Oil to fuel the engine of ISIS terror

ISIS NOW CONTROLS seven oil fields and two small refineries in northern Iraq, bringing in as much as $2 million per day, as experts warn that the oil flow will continue translating into terror funds for militants if unchecked.

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Al Qaeda (ISIS) Captured 52 US-Made M198 Howitzers From Iraqi Army, Cost $500K Each

Pat Dollard

Excerpted from WASHINGTON TIMES: Sunni radicals with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) may have captured as many as 52 U.S.-made M198 howitzers in their march across Iraq in June.

“They shouldn’t have too much trouble shelling large area targets like a city if they have sufficient ammo,” Jeremy Binnie of the British military consultancy HIS Janes toldMcClatchy news service Monday.

The artillery weapons, which cost roughly $500,000 each, include GPS aiming systems.

Mr. Binnie told McClatchy that the Islamic terrorist organization would have a difficult time figuring out exactly how to use the technology’s pinpoint accuracy, but that members would still be able to do significant damage. Each howitzer has a range of 20 miles and can fire two rounds per minute.

In addition to the stolen artillery weapons, ISIL is also in possession of 1,500 armored Humvees, McClatchy reported.

Read more at http://patdollard.com/2014/07/al-qaeda-isis-captured-52-us-made-m198-howitzers-from-iraqi-army-cost-500k-each/#8bH2oTeG5igo5TFe.99

ISIS seizes uranium from lab; experts downplay 'dirty bomb' threat

fox

By Perry Chiaramonte

Iraqi jihadists have grabbed 88 pounds of uranium compounds from a Mosul University science lab, but U.S. and international weapons experts are downplaying the possibility the deadly toxins could be used to make a so-called "dirty bomb."
The material, believed to be low-grade, unenriched uranium mixed with other elements, was taken from a science lab at Mosul University by ISIS, the terrorist group that took over Iraq's second-largest city last month and has vowed to attack Baghdad. Iraq notified the UN in a July 8 letter which sought international help to "stave off the threat of their use by terrorists in Iraq or abroad," according to Reuters, which saw the letter.
Although the material is not believed to be weaponized, and ISIS does not have known missile delivery capability, the theft stoked fear that a dirty bomb - a primitive explosive used to disseminate radioactive material - could be fashioned from the uranium compounds.

"There is theoretically the potential for a dirty bomb.”- Daryl Kimball, Arms Control Association

"There is theoretically the potential for a dirty bomb,” Daryl Kimball, of the Arms Control Association in Washington, told FoxNews.com, explaining that such bombs are more effective at scaring people than killing them. "It explodes and the terrorist is banking on the fear factor of radiation. That’s what we are looking at here at worst.”
Iraq's Foreign Ministry said the compounds were used at Mosul University labs in "very limited quantities" for research, and that they were slated for destruction before ISIS took over the city.
Former International Atomic Energy Agency chief inspector Olli Heinonen said that if the material came from a university it most likely is laboratory chemicals consisting of natural or depleted uranium.
"You cannot make a nuclear explosive from this amount, but all uranium compounds are poisonous," Heinonen told Reuters. "This material is also not 'good' enough for a dirty bomb."
The letter was sent by Iraq's UN Ambassador Mohamed Ali Alhakim to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
Pentagon spokesman Col. Steve Warren said the U.S. is aware of the situation, but does not believe the uranium is weaponized.
“We do not believe that there is weaponized or enriched uranium in Iraq,” Warren said. "Obviously we’ve seen the letter that the Iraqi government has sent to the United Nations. We cannot independently confirm who has control of this uranium.
"It’s important to note that in 2004 the U.S. Department of Energy worked with the Iraqis to remove all enriched uranium from Iraq," Warren added. "So we believe that the enriched uranium has all been removed from Iraq and that this material that is being discussed I think came from a university so it’s more of an academically oriented material.”
David Albright, of the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security, said the likelihood of fashioning a dirty bomb from the stolen materials was remote, noting uranium is not very radioactive.
"However, any uranium in the hands of a terrorist group is concerning, since it shows interest in nuclear material and their interest is unlikely to be for peaceful purposes," Albright, a former IAEA weapons inspector, told FoxNews.com.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich also said the seizure likely posed no direct threat. But, he said the development is troubling.
"The sheer fact that the terrorists ... show unmistakable interest in nuclear and chemical materials is, of course, very alarming," Lukashevivh said.
Mark Hibbs of the Carnegie Endowment think tank told Reuters UN inspectors had previously scoured Mosul, including several universities following the Gulf War. He said what remained was uranium liquid wastes, sources, uranium oxides and uranium tetrafluoride.
"Some of these items are still there, but there's no enriched uranium," he said.
Earlier this week, Iraq's U.N. envoy said that the government had lost control of a former chemical weapons facility near Baghdad to "armed terrorist groups."

Jihadists in Syria and Iraq: A step too far

The Economist

The rapid rise of an al-Qaeda affiliate fighting alongside rebels in Syria may be coming to an end as backlash against more extreme jihadists grows.

Searching for Saddam a decade ago: Inside story of dictator's capture

Iraq prison break a bad sign of things to come

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92-year-old man marries 22-year-old woman in Iraq

ITN

A 92-year-old man in Iraq marries a woman 70 years his junior. Muslai Mohammed, one of the most prominent figures in his village, decided to get married three years after the death of his first wife, who died aged 58.

"I remained alone when my wife died, there was nobody to share anything with. I wanted to have a good time, have some pleasure, but there was nothing. Then God brought her to me, for my pleasure. Is that good or bad?," he said.

Muna al-Jabouri, his new wife, said: "I accepted (to marry him) when I saw his pictures and realised it was my fate."

The Invasion of Iraq: Ten Years Later

catoinstitutevideo

When Fidel Warned Saddam Hussein on Forthcoming US Invasion

Cuba Confidential

Chris Simmons

In early November 1990, Havana sent a carefully-assembled team to Iraq to brief Saddam Hussein on the forthcoming US invasion. Key delegation members included Colonel Jaime Salas, the head of Army Intelligence; Deputy Foreign Minister Alcibiades Hidalgo, Rodrigo Alvarez Cambras, the Cuban doctor who had become Hussein’s personal physician, and Jose Ramon Fernandez Alvarez, Vice President of the Council of Ministers. Havana’s goal was to preserve Cuba’s strategic interests in the Middle East, save its ally from being defeated by the US, and deny the US a strategic military and political advantage in the region.

Havana had assembled an impressive intelligence presentation. Russian and Cuban Signals Intelligence (SIGINT), fused with Cuban Human Intelligence (HUMINT) and analysis, provided a highly detailed review of the US forces assembled for Operation Desert Shield. Colonel Salas identified estimated troop strengths and locations, readiness levels, and anticipated operations.  He also briefed Hussein on both the latest developments in US amphibious and desert warfare operations and the US military’s unequaled dominance in high-tech weaponry. Grossly overconfident in his abilities and those of his regime, Hussein thanked the delegation members and told them the US and coalition forces would be crushed. Their mission a failure, the Cubans returned to Havana after which Granma announced the delegation’s return.

Also [Spanish]:  Una tarde con Saddam/ Alcides Hidalgo

Iraq To Discuss Arms Supply With Russia

Eurasia Review

panarmenian.net

PanArmenian
October 9, 2012

 

Iraq needs Russian assistance in its military and defense sectors, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki stressed on Monday, October 8, according to RIA Novosti.

Arab media reports have said that al-Maliki, currently visiting Moscow, will discuss a host of potential economic, political and military projects with Russia worth an estimated $5 billion.

“Some people describe this visit as solely about arms purchases. But that is not the case,” he said, responding to media reports previewing his trip.

“Of course, we need Russia’s support in the military and defense areas. Iraq needs weapons to defend itself and fight terrorism,” the prime minister added, particularly highlighting the country’s need for those used in combat in mountainous and desert terrains.
Asked how the Iraqi authorities will explain Russian arms purchases to the United States, al-Maliki replied by saying that his country did not consult anyone regarding arms purchases.
He added that the country is willing to work with everyone. “We have good relations both with the US and with Iran,” he added.
On Tuesday, al-Maliki is expected to discuss cooperation in military technology with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and on Wednesday he is due to meet with President Vladimir Putin.

Risk of Iraqi government collapsing

After a week US left: Baghdad Blast Wave

Taliban Ask UN to Investigate Iraq War

Military.com/

Afghanistan's rebels Taliban have asked the United Nations to question the US officials who were "involved in the invasion of Iraq and killing of Iraqis," the movement said Tuesday. The insurgents sent a statement urging that those "who played a role in the invasion of Iraq (be brought) to justice."
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Obama marks end of the Iraq war but successful?

After 9 years of war - Post-US Iraq: Welcome to Shia-stan

Ahmad Al-Rubaye / AFP - Getty Images

Iraqi Muslim Shiites hit themselves with swords during Ashura rituals in Baghdad's Sadr City on Dec. 6, 2011. Ashura mourns the death of Imam Hussein, a grandson of the Prophet Mohammed.

By Richard Engel , NBC News Chief Foreign Correspondent/

BAGHDAD – It was a cold night in Baghdad. I was standing on the roof of Saddam’s information ministry listening to a televised speech by President George W. Bush. He gave Saddam Hussein and his sons 48 hours to leave, or else.

I remember the chills that went down my legs, as if I was bracing myself for an impact. A big war was coming. The American military machine had risen and was ready. 

This past Monday, on another cold night in Baghdad, I listened as President Barack Obama said the war is ending. Troops are leaving. This war is wrapping up. I had those chills again, but on this night, it was just from the cold.  

So much has changed since the war began. So many U.S. troops have made this the mission of their lives. Nearly 4,500 of them died in a war launched to find weapons of mass destruction that didn’t exist and to topple a dictator who had nothing to do with 9/11 or Osama Bin Laden, even though that’s how it was sold. 

Saddam was brutal. He had no regard for the lives of his people. He buried his enemies in mass graves. Stalin was his hero. Saddam’s son, Uday Hussein, was evil, psychotic and, by many accounts, a rapist. But Iraqis have lived through absolute hell during the war – an estimated 150,000 of them have died, mostly at the hands of other Iraqis, according to some Iraqi government estimates.

Regardless of President Bush’s intent in waging this war, what it wound up doing is replacing a dictator with a Shiite-run state that is close to Iran. This could not have been the plan.

Welcome to Shia-stan.

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Military Advisor Celeste Ward Gventer on Iraqi Security

U.S. Forces Begin Withdrawal From Iraq [On God's hands]

Iraq PM: Immunity Issue Scuttled US Troop Deal

Iraq's prime minister says U.S. troops are leaving Iraq after nearly nine years of war because Baghdad rejected American demands that any U.S. military forces to stay would have to be shielded from prosecution or lawsuits. (Oct. 22)

Cuban Spies Sold U.S. Intel to Iraq

Capitol Hill Cubans

The State Department has reportedly declassified -- pursuant to a Freedom of Information Act request -- the names of seven "diplomats" (spies) at the Cuban Interests Section in Washington, D.C., who were expelled in 2003 for providing intelligence to Saddam Hussein's regime about U.S. troop movement and other military activities.

Their names are Cosme Torres Espinosa (First Secretary), Fernando Miguel García Bielsa (First Secretary), José Anselmo López Perera (First Secretary), Juan Hernández Acen (Second Secretary), Raúl Rodríguez Averhoff (Second Secretary) and Jorge Ernesto Autie González (Third Secretary).

These are the types of individuals that "mojito and dine" with D.C. opinion makers; invite Members of Congress and staff to parties (now to their new "Hemingway Bar"); and coordinate moles and activists.

After all, how do you think they get their intel?

Security concerns ahead of US exit from Iraq

Uploaded by AlJazeeraEnglish 

Some fear violence could return to the streets of Mosul, one of Iraq's most notorious cities, when US forces leave.