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THE FRONT PAGES of many international newspapers proclaimed the end of the ‘American dream’ in Iraq this morning after a relatively small group of militants created a crisis of unprecedented proportions in the war-torn country.
It’s been many years since the US invasion brought Iraq to the forefront of all news bulletins and in the intervening years since 2003, the conflict has faded out of our consciousness.
However, events of the past 96 hours will have set alarm bells off across the world.
The timeline has been so quick that it’s caught the US administration off guard, nevermind the ordinary citizen. So, here’s a play-by-play explainer of what’s been happening.
Why is Iraq back in the news?
In a startlingly effective offensive, a group of Sunni militants – part of a splinter group of al-Qaeda – are moving towards Baghdad and, crucially, the country’s largest oil refineries.
That, obviously, has both the Iraq government and Western powers worried.
When did this start?
This specific wave of violence began on Monday in the country’s second largest city, Mosul.
The group, called the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), took the airport, the TV stations and the governor’s office. They also helped 1,000 prisoners escape during the overnight operation.
It was the unbelievable speed of the victory that shocked those within and onlookers from outside the area, ensuring that Iraq was catapulted back onto our television sets.
But how did that happen?
Although there are only a few thousand militants total involved in the Sunni group, it has been reported that members of the Iraq army fled their posts and abandoned their weapons as soon as they appeared.
There were also incidents witnessed of officers giving militants their arms and their uniforms, fueling suspicions of a conspiracy within Iraq’s forces.
Reports indicate that up to 30,000 soldiers ran away in the face of only 800 fighters.
What’s happened since?
Yesterday, the city of Tikrit was overran by ISIS. This is particularly important as it was the hometown of Saddam Hussein.
Who are ISIS?
They are a breakaway group of al-Qaeda. And are thought to be even more extreme than those origins suggest.
ISIS (or sometimes ISIL) came into being in the early wars of the Iraq War.
They want to establish an Islamic state, taking in the entire region and imposing Sharia law throughout. It has already achieved the latter in some towns in Syria where women now wear niqabs and music is banned.
Its membership is made up of fighters from all over, including Chechnya, Turkey, parts of Europe and other Arab countries.
Its targets? The Iraq and Syrian governments. But there have also been thousands of civilian casualties at their hands.
What next?
ISIS has warned that it will continue its offensive, moving towards Baghdad. Today, it took another town -Dhuluiyah – which is located just hours away from the capital.
Its spokesperson Abu Mohammed al-Adnani also said the group would destroy the Shiite shrine city of Karbala, which is visited by million of pilgrims from around the world each year.
There has been talk about Kirkuk as well?
Yes, with the militants closing in on Baghdad, forces from Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region took control of Kirkuk, an ethnically divided northern city they have sought to rule for decades against the objections of successive governments in Baghdad.
The city is known for its oil.
What’s the death toll?
No official figures from the violence have been confirmed but there were reports today of 14 injuries in Kirkuk.
A news photographer, Kamran Najm Ibrahim, was also killed while covering the fighting between the jihadists and Kurdish forces.
Does this have anything to do with religion?
Sadly, yes. There is a significant sectarian element to the fighting, despite the fact that both factions share many common beliefs.
Currently, the government is a Shiite one but the militants are Sunnis. (Al-Qaeda members are Sunnis).
About 85 per cent of the Muslim world is Sunni. The divide – which dates back to the death of Islam’s found in 632 – is one of the driving factors for many conflicts across the Middle East.
What about the American troops?
America’s troops withdrew from Iraq in 2011. Many commentators have said this left a power and security vacuum in Iraq. One that has been filled by these extremists.
The US had spent billions of dollars training and equipping Iraq’s new security forces but this, in the words of the Foreign Minister Hosyhar Zebari, has simply melted away.
What does America have to say?
Not that much, yet. President Barack Obama says his security team are “looking at all the options” and “not ruling out anything” – except for sending in ground troops.
Iraq is going to need more help from us and it’s going to need more help from the international community.
However, he did warn the Shiite-led Iraq government that the jihadist offensive was a “wake-up call”.
The White House tonight confirmed the US is mulling the use of drones, rather than ground troops if military intervention is deemed appropriate.
Anybody else?
Russia has used the opportunity to kick the Bush-led administration and the Blair government in the UK their pointless invasion in 2003.
The events in Iraq illustrate the total failure of the adventure involving the United States and Britain.
In a very rare event, Iran are with the US and have pledged more money to Iraq as they voiced dismay at the advance of the Sunni extremists.
And the UN Security Council is holding a private meeting today to discuss developments, but there hasn’t been an official statement yet.
What’s happening to children in Iraq?
About 500,000 people have fled their homes in the city of Mosul, which was taken by the militants on Monday.
According to Unicef, about half of those are children who are now in need of urgent need of safe water, shelter, food and protection.
“They cannot wait,” says Peter Power of Unicef Ireland.
Thousands of children are currently in schools, hospitals and mosques outside the city.
Is more money needed?
The US has pledged more aid but Unicef says that emergency appeals for Iraq were only 16 per cent funded before the violence erupted.
“This is an emergency on top of an emergency in Iraq – coming on the heels of other internal displacements of children and families in Anbar, as well as Syrian refugees in the north,” said Marzio Babille, the charity’s representative in Iraq.
So, is there a state of emergency?
No. And that really underlines the parallel political problems in Iraq. The Prime Minister tried to declare a state of emergency today but not enough MPs turned up for the session.
With reporting by AFP; First published 7.30pm
Iran and the US agreeing on something. this shows how bad the situation is and extreme the group involved are.
Two battalions of Iranian troops have allegedly entered Iraq.
The toppling of Saddam may have been the greatest gift the US could have granted
to Tehran.
The upset of the power balance caused by the us invasion means without the us the greatest power is Iran. The Iranians and the us have a common enemy and need to be smart enough to seize the opportunity. Iranian troops should go in before their friends in Iraq are slaughtered. The us can help with drones –but other than drones & cruise missiles they have proved to be incompetent, at least undermanned back in the day, on the ground. A simultaneous Turkish, Kurd attack from the north would be a nice case of neighbors working together to exterminate these vermin in their midst. If enemies can recognize the greater and common enemy this could be an action that eventually could lead to a greater peace. But ISIS is no one to think about coming to any terms with at all.
The Kurds are unlikely to support the Iranians/Shia forces.
http://www.newsmax.com/KenTimmerman/Nourial-Maliki-iran-iraq-kurds/2011/07/19/id/404082/
Newsmax is to the right of FOX news, Seanie, give it zero cred. I know the Kurds & the Shia have territorial differences…existential threats move former enemies to figure a way past that. It would be a nice denouement to this whole fu$&ing mess if it should provide a path from cooperation to peace among parties that can live in peace. That would not include Isis who need to be wiped out.
As Iraq burns Blair is making millions making speeches and writing books .how he sleeps at night with the blood of thousands on his hands is beyond comprehension
James , so it’s got nothing to do with Iraqi arm forces not standing up to defend there own country against religious fanatics . It’s arm forces where spineless . What would you want the uk and US to do .Iraq needs to stand up for itself .
Looks like America and Assad will end up fighting the same lot..
I think the penny has finally dropped with the Americans that they were supporting the wrong side in Syria up to now !
Sean Everyone in Syria fought this lot including the Al Nursa Front who align themselves with AL Queda
And Iran… Iran has no time for Takfiri Militants..
The picture looks like he’s in a cardboard box
Tomorrow you play Tank Driver.
I literally LOLed
The same as what happened in Syria
How the hell can a couple of thousand of these militants over run half the country like this. This will go down in history as one of the worst attempts by a nations army to defend their country. The Syrian civil war is going to go on a lot longer than was anticipated now, as ISIL have been streaming across the border with cavalcades full of all sorts of weaponry.
It’s old fashioned tribal war, it’s been like that for 100′s of years.
Easy to see Iran becoming involved if the holy shrine of Karbala is attacked or the Shia in Iraq started being slaughtered whole sale.
Worst case scenario could see Syria, Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Saudi Arabia all contributing to a multi-country civil war between Shia and Sunni Islam.
Its come back to bite the Americans in the Arse arming and training local militia’s, they have been played, where do you think they got the weapons and finance to mount an offensive? A lot of the Iragi Soldiers would of been sympathisers or bribed that’s why they ran away.
The militant stand no chance. They caught the government off guard and trying to do counter insurgency.
Much easier to just shell and bomb both cities into rubble and then kill everyone. Which is what will happen now.
ISIL couldn’t beat Assad and the Iraqi army is far more formidable.
@David Burke
The Iraqi army are an absolute joke.
ISIS control most of the key cities North of Baghdad.
Many of these areas have been held for a very significant time period and the Iraqi army has been beaten back many times.
Time for one of those US defense committes to investigate where all that money went or maybe not as it ended up in the pockets of US defense contractors.
Correction.
It is wrong to refer to the Iraqi army in the present tense.
IRAQ as a unified state died this week. I don’t think it can come back in any way after this.
Sunni Iraq is now beyond the control of Baghdad and the Iraqi army do not seem to care. I think a lot of Shia Iraqis have decided to let them off.
Or they’re just pansies…
We must not forget that the US backed the Syrian head chopping rebels in the first place.
It’s all a bit convenient that splinter groups of these same terrorists then decide to run amok in Northern Iraq, capturing more military equipment including some Black Hawk helicopters. This is the end result of when a nation like the US supports terrorism.
Hopefully we will not see an incursion of the US into Syria to fight these very terrorists that they created.
Frank it’s because the West refused to intervene in Syria that gave rise to these Islamist Groups. They saw a chance and they took it.
Frank
‘America created’?
That’s a pretty stupid thing to say-same as saying ‘America created the Sunnis’.
Thus is a sectarian war, borders mean nothing , only battle lines , it’s been going on and off for centuries, even longer than Catholic/Protestant disputes.
But now there has been a population explosion coupled with unemployment and. consequent resentment .
Throw in a few firebrand Clerics and there you have it.
HOLY WAR.
Mick Jordan… you are talking utter crap…
The US has been backing head hacking terrorists several years now…Syria is totally on the defensive against US backed terrorism.
Only recently we have been hearing reports of US supplying rebels with anti tank and anti aircraft missiles.
The initial intention of US supporting terrorists in Syria is to try to overthrow Bassar Assad’s legitimate Government…. This has failed miserably and is now spilling into Iraq..
America is the problem, not Syria or Iran for that matter…
John Bawn … Put it another way………..America has armed the Sunni’s in the same way that it had armed the Taliban.
Frank. Where were these Guys when the Rebellion first began in Syria? When the FSA called on the West to help the West turned it’s back. The Islamists saw that the West were not going to intervene and so saw that this was their chance to win over the Sunni majority in Syria. ISIS are a mixture of extreme militants and ex Iraqi Military that were loyal to Saddam. And the reason they are gaining so much ground in Iraq is because of Maliki’s refusal to integrate Sunni’s into the government or any position in the senior Civil Service. All the areas that ISIS control are Sunni dominated.
As for the US arming the Taliban where did you pick that from?
As for the US arming the Taliban ….
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/10/02/327215/afghan-mp-slams-us-for-arming-taliban/
Mick still peddling that story huh? You’re as bad as a skag dealer outside a school playground.
Frank Press TV is the English version Iranian State TV. If you believe anything from it you need help.
Joe you would know more about that than I would.
Mick Jordan … You are the one that needs help… One that trusts a news source dictated by a Government that openly supports and collaborates with terrorists.
A lot of reporters for Press TV are American.. those that have come to their senses and are fed up with all lies from the west…
BTW Mick… where is MH370…. Another Western mainstream media spin.
Syria, Iraq destroyed by West: Commentator…http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2014/06/11/366538/syria-iraq-destroyed-by-west/
Frank, why do you spend your life on the journal if you don’t believe what the western media publish?
Frank Flight MH370 is at the bottom of the Indian Ocean. And unless you have concrete and irrefutable proof to the contrary that’s where it shall remain.
very good article. It explains the whole situation in a very clear and concise manner
-sorry, not the ‘whole situation, which is obviously very complex.. but the article is very short and to the point
Guaranteed the Sunni Militants are using weapons that were given to them by America over the last year. Do these Idiots ever learn.
They are all in American pick ups and humvees and US style uniforms and weapons. They seem to have the pick of the Iraqi Army bases.
SeanieRyan …They wouldn’t have got all these goodies without being armed in the first place….
..and who armed them?
Same people who are funding most Islamic groups in the World, Saudi Arabia. Sunni muslim countries like Turkey and the other Arabian ones are pumping money and weapons in to anyone who is willing to take on the Shites minority that back Assad.
I don’t understand why so many lefties think Assad is a good guy. If you are not an Alawite you are nothing in his Syria.
Who have you ever heard describe Assad as “a good guy”?
I once saw someone call Assad a lion of a man on here’ That’s bad enough but the amount of upvotes he got was slightly concerning.
Technically “Iraq” is three regions. The British drew the current borders.
Is it any surprise that that the old order returns?
Once Sadam fell it was only a matter of when.
The US has no concept of long term consequences. That has been obvious since Korea in 1952. Why does the the international community continue to act surprised every time the US f@cks up a region?
The author of the struggle said this is a small group of people. I would doubt this.
Debka is reporting that thousands upon thousands of Sunnis are joining ISIS in the fight against the Malaki government. These are former Saddam loyalists and people who had not before joined similar such groups in their fight against the Iraqi government. What’s different this time? That’s the question.
The most worrying aspect of this is the fact they have their hands on advanced weaponry supplied by the US to Syrian ‘rebels’ which has ended up in these fanatics hands.
This will cause the price of oil to rise which will cause the economy to slow and increase food prices etc.
Agreed. They cannot be that small when they hold so much territory across Syria and Iraq.
Smart move trying to take the refineries, control the flow of the oil and the west will negotiate, if not atop supply and cripple economies
Could be counter-productive for them as that will increase the likelihood of the West getting involved in the fighting.
Although Sadam was a horrible dictator, at least the country was stable. Then the US declares WMD’s!!!!!! The world’s media freaks out, the US invades, no WMD’s of any kind, install a puppet government, take control of the oilfields, build a $1 billion embassy/control centre in Bagdahd, kill well over 1 million people including 500,000 children. This is America bringing democracy… But as Madeline Albright said ” we think the price is worth it “. Pick up your weapons and go home America.
The Americans will be back
The Americans won’t do anything. If they oppose these Islamist extremists after supporting and arming their counterparts in Syria the lid will be blown off their seedy little operation.
Team Amurica 2
Obama will do as he always does, make a speech about red lines. But why blame the West for the inability of these chaps to run their own country after ,what is it, 4 years since the Americans left ?
It may have taken some time but perhaps that plain folk are finally realising who are the supporters and sponsors of terrorism in the Middle East. I refer of course to Saudi Arabia and other Gulf States who are determined to impose their own strict brand of religious conservatism throughout the Islamic nations. Aided by the right wing in the USA, this conflict has become inevitable. Whether it is linked with a possible regional spread to Israel in an effort to bring in the “end times” which seems a popular notion in fundamentalist Christianity is debatable but a popular idea in some circles all the same.
And if someone wishes to call me a conspiracy nut then go right ahead but remember that some Christians call Obama Satan, and would not trying to stop this conflict spreading be just what Satan would do. Particularly as it is prophesied that he loses in the end.
But then perhaps I just read to much. Interesting notion all the same.
Please feel free to shoot me down in flames, rhetorically of course.
Sorry Charlie, you are a conspiracy nut. I still enjoyed your intelligible speculation though!
Thanks Zozzy. Particularly for the word intelligible. Best wishes. C.
Nothing is happening in that area that has not happened for nearly 1000 years, with a few “peaceful” periods in between. We just didn’t have instant communications and 24 hour rolling news.
So many tribes and no government in Iraq will eventually lead to the country being divided up between the main players Iran, Turkey and Suadi Arabia.
“up to 30,000 army officers ran away …” – with global average of one officer to 32 soldiers this suggests nearly a million troops there – extraordinary. I would question those “reports”
It begs the question where did these lot get their weapons and who’s funding them … & had Russia not intervened and Kerry’s crazies together with Saudi Arabians got their way , these blood thirsty psychopaths would be armed to the hilt … Now in control of Syria ….Ukraine & Europe watch out!!
There seems to me to be a war between moderate, (Shia) and extreme, (Sunni) Islam. So which one is most in tune with Western values? Which one do we want to face up to or have to negotiate with somewhere down the line? Particularly if by that time they have nuclear weapons and delivery systems in place? The future is never as far away as it is thought to be in the present. As we have found out, things can happen a lot more quickly than we presumed they would.
Just a thought.
Hardly that black and white in Iraq. Saddam oppressed Shia so they turned to the likes of Muqtada Al-Sadr (hardly moderate). Now Al-Maliki is oppressing Sunni’s so they’re turning to Jihadists & Ba’athists.
Agreed RG. But overall would you see it as a fair assessment. We could not have imagined this mess at the turn of the century. Mad mullahs with nukes? Cause for concern I would say.
if america didn’t go around acting like world saving vigilantes a lot of these wars would not be happening, along with its ‘little brother’ sidekick the u.k , america has stuck it’s nose into so many other countries business that it thinks it is the world police . time obama and his generals concentrated on their own fuc*ed up country instead of getting involved in others.
It’s all about oil people. Iraq was better before the US sent it’s troops to control and get contracts for its oil reserves for shell and other oil companies. Sure look at Afghanistan the US is there for its natural resources on which CIA researched in Afghan Russian war. Everywhere they go there will never be peace. The US should spend money on its own citizens rather than poxy wars.
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