More than 1 million Iraqis have fled their homes
Written by : Mohamed Abdel Fattah
Jun 21, 2014
The U.N. refugee agency said Friday that more than 1 million Iraqis have been forced from their homes by conflict this year , CNN reported
The ISIL and associated Sunni rebel forces have taken control of large territories in Iraq in the last week,leading to mass evacuations of residents.
ISIS, an al Qaeda splinter group, wants to establish a caliphate, or Islamic state, that would stretch from Iraq into northern Syria,plunging the country into crisis and increasingly splitting communities along sectarian lines
Iraqi soldiers threw down their guns and stripped off their uniforms as the insurgents approached , the New York Times reported.
Isis's claim to have killed 1,700 of the men remains unverified, although photographs and videos of at least 50 being executed as they lay face down in the sand with their hands tied have been verified.
Fighters led by (ISIL) seized a border post on the Iraq-Syria frontier on Saturday.The rebels first moved into the nearby town of al-Qaim on Friday, pushing out security forces, the sources said.
ISIL has vowed to take the battle to Baghdad and cities farther south housing revered Shiite shrines.
U.S. sending military advisers
President Obama said Thursday he is planning to send up to 300 military advisers to Iraq to help retrain Iraqi security forces as they battle an insurgent invasion.
Obama added that "American forces will not be returning to combat" but will help Iraqis "take the fight to terrorists who threaten the Iraqi people, the region and American interests as well."
According to a White House statement, Obama went over efforts to "strengthen the capacity of Iraq's security forces to confront the threat" from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) fighters, "including options for increased security assistance."
The president, holding back on more aggressive measures such as airstrikes, addressed the crisis in Iraq and the U.S. response after meeting for hours with his national security team. Speaking in the White House briefing room.
The president also said the U.S. is taking steps so that it's "prepared to take targeted and precise military action if and when we determine the situation on the ground requires it." The president said he would consult closely with Congress and leaders in Iraq before any decision is made.
Obama also announced that he will dispatch Secretary of State John Kerry to the region for diplomatic efforts that include demands for a more inclusive government in Iraq.
Obama emphasized it's up to Iraqi leaders to work out a solution, saying "the U.S. will not seek military action that will support one sect over another."
"Above all, Iraqi leaders must rise above their differences and come together around a political plan for Iraq's future," Obama said.
The president, said the United States has an interest in preventing civil war in Iraq and making sure the war-torn nation does not become a new haven for terrorists planning to attack the U.S. and its allies
Al-Maliki under pressure
The most respected voice for Iraq's Shiite majority on Friday suggested that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki needed to recast his approach or step down .
Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani's thinly veiled reproach was the most influential to place blame on the Shiite prime minister for the nation's spiraling crisisas Sunni militants have joined forces with the al-Qaeda-inspired Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS).
"It is necessary for the winning political blocs to start a dialogue that yields an effective government that enjoys broad national support, avoids past mistakes and opens new horizons toward a better future for all Iraqis," al-Sisanti said in a message delivered by his representative Ahmed al-Safi in the holy city of Karbala.
Al-Sistani's Friday sermon also called for the newly elected parliament to begin work and start the process of forming the next government without delay, Reuters reports. Maliki's party won the most seats in last month's election, but his coalition fell short of a majority.
The U.S. has advised senior officials in Iraq that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki must step down before it can intervene to help stop the advance of Sunni extremists, The Independent reported Thursday.
There is a growing sentiment in Washington that Nouri al-Maliki is part of the problem.
The story comes a day after President Barack Obama met with congressional leaders to talk about what the United States may do to slow down and stop Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) troops as they take city after city on their way to Iraq's capital Baghdad
Maliki, a Shiite strongman whose sectarian policies had marginalized Sunnis throughout his eight-year rule, he has refused calls for his resignation as government forces continue to battle Sunni militants attempting to take control of the biggest oil refinery in the crisis-hit country.
Sources
CNN
Jun 21, 2014
The U.N. refugee agency said Friday that more than 1 million Iraqis have been forced from their homes by conflict this year , CNN reported
The ISIL and associated Sunni rebel forces have taken control of large territories in Iraq in the last week,leading to mass evacuations of residents.
ISIS, an al Qaeda splinter group, wants to establish a caliphate, or Islamic state, that would stretch from Iraq into northern Syria,plunging the country into crisis and increasingly splitting communities along sectarian lines
Iraqi soldiers threw down their guns and stripped off their uniforms as the insurgents approached , the New York Times reported.
Isis's claim to have killed 1,700 of the men remains unverified, although photographs and videos of at least 50 being executed as they lay face down in the sand with their hands tied have been verified.
Fighters led by (ISIL) seized a border post on the Iraq-Syria frontier on Saturday.The rebels first moved into the nearby town of al-Qaim on Friday, pushing out security forces, the sources said.
ISIL has vowed to take the battle to Baghdad and cities farther south housing revered Shiite shrines.
U.S. sending military advisers
President Obama said Thursday he is planning to send up to 300 military advisers to Iraq to help retrain Iraqi security forces as they battle an insurgent invasion.
Obama added that "American forces will not be returning to combat" but will help Iraqis "take the fight to terrorists who threaten the Iraqi people, the region and American interests as well."
According to a White House statement, Obama went over efforts to "strengthen the capacity of Iraq's security forces to confront the threat" from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) fighters, "including options for increased security assistance."
The president, holding back on more aggressive measures such as airstrikes, addressed the crisis in Iraq and the U.S. response after meeting for hours with his national security team. Speaking in the White House briefing room.
The president also said the U.S. is taking steps so that it's "prepared to take targeted and precise military action if and when we determine the situation on the ground requires it." The president said he would consult closely with Congress and leaders in Iraq before any decision is made.
Obama also announced that he will dispatch Secretary of State John Kerry to the region for diplomatic efforts that include demands for a more inclusive government in Iraq.
Obama emphasized it's up to Iraqi leaders to work out a solution, saying "the U.S. will not seek military action that will support one sect over another."
"Above all, Iraqi leaders must rise above their differences and come together around a political plan for Iraq's future," Obama said.
The president, said the United States has an interest in preventing civil war in Iraq and making sure the war-torn nation does not become a new haven for terrorists planning to attack the U.S. and its allies
Al-Maliki under pressure
The most respected voice for Iraq's Shiite majority on Friday suggested that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki needed to recast his approach or step down .
Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani's thinly veiled reproach was the most influential to place blame on the Shiite prime minister for the nation's spiraling crisisas Sunni militants have joined forces with the al-Qaeda-inspired Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS).
"It is necessary for the winning political blocs to start a dialogue that yields an effective government that enjoys broad national support, avoids past mistakes and opens new horizons toward a better future for all Iraqis," al-Sisanti said in a message delivered by his representative Ahmed al-Safi in the holy city of Karbala.
Al-Sistani's Friday sermon also called for the newly elected parliament to begin work and start the process of forming the next government without delay, Reuters reports. Maliki's party won the most seats in last month's election, but his coalition fell short of a majority.
The U.S. has advised senior officials in Iraq that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki must step down before it can intervene to help stop the advance of Sunni extremists, The Independent reported Thursday.
There is a growing sentiment in Washington that Nouri al-Maliki is part of the problem.
The story comes a day after President Barack Obama met with congressional leaders to talk about what the United States may do to slow down and stop Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) troops as they take city after city on their way to Iraq's capital Baghdad
Maliki, a Shiite strongman whose sectarian policies had marginalized Sunnis throughout his eight-year rule, he has refused calls for his resignation as government forces continue to battle Sunni militants attempting to take control of the biggest oil refinery in the crisis-hit country.
Sources
CNN
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