Philip Hammond, the foreign secretary, has bluntly rejected calls for Britain to enlist Syria's president, Bashar al-Assad, as an ally in the fight against Islamic State (Isis) extremists.
In an interview on the BBC's World at One, he said the idea, floated by one of his Conservative predecessors as foreign secretary, Sir Malcolm Rifkind, had no attraction to the government at all.
"We may very well find that we are fighting, on some occasions, the same people that [Assad] is but that doesn't make us his ally," Hammond said. "It would not be practical, sensible or helpful to even think about going down that route."
Rifkind had told the programme that it was important for the west to be realistic. Even though the US and the UK came close to launching air strikes against the Assad regime last summer, there could be a case for collaborating with Assad in some way to ensure the defeat of Isis, Rifkind suggested.
Iran Sends Tanks Into Iraq to Fight Islamists As American jets flew top cover, in mid-August Kurdish Peshmerga militia and Iraqi special forces troops recaptured the strategic Mosul Dam from Islamic State militants. Meanwhile Iraqi Golden Brigade commandos liberated parts of Tikrit from the Islamists.
But the militants counterattacked—and that drew Iran into the fighting. In a move that could have far-reaching consequences, Tehran has sent tanks into northern Iraq.
Now the Peshmerga have launched yet another effort to liberate Jalawla. And this time the Iranians are helping them. On Aug. 21, Kurdish social media activists published pictures that appear to depict of elements of the Iranian 81st Armored Division entering southern Kurdistan via Khaneghein, north of Jalawla.
The 81st is a battle-hardened division that fought hard during the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s. And before that, it had fought Kurdish insurgents in Iran’s restive southern provinces. Today the 81st Division is fighting alongside the Kurds.
After the Iran-Iraq War, the division reorganized and re-armed. As other units gained Russian T-72 tanks, the 81st gathered up all the leftover, American-made M-60s and M-48s. More recently, the 81st broke into three largely independent brigades—the 181st and 281st Armored Brigades and the 72nd Mechanized Brigade.
The Iranian M-60A1s that activists spotted in Khaneghein are vulnerable to the Islamists’ RPG-7 rockets, but if the tanks coordinate closely with Kurdish infantry, they could survive … and prove deadly against the militant’s pickup trucks.
To be clear, we don’t know whether Tehran intends to directly support the Kurds. It just seems unlikely the tanks would risk combat on their own. And in any event, the armor deployment marks a major escalation of the fighting—and a big boost for Iran’s role in the campaign.
Iraq possess a number of M-1A1, T-72A and T-55 tanks of its own, but lacks trained crews and adequate logistics. Islamic State has destroyed or captured scores of Iraq tanks.
Iran’s tanks might be old, but its tank crews receive professional training at army academies that the Americans and British established in Iran prior to the 1979 revolution. An old tank with a good crew is superior to a new tank whose crew lacks education, training and experience.
American, Syrian and Iranian jets fly overhead as Kurdish and Iraqi troops fight together on the ground. And now Iranian tanks are entering battle. The war on Islamic State makes for strange allies.
Hundreds of Iranian soldiers have taken part in a joint operation inside Iraq with Kurdish forces to retake a town held by the Islamic State group, security sources have told Al Jazeera.
It is believed to be the first time that Iranian troops have been directly involved in the fighting against the Sunni rebel group group on this scale.
Hundreds of soldiers crossed the border on Friday in a joint operation with Kurdish Peshmerga forces to take back Jalawla in Diyala province, an official Kurdish source who asked not to be identified told Al Jazeera.
He said the Iranian forces retreated back across the border early on Saturday after a failed attempt to retake the town.
Iran Sends Tanks Into Iraq to Fight Islamists Meanwhile Iraqi Golden Brigade commandos liberated parts of Tikrit from the Islamists.
Best news I've heard all day. In an infantry-on-infantry fight, IS stands no chance. All they can do is hide behind civilians which prevents any sort of air strikes, artillery, and heavy armor while firing back heavy weapons. Without that advantage, they're dust.
A few people have mentioned "strange allies" before in this thread. I think this is the strangest. The PKK is a group that even the US considers to be a terrorist organization. It's not uncommon for the US to support, directly or indirectly, terrorist groups or Islamists, but it's unheard of for it to directly back a group it formally considers to be terrorists.
MAKHMUR Iraq (Reuters) - Washington has acquired an unlikely ally in its battle against Islamic State militants in Iraq - a group of fighters it formally classifies as terrorists.
The outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), condemned for its three-decade insurgency against the Turkish state, says it played a decisive role in blunting the militants' sweep through Iraq, which triggered U.S. air strikes to halt their advance.
"This war will continue until we finish off the Islamic State," said Rojhat, a PKK fighter speaking from a hospital bed in Arbil, the capital of the Kurdish region in Iraq.
The involvement of the PKK has consequences not only for rival Kurdish factions who failed to stop the Islamic State's advance, but also for Turkey and the international community, which is being lobbied by the PKK to drop the terrorist tag.
On August 22 2014 03:20 AngryMag wrote: I don't think Turkey will act, they are supporting IS with weapons, medical care and an never ending stream of new recruits (turkish nationals are by far the largest foreign fighting force within IS).
Well imho this is completely wrong. People confuse Turkey's support(I should add it is not admitted officially but well know) to Syrian Rebels with ISIS. Turkey has no known(to my knowledge) support to ISIS in any form.
I also wonder how do you conclude Turkey supply "never ending" stream of new recruits to ISIS. There is no organized scheme to join ISIS in Turkey but there are always religious fanatics in every country to join ill causes. I appreciate if you share the source of information(about being largest foreign fighter force), I really wonder the numbers.
It is good to learn Gulf Arabs & Greece are more developed than Turkey.
Ironic and delightful when the brutally oppressed turn out to become greater than the oppressors. One would think with its history of power and exploitation, Turkey would be socially and economically somewhere on par with France or Germany. But despite Ataturk's legacy and his life goal to create a secular, Europeanized, and modern Turkey, today's reality is different. Turks providing the bulk of IS's foreign fighters is very disturbing (though I've yet to see the posters' claims backed). Regardless, if in fact true, it would be very embarrassing for this country claiming to be a Westernized, modern state.
Which dam is this? The Mosul Dam from last week? Sorry mate, most of us don't know Arabic.
Just a day after the massacre at a mosque killing over 60 people, over 30 have been killed within the last few hours in bombings in Baghdad and Kirkuk. Beyond the terrorism and murder, this is also harming efforts for political and social unity within Iraq.
BAGHDAD (AP) — Bombings in Baghdad and the northern city of Kirkuk killed at least 30 people in Iraq on Saturday as the government investigated a deadly attack on a Sunni mosque the day before that has heightened sectarian tensions amid a fragile political transition.
In oil-rich Kirkuk, long disputed by Baghdad and the Kurdish regional government, three bombs went off in a crowded commercial district, killing 19 people and wounding another 112, Kirkuk deputy police chief Tarhan Abdel-Rahman said.
One witness said he heard "an explosion between the cars, and then we started carrying out the dead bodies from there while people were burning inside the shops and cars." The witness asked not to be named for fear of retribution.
In Baghdad, a suicide bomber had earlier driven an explosives-laden car into the gate of the intelligence headquarters in Karrada district, killing six civilians and five security personnel, a police officer said. He said 24 other people were wounded.
On August 24 2014 06:33 {CC}StealthBlue wrote: Yes from Ksul Dam, parts of it were still being contested. The Golden Division is an Iraqi Special Forces division.
Heck better resolution of the Division fighting IS in Tikrit:
the arab way of war is so strange. They all stand in the same location, they carry machine guns by hand so anything after the first bullet goes way too high, they like to move in and out of the same spot that guarantees if there is a counter fire set up theyll get killed on the second pass.
Now the Peshmerga have launched yet another effort to liberate Jalawla. And this time the Iranians are helping them. On Aug. 21, Kurdish social media activists published pictures that appear to depict of elements of the Iranian 81st Armored Division entering southern Kurdistan via Khaneghein, north of Jalawla.
The 81st is a battle-hardened division that fought hard during the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s. And before that, it had fought Kurdish insurgents in Iran’s restive southern provinces. Today the 81st Division is fighting alongside the Kurds.
After the Iran-Iraq War, the division reorganized and re-armed. As other units gained Russian T-72 tanks, the 81st gathered up all the leftover, American-made M-60s and M-48s. More recently, the 81st broke into three largely independent brigades—the 181st and 281st Armored Brigades and the 72nd Mechanized Brigade.
.
its a battle hardened brigade because it was involved in a war 30 years ago? by that definition every Iraqi and Iranian military unit should be considered 'battle hardened'. Writer war hype is obnoxious.
On August 24 2014 06:33 {CC}StealthBlue wrote: Yes from Ksul Dam, parts of it were still being contested. The Golden Division is an Iraqi Special Forces division.
Heck better resolution of the Division fighting IS in Tikrit:
the arab way of war is so strange. They all stand in the same location, they carry machine guns by hand so anything after the first bullet goes way too high, they like to move in and out of the same spot that guarantees if there is a counter fire set up theyll get killed on the second pass.
You can conclude the whole manner of fighting of every Arab nation's military from a single short video? That's incredible. But no, strange video aside, the Golden Division shown here has been the bane of the IS. Wherever they go, the IS cedes ground. Not with overwhelming airstrikes to first destroy everything within a square mile a la US battle tactics. They move in themselves and take care of business. Minimizes civilian casualties and infrastructural damage and gets the same job done. The only problem (at least in previous months, not so much now) is when they gave their reclaimed land to Iraqi army forces who being led by Maliki's goons at the time would instantly retreat.
Now the Peshmerga have launched yet another effort to liberate Jalawla. And this time the Iranians are helping them. On Aug. 21, Kurdish social media activists published pictures that appear to depict of elements of the Iranian 81st Armored Division entering southern Kurdistan via Khaneghein, north of Jalawla.
The 81st is a battle-hardened division that fought hard during the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s. And before that, it had fought Kurdish insurgents in Iran’s restive southern provinces. Today the 81st Division is fighting alongside the Kurds.
After the Iran-Iraq War, the division reorganized and re-armed. As other units gained Russian T-72 tanks, the 81st gathered up all the leftover, American-made M-60s and M-48s. More recently, the 81st broke into three largely independent brigades—the 181st and 281st Armored Brigades and the 72nd Mechanized Brigade.
.
its a battle hardened brigade because it was involved in a war 30 years ago? by that definition every Iraqi and Iranian military unit should be considered 'battle hardened'. Writer war hype is obnoxious.
I lol'd at this too. I see the same thing said about the Iraqi military which is even funnier considering the US disbanded it just 10 years ago.
On August 24 2014 06:33 {CC}StealthBlue wrote: Yes from Ksul Dam, parts of it were still being contested. The Golden Division is an Iraqi Special Forces division.
Heck better resolution of the Division fighting IS in Tikrit:
the arab way of war is so strange. They all stand in the same location, they carry machine guns by hand so anything after the first bullet goes way too high, they like to move in and out of the same spot that guarantees if there is a counter fire set up theyll get killed on the second pass.
You can conclude the whole manner of fighting of every Arab nation's military from a single short video? That's incredible. But no, strange video aside, the Golden Division shown here has been the bane of the IS. Wherever they go, the IS cedes ground. Not with overwhelming airstrikes to first destroy everything within a square mile a la US battle tactics. They move in themselves and take care of business. Minimizes civilian casualties and infrastructural damage and gets the same job done. The only problem (at least in previous months, not so much now) is when they gave their reclaimed land to Iraqi army forces who being led by Maliki's goons at the time would instantly retreat.
Now the Peshmerga have launched yet another effort to liberate Jalawla. And this time the Iranians are helping them. On Aug. 21, Kurdish social media activists published pictures that appear to depict of elements of the Iranian 81st Armored Division entering southern Kurdistan via Khaneghein, north of Jalawla.
The 81st is a battle-hardened division that fought hard during the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s. And before that, it had fought Kurdish insurgents in Iran’s restive southern provinces. Today the 81st Division is fighting alongside the Kurds.
After the Iran-Iraq War, the division reorganized and re-armed. As other units gained Russian T-72 tanks, the 81st gathered up all the leftover, American-made M-60s and M-48s. More recently, the 81st broke into three largely independent brigades—the 181st and 281st Armored Brigades and the 72nd Mechanized Brigade.
.
its a battle hardened brigade because it was involved in a war 30 years ago? by that definition every Iraqi and Iranian military unit should be considered 'battle hardened'. Writer war hype is obnoxious.
I lol'd at this too. I see the same thing said about the Iraqi military which is even funnier considering the US disbanded it just 10 years ago.
almost every video Ive seen, from Libya, Iraq and Syria looks like that. 3-4 dudes run to the corner and wildly fire without any serious aim then run back. Periodically a technical will pull up behind them and fire of a couple of rounds. Maybe thats just how they like to shoot propaganda videos but if its how they fight for real it just dangerous to them, no wonder these are such bloody civil wars and soldiers flee rapidly from combat.
On August 24 2014 06:33 {CC}StealthBlue wrote: Yes from Ksul Dam, parts of it were still being contested. The Golden Division is an Iraqi Special Forces division.
Heck better resolution of the Division fighting IS in Tikrit:
the arab way of war is so strange. They all stand in the same location, they carry machine guns by hand so anything after the first bullet goes way too high, they like to move in and out of the same spot that guarantees if there is a counter fire set up theyll get killed on the second pass.
You can conclude the whole manner of fighting of every Arab nation's military from a single short video? That's incredible. But no, strange video aside, the Golden Division shown here has been the bane of the IS. Wherever they go, the IS cedes ground. Not with overwhelming airstrikes to first destroy everything within a square mile a la US battle tactics. They move in themselves and take care of business. Minimizes civilian casualties and infrastructural damage and gets the same job done. The only problem (at least in previous months, not so much now) is when they gave their reclaimed land to Iraqi army forces who being led by Maliki's goons at the time would instantly retreat.
Now the Peshmerga have launched yet another effort to liberate Jalawla. And this time the Iranians are helping them. On Aug. 21, Kurdish social media activists published pictures that appear to depict of elements of the Iranian 81st Armored Division entering southern Kurdistan via Khaneghein, north of Jalawla.
The 81st is a battle-hardened division that fought hard during the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s. And before that, it had fought Kurdish insurgents in Iran’s restive southern provinces. Today the 81st Division is fighting alongside the Kurds.
After the Iran-Iraq War, the division reorganized and re-armed. As other units gained Russian T-72 tanks, the 81st gathered up all the leftover, American-made M-60s and M-48s. More recently, the 81st broke into three largely independent brigades—the 181st and 281st Armored Brigades and the 72nd Mechanized Brigade.
.
its a battle hardened brigade because it was involved in a war 30 years ago? by that definition every Iraqi and Iranian military unit should be considered 'battle hardened'. Writer war hype is obnoxious.
I lol'd at this too. I see the same thing said about the Iraqi military which is even funnier considering the US disbanded it just 10 years ago.
almost every video Ive seen, from Libya, Iraq and Syria looks like that. 3-4 dudes run to the corner and wildly fire without any serious aim then run back. Periodically a technical will pull up behind them and fire of a couple of rounds. Maybe thats just how they like to shoot propaganda videos but if its how they fight for real it just dangerous to them, no wonder these are such bloody civil wars and soldiers flee rapidly from combat.
Really? I've seen a lot of the opposite back during the Iraq War and stuff. I have nothing to say that's actually how they fight. From everything I know, and from the plain fact that the Iraqi special forces are by far the most successful military faction against Islamic terrorists since Saddam Hussein or the US Air Force during the Iraq War, I think you're right in saying these videos are quite literally just for show/action. Real combat is actually quite dull typically, mostly firing from heavy cover or a good position, etc. To say the very least, I'm sure the Golden Division of all things is an extremely elite force. Only in military propaganda and ads (as you should be very familiar with) and movies does combat look like Call of Duty action and idiotic shenanigans.
Some British rapper. On the plus side at least Britain got rid of him just like other European countries got rid of some of their potential terrorists when they travelled to Syria. Problem is that more of those can emerge in the future.
Iran sees no need to send fighters to help the Iraqi government battle the Islamic State group, even as Sunni militants inch closer to the Iraq-Iran border, its top diplomat said Sunday.
Speaking at a press conference in Baghdad, Mohammed Javad Zarif said the Sunni militant group is committing "horrendous genocide and crimes against humanity," and that Tehran is cooperating with both the Iraqi governments in Baghdad and the semi-autonomous Kurdish region to repel the threat.
"Our Iraqi brothers, Kurdish and Arab, are quite capable of defending their territory, defending their dignity and fighting terrorism," Zarif said, standing alongside his Iraqi counterpart, Hoshyar Zebari.
"We do not believe that we need to be present inside Iraq to help our Iraqi brothers. They are very capable of doing that themselves," he added.
The Iraqi government forces say they have countered a massive attack by Takfiri ISIL terrorists on the country’s largest oil refinery, killing dozens of militants.
The offensive comes after ISIL militants launched their push on the Baiji refinery near the town of Tikrit on Saturday and the fighting continued into Sunday.
However, sources say the militants were eventually pushed back by security forces.
Initial media reports say at least 30 militants were killed in the fighting.
The Baiji refinery has been the site of several battles between government forces and militants over the past few months.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 346 jihadists and 25 Syrian troops had been killed in the fighting at the airport since last Tuesday, with another 170 soldiers dying during fierce fighting on Sunday.
“One hundred and seventy Syrian soldiers were killed on Sunday in the offensive which led to the IS jihadists seizing Tabqa airport,” the Observatory said in an email to AFP.
Syrian state television said troops had staged an “evacuation” of the airport.
The United States was said to be considering air strikes aimed at eliminating individual leaders of Islamic State as Turkey came under mounting pressure to stem the flow of jihadists across its border into Syria.
As Washington on Saturday debated extending air strikes into Syria, senior British politicians urged Ankara to act to block recruits from the UK and other countries from entering Syria via Turkey, en route to joining Islamic State (formerly Isis). This weekend large numbers of Isis jihadists were trying to secure greater control of the border area, pushing northwards in armoured trucks looted from abandoned Iraqi military bases.
EPT
