‘Buried Yazidis alive’
Iraq’s human rights minister says ISIS buried Yazidi alive in attacks on the town of Sinjar that kill at least 500 of the ethnic minority in the north of the country. Mohammed Shia al-Sudani:
We have striking evidence obtained from Yazidis fleeing Sinjar and some who escaped death, and also crime scene images that show indisputably that the gangs of the Islamic State have executed at least 500 Yazidis after seizing Sinjar. Some of the victims, including women and children were buried alive in scattered mass graves in and around Sinjar.
Expresses ‘disbelief’ over Iraq violence
During his weekly blessing in St. Peter’s Square, Francis says what is happening in Iraq “leaves us in disbelief.” He urges the international community to find a political solution “to stop these crimes.” He specifically cites:
the thousands of people, including Christians, who have been brutally forced from their homes, children who have died from thirst during the escape and women who have been seized.
Third airdrop on Sinjar
Central Command says the military has made its third airdrop over Mt. Sinjar. A C-17 and two C-130s carry out the mission, bringing the total American assistance to around 40,000 Yazidi minority Iraqis trapped on the mountain and under ISIS fire to more than 52,000 meals and more than 10,600 gallons of fresh water.
Airstrikes may continue
Obama says that airstrikes and humanitarian air drops could continue for months, apparently preparing Americans for an extended military presence in the country following the withdrawal of ground troops.
I don’t think we’re going to solve this problem in weeks. This is going to be a long-term project
On creating a political environment where Sunnis feel they are able to live comfortably alongside Shiites:
Changing that environment so that the millions of Sunnis who live in these areas feel connected to and well served by a national government, that’s a long-term process
Orders airstrikes
President Obama issues military airstrikes in Iraq, against ISIS. In a televised speech Obama threatened to renew U.S. military involvement and announced that U.S. military planes already had carried out airdrops of food and water, at the request of the Iraqi government, to tens of thousands of Iraqi religious minorities atop a mountain surrounded by ISIS.
Earlier this week, one Iraqi in the area cried to the world, ‘There is no one coming to help!” Well, today, America is coming to help. We’re also consulting with other countries — and the United Nations — who have called for action to address this humanitarian crisis
Obama also noted that U.S. military action would be worry many Americans and vowed not to put American combat troops back on the ground in Iraq. He also said there is no U.S. military solution to the crisis.
As commander in chief, I will not allow the United States to be dragged into fighting another war in Iraq
Airstrikes begin
U.S. aircraft drop 500-pound laser-guided bombs on a “mobile artillery piece” used by ISIS. The mobile artillery batteries hit are based outside Irbil.
Airstrikes considered
0 CommentsAmerica considers military strikes on the Sunni fighters and sending aid drops to the thousands of religious minorities who are fleeing their homes. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said any US military action would be “very limited in scope” and closely tied to political reforms.
Militants give residents ultimatum
Islamist militants attack the towns of Sinjar and Zunmar forcing approximately 40,000 Yazidi families to flee their homes. Residents are given an ultimatum to convert to Islam, pay a security tax, leave their homes, or die. Jawhar Ali Begg, a Yazidi family member and spokesperson for the Yazidi community:
Thousands of Yazidi people have been killed. And thousands have become refugees. Their town is controlled by Islamic State, and their shrine has been blown up by IS. They’re killing Yazidi people and it’s a big attack against Yazidis.
ISIS takes control of dam
ISIS takes control of Iraq’s largest hydroelectric dam. The dam is on the Tigris River and provides power to Mosul. Workers at the dam remain inside the facility. Daniel Pipes, the president of the Middle East Forum, says seizing dams is a tactic the group uses to gain control of a town and its people:
If you control the Mosul Dam, you can threaten just about everybody.
Qantas re-routes flights over Iraq
Heeding the warnings from US and France regulators,Qantas Airways temporarily re-routes the two daily flights from Dubai to London over Iranian airspace. Although there are international sanctions against Iran, US carriers are allowed to pay a fee to land there in an emergency. The decision comes a week after Emirates, an alliance partner, said it would stop flights over Iraq in response to information from the US claiming that Islamic militants had obtained high-altitude surface-to-air missiles from Syria. The information is currently being investigated.
Capture of Sinjar sparks ‘humanitarian tragedy’
Jihadist fighters capture the town of Sinja. A UN statement says some reports put the number of people forced to flee the area by the ISIS takeover at 200,000. According to the top UN envoy in the area a humanitarian tragedy is unfolding in Sinjar. UN:
The United Nations has grave concerns for the physical safety of these civilians.
Orders genital mutilation
The United Nations says that militant group Islamic State had ordered all girls and women in and around Iraq’s northern city of Mosul to undergo female genital mutilation. Doubts emerged on social media about the basis for the report. One document posted on Twitter suggested it may be a year old and have been issued by the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant, the group’s previous name. Humanitarian coordinator in Iraq Jacqueline Badcock:
We have current reports of imposition of a directive that all female girl children and women up to the age of 49 must be circumcised. This is something very new for Iraq, particularly in this area, and is of grave concern and does need to be addressed.
Baghdad bombs kill 27
0 CommentsA series of bombs across Baghdad kills at least 27 people. The deadliest of the bombings take place in a Shiite neighborhood of Abu Dashir, where a suicide bomber crashes a car packed with explosives into a checkpoint. At least nine people die and 19 are wounded. According to a police offer, four of the dead are police. Later in the day, three more explosions in different Baghdad neighborhoods occur 10 minutes apart and kill at least 15 people and injure 42 others. Another car bomb near a bus stop in Khazimiyah kills three people and wounds 15.
Elects new speaker of parliament
0 CommentsIraq takes its first formal step towards forming a new government by electing a new speaker of parliament. Sunni lawmaker Salim al-Jubouri wins with 194 votes in the 328-seat parliament. A second candidate, Shorooq al-Abayachi, receives 19 votes. There are 60 abstentions. Parliament now has 30 days to elect a president, who will then have 15 days to ask the leader of the largest bloc in the legislature to form a government, and then a prime minister will be picked.
Car bombs kill seven in Baghdad
0 CommentsSeven people die and many others are injured when two car bombs explode in commercial areas in Baghdad. The deadliest attack takes place in Baghdad’s Allawi neighborhood, a predominantly Shiite district near the Green Zone, home to many government offices and foreign embassies. A police official says four civilians are killed and 12 wounded in the blast there. A police official says the situation could have been much worse, but the area was not very crowded early in the morning on Monday because of the holiday honoring the 1958 Revolution that overthrew the monarchy. A second vehicle packed with explosives blows up near a string of car dealerships in Baghdad’s southeastern Bayaa area, killing at least three people and wounding eight, the official said. The explosion damages several cars.
34 killed in brothel raid
0 CommentsTwenty-eight women and six men die in a raid by militants at the Zayona residential complex that some are saying was used as a brothel in eastern Baghdad. Residents tell CNN the militants were first on the surrounding streets firing weapons before breaking down doors and entering the building. Residents told CNN the Shiite Asa’b Ahl al-Haq organization carried out the attack. The organization told CNN it does not have forces inside the city. An AFP correspondent on the scene reports that the attackers left a message on a door:
This is the fate of any prostitution
Volunteers sent to help troops
4,00o volunteers are dispatched to help bolster the troops fighting the Sunni militants in Ramadi, a small city west of Baghdad. Gen. Rasheed Flayeh, the commander of operations in Anbar province, says 2,500 of the reinforcements arrived yesterday in Ramadi, and the rest are expected to arrive today. The majority of the volunteers are Shiites answering a call from the country’s top Shiite cleric asking for help in defending the country from the militants who have already seized control of much of northern and western Iraq.
Kurdish foreign minister removed
Iraqi officials report Kurdish Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari has been removed by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. This occurred as Kurds launched a boycott following comments made by al-Maliki linking ISIS extremists and Baathists to the Kurdish Regional Government in Irbil. The Kurds strongly dispute al-Maliki’s allegations, claiming he wants to scapegoat the Kurds for his failures in northern Iraq and divert attention from how ISIS militants have poured into Iraq and waged warfare against the government.
Kurds boycott Cabinet meetings
Iraq’s Kurds say they will ask politicians to stay away from Cabinet meetings. They are asking Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to step down and blame him for not stopping the Sunni militant offensive that is sweeping through the country. Deputy Prime Minister Roz Nouri Shawez, the highest level Kurdish official in the government:
Such statements are meant to hide the big security fiasco by blaming others, and we announce our boycott of Cabinet meetings.
Iranian planes delivered
Warplanes delivered recently to Baghdad appear to be from Iran. According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), photo analysis shows that the planes are likely the same ones used in the first Gulf War. Video released by the Iraqi Ministry of Defense reveals serial numbers assigned to Iranian SU-25s. The video also shows that attempts were made to cover up the old markings on the plane, like the Iranian roundels on the side of the air intakes and a large proportion of the tail fin normally occupied by a full serial number, the Iranian flag and the IRGC insignia. The group of planes is said to be in much better condition than the recent delivery of planes from Russia. Used by Russia in its 1980s war in Afghanistan, the Su-25 was described at the time by a U.S. Marine report as “ideal” for war in the rugged terrain of the Middle East. Iraqi military used Su-25 jets extensively during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s.