IRAQ:Iraq PM urges more Russia cooperation in anti-ISIL fight in Meeting with Mevedev/Lavrov

[KoKo]

Iraq PM urges more Russia cooperation in anti-ISIL fight

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has called on Russia to further help the Arab country in the battle against Takfiri ISIL terror group, saying terrorism poses a serious threat to the security of all its neighboring states.

Thu May 21, 2015 12:28PM (Video of meeting with Abadi-Medvedev- alJaafari-Lavrov at at Link)

“We understand that not only Iraq but also the neighboring countries are exposed to the threat of terrorism,” said the Iraqi premier during a meeting with his Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev, in Moscow on Thursday.

“This phenomenon is evolving and assuming a new shape, and we perfectly understand that all this will require more attention from Russia, and we expect to work together more actively in this area,” he stated, adding, “In a joint effort, we will be able to have victory over these new forces.”

Abadi also said he decided to go ahead with his visit to Russia “despite recommendations by some forces to cancel this trip.”

“We highly value relations with Russia and consider them promising, and I think our visit directly proves this,” he went on to say.

Medvedev, for his part, voiced Moscow’s readiness to boost ties with Baghdad, saying, “We are glad to support and advance cooperation with Iraq at the government level.”

According to Kremlin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Abadi is also scheduled to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin later in the day to discuss bilateral defense ties and the “situation in the (Middle East) region.”

http://www.presstv.com/Video/2015/05/21/412160/Iraq-Russia-ISIL-Abadi-Medvedev-alJaafari-Lavrov

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1. Iraqi prime minister seeks Russian support against Islamic State

Iraqi prime minister searches for greater support from world powers, promotes a 'joint effort' against the spread of the Islamic State in the Middle East.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Thursday met his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev, at the start of a visit to Moscow aimed at boosting cooperation in the fight against the Islamic State group.

"We understand that the threat of terrorism is enveloping not just Iraq but the neighbouring countries," Abadi told Medvedev in remarks translated into Russian.

"It evolves and takes new shapes, and we understand perfectly well that it requires heightened attention from Russia. We expect more active cooperation in this direction," he said.

http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=71425

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6. Abadi Seeks Russian Help In Fight Against IS

http://www.rferl.org/content/abadi-seeks-russian-help-in-fight-against-is/27029044.html

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8. Russia ready to help Iraq defeat Islamic State – Lavrov

Russia is ready to supply weapons to Iraq, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday, as the country struggles to halt advances by Islamic State militants.

Speaking ahead of talks in Moscow between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi, Lavrov told reporters Moscow would make every effort to help the Baghdad government push back the militants.

Islamic State insurgents overran the Iraqi city of Ramadi last weekend in the most significant setback for the Baghdad government in a year, exposing the weakness of Iraq’s army and the limitations of US air strikes. On Thursday the group seized full control of Palmyra in neighbouring Syria.

http://cyprus-mail.com/2015/05/21/russia-ready-to-help-iraq-defeat-islamic-state-lavrov/

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13. Putin Says Russia, Iraq Expanding Military Cooperation

Russian President Vladimir Putin said during talks with visiting Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on May 21 that Moscow and Baghdad are expanding military cooperation.

Putin called Iraq Russia's "long-standing and reliable partner" in the region.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said before the talks began that Moscow was ready to supply weapons to Iraq to help it combat Islamic State (IS) militants.

Lavrov said that Russia's military cooperation with Iraq requires "no preconditions."


http://www.rferl.org/content/russia-iraq-military-cooperation/27029150.html

[KoKo]

14. Interesting about that meeting..

Am I wrong to think U.S. is cooperating in the background. Situation is dire with ISIL now controlling 50% of Syria and is on the march to Baghdad? An organized televised meeting with Medvedev and Lavrov and then a later scheduled meeting with Putin? Hard to beiieve Russia could seize the moment without consultation.

Also, there's the worry that the freeing of prisoners by ISIL in both Palmyra and Ramadi which would seem likely to increase ISIL forces strength.

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31. Abadi receives heads of three major Russian companies for oil and gas in Moscow

(IraqiNews.com) Baghdad – Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi received on Thursday the heads of three major Russian companies of oil and gas at his residence in the Russian capital Moscow.

Abadi’s office said in a brief statement received by IraqiNews.com, “The Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi received this morning at his residence in the capital Moscow the heads of three major Russian companies of oil and gas.”

“These companies are Lukoil, Gazprom and Suboz oil Sunset gas,” the office added.

Abadi went on Wednesday evening to the Russian capital Moscow on an official visit to discuss bilateral relations and Russia’s support for Iraq in the field of armament, intelligence and enhance the security and military capabilities.

http://www.iraqinews.com/business-iraqi-dinar/abadi-receives-heads-three-major-russian-companies-oil-gas-moscow/

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32. Moscow offers Baghdad military aid, investment

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi met with his Russia's PM, Dmitry Medvedev, and President Vladimir Putin on a visit to Moscow on Thursday, aiming to strengthen partnership in the fight against the self-styled "Islamic State" (IS) terrorist group.

"We are expanding cooperation in the area of military technology," said Putin ahead of the talks, promising to invest billions of dollars in Iraq alongside the military aid, though he did not elaborate.

The swift advance of IS into the city of Ramadi in central Iraq last weekend, along with its tightening grip on the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra, have illustrated the weaknesses of the Iraqi army and the limitations of US-led airstrikes.

Al-Abadi said he had ignored "certain forces" telling him to cancel the trip in light of the worsening security situation, stressing the importance of his country's ties with Russia.

http://www.dw.de/moscow-offers-baghdad-military-aid-investment/a-18466213

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2. Abadi to Medvedev: I came to Moscow, regardless of powers’ recommendations not to come

Shafaq News / Iraqi Prime Minister , Haider al-Abadi revealed on Thursday, that he received advice and recommendations not to hold a visit to Russia, stressing that his country seeks to strengthen relations with Russia.

Medvedev told Abadi at the start of their meeting in Moscow that, "It is your first visit (to Moscow), which confirms the determination of the Iraqi leadership on the development of multilateral cooperation with our country."

He added, "We evaluate our friendship with Iraq, our bilateral relations are currently witnessing an escalation phase, regardless of the dramatic events and difficulties and is still facing the Iraqi people."

Abadi in turn said that he went to Moscow regardless of recommendations by "some forces" not to go in this visit.

http://english.shafaaq.com/politics/14446-abadi-to-medvedev-i-came-to-moscow,-regardless-of-powers%E2%80%99-recommendations-not-to-come.html

[KoKo]

19. Ah...This answers my Question #14

Abadi in turn said that he went to Moscow regardless of recommendations by "some forces" not to go in this visit.


You posted links so fast that I didn't see them when I was posting my question. Good reading here...thanks!

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21. Thursdays are often busy, don't know why.

The US is befuddled at the moment, and not of one mind about what to do to begin with. But yeah, I expect the Iran-Syria-Iraq-Russia axis of evil will be allowed to proceed now. What Russia might decide to do other than sell weapons I don't know, but they are doing a lot of oil business with Iraq, and I expect they will defend that vigorously.

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3. The collapse of the Iraqi army in Ramadi is a a replay of the Mosul debacle

The capture of Ramadi last weekend by Islamic State fighters is a significant setback for U.S. strategy in Iraq and shows that, nearly a year after the extremists overran Mosul, the United States still doesn't have a viable plan for protecting the country's Sunni areas.

The collapse of the Iraqi army in Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province, was in some ways a replay of the Mosul debacle in June 2014. The Shiite-dominated Iraqi military, though trained and retrained by the United States, appeared to lack the leadership or will to fight off a relatively small but ferocious onslaught of Sunni insurgents.

The Ramadi defeat exposed the sectarian tensions that underlie this war. Among the urgent questions: Are Shiite regular army troops ready to fight and die to protect Sunnis, or will their lines collapse in Sunni areas, as happened in Mosul and now Ramadi? If the tougher Iranian-backed Shiite militias are sent instead to do the job, will the Sunni population see them as a Shiite occupation army — setting the stage for a generation of sectarian revenge killing?

http://www.businessinsider.com/the-collapse-of-the-iraqi-army-in-ramadi-is-a-a-replay-of-the-mosul-debacle-2015-5

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4. The fight between the State Dep. and Pentagon is an embarrassment that's hurting the ISIS fight

President Obama is rightly pushing Iraqi leaders to unite and take action after the fall of Ramadi last weekend. But he needs to mobilize his own administration’s efforts so that one person drives U.S. military and political strategy against the Islamic State.

Political strife in Iraq led to the debacle in Ramadi.

The Shiite-dominated government wouldn’t supply weapons or training to embattled Sunnis in Anbar province, and the mistrustful Sunnis quarreled among themselves and refused aid from Shiite popular militias that might have saved Ramadi.

If this internal strife doesn’t end, Iraq will splinter.

http://www.businessinsider.com/the-fight-between-the-state-dep-and-pentagon-is-an-embarrassment-thats-hurting-the-isis-fight-2015-5

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5. US taking ‘hard look’ at Iraq strategy after jihadists take over Ramadi

Washington conceded Wednesday it is taking a “hard look” at its Iraq strategy after the fall of Ramadi, sending in anti-tank weapons to battle car bombs and working to shore up dispirited Iraqi forces.

After days of denying that the weekend capture of the Iraqi town by the Islamic State (IS) group was forcing a policy rethink, a top US official said since Sunday’s “significant setback” the US had been focused solely on winning back Ramadi.

“You’d have to be delusional not to take something like this and say ‘what went wrong, how do you fix it and how do we correct course to go from here?’,” the official told a few foreign policy reporters.

“And that’s exactly what we’re doing. Taking an extremely hard look at it.”

http://www.rawstory.com/2015/05/us-taking-hard-look-at-iraq-strategy-after-jihadists-take-over-ramadi/

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7. Tom Cotton: We Shouldn't 'Be Ashamed' Of Iraq War

In an interview published on Thursday, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) declined to say whether he would have authorized the Iraq invasion given what he knows now and instead defended former President George W. Bush's decision.

"We should not be ashamed of the war we conducted in Iraq," he told the Washington Examiner.

"You don't get to live life in reverse. What a leader has to do is make a decision, at the moment of decision, based on the best information he has. George Bush did that in 2002 and 2003 and he was supported by Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden and John Kerry and every western country's intelligence agency," Cotton continued. "There are lessons we can learn from the early days of the Iraq war. One is that we clearly should be more critically analytical about our approach to intelligence assessments."

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/tom-cotton-not-ashamed-iraq-war

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9. Islamic State chalks up another victory, this one in Syria

ISTANBUL — Islamic State extremists Wednesday captured the Syrian desert town of Palmyra, famed for its ancient ruins and a notorious political prison, in its second major victory in just four days after ousting the Iraqi army from the city of Ramadi.

Syrian state news media reported that the government had withdrawn local militias protecting the town after evacuating their families, and local activists said other regime forces had retreated 30 miles to the east to a local phosphate mine.

The anti-regime Local Coordinating Committee or LCC said the entire city of Palmyra had come under Islamist State control after Assad forces staged a “strategic retreat.”

The LCC said a limited number of army units remained, occupying the ancient citadel, a single military security branch, and positions on a nearby mountain overlooking Palmyra.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2015/05/20/267357/islamic-state-chalks-up-another.html

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16. EU fears 'war crimes' after Syria's Palmyra falls to ISIS

BRUSSELS: EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini Thursday warned of potential war crimes in the UNESCO World Heritage site of Palmyra after ISIS fighters seized the ancient Syrian city.

"With the reported occupation of the ancient city of Palmyra by Da'esh, yet again hundreds of people have been killed and thousands more risk to be exposed to arbitrary violent actions and more destructions of cultural sites might be perpetrated," Mogherini said in a statement, using an alternative name for ISIS/

ISIS "mass killings and deliberate destruction of archaeological and cultural heritage in Syria and Iraq amount to a war crime according to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court," she said.

ISIS jihadis seized full control of Palmyra on Thursday, putting the world heritage site and its priceless artefacts at risk of destruction.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2015/May-21/298830-eu-fears-war-crimes-after-syrias-palmyra-falls-to-isis.ashx

[KoKo]

26. Well....action on "War Crimes"

always seems hard to enforce and there are so many it's too hard to count, these days. EU issuing a "sternly worded letter of warning" in the middle of uncontrollable Chaos. Answer from ISIL: "Who gives a F*** What you think!"

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10. Ghosts of Iraq stalk 2016 White House race — 12 years after George W. Bush marched into an unpopular

The Islamic State group’s recent victories have called Barack Obama’s Middle East strategy into question and once again made Iraq an issue on the US electoral battlefield.

It has been 12 years since president George W. Bush marched into an unpopular war in Iraq, and still the reverberations are being felt.

With militant jihadists in control of several major Iraqi cities, now including Ramadi, Republicans and Democrats are scrambling to assign — and deflect — blame.

Democrats say the former Republican president’s ill-conceived and even more poorly managed overthrow of Saddam Hussein is the root cause of today’s carnage.

http://www.rawstory.com/2015/05/ghosts-of-iraq-stalk-2016-white-house-race-12-years-after-george-w-bush-marched-into-an-unpopular-war/

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12. Morning Plum: The new GOP strategy on Iraq is to blame Obama

After struggling for days with questions about the genesis of the Iraq War, the GOP presidential candidates appear to be coalescing behind a new strategy: Shift the focus to what’s happening in Iraq right now, and blame it all on Obama.

As a number of us have noted, the current line of questioning for Republicans and Hillary Clinton about Iraq — “would you have supported the invasion knowing what we know now?” — is deeply flawed, and risks whitewashing the real history of the run-up to the war. Now, however, it seems possible that this weak line of questioning might actually aid and abet the current GOP strategy for talking about Iraq.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2015/05/21/morning-plum-the-new-gop-strategy-on-iraq-is-to-blame-obama/

[KoKo]

28. Ridiculous.

Both parties are to blame and silly for them to be throwing mud pies at each other while this destruction and havoc continues in the ME. The ones laughing their heads off are the PNAC writers. Their grand scheme of rebalancing the MENA in their Think Tank modeling.

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11. Iran's defense chief in Baghdad for ISIS talks

Iran’s Defense Minister, Brigadier General Hossein Deqhan, met with his Iraqi counterpart Defense Minister Dr Khaled al-Obeidi on May 19 as seen in this video with both delegations standing by their respective flags.

Not all officials from both countries were invited to the table for the meeting, according to the Iraq Ministry of Defense.

The two leaders met shortly after Ramadi was captured by Islamic State militants to discuss bilateral security and defense measures and terrorism.

Iraqi officials had called on the Popular Mobilization Units, volunteer Shiite brigades, to support Iraqi forces in Ramadi, which controls a strategic supply route to the Iraqi capital, located around 100km away from the city.

http://rudaw.net/english/middleeast/210520151

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15. Exclusive - Turkish intelligence helped ship arms to Syrian Islamist rebel areas

Turkey's state intelligence agency helped deliver arms to parts of Syria under Islamist rebel control during late 2013 and early 2014, according to a prosecutor and court testimony from gendarmerie officers seen by Reuters.

The witness testimony contradicts Turkey's denials that it sent arms to Syrian rebels and, by extension, contributed to the rise of Islamic State, now a major concern for the NATO member.

Syria and some of Turkey's Western allies say Turkey, in its haste to see President Bashar al-Assad toppled, let fighters and arms over the border, some of whom went on to join the Islamic State militant group which has carved a self-declared caliphate out of parts of Syria and Iraq.

Ankara has denied arming Syria's rebels or assisting hardline Islamists. Diplomats and Turkish officials say it has in recent months imposed tighter controls on its borders.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/05/21/uk-mideast-crisis-turkey-arms-exclusive-idUKKBN0O61L020150521?rpc=401

[KoKo]

22. ...!

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23. ! indeed. nt

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17. Islamic State begins beheading regime fighters in Palmyra

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) jihadists executed a group of pro-Assad regime fighters, beheading some of them, after seizing Palmyra with its ancient ruins, according to reports and pictures from the town.

A picture sent by activists to a Western journalist showed a row of men in a street in Palmyra - known locally by its Arabic name Tadmur - lying in a pool of blood.

At least four of the men had been decapitated.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/11621055/Islamic-State-begins-beheading-regime-fighters-in-Palmyra.html

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18. On Syria-Lebanon border, Hezbollah in 'hardest' battle

ON THE SYRIA-LEBANON BORDER (AFP) -- On a windy hilltop overlooking the mountainous Syrian border, a fighter from Lebanon's Hezbollah says the battle against militants in the area is among the toughest the group has ever faced.

The powerful Lebanese Shiite movement, a key ally of the government in Damascus, has fought across Syria in the years since an uprising began in 2011.

In the past two weeks, Hezbollah says it has secured around a third of the Qalamun region, territory on both the Lebanese and Syrian sides of the porous border.

http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?ID=765551

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20. . nt

[KoKo]

24. A very good read...

Wonder if Nasrallah will be able to keep up his fight against ISIL considering all that's going on around him. Would think his supplies are in danger of being cut off given the current situation. Maybe his giving access to media is a signal he needs help.

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25. Given adequate logistics support, I think Hezbollah can defend itself.

It's problem is it has too many enemies and its supply lines are long, fragile, and under attack. Nasrallah has to keep a lot in reserve in case Bibi decides to do something stupid. Once Bibi gets those JDAMs from the Pentagon, he may think a good war is just the thing to rescue his political career, and Lebanon is a lot easier to get to than Iran.

Wait a week of so, things will be a lot clearer by then, we will see the new alliances shaping up. Right now you can't tell what new and brilliant strategies will be thought up.

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27. One thing to keep in mind is the Saudi anti-Assad coalition is in a hurry.

This is their big push now going on in Syria to take Assad down. So they won't stop with Palmyra I think, on to Damascus ...

[KoKo]

29. Does point to what you say..

the ramp up has been swift. Have to wonder if the new Defense Minister has mis-calculated and is bringing the Saudis under scrutiny in the way the latest Gaza "mowing the grass" did for Bibi. But, then, young Salman is on a roll and his luck may last given that no one seems to know what they are doing there anymore and we just keep pumping weapons in to be stolen and used for more death and destruction.

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30. Iraqis do not need Iranian support, prepare for counter-attack in Ramadi, says US general

(IraqiNews.com) Baghdad – The US military retired general and security expert, Mark Hertling, announced on Thursday, that the Iraqi forces are preparing to carry out a counter-attack in the city of Ramadi, which will change the situation soon, pointing out that the Iraqi forces do not need the support of Kurds and Iran.

Hertling, who fought in Iraq for years, said in an interview with CNN and followed by iraqiNews.com, “There is a big problem with the Iraqi army which has been battling in those area for ten years without a break,” pointing out that, “the Iraqi forces did not give up in Ramadi, but they have been facing some problems in the region for a long time. Today they receive reinforcements and therefore we expect its counter-attack to change the situation in the coming days. ”

In response to a question about whether Anbar battles indicate the Iraqi army’s inability to achieve victories without the Iranian or Kurdish forces’ support, Hartling said “I do not think that Iraqi forces really need any more support from the Iranians and Kurds.”

http://www.iraqinews.com/iraq-war/iraqis-not-need-iranian-support-prepare-counter-attack-ramadi-says-us-general/

[KoKo]

33. Bizarre......

don't know what else to say.

[bemildred]

34. Yep, it beggars description. nt