Iraqi Front of the Middle East War
Gradually, the fighting in Iraq is beginning to acquire a fairly wide scope. The events in Iraq are in the shadow of the war in Syria, but the last news show that the country after the American occupation has not recovered and is still on the verge of collapse. Iraq faces several problems at once, each of which threatens with the destruction of the state. First, this is the problem of Iraqi Kurdistan. Secondly, the conflict between Shiites and Sunnis. Third, strengthening the position of the Islamists, who allow themselves to seize entire cities and districts of the country, announce the creation of independent emirates. Fourth, the central government has become so weak that it cannot suppress the Islamists, militants of various groups and territorial entities. The army and police could not recover after the destruction of Saddam Hussein’s regime. Convulsive attempts by Baghdad to restore the armed forces through multibillion-dollar contracts with the United States, the countries of the European Union and Russia cannot solve the problem of the combat capability of the army and security forces. Armed forces are demoralized, mass desertion is their scourge.
The media reported the loss of the cities of Fallujah and Ramadi by the Iraqi authorities. The fighting for Fallujah began at the end of 2013. It is a large city with a population of about 300 thousand people. The Islamists moved reinforcements from Syria. And it is just fights, not clashes. Only a week of fighting, both sides lost to 500 killed and wounded. Militants have heavy weapons and harness government armored vehicles. The authorities use the air force. The first use of Mi-35 helicopters received from Russia in the anti-terrorist operation in the Anbar province in the west of the country has been announced. It is possible that the Night Hunter Mi-28НЭ Mi-XNUMXНЭ helicopters will take part in the battles. In addition, on the side of the central authorities were the militias of Sunni tribes who do not want to give up power in the territory that they consider their own, the Islamists. Earlier, the Sunnis themselves opposed the government security forces. Now they have decided to act according to the principle “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.”
According to the UN, 2013 year was the bloodiest for Iraq in the last five years. The new year, apparently, will be no less cruel for this resource-rich, but unhappy country. Over the year, 2013 people died in 8868, the vast majority of them - 7818 - civilians. The country has long been swept by a wave of terrorist acts, and now Iraq can become a zone of active hostilities.
The last month of Iraq has become especially bloody - even against the background of previous events. The country is simply overwhelmed with bloody madness. At the end of November 2013, dozens of people became victims of terrorist attacks, abductions and mass executions. Most people died as a result of the conflict between the largest Islamic communities in Iraq - Sunnis and Shiites. During the rule of Saddam Hussein, the Sunnis occupied leading positions in the state. After the American military intervention, the Sunnis were pressed down by the Shiites. They occupied a number of important government positions, including the most important post - the Prime Minister.
On December 3, gunmen attacked the city hall of Tarmia. The bomber blew up the doors, then gangsters broke into the state institution and killed about 20 people, as many more were injured. December 5 came the news of the seizure of a shopping center in Kirkuk by militants. The terrorists conducted a whole combat operation. At first they attacked the police station, exploding mined cars. Another group seized the five-story building of a shopping center. Employees and visitors were taken hostage. Dozens of people were injured.
Then, almost every day, news came about the abduction and murder of people, terrorist acts, explosions and clashes. 8 December Islamists killed nine people in Baghdad who intended to buy alcohol. At the same time, a series of terrorist attacks took place: in the Iraqi capital and its environs, the terrorists launched nine explosive devices. Most terrorists used cars filled with explosives. More than 30 people died, about 100 injured. December 10 new large-scale terrorist attack - an explosion thundered at a funeral in central Iraq, in the province of Diyala. About 10 people died, about 20 injured.
Islamic radicals launched an offensive in several Iraqi provinces at once, trying to take control of them. In the occupied territories, they create camps for training militants. The radical Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant movement sees its immediate goal in the creation of an Islamic state on the territory of Syria and Iraq. In the future, the territory cleaned up from the authorities of Syria and Iraq will be merged into one Sunni state entity. It was this movement that claimed responsibility for almost all the terrorist acts that were carried out in 2013 in Iraq. Jihadists also solve the tactical task of creating border corridors, with the help of which it will be possible to supply gangs in Syria. Thousands and even tens of thousands of militants need weapon, ammunition, ammunition, fuel, food and medicine. In fact, Syria already has a whole army of Islamists, for which a developed rear infrastructure is needed. Militants in Iraq and solve the problem of creating a rear base and its expansion.
13 December came the news of the killing of 18 oilmen in the vicinity of the city of Balad-Ruz. 15 December bandits killed a high-ranking government official and his family in the city of Sadia. On the same day, a new series of terrorist attacks took place in Baghdad and its suburbs - the 4 explosion. About 10 people killed, about 30 injured. 16 December new terrorist attack - two people killed, four more were injured. The bomber blew up a car filled with explosives in the center of Baghdad. On the same day, the Islamists launched a series of attacks. The militants attacked the police department and a prison in the Iraqi city of Beiji, north of Baghdad. The shootout lasted several hours. Killed several security officials. Additional security forces had to be moved from the capital. According to the press, dozens of prisoners escaped, including particularly dangerous jihadist criminals. At the same time, the militants attacked the municipality in the city of Tikrit. In the city of Mosul, gunmen bombarded a minibus with local residents. Killed 12 people.
19 December came the news that more than 40 people had become victims of a series of terrorist attacks in Iraq. The bomber exploded in one of the tents in the south of Baghdad, killing 20 Shiite pilgrims who were heading to the city of Karbala, is considered among the Shiite Muslims to be one of the sacred. Two explosions occurred in the cities of Yusifiyya and El-Latifia. They took the lives of another 16 man; about 40 a man was injured. In the city of Abu Ghraib, the family of a man who joined against al-Qaida was shot. December 21 new attack - in the cities of Tuz-Khurmatu and al-Huweija. Killed 18 people, 24 injured. At the same time, the militants attacked the military in the west of Iraq, in Anbar province. Killed about 15 people. And these are only the most well-known incidents, smaller ones are not considered.
23 December The Iraqi army launched a large-scale anti-terrorist operation against the Islamists in the Anbar province bordering Syria. Baghdad tried to regain control of the territory. To the operation attracted large army units using the Air Force. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki set the task to destroy the terrorist bases in the Western Desert within a week. The military planned to intercept the roads along which militants move between Syria and Iraq. The military were able to destroy several terrorist camps. The Air Force struck a series of blows at them. However, to achieve decisive success could not.
The militants responded with a new series of bloody attacks. Several terrorists seized the office of Salaheddin in Tikrit. The attack developed according to a fairly standard scenario: the explosion of a mined car at the entrance, the storming of a building. During the seizure, five journalists were killed, five more were injured. All the militants died: two blew themselves up, two more were killed by the security forces. December 25 in the south of the Iraqi capital, militants attacked Christians. A car was blown up near a Christian church in the southern district of Ed Dora, after completing the festive Christmas service. Later two more explosions thundered. 34 people died, more than 50 injured.
December 28 started a conflict between Sunnis and Shiites. He was provoked by the arrest of a Sunni parliamentarian Ahmed al-Alwani in the city of Ramadi and the dispersal of a Sunni permanent tent camp protesting inequality with Shiites. An attempt to arrest a deputy who is suspected of supporting anti-government protests resulted in a clash of security forces and his guards. Five guards of the deputy were killed, as well as his brother, and several al-Alvani associates were injured. About a dozen officers of special services were also injured.
At the same time, the military tried to demolish the Sunni protest camp. The authorities accuse the Sunni leaders of terrorism and disobedience to the country's legitimate elected authorities. According to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, "unrest in Sunni cities is used to their advantage by al Qaeda leaders." The offensive of the military was reflected by small arms fire. In response, the Sunni spiritual leaders in Ramadi called on the city’s residents to enter a “holy war” against the Shiite-controlled government. Sunnis destroyed several armored vehicles, dozens of people were injured. A group of 44 Sunni MPs of the Iraqi Parliament announced its resignation in protest against the actions of the authorities. In the Sunni city of Faluja, mass protests began.
Iraq was on the verge of a massive Shiite-Sunni clash. The leaders of some Sunni tribes brought their armed units on high alert and expressed willingness to begin hostilities against government security forces. And all this against the backdrop of the opposition of the army with the Islamists. It was not until the beginning of 2014 that the Council of Elders of Fallujah decided to stop the fighting of the Sunni militia against the security forces. This was due to the fact that the Iraqi military did not succeed in the fight against the Islamists. The Islamic State of Iraq and Levant movement received reinforcements from Syria and captured half of the city of Fallujah. Militants also captured part of the city of Ramadi. The Sunni militias were forced to reorient themselves to the struggle with the more serious enemy of this moment - the Islamists.
In addition, the militants struck new blows at Iraq’s population and infrastructure. A suicide bomber blew up a car in the city of Balad-Ruz. Killed 16 people, more than 30 injured. Also, terrorists undermined the Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline. 5 January came the news of a series of terrorist attacks in Baghdad. At least 14 people were killed, and 25 were injured.
The authorities announced the preparation of a large-scale operation to liberate Fallujah. Currently, the Iraqi military, with the support of Sunni self-defense units, are fighting for the cities of Fallujah and Ramadi. US Secretary of State John Kerry, who is visiting Israel, said that Washington would support Baghdad in the fight against militants, but without military intervention. The United States promised to provide Iraq with precision-guided AGM-114 Hellfire missiles and 10 reconnaissance drones ScanEagle. With the help of air-to-ground missiles, the Iraqi military strikes at militant camps. The Iraqi military receives data on their location from the CIA. By the end of 2014, Baghdad will receive 48 Raven reconnaissance UAVs, and in 2015, deliveries of F-16 fighters will begin. True, it is doubtful that air strikes on Islamist camps and the supply of weapons will solve Iraq's problems. The United States has been systematically bombing militant camps in Afghanistan and Pakistan for years, but to no avail. Given the regular mistakes and mass deaths of civilians, hatred for the Westerners only increases.
Thus, Iraq, which has long remained in the shadow of the Syrian war, is gradually becoming part of the “united front” of the Middle East conflict. The Islamists are so strong that they can afford to confront the Iraqi army and seize large cities and regions. Official Baghdad, weakened by the consequences of the American occupation, the opposition of Shiites and Sunnis, the independence of the Kurds, cannot solve the problems facing the country and asks for help from the world community. Apparently, in the future we will see not a stabilization of the situation, but only its escalation.
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