#KRG #Iraq #ISIS #Mosul #Kirkuk Update on the current situation in Iraq: After Mosul was overrun by ISIS (and the Iraqi Army fled the scene) hundreds of thousands of people are on the run - mainly towards the Kurdish controlled areas. The Kurdish military forces from the Peshmerga have started to set up reinforced barriers and help fleeing civilians as well as fleeing Iraqi soldiers. At the same time there is now also fighting going on, Southwest of Kirkuk, in Hawija and Tikrit. In Hawija ISIS surrounded 100 Kurdish presidential guards and gave them an 2 hour ultimatum to leave the building. In Hawija security forces are engaged in street battles with ISIS. The Peshmergas are on high alert and reinforcement is sent to the different areas. Also the PKK as well as the PJAK and YPG announced that if ISIS would invade the KRG in massive forces and attack Kurdish civilians they would - if the KRG asks for - fight side by side with the Peshmergas to defend the Kurds against the radical Islamists. Also the Christian minorities in the area have a lot of fears what will come next. They already told that the Iraqi Army is far to less prepared for any ISIS attack - and ISIS already targeted in the past often Christians in Iraq. So they also asked the Peshmerga to help them if they get attacked. So a lot is going on, very dynamic situation, I try to keep you updated. Ps.: Nouri al-Maliki, the current Prime Minister of Iraq, wants to use this situation - which was enflamed in the first place by his Shia/Anti-Sunni tribes politics - to gain even more political power. Many analysts fear that if he can use the current escalation to get emergency powers he probably will never let go from these powers again...
Posted on: Wed, 11 Jun 2014 06:34:44 +0000
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