Islamic State

US Raids on ISIS Revealing Valuable Intelligence

The United States Special Operations forces are increasingly targeting usable intelligence when going after mid-to-senior level ISIS members in an effort to gain an edge in the war against the shadowy terrorist organization.

A raid in April to capture Abdurakhmon Uzbeki, a close confidante, and associate of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Uzbeki however, didn’t allow himself to be taken alive and died in a shootout with US commandos.

But the intelligence gleaned from cell phones, laptops and other small devices taken in that raid and another in January is proving very valuable to US intelligence agencies as they learn what makes the organization function. And they provide better intelligence to plan future operations against the Islamic State.

“If we can scoop somebody up with their cellphones and diaries, it can really speed up the demise of a terrorist group like ISIS, said Dell L. Dailey, a retired commander of the military’s Joint Special Operations Command and the Chairman for the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point.

While the Islamic State is far from defeated, their safe, staging areas and self-proclaimed caliphates in Iraq and Syria and being taken away from them as the US and coalition forces drive them out a small piece at a time.

Uzbeki was targeted for his extensive planning into terrorist operations around the world including the deadly Istanbul attack on New Year’s Eve. US Central Command’s John H. Thomas told the press that he helped move funds and fighters around the world as well as being a close associate of al-Baghdadi.

The information revealed in the captured cellphones, laptops and other materials yield important intelligence on the terrorist group’s leadership structure, financial operations, and security measures. It would have been an even bigger boost if the US could have captured the terrorist leaders and tried to extract information for them.

To read the entire article from the NY Times click here:

Photos Courtesy: DOD

Mosul Liberation to Be Announced Soon Says Iraq’s Prime Minister

The Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has said in a few days, there will be an announcement that the “liberation” of the city of Mosul has been achieved from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL – also known as ISIS).

Abadi spoke to the media on Thursday, and his statements were carried by Baghdad-based Sumaria TV. “It’s a matter of a few days and we will announce the total liberation of Mosul,” Abadi said.

The announcement came as Iraqi forces were continuing the fight against ISIL fighters in their last stronghold in western Mosul, the city’s old town.
The armed group has lost much of their territory over the last three years, and Mosul is their last urban bastion in Iraq.
The group’s fighters are expected to make their last stand in the Old City – a densely populated quarter with narrow, winding alleys.
Up to 150,000 civilians are believed to be trapped in there, where conditions have been described by the UN as desperate.
The fight for Mosul has now lasted for more than eight months.
On Wednesday, ISIL fighters blew up Nuri mosque as Iraqi forces advanced on the ancient religious compound in the embattled northern city.
Officials from Iraq and the US-led anti-ISIL coalition said the destruction of the site was a sign of the ISIL’s imminent loss of Mosul, with Iraqi Prime Minister al-Abadi calling it an “official declaration of defeat”.
The loss of the iconic 12th century minaret – one of the country’s most recognisable monuments sometimes referred to as Iraq’s Tower of Pisa – left the country in shock.

The fighting for Mosul has been bloody and has been drawing out for the past eight months. “Daesh’s bombing of the al-Hadba Minaret and the al-Nuri mosque is a formal declaration of their defeat,” Abadi said, using the Arabic acronym for ISIS.

This is the same minaret where the Islamic State announced Mosul as its caliphate in Iraq just a few years ago.

To read the entire article from Al Jazeera click here:

Photos courtesy Reuters

Bergdahl’s Lawyers Want to Know if Prospective Jurors Voted for Trump

Attorneys for accused Army deserter, Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl on Wednesday told a judge that they want to ask potential jurors in the court-martial case how they viewed President Trump and whether or not they voted for him.

According to Stars and Stripes reports released on Wednesday, Eugene Fidell, Bergdahl’s lead attorney said, “the principal issue has to do with ensuring we are able to identify people who have been nominated to be on the court-martial panel — the jury — who are not in a position to render an impartial judgment.”

He added, “key to that is the whole set of issues surrounding President Trump’s outrageous comments throughout the course of his successful campaign for the White House.”

Bergdahl walked off his post in Afghanistan in 2009 and was captured by the Taliban, who held him for almost five years before releasing him. He was charged in 2015 with desertion and misbehavior before the enemy, the latter of which carries a potential life imprisonment sentence. Bergdahl has yet to enter a plea to the charges.
During the campaign, Trump called Bergdahl a “dirty, rotten traitor” and criticized former President Barack Obama’s decision to exchange five Guantanamo Bay detainees for the soldier’s freedom.
The judge in Bergdahl’s case, Army Col. Jeffery Nance, called Trump’s statements “disturbing” and potentially “problematic.” But, according to Stars and Stripes, Nance declined to dismiss the case over them, instead allowing defense attorneys to ask prospective jurors questions about potential influence the president’s comments might have on them.

Prosecutors argued that people’s politics are a personal matter and that Bergdahl’s lawyers stepped over the line. The trial will take place at Ft. Bragg, NC in the coming months. Bergdahl still hasn’t entered a plea, although he’s expected to plead not guilty.

To read the entire article from Washington Examiner, click here:

Photo courtesy AP

Car Bomb in New Kabul Bank Kills 29 in Helmand Province, Afghanistan

A car bomb explosion in a bank in the southern Afghan province of Helmand has killed 29 and wounded at least 60 in the latest in a series of attacks against the government.

The explosion occurred just outside the gate of a bank in the city of Lashkar Gar the capital of Helmand Province of Afghanistan.

Civilians and members of the security forces are reportedly among casualties.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility but Taliban and Islamic State militants have carried out deadly attacks in recent months.
The head of the hospital in Lashkar Gah, Mawladad Tabedar, told BBC Afghan the number of casualties might rise.
Earlier, Tolo News reported that armed attackers had entered the bank and engaged in a gun battle with security forces.
“It happened at a time when civilians and officials had lined up outside the bank to collect their salaries,” a police spokesman, Salam Afghan, told AFP news agency.
Bank buildings have been repeatedly attacked in recent years in Afghanistan as civilians and military personnel receive their monthly salaries from them.
A spokesman for Afghan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah tweeted that most of the victims were “innocent souls who were shopping for Eid”.
“Their joyful moments turned into nightmare,” Javid Faisal said.
There has been a series of attacks in Afghanistan in recent weeks, since the Taliban launched its so-called spring offensive.
On Sunday, five police officers were killed and about 30 people, most of them civilians, were injured in a suicide bomb attack in the eastern city of Gardez.
On 31 May a huge bombing in central Kabul killed more than 150 people, the deadliest militant attack in the country since US-led forces ousted the Taliban from power in 2001.

Controlling Helmand Province has been a difficult proposition for government forces with armed insurgents from both the Taliban and the Islamic State controlling swaths of territory. No one has yet claimed responsibility but both the Taliban and the IS have carried out terrorist incidents in recent months in the area.

To read the entire article from BBC, click here:

Photo courtesy Reuters

USACAPOC dedicates new headquarters to fallen N.C. trooper

The US Army’s Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command is set to open a new headquarters on Ft. Bragg, NC and they will be naming it after one of their own who fell in combat.

Alan H. Newton was a North Carolina native who had a great love for his family and animals and was killed in Afghanistan in 2009. Now the command will honor his memory by naming their new HQs building, set to open soon after Newton.

The center is the future home of U.S. Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command. Officials expect to move into the new headquarters in the near future.
The $22-million facility was recently completed on Pratt Street, near the Fort Bragg Noncommissioned Officer Academy.
It will allow USACAPOC to consolidate its Fort Bragg facilities. The U.S. Army Reserve Command oversees more than 90 units in 34 states across the nation and Puerto Rico.
The command’s nearly 13,500 soldiers make up the vast majority of the nation’s conventional civil affairs, psychological operations and theater information operations soldiers.
Newton – a North Carolina native and soldier with USACAPOC’s Greensboro-based 422nd Civil Affairs Battalion – is one of 49 soldiers who have died in Iraq or Afghanistan while serving with the command.
In addition to dedicating the building for Newton, officials also unveiled a memorial stone featuring the names of all of the soldiers who have been killed while deployed with USACAPOC units. The command of Maj. Gen. Daniel R. Ammerman and Command Sgt. Maj. Peter Running also added a streamer denoting the unit’s Global War on Terror service to the USACAPOC colors.
Speaking to members of the Newton family, Ammerman said the fallen soldier was trying to “do good” when he and Capt. Benjamin A. Sklaver – another USACAPOC soldier – were killed by an Afghan police officer wearing a suicide vest on Oct. 2, 2009.
“That’s really what we all try to do,” Ammerman said.
He related how Newton – a 26-year-old who graduated from Southwestern Randolph High School in 2002 – joined the North Carolina National Guard in 2003.
When Newton learned his unit wasn’t set to deploy in the near future, he transferred to the Army Reserve and became a civil affairs specialist.

Newton’s parents were on-hand to dedicate the 111,000-square-foot headquarters, which will eventually replace an older building on Butner Road being used by the command.

To read the entire article from The Fayetteville Observer, click here:

Photo courtesy The Fayetteville Observer

Australia Suspends Flights Over Syria After Russian Warning

Australia has suspended air combat missions over Syria after Russia had threatened that it would treat any plane from the US-led coalition flying west of the Euphrates River as a potential target.

This was in the aftermath of a US F-18 shooting down a Syrian SU-22 on Sunday after the pilot bombed pro-coalition SDF forces outside of Raqqa. The US and coalition forces have tried to steer clear of the Syrian troops of the embattled government of President Assad. They’ve tried to target only the Islamic State (IS) who held sizable portions of the country.

The Australians have six fighters stationed in the UAE (United Arab Emirates) that have been used in combat operations against both Syria and Iraq. But for now, they have stopped operations over Syria, “as a precautionary measure.”

A spokesman for the Department of Defence told the ABC that the situation would be monitored and sorties over Iraq would continue. “Australian defence force personnel are closely monitoring the air situation in Syria and a decision on the resumption of ADF air operations in Syria will be made in due course,” he said.
The UK Ministry of Defence said it would continue its operations against Isis as part of the US-led coalition in Syria.
Moscow’s warning on Monday to US-allied warplanes west of the Euphrates escalated the threat of a direct Russian-American confrontation in Syria, following the first US shooting down of a fighter jet belonging to the regime since the start of the civil war six years ago.
Russia stressed it would in future be tracking the coalition’s jets, not shooting them down, but added that “a threat for those jets may appear only if they take action that poses a threat to Russian aircraft”.
Moscow’s foreign ministry said: “All kinds of airborne vehicles, including aircraft and UAVs [unmanned aerial vehicles] of the international coalition, detected to the west of the Euphrates river will be tracked by the Russian SAM systems as air targets.”

The US’ General Joseph Dunford had stated that “we made every effort to warn those individuals not to come any closer and then the commander made a judgment that it was a threat to the forces that we are supporting and took action.”

Meanwhile, the war of words between the US and Russia continues to escalate as the civil war grinds on in Syria.

To read the entire article from The Guardian, click here:

Photo courtesy US DOD

McCain Blasts Trump’s Lack of Winning Strategy in Afghanistan

Senator John McCain has been an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump and on Monday, called out the president again, citing his lack of a winning strategy for the war in Afghanistan.

In a statement, McCain cited the recent attack by an Afghan soldier on three members of the 101^st Airborne Division where the soldiers were all killed and stated that he hopes that this will “turn the situation around in Afghanistan.”

“After nearly 16 years of war, we are at a stalemate in Afghanistan,” he added. “Worse, we have no strategy to end that stalemate and achieve victory.”
McCain, who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, pointed to testimony last week by Defense Secretary James Mattis, who said that the U.S. is not winning in Afghanistan.
There are 8,400 U.S. troops in Afghanistan involved in training and advising the Afghan military — 2,000 of whom are involved in counterterrorism operations against al-Qaeda and the ISIS affiliate in the country.
Last week President Donald Trump authorized Mattis to increase the military presence in Afghanistan. U.S. military commanders have recommended 2,000 to 5,000 additional troops in the country, according to American officials. Mattis has not yet made a determination on troop levels.
“We cannot keep going like this,” said McCain. “If the administration fails to develop a strategy for success, Congress will need to play a greater role.”

Trump and Defense Chief Mattis hope for an additional 3000-5000 additional troops in Afghanistan to help turn the stalemate into a winning situation. “Defense Secretary Mattis testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee last week that we are not winning in Afghanistan. And yet, six months into the new administration, it still has not delivered a strategy,” McCain said.

Later on Monday Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford said at the National Press Club Monday that the administration will have a strategic review complete on Afghanistan sometimes in mid-July.

The entire article and interview from ABC News can be found here:

Featured Photo: Getty Images

US F-18 Shoots Down Syrian SU-22 After It Attacks SDF Troops

The Pentagon has reported that a US Navy F-18 fighter plane has shot down a Syrian SU-22 ground attack aircraft after the Syrian pilot attacked SDF (Syrian Democratic Forces) on Sunday. The US-led SDF have been advised by US Special Operations forces, however, it isn’t known if any US troops were present when attacked by the Syrian jet.

The US has sought to avoid direct conflict with the Syrian forces of embattled President Assad, focusing instead on battling and removing the Islamist State (IS) forces. Once the Syrian pilot ignored warnings to turn away, however, it was quickly shot down.

The U.S.-led coalition also contacted their Russian counterparts in an effort to warn the pro-Assad forces to refrain from attacking the Syrian Democratic Forces.

The Syrians appeared to ignore the request and a Syrian SU-22 dropped bombs on the SDF fighters. The Syrian plane was immediately shot down by a U.S. F/A-18E Super Hornet.
The U.S. military has said it does not want to engage in a conflict with the Assad regime and is focused on defeating the Islamic State. But the U.S. military said it would defend U.S.-backed forces when necessary.
“The coalition does not seek to fight Syrian regime, Russian, or pro-regime forces partnered with them, but will not hesitate to defend coalition or partner forces from any threat,” the U.S. military said in a statement.
Iran and Russia are supporting the Assad regime and has deployed forces in Syria.
The U.S. military has several hundred advisers operating with Syrian Democratic Forces, which it is also supplying the organization with weapons and equipment.

After the downing of the Russian-made SU-22 north of Raqqa around the city of Tabqah, the Russian military has stated that they will treat any US or coalition aircraft operating west of the Euphrates River as targets.

“Any aircraft, including planes and drones belonging to the international coalition operating west of the Euphrates River, will be tracked by Russian anti-aircraft forces in the sky and on the ground and treated as targets,” the Russian Ministry of Defense said in a statement Monday

To read the entire article from the USA Today click here:

Photo courtesy US Navy

Iraqi Christians Caught in US Deportation Face “Death Sentence” in Iraq

The crackdowns on illegal immigrants in the United States has taken a toll on the Christian community from Iraq. While the US is rounding up many of the illegals for deportation, a call is going out to stop the deportations of this particular group as they face as their advocates call a “death sentence” if they are returned to Iraq.

The Chaldean community in Detroit has been hard hit by the roundup. Detroit has been a hub for Iraqis immigrating to the United States and the Christian community is very big there.

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) arrested more than 200 Iraqi nationals over the weekend who have been the subject of deportation orders following criminal convictions or pending criminal charges.
One hundred and fourteen people were detained in Detroit alone, most of whom are members of Iraq’s Chaldean minority – which, like other Christian groups, has been targeted for persecution by Islamic State and other jihadist groups.
Najah Konja, 55, who was arrested in Detroit on Sunday morning, immigrated to the US with his family in 1977. No other relatives remain in Iraq, according to his brother, Shoki “Steve” Konja.
“What is he going to do there?” Steve Konja, a US citizen, told the Guardian. “Basically, they are sentencing him to death.”
Konja said his brother does not speak Arabic, and that the last member of their family to leave Iraq was kidnapped twice and held for ransom because of his relatives in the US. “The government of Iraq cannot protect and defend its own citizens – let alone a bunch of Christians coming from the US,” Konja said.
These concerns were echoed by advocates including the Minority Humanitarian Foundation (MHF), which provides aid to Iraqi minorities. MHF planned to file a lawsuit with the American Civil Liberties Union to stop the deportation of Chaldeans to Iraq.
“Donald Trump has essentially given these Christians a death sentence,” said MHF founder and president, Mark Arabo.
Ice spokeswoman Gillian Christensen said an “overwhelming majority” of those arrested were convicted for crimes including “homicide, rape, aggravated assault, kidnapping, burglary, drug trafficking, robbery, sex assault, weapons violations and other offenses”.
In Detroit, Christensen said the operation “was specifically conducted to address the very real public safety threat represented by the criminal aliens arrested”.
But community advocates scoffed at that claim, arguing many of the charges were handed down decades ago and those convicted had served their sentences for the crimes.

It is curious that the two groups of Iraqis hardest hit by the roundup by ICE are the Christians in Detroit and the Kurds in Nashville. Neither would fare well if forced back to the country of their birth. Some of the immigrants have been here decades and have turned their lives around. But face deportation for criminal offenses committed and paid for years ago.

To read the entire article from the Guardian, click here:

Photo courtesy AP

US Airstrikes Causing “Staggering” Civilian Deaths Says UN

The UN is reporting that the coalition airstrikes led by the US is causing a “staggering” number of civilian deaths in the Syrian city of Raqqa. The city was taken by Islamist State forces in 2014 and has been cited by the IS as their “capital” and their “caliphate”.

US-backed SDF (Syrian Democratic Forces) are attempting to wrest control of the city from the IS forces trapped inside in heavy fighting.

Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro, chairman of the U.N. Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria, said Wednesday that coalition airstrikes have deepened the suffering in the city held by extremist fighters.
“We note in particular that the intensification of airstrikes, which have paved the ground for an SDF advance in Raqqa, has resulted not only in staggering loss of civilian life, but has also led to 160,000 civilians fleeing their homes and becoming internally displaced,” Pinheiro told the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva. He referred to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a U.S.-backed militia dominated by Syrian Kurds.
The commission recorded 300 civilian deaths from coalition airstrikes in Raqqa province between March 1 and May 31, according to Karen AbuZayd, an investigator for the Commission of Inquiry on Syria.
Human rights and monitoring groups have warned for months of the rising human cost of the coalition’s air war in Syria and Iraq as Islamic State forces stake out positions in densely populated civilian areas across what remains of the group’s self-proclaimed caliphate.
On March 22, the U.N. commission recorded 200 civilian deaths at an old school building in the village of Mansoura that was sheltering displaced families from across the province.
“These figures have been corroborated by multiple witnesses,” AbuZayd said.
The U.S. military said at the time that it was aware of the reports and was opening an investigation.

Reports of civilian deaths are as high as 484 since 2014 as a result of the US-led bombing campaign but a British watchdog agency, “Airwars” puts the figure much higher, at more than 3800.

Meanwhile the UN spokesman, Pinheiro stated that the fight against Islamic State forces must not be undertaken at the “expense of civilians who unwittingly find themselves living in areas” where the group is present.

To read the entire article from the Washington Post, click here:

Photo courtesy European Press Photo