havoc acr.. the mantle of Shiite defender. His supporters turned out in massive shows of force earlier this month, armed to the teeth with missiles and heavy weapons, to march through Iraqi cities in the name of Peace Brigades.. Sadr formed the Mahdi Army in 2003 after the fall of Saddam Husseins regime. The Shiite militia��.
News Roundup and Notes: May 6, 2015
Hezbollah will attack Sunni militants from the al-Qaeda affiliated Nusra Front along the Lebanon-Syria frontier, according to the Shiite group leader, Hassan Nasrallah, who described the jihadist group as an unacceptable threat. [BBC].. Almost 40.
Intra-Islamic Cold War and the disintegration of Iraq - RT.com
Published time: June 19, 2014 11:27. Shiite fighters take part in an intensive security deployment with the Iraqi army in Diyala province, 40 km (25 miles) north of Baghdad, June 16, 2014. (Reuters). Trends. Iraq carnage. After many years of fighting opposition forces, troop surges, inter-communal violence, and financial support given to Sunni tribal militias, known as Sahwa, to fight Sunni terrorist employing the name Al-Qaeda, the state of Iraq re-emerged again on the international��.
The issue that could bring Iran and Saudi Arabia. - Reuters
REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque. As both U.S. and Iranian military advisers work in Iraq to stop Islamic State forces, their uneasy coexistence underscores how difficult it is to defuse the conflicts roiling the Middle East. To make any headway, Iran must be engaged as a partner. And this engagement starts with Tehrans Gulf Arab neighbors. The antipathy between predominantly Shiite.. Monday, 18 May 2015, 9:48 am. Shiite forces ordered to deploy after fall of Iraqi city��.
Iraqi Forces And Militiamen Break ISIS Siege Of Shiite Town.
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi security forces backed by Shiite militias on Sunday broke the two-month siege of Amerli by Islamic State militants and entered the northern town, officials said. The mayor. Security forces and militia fighters are inside Amerli now after breaking the siege and that will definitely relieve the suffering of residents, said Adel al-Bayati, mayor of Amerli. It was hailed. North of Amerli, Shiite militia and Kurdish peshmerga fighters were deployed.