Iraq’s Christians’ Last Stand Against So-Called “Islamic State”

Crucifix Restored atop Christian Church in Iraq after Area Re-taken from ISIS

Kurdish fighters and locals gather in Bashiqa, Iraq to restore a crucifix to a Christian church in an area retaken from Islamic State.

Saddam Hussein – The Truth: Documentary

‪Inside Story - Could War in Iraq Have Been Averted?‬

A British inquiry concludes the 2003 invasion went badly wrong, and Iraqis are still living with the consequences. Presenter: Martine Dennis

Donald Trump Praises Saddam Hussein

During a campaign rally in Raleigh, North Carolina on Tuesday night, Donald Trump praised the late Iraqi president Saddam Hussein.

‘Turkey Gets Impunity for Whatever It Does’: Turkish Troops Deployed in N. Iraq

The Arab League has condemned deployment of Turkish troops in northern Iraq, saying it amounts to “an intervention.” Iraq has demanded that Ankara withdraws its troops, saying it will go to the UN Security Council if they remain.

'We Are Increasing Terrorism by Bombarding IS' - BBC News

Jürgen Todenhöfer is a German journalist and former MP who spent 10 days with IS last year - the first Western journalist to do so. He spoke to Ros Atkins about what he believes would be the most effective way to deal with IS.

Galloway: 'Government Should Tell 'Best' Friend Saudi to Stop Supporting ISIS'

George Galloway believes British attacks against ISIS in Syria are likely to happen but says it's unclear who the allies & enemies of ISIS really are.

'Muslims Are Just Sick of Islam': More Refugees in Iraq Embracing Jesus Christ

CHRISTIAN TODAY: More and more Muslim refugees in UN camps in Iraq are embracing Jesus Christ and expressing repugnance of their former religion, Christian aid workers have disclosed.

"They're just sick of Islam," a Christian ministry leader in the Kurdish Region of Iraq recently told the Christian Aid Mission.

"People are very hungry to know about Christ, especially when they hear about miracles, healing, mercy and love," he said, as reported in the Gospel Herald.

The ministry director, who declined to be identified for security reason, said the Muslims in their camp have witnessed the brutality of Islamic State (ISIS) militants carrying out beheadings and other horrific acts in the name of Allah.

The director said his ministry has been swamped with Iraqi Muslims seeking to know more about Christ and the Bible.

"As terrifying and horrifying as ISIS is, they did us a great favour because they came and have shown them all the killing, saying that it's all in the Quran verses. So now we don't have to say much, we just say the truth," the director. » | Hazel Torres | Sunday, November 1, 2015

Boots on Ground? US Considering ‘Direct Action’ against ISIS

The US could be set to deploy ground troops in Iraq and Syria - to fight Islamic State. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said Washington - "won't hold back" from supporting its partners - including with direct action on the ground. RT's Gayane Chichakyan hare..

Tony Blair Says He's Sorry for Iraq War 'Mistakes,' But Not for Ousting Saddam

CNN: (CNN) – Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair says he's sorry for "mistakes" made in the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, but he doesn't regret bringing down dictator Saddam Hussein.

"I can say that I apologize for the fact that the intelligence we received was wrong because, even though he had used chemical weapons extensively against his own people, against others, the program in the form that we thought it was did not exist in the way that we thought," Blair said in an exclusive interview on CNN's Fareed Zakaria GPS that airs Sunday.

Blair was referring to the claim that Saddam's regime possessed weapons of mass destruction, which was used by the U.S. and British governments to justify launching the invasion. But the intelligence reports the claim was based on turned out to be false.

The ensuing war and dismantling of Saddam's government plunged Iraq into chaos, resulting in years of deadly sectarian violence and the rise of al Qaeda in Iraq, a precursor of ISIS. Tens of thousands of Iraqis, more than 4,000 U.S. troops and 179 British service members were killed in the lengthy conflict.

As the most high-profile foreign ally of former U.S. President George W. Bush in the Iraq invasion, Blair has found his legacy overshadowed by the war, with questions and criticism following him wherever he goes.

The consequences of Bush's decision to to take America into Iraq has repeatedly reared its head this year among candidates vying for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination. (+ CNN video) » | Jethro Mullen, CNN | Sunday, October 25, 2015

Ashura Celebration Takes Place in Iraq

Thousands of Shia Muslims gathered today in Karbala, Iraq to commemorate the Day of Ashura. Ashura, which takes place on the tenth day of Muharram in the the Islamic Hijri calender, is a day of mourning which commemorates the killing of Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, as well as his family and companions, at the Battle of Karbala on 10 Muharram, 61 AH (10 October 680 AD).

Convoy Including ISIS Leader Hit by Airstrike, Iraq's Military Says

CNN: (CNN) – Iraq's military claims its air force struck a convoy in western Anbar province that included ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

The fate of al-Baghdadi is unknown, the military statement said.

"The Iraqi airforce carried out a heroic operation by striking al-Baghdadi's convoy while he on his way to attend a meeting with senior ISIS leaders in Karabelah," the statement said.

The site of the meeting was also struck and several ISIS leaders were killed and wounded, the statement said. (+ video) » | Susanna Capelouto and Mohammed Tawfeeq, CNN | Sunday, October 11, 2015

'After Invasion US Allowed Iraq to Slip into Disaster' - Ex-Iraqi Defense Minister

The 2003 invasion of Iraq is widely considered to have been a mistake, even by many policy makers in the US. But despite that recognition, the lesson was not learned and the pattern of catastrophic interventions in the region continued in subsequent years. How can the international community tackle the product of that chaos - the Islamic State, and could an all-encompassing regional agreement bring stability to the troubled region? Oksana is joined by Dr Ali Allawi, an Iraqi Cabinet Minister from 2003 to 2006, to analyse these issues.

Another Bush Invasion of Iraq? US Presidential Candidate Jeb Says Use Troops to Fight ISIS

The former Florida said the US must be prepared to send
ground troops to tackle ISIS

DAILY EXPRESS: REPUBLICAN presidential candidate Jeb Bush has signalled he would support further military interventions in Iraq to defeat Islamic State.

The brother of former president George W Bush said the US may need to send more ground troops into the country to defeat militants fighting for the terror group - also known as ISIS.

In his first speech on foreign policy since launching his bid for the White House, Mr Bush attacked President Barack Obama for allowing the fanatical regime to take hold in the Middle East.

He said: "Who can seriously argue that America and our friends are safer today than in 2009, when the president and Secretary Clinton - the storied 'team of rivals' - took office?"

The 62-year-old former Florida governor blasted Hillary Clinton for standing by as the "hard-won victory by American and allied forces was thrown away".

He added: "ISIS grew while the United States disengaged from the Middle East and ignored the threat. » | Tom Batchelor | Wednesday, August 13, 2015

Former US President George Bush Calls for Another War in Iraq

SUNDAY EXPRESS: GEORGE W Bush is calling for US troops to wage another ground war in Iraq to defeat Islamic State militants.

Despite acknowledging that the 2003 invasion of the country was his “biggest regret”, the former president has again insisted the solution to Islamic extremism in the Middle East is “boots on the ground”.

Mr Bush took the US to war in two separate conflicts over his eight-year presidency – first in Afghanistan in 2001 and then in Iraq two years later.

The Iraq invasion was widely condemned at the time as being ill-thought out – and it resulted in a huge cost both financially and in human lives.

But in an interview with an Israeli magazine, he appeared once again to be on the warpath.
>br /> Asked about how the US should tackle ISIS, he said: “My position was that you need to have boots on the ground." » | Tom Batchelor | Sunday, June 14, 2015

ISIS Burn[s] Assyrian Woman, 80, in North Iraq

AINA: (AINA) -- According to a report by the BasNews agency, ISIS burned an 80 year-old Assyrian woman to death in a village southeast of Mosul. Citing Sa'ed Mamuzini, a representative of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) office in Mosul, BasNews stated in its report that the woman, who was from Karamlis, was burned for failing to comply with Islamic Sharia law. » | Tuesday, May 26, 2015

HT: Raymond Ibrahim @ Jihad Watch »

Tariq Aziz, Ex-Saddam Hussein Aide, Dies in Iraqi Prison

BBC AMERICA: Tariq Aziz, known as the face of Saddam Hussein's regime on the world stage for many years, has died in an Iraqi prison, officials say.

Aziz, 79, served as foreign minister and deputy prime minister and was a close adviser to the former leader.

He was sentenced to death by the Iraqi Supreme Court in 2010 for the persecution of religious parties under Saddam's rule but was never executed.

He surrendered to US troops in 2003 shortly after the fall of Baghdad.

Aziz, who was known for his black-rimmed glasses and love of cigars, first came to prominence while serving as foreign minister during the first Gulf War in 1991.

As a Christian in a mainly Sunni Muslim government, he was not considered a member of Saddam Hussein's innermost circle.

A fluent English speaker, he played a vocal role before the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, meeting Pope John Paul II in the Vatican to call for peace. » | Friday, June 05, 2015

Islamic State 'Seizes Key Syria-Iraq Border Crossing'

BBC AMERICA: Islamic State militants have seized the last Syrian government-controlled border crossing between Syria and Iraq, a Syria monitoring group says.

Government forces withdrew from al-Tanf - known as al-Waleed in Iraq - crossing as IS advanced, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said.

The loss of al-Tanf to IS follows the group's takeover of the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra on Thursday.

The US says that fighting the militants will be a "difficult challenge". Islamic State now controls "more than 95,000 sq km (36,679 sq miles)" of Syria, which is 50% of the country's entire territory, the UK-based SOHR said.

The militants dominate the provinces of Deir al-Zour and Raqqa and have a strong presence in Hasakeh, Aleppo, Homs and Hama. » | Friday, May 22, 2015

Islamic State 'Seizes Iraqi City of Ramadi'

BBC AMERICA: The Iraqi city of Ramadi has fallen to Islamic State (IS) after government forces abandoned their positions, officials say.

The police and military made a chaotic retreat after days of intense fighting.

But the US refused to confirm the capture, saying the situation was "fluid and contested" and it was too early to make "definitive statements".

Ramadi is the capital of Iraq's largest province, Anbar, and is just 70 miles (112km) west of Baghdad.

A statement purportedly from IS said its fighters had "purged the entire city". It said IS had taken the 8th Brigade army base, along with tanks and missile launchers left behind by troops.

A very well-placed source in the Anbar governor's office told the BBC Ramadi was now under the full control of Islamic State, and all government troops had withdrawn. (+ BBC video) » | Sunday, May 17, 2015