Sunni Insurgents Capture More Towns in Iraq
Written by : Mohamed Abdel Fattah
Jun 22, 2014
Sunni militants have seized another town in Iraq's western Anbar province, the fourth to fall in two days, officials said Sunday.
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) , has taken the towns of Qaim, Rawah and Anah in Anbar province in Iraq. Qaim, located on the border with Syria, hosts a key crossing between the two countries.
The officials said the militants captured Rutba, about 90 miles east of the Jordanian border, late Saturday. Residents were on Sunday negotiating with the militants to leave after an army unit on the town's outskirts threatened to start shelling.
A military intelligence official said troops had withdrawn from Rawa and Ana after ISIL militants attacked the settlements late on Saturday night
The capture of the town of Rawah on the Euphrates River and the nearby town of Anah appeared to be part of a march towards a key dam in the city of Haditha. Any destruction of the dam would have a serious impact on the country's electrical grid and cause major flooding.
Military officials said more than 2,000 troops were quickly dispatched to the site of the dam to protect it against a possible attack, the AP news agency
Rutba has a population of 40,000 but it has recently been home to 20,000 displaced from Fallujah and Ramadi.
ISIL's stated aim is to create an Islamic Caliphate which ignores boundaries set by colonial powers a century ago
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 [Unlink] 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
Usatoday.
Aljazeera.
Reuters
Jun 22, 2014
Sunni militants have seized another town in Iraq's western Anbar province, the fourth to fall in two days, officials said Sunday.
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) , has taken the towns of Qaim, Rawah and Anah in Anbar province in Iraq. Qaim, located on the border with Syria, hosts a key crossing between the two countries.
The officials said the militants captured Rutba, about 90 miles east of the Jordanian border, late Saturday. Residents were on Sunday negotiating with the militants to leave after an army unit on the town's outskirts threatened to start shelling.
A military intelligence official said troops had withdrawn from Rawa and Ana after ISIL militants attacked the settlements late on Saturday night
The capture of the town of Rawah on the Euphrates River and the nearby town of Anah appeared to be part of a march towards a key dam in the city of Haditha. Any destruction of the dam would have a serious impact on the country's electrical grid and cause major flooding.
Military officials said more than 2,000 troops were quickly dispatched to the site of the dam to protect it against a possible attack, the AP news agency
Rutba has a population of 40,000 but it has recently been home to 20,000 displaced from Fallujah and Ramadi.
ISIL's stated aim is to create an Islamic Caliphate which ignores boundaries set by colonial powers a century ago
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 [Unlink] 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
Usatoday.
Aljazeera.
Reuters
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