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Iraq

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22 Oct, 2016

Sulphur plant releases fumes

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MosulA sulphur plant in Mishraq is set on fire amid fighting between United States troops and the Islamic State in the Mosul region. The fire is releasing poisonous fumes, forcing American soldiers to wear gas masks.

US soldiers at a base near the northern Iraqi city of Mosul have donned protective masks against toxic fumes from a sulphur plant set alight in fighting with so-called Islamic State. They took the precaution after the wind blew smoke from the fire towards Qayyarah air field.

22 Dec, 2015

Iraqis push through Ramadi

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Iraqi forces are fighting Islamic State (ISIS) fighters as they try to reach the center of Ramadi. Six hundred to 1,000 Islamic State fighters were said to have been in Ramadi when the overall offensive began two weeks ago, but several hundred of them have been killed in fighting and airstrikes since then.  Iraqi forces face heavy fire and are assaulted by car bombs. The Islamic State destroys three bridges over the Euphrates River to slow the security forces’ advance. Iraqi Army:

We went into the center of Ramadi from different axes, and we started clearing residential areas. The city will be cleared within the coming 72 hours.

12 Nov, 2015

Kurds launch offensive

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A Kurdish force of up to 7,500 soldiers is on the offensive to reclaim Sinjar from ISIS. With help from collation air strikes the Kurdish forces attack from three fronts to recapture the town. By recapturing the town they will cut off ISIS main supply line to Mosul, allowing for a future attack on Mosul sometime in the future. By controlling Highway 47, which is used by ISIS to transport weapons, fighters, illicit oil, and other commodities that fund their operations, the Coalition intends to increase pressure on the group and isolate their components from each other

20 Jul, 2015

Airstrikes in Syria and Iraq

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The U.S., and its allies launch coordinated airstrikes on the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. At least 23 airstrikes are conducted over the two nations, with nine launched over Syria and 14 launched over Iraq. These airstrikes target tactical units and fighting positions in seven cities between the two countries.

15 May, 2015

Raise Black Flag over Ramadi

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Islamic State militants take over the local government compound in the Iraqi city of Ramadi, raising their black flag. An Iraqi parliamentarian states the city is not in complete Islamic State control, however. Iraqi government forces continue to hold out in several other government buildings,while coalition aircraft bomb militant positions. Anbar provincial council member says that Ramadi is experiencing a “catastrophe.” He says the militants launched a massive attack, using over a dozen suicide vehicles and causing numerous casualties.

31 Mar, 2015

Army recaptures central Tikrit

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The Iraqi army recaptures central Tikrit from ISIS. Spokesperson of Iraqi PM, Jaboori:

Iraqi forces reached the center of Tikrit, raised the Iraqi flag and are now clearing the city

14 Mar, 2015

Forced out of Tikrit

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Iraqi forces regain control of northern section of Tikrit, an important city held by ISIS since June 2014. Security official:

Iraqi security forces and the different supporting groups are winning the battle against ISIS in Saladin, it is a matter of time and we will release the news of taking over Tikrit within few days.

2 Mar, 2015

Iraq launches offensive against ISIS

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The Iraqi army with the help of some Shia militant groups launches an operation to clear ISIS from Tikrit, hometown of former dictator Saddam Hussein. The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington think-tank:

The Shia militias participating in the operation to retake Tikrit are highly motivated to deal a counterblow in this symbolic area

5 Nov, 2014

UK troops to return to Iraq

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Training teams will be sent to the semi-autonomous Kurdish zone, the first UK troop presence in the country since its withdrawal in 2011. Whitehall spokesman:

If Iraq fails or the government becomes sectarian then that is a massive problem

The number of troops isn’t specified.

17 Oct, 2014

60 airstrikes in 72 hours

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U.S. forces conduct the highest number of air strikes yet of any campaign in support of the Kurdish fighters in Kobani, but U.S. CentCom commander General Lloyd Austin says it’s still ‘highly possible’ the town might fall to ISIS, and says the focus remains on Iraq:

Iraq is our main effort, and it has to be, and the things that we’re doing right now in Syria are being done primarily to shape the conditions in Iraq

14 Oct, 2014

Report: U.S. soldiers found chemical weapons

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The New York Times reports that American and American-trained Iraqi troops repeatedly encountered chemical weapons from Saddam Hussein’s rule, and were wounded by them on at least six occasions, between 2004 and 2011. Troops secretly reported finding close to 5,000 chemical warheads, shells or aviation bombs, it says. The report is based on interviews with soldiers and officials, as well as redacted intelligence documents (available here.) It says the finds were kept secret from the public and not circulated widely within the military, and some soldiers who were wounded had their injuries covered up, even to the extent of being denied treatment. Most of the areas where weapons were encountered are reportedly now under ISIS control. A large fraction of the weapons were not in serviceable condition, and did not disperse the chemical agents over more than a limited area when they were ruptured. But some of the weapons can still be serviceable in IEDs. Former Army sergeant on hand for the destruction of mustard shells:

I love it when I hear, ‘Oh there weren’t any chemical weapons in Iraq.’ There were plenty.

17 Sep, 2014

Half Iraqi army not ready

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Half of the potential military prowess in Iraq is not capable of effectively teaming up with the United States. The other half requires rebuilding efforts consisting of additional training and equipment. Dempsey is hoping this force is made ready with intelligence, air surveillance and tactical air power, along with advisers to assist. Dempsey:

This is about training them in protected locations and then enabling them…

Dempsey also explains that a large US military force, also known as boots on the ground, cannot fix the problem of the Islamic State taking over large swaths of land. He says the key is to form an Iraqi government that unites the Kurdish and Sunni populations as equal partners. Dempsey:

I’m telling you, if that doesn’t happen then it’s time for Plan B.

The general further explains why even US air power cannot ultimately stop ISIS. Dempsey:

What we’ve seen so far is, a lot of the black flags have come down, a lot of the convoys have dispersed, a lot of the (fighter) assembly areas have been moved into urban areas. This will be a campaign of adaptation.

16 Sep, 2014

Local forces to fight ISIS

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Hagel says that the fight against ISIS in Iraq and Syria will depend on local opposition:

The best counterweight against Isil are local forces

U.S. troops will not engage the group directly:

American forces will not have a combat mission.

He says U.S. forces in Iraq will operate out of Baghdad and Irbil, for a total of about 1,600 troops. will support Iraqi and Kurdish forces. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has agreed to host training grounds for more than 5,000 Syrian opposition forces, who will be given small arms, vehicles and communications equipment and training:

We would be prepared to provide increasingly [sophisticated] types of assistance.

The U.S. will select the Syrian opposition carefully:

A rigorous vetting process would be critical to the success of this program. There will always be risks. But we believe that risk is justified.

Expands air campaign

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Less than a week after President Obama pledged a multi-step campaign to degrade and destroy IS militants, U.S. attack and fighter aircraft are used Sunday and Monday beyond humanitarian missions and protecting U.S. personnel. Two airstrikes target ISIS positions in Sinjar to the north and southwest of Baghdad in support of Iraqi offensive operations. The number of air strikes has now risen to 162 since early August.

14 Sep, 2014

No air strikes

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Cameron resists calls for the UK to join the U.S. in conducting airstrikes on ISIS. With the threat posed by ISIS to UK citizens underscored by the group’s execution of Haines, Cameron says the nation will stick with its approach of diplomatic pressure, supporting U.S. action and helping Iraqi and local Kurdish authorities. Televised statement:

As this strategy intensifies, we are ready to take whatever steps are necessary to deal with this threat and keep our country safe. Step by step, we must drive back, dismantle, and ultimately destroy ISIL (IS) and what it stands for. We will do so in a calm, deliberate way, but with an iron determination.

To deploy troops, aircraft

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Abbott announces that Australia will deploy 400 air force personnel and 200 special forces troops to the United Arab Emirates where they will be based at a U.S. facility in preparation for possible military operations against ISIS. Eight Super Hornet jets, an EWAC (Early Warning and Control) plane and a tanker aircraft for aerial refueling will be deployed. He tells reporters in the Northern Territory capital city Darwin that the government considers the deployment ‘prudent and proportionate’, but that there there are ‘obviously further decisions to be taken’ before Australian forces commit to combat action.

I have to warn the Australian people that should this preparation and deployment extend into combat operations, that this could go on for quite some time

10 Sep, 2014

Military ops near Tikrit

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Iraqi Army troops force ISIS to retreat northwards from areas south of Tikrit city, located 150 miles northwest of Baghdad, killing ‘tens’ of ISIS militants in heavy clashes in the area. The military is planning to launch further operations from the area. Salauhddin Governorate Council president Ahmed al-Karim:

The security forces have set up a camp in al-Daluiya south of Tikrit and will head north from al-Jabour area in north of Daluiya to start an extensive military operation against ISIS fighters.

Authorizes $25 million aid

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Obama authorizes $25 million in immediate military aid to the Iraqi government, including the Kurdistan Regional Government, to help with military education and training. A White House memorandum says the funds are intended…

…to aid their efforts to combat the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

8 Sep, 2014

To expand airstrikes

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The U.S. government is considering a major expansion of airstrikes in Iraq to target ISIS’s logistics hubs and supply lines in operations intended to help the new government retake lost territory. The air campaign has so far been confined to categories such as protecting U.S. personnel in the northern city of Erbil, humanitarian relief operations and defending key infrastructure from ISIS. Obama plans to greenlight ‘sovereignty strikes’ intended to support operations by Iraqi security forces, Kurdish defense fighters and other groups fighting against ISIS. A defense official:

The strikes would support Iraqi forces on the ground and help them take back territory. It opens the aperture.

Officials say the recent strikes aimed at supporting pro-government forces around the Haditha dam – which bring the total number of airstrikes conducted to 143 – are part of the expanded remit for U.S. air power, which is being conducted in line with a growing list of requests from Baghdad as the U.S. seeks to support the new government in diminishing sectarian tensions.

Airstrikes push militants back from dam

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A total of five airstrikes by U.S. forces succeed in pushing ISIS militants back from an assault on the Haditha dam in Anbar province. The militants had sought to seize the water supply in order to expand their control in the province and gain a strategic staging point for  assaults elsewhere in the country. Pro-government paramilitary leader Sheik Ahmed Abu Risha:

They were very accurate. There was no collateral damage … If Islamic State had gained control of the dam, many areas of Iraq would have been seriously threatened, even Baghdad

The Pentagon says the strikes destroyed four ISIS Humvees, four armed vehicles – two of which were carrying antiaircraft artillery – a fighting position, one command post and a defensive fighting position. All aircraft left the strike areas safely.