Islamic State Crisis: Militants Seize Ramadi Stronghold

BBC AMERICA: Islamic State militants have seized the main government building in Ramadi, the capital of Iraq's largest province.

As many as six suicide car bombs and mortars were used in the assault on the compound that houses the main police HQ and governor's office.

At least 50 security personnel are reported to have been taken prisoner at the site.

IS and Iraqi troops have been battling for months to take control of the strategically important Anbar province.

The attack by IS militants began overnight when the suicide car bombs were driven into compound housing a number of government buildings, killing at least 10 people and wounding a number of others. » | Friday, May 15, 2015

Pictured: Islamic State Opens Luxury Hotel…But Guests Face Beheading If They Break Rules

DAILY EXPRESS: ISLAMIC State have released images of its first jihadi hotel, complete with swimming pools and tennis courts – but without a bar.

Fighters for the brutal terror group have refurbished the Ninawa International Hotel in Mosul, the northern Iraqi city currently under IS control.

The 262-bed, five-star hotel, once voted the best place to stay in Iraq, has had an ISIS makeover with manicured gardens and freshly-polished marble floors.

It is unclear whether the hotel once famed for its "luxurious elegance and comfort" has retained its bowling alley and sauna after the recent renovations.

But dancing, music, smoking or gambling are now forbidden and women must dress head-to-toe in black.

Members of the group's notorious al-Khansaa brigade – its female police force - are understood to be tasked with patrolling the grounds to check clients are obeying strict Sharia law.

Patrons risk amputation or beheading for failing to adhere to the Islamic rules that govern the area. » | Tom Batchelor | Tuesday, May 05, 2015

Ex-British Diplomat Accuses Hillary Clinton of Role in Meltdown of Iraq

Emma Sky, a former British diplomat

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: New book by former adviser to the US in Iraq Emma Sky says Clinton appointed ambassador to Baghdad who had no Middle East experience

A former British diplomat has accused Hillary Clinton of contributing to Iraq’s disastrous meltdown during her four years as Barack Obama’s foreign policy chief.

Emma Sky, who served as an adviser to one of the top US commanders in Iraq, claims in a new book that Mrs Clinton operated a “dysfunctional” diplomatic mission to Baghdad that allowed a lapse back into sectarian warfare after elections in 2010.

At that time Mrs Clinton was mid-way through her four-year stint as Mr Obama’s Secretary of State, the equivalent position to Foreign Secretary in Britain.

The criticisms, which come as Mrs Clinton announces her presidential bid, are contained in a book that Ms Sky, an Oxford-educated Middle East expert, is to publish next month about the seven years she spent in Iraq.

Entitled The Unraveling: High Hopes and Missed Opportunities in Iraq, it paints an unflattering picture of the Obama administration as it tried to extricate itself from the country as hastily as possible. » | Colin Freeman, Chief foreign correspondent | Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Video Shows IS Group Destroying Iraq's Hatra

Battle For Tikrit - ISIS Fighters Under Attack In Iraqi City - The Rise Of Islamic Extremism

America and Iran 'Taking Part in Joint Military Operations in Iraq'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Officials admit US providing intelligence from air to Iran-led attack on Tikrit

The United States is taking part in joint military operations with Iran, admitting it is providing aerial surveillance over the current battle for Tikrit.

The assault on Isil-held Tikrit, Saddam Hussein’s home town in Iraq, has stalled in recent days after initial success.

Troops loyal to the Baghdad government, along with Iran-backed Shia militia and some Sunni tribesmen, have surrounded Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant fighters in Saddam’s old palace complex and one other part of the city, but have been unable to make further progress.

The attack has been openly master-minded by an Iranian general, Qassem Suleimani, head of the internationally-focused Al Quds division of the Revolutionary Guard, who has been photographed on the front lines.

An official from the US-led coalition operating air strikes against Isil in Iraq and Syria confirmed to the Reuters news agency that it was now providing intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance from the air to support the attack.

The United States is also said to be awaiting an imminent formal request for the coalition to join in military operations directly from the air, which it would be likely to grant. » | Richard Spencer Middle East Editor | Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Now ISIS Tears Down the Cross: Chilling Photographs Reveal How Islamic State Thugs Have Ravaged Christian Churches

MAIL ONLINE: ISIS militants pictured toppling crosses and smashing relics in Nineveh / Latest evidence of ISIS trying to cleanse caliphate of Christian heritage / Also attacked ancient city of Nimrud and 2000-year-old fortress city Hatra

Shocking new images released today have shown ISIS terrorists toppling crosses, smashing Christian relics with hammers and erecting the black flag of ISIS on churches in Iraq.

The latest photos show the militants vandalising churches in Nineveh, the ancient capital of the Assyrian empire.

Pictured in civilian clothing, the ISIS thugs are seen overturning statues, destroying religious icons and replacing Christian crosses with the chilling ISIS banner.

The disturbing images - provided by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) - are the latest evidence of ISIS trying to cleanse its caliphate of its Christian heritage. » | Thomas Burrows for MailOnline | Monday, March 16, 2015

Iraq Conflict: Saddam's Tomb Destroyed in Tikrit Fighting

BBC AMERICA: The tomb of ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein has been almost completely levelled in fighting near Tikrit.

Footage filmed by the Associated Press shows that all that remains standing of the once-lavish mausoleum in the village of al-Awja are some pillars.

Iraqi forces and Iranian-backed Shia militia are battling to drive Islamic State (IS) militants from Tikrit.

Last year, the local Sunni population said they had removed Saddam's body and taken it to an unknown location. » | Monday, March 16, 2015

Baghdad Hosts First Fashion Show Since 1988

An Iraqi model presents a dress during the 2015 Baghdad
Fashion Show at the Iraqi capital's Royal Tulip Hotel

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Iraqi capital harks back to liberal days of the 1980s with fashion show at luxurious Royal Tulip hotel as war with Isil goes on to the north

Models in designer clothes strutted down a catwalk in front of Baghdad's high society on Friday for a fashion show that tickled one generation's nostalgia and filled the next one with hope.

Umm Mustafa and her husband cancelled all their family duties, bought new clothes and spent a whole week preparing for the first edition of the Baghdad Fashion Show.

"The last show we saw was in 1988 at the Palestine hotel," she said, wearing a burgundy suit with flowery prints and candy floss pink nail varnish assorted to her smartphone cover.

"We love fashion and design... It's the security situation that has affected everything. There's development here but no opportunity to show the world," said her husband, also in his late forties.

Despite Iraq's eight-year war with Iran, Baghdad in the eighties had a vibrant cultural life and its society was less religiously conservative.

Around 500 people turned out in their best attire to watch 16 young Iraqi women model collections by six home-grown designers Friday as an oriental beat shook the walls of the luxurious Royal Tulip hotel's gala hall. » | AFP | Saturday, March 14, 2015

ISIS Reportedly Demolishing Another Ancient Archaeological Site In Iraq

FOX NEWS: Islamic State militants were reportedly demolishing another ancient archaeological site in Iraq on Saturday, the latest in a series of efforts to rid what the terror group says are symbols that promote idolatry.

An official with the ministry of tourism and antiquities' archaeological division in Mosul told The Associated Press that multiple residents living near Hatra heard two large explosions Saturday morning, then reported seeing bulldozers begin demolishing the site. He spoke anonymously for fear of reprisal.

Saeed Mamuzini, a Kurdish official from Mosul, told the AP that the militants had begun carrying away artifacts from Hatra as early as Thursday and on Saturday, began to destroy the 2,000-year-old city. » | FoxNews.com | Saturday, March 07, 2015

DIE WELT: Terrormiliz zerstört weitere Kulturstätte im Irak: Die Ruinen der jahrtausendealten Stadt al-Hadra nahe Mossul sind der Terrorgruppe Islamischer Staat zum Opfer gefallen. Es ist bereits die zweite Zerstörungsaktion dieser Art binnen weniger Wochen. » | dpa/tan | Samstag, 07. März 2015

LE POINT: Les vestiges archéologiques de Hatra, nouvelle cible de l'organisation État islamique : Après des statues et des sculptures du musée de Mossoul, le groupe terroriste État islamique (EI) entreprend de raser cette cité vieille de 2 000 ans. » | 6Medias | samedi 07 mars 2015

Nimrud: Outcry as IS Bulldozers Attack Ancient Iraq Site

BBC AMERICA: Archaeologists and officials have expressed outrage about the bulldozing of the ancient Assyrian city of Nimrud by Islamic State militants in Iraq.

IS began demolishing the site, which was founded in the 13th Century BC, on Thursday, according to Iraqi officials.

The head of the UN's cultural agency condemned the "systematic" destruction in Iraq as a "war crime".

IS, which controls large areas of Iraq and Syria, says shrines and statues are "false idols" that have to be smashed.

"They are erasing our history," said Iraqi archaeologist Lamia al-Gailani. (+ BBC video) » | Friday, March 06, 2015

Islamic State Extremists Bulldoze Ancient Nimrud Site Near Mosul

Nimrud is a 13th century BC Assyrian archaeological site close
to Mosul, which is controlled by ISIS militants.

THE GUARDIAN: Statement from Iraq’s ministry of tourism and antiquities says militants ‘defy will of world and feelings of humanity’ but does not state extent of damage

Islamic State (Isis) militants bulldozed the ancient Nimrud archaeological site near the northern Iraqi city of Mosul on Thursday using heavy military vehicles, the government said.

A statement from Iraq’s ministry of tourism and antiquities did not elaborate on the extent of the damage, saying only that the group continued to “defy the will of the world and the feelings of humanity” with this latest act.

Nimrud is a 13th century BC Assyrian archaeological site located on the Tigris River just south of Iraq’s second largest city, Mosul, which was captured by Isis in June. The extremists, who control a third of Iraq and Syria, have attacked other archaeological and religious sites, claiming that they promote apostasy. » | Associated Press in Baghdad | Thursday, March 05, 2015

Iran Is 'Taking Over Iraq' and Obama Must Put Boots on the Ground against Isil, Warns Saudi Arabia

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry addresses reporters during
a news conference with Saudi Arabia Foreign Minister
Saud al-Faisal, in Riyadh

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Thousands flee Isil-held Tikrit ahead of Iraqi assault as Saudi foreign minister calls for US coalition presence 'on the ground' to prevent Iran overrunning country

Saudi Arabia became the second key American ally in the Middle East to demand President Barack Obama change tack towards Iran on Thursday, as it called for US-led coalition "boots on the ground" to fight Isil.

Prince Saud al-Faisal, the Saudi foreign minister, told John Kerry, the US secretary of state, that he risked allowing Iran to "take over Iraq", echoing Israel's recent concerns over the White House's policy toward Tehran.

The United States and its coalition allies are attacking Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) positions from the air in both Syria and Iraq, but refusing to send troops. As a result, outside Kurdish areas the offensive in both countries is heavily influenced by Iran and its proxy Shia militias such as Hizbollah.

This has raised serious concerns in Saudi Arabia, Iran's Sunni rival for Middle East dominance.

The Iraqi government is currently attacking Isil positions in Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's hometown north of Baghdad. But most of its forces are under the command of government-aligned Shia militias, whose leaders are close to the Iranian regime, even though the population of Tikrit is largely Sunni.

Around 28,000 people have fled their homes in the face of the military operation, according to the UN.

"Tikrit is a prime example of what we are worried about," Prince Saud said. "Iran is taking over the country." » | Richard Spencer, Middle East Editor | Thursday, March 05, 2015

Un article lié à cette histoire »

Watch: ISIS Destroys Artifacts in Iraq Museum

ARUTZ SHEVA: ISIS destroyed artifacts dating back thousands of years in Mosul, claiming it was 'idol worship.'

The Islamic State group released a video Thursday in which terrorists in Iraq are seen destroying ancient artifacts that included idols, which are prohibited by the Muslim faith, AFP reports.

The five-minute video shows terrorists at the museum in Mosul knocking statues off their plinths and smashing them to pieces with sledgehammers.

In another scene, a jackhammer is used to deface a large Assyrian winged bull at an archeological site in the city, which the Sunni extremist group captured last summer.

"Muslims, these artifacts behind me are idols for people from ancient times who worshipped them instead of God," said a bearded terrorist speaking to the camera. » | Arutz Sheva Staff | Thursday, February 26, 2015

ISIS Militants Reportedly Burn to Death 45 People in Western Iraqi Town

FOX NEWS: Islamic State militants reportedly have burned to death 45 people in the western Iraqi town of al-Baghdadi on Tuesday, just five miles away from an air base staffed by hundreds of U.S. Marines.

The identities of the victims are not clear, the local police chief told the BBC, but some are believed to be among the security forces that have been clashing with ISIS for control of the town. ISIS fighters reportedly captured most of the town last week.

Col. Qasim Obeidi, pleading for help from the Iraqi government and international community, said a compound that houses families of security personnel and officials is now under siege. » | FoxNews.com | Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Inside ISIS and the Iraq Caliphate

Isil Terrorists Throw Man Off Roof 'For Being Gay'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Pictures of the murder posted on jihadist website provide further evidence of Islamic State's reign of terror in Syria and northern Iraq

Isil terrorists have released pictures of themselves throwing a man off a roof for allegedly being gay.

The murder took place in an area of northern Iraq controlled by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil).

Nine armed insurgents, their faces concealed by black balaclavas, are shown gathered on the roof of a three-storey building, while their victim plummets to the ground below. » | Telegraph’s Foreign Staff | Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Now ISIS Wants to Introduce Its Own Currency: Plans to Bring Back Solid Gold and Silver Dinar Coins Announced in Iraqi Mosques

MAIL ONLINE: ISIS said to be planning to introduce its own currency to areas it controls / Militants allegedly want to bring back the dinar - an ancient Islamic currency / The original dinar currency consisted of purely gold and silver round coins

ISIS wants to introduce its own currency and plans to bring back solid gold and silver dinar coins, it has emerged.

The Middle East terror group apparently wants to introduce its own Islamic currency as part of its attempts to solidify its makeshift caliphate.

Militants are said to want to bring back the original dinar, which is an ancient currency from early Islam, and religious figures in Mosul and Iraq’s Nineveh province have apparently announced its return in mosques.

The currency known as the dinar, which once consisted purely of gold and silver coins, is today used by a variety of countries, but the coins are created from different materials to the originals.

However, the jihadi group is understood to be planning to return to the original gold and silver coins, which were first introduced during the Caliphate of Uthman in 634 CE. Read on and comment » Emma Glanfield for MailOnline | Monday, November 10, 2014

Fate of IS Leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi Unknown after Airstrikes Target Him

THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: The US-led coalition unleashed airstrikes near the Iraqi city of Mosul targeting top jihadist militants but the fate of the Islamic State group's enigmatic leader remained unclear.

Claims swirled that hardline IS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi had been killed in the attacks late Friday, but US officials could not confirm if he had even been present.

The news came after US President Barack Obama unveiled plans to send up to 1500 more US troops to Iraq to help battle the militants who have seized a large swathe of territory.

In fresh violence, some 33 people were killed in a wave of car bombings against Shiite areas in the capital Baghdad, highlighting again the security challenge facing Iraqis even within government-controlled zones.

US Central Command confirmed that coalition aircraft conducted a "series of airstrikes" against "a gathering of ISIL leaders near Mosul".

A convoy of 10 armoured vehicles from the group also known as ISIL was destroyed.

"We cannot confirm if ISIL leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was among those present," CENTCOM spokesman Patrick Ryder said in his statement. » | AFP | Sunday, November 09, 2014

New U.S. Airstrikes Target ISIS Leaders Near Mosul, Iraq