Mosul; ISIS Leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi “Confident in Victory”

As Iraqi Counter Terrorist forces entered Mosul, Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi delivered a message to boost the morale of the ISIS fighters. He also expressed his confidence in victory.

Furthermore, the jihadist leader urged his fighters to attack the neighboring country, Turkey.

“This raging battle and total war, and the great jihad that the state of Islam is fighting today only increases our firm belief, God willing, and our conviction that all this is a prelude to victory,” Baghdadi said in an audio recording.

Baghdadi also called on the people of Mosul to fight the “enemies of God”. He added that they should not “weaken in the jihad.”

He addressed the ISIS suicide fighters to “turn the nights of the unbelievers into days, to wreak havoc in their land and make their blood flow as rivers.”

The city of Mosul, home to 1.5 million people was captured by the Islamic State two years ago. They then declared it as an ISIS ‘caliphate.’

Baghdadi also instructed his fighters to “unleash the fire of their anger” on Turkish forces fighting them in Syria.

Turkey today entered your range of action and the aim of your jihad … invade it and turn its safety into fear,” he added.

Iraqi counter-terrorism forces together with Kurdish troops and some Shi’ite militias have been attacking ISIS forces for months.

Baghdadi instructed his forces to launch “attack after attack” in Saudi Arabia. Moreover, he urged them to target security forces, government officials, media news offices, and members of the Al Saud family.

Baghdadi said Saudi Arabia has sided with “infidel nations in the war on Islam and the Sunna (Sunni Muslims) in Iraq and Syria.”

ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi said the caliphate was not affected by the death of its 2 senior commanders named Abu Muhammad al-Adnani and Abu Muhammad al-Furqan. Both commanders were killed this year in a U.S. airstrike.

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Battle for Mosul Gains Ground as Iraqi Forces Enter the City

On Monday, Iraqi troops broke through ISIS lines of defense in the eastern suburb of Mosul. For the first time, the advancing Iraqi forces entered the city, taking the battle to the terrorists’ doorstep.

The breakthrough is considered the largest military operation since Saddam Hussein’s capture in 2003. The Iraqi forces supported by Washington entered the city of Mosul. Iraqi commanders said the battle to retake the city could take months.

Iraqi’s Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) troops advanced on Gogjali, an industrial zone on the eastern part of Mosul.

CTS commander Lieutenant-General Abdul Ghani al-Assadi said in an interview conducted by a state television that his forces had reached the Karama district inside the insurgent’s occupied city.

Kurdish Peshmerga Intelligence said they have received reports saying 7 ISIS militants were killed in the district of Aden, 2 of their vehicles were also destroyed.

An Iraqi state television also reported that residents of the city were rising up against the Islamic state fighters. Some of these mutineers allegedly opened fired on an Islamic State Police unit in Intisaar district, in Karama.

No one has confirmed the “uprising reports” but the Iraqi forces and its U.S. allies are hoping this insurrection could help them retake the city. ISIS seized Mosul in 2014 declaring it as a “Caliphate” to rule over all Muslims.

Iraq’s Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said the Iraqi forces are now closing off all routes going out Mosul, to avoid thousands of ISIS fighters escaping from the city.
“God willing, we will chop off the snake’s head,” he added.

“They have no escape, they either die or surrender.”

Last October 17, the Iraqi Forces joined by Kurdish Peshmerga Fighters started their offensive against the Islamic State fighters. They were provided with ground and air support from a U.S. led anti-ISIS coalition.

U.S. anti-ISIS coalition deputy commander, British Major General Rupert Jones told Reuters, “They are making deliberate progress, they’re on their timeline.”

Anti-Islamic state fighters ranging about 50,000 troops are now storming the city’s outskirts as they strategically enter Mosul.

The Islamic State forces have been avoiding a direct fight with any militants advancing into the city. Instead, they are sending suicide cars, deploying snipers and mortars.

On Monday, the Islamic State said they have carried out “suicide operations” against the advancing forces. However, they failed to mention any casualty.

U.N. officials and some villagers said the terrorist group brought thousands of displaced civilians toward Mosul. The militants were using them as “human shields” to cover their retreat.

They also have set some properties on fire to create a ‘smokescreen,’ setting the whole region on smoke.

U.N.’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said, “the scorched earth tactics employed by retreating ISIL members are having an immediate health impact on civilians, and risk long-term environmental and health consequences.”

No one from both forces has given any number of casualty, but both claim they have killed thousands of their opponents.

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U.S. Forces Ready to Retake ISIS ‘Capital’ City of Raqqa

United States Defense Secretary Ash Carter released a statement on Wednesday that it would launch an all-out offensive to retake the city of Raqqa.

At a NATO meeting in Brussels, Carter told reporters that troops are now being mobilized for the siege of Raqqa that would take place in the next couple of weeks; he declined to give more specifics about the attack.

“The plan has us generating those forces in a matter of weeks … generating them and positioning them for the isolation of Raqqa,” Carter said.

Earlier this month, the U.S. backed the attack on Mosul. It has been “long planned” that the attack on Raqqa would be next, Carter added.

Ready to Attack

The assault preparation comes amid fears that the terror group would plot an attack somewhere in the world from inside of the city.

U.S. Commander in Iraq, Gen. Stephen Townsend, told reporters that it is “imperative to get isolation in place around Raqqa,” he added, “there are significant external operations attack planning” taking place inside the city.

“We actually aren’t sure how pressing it is, and that’s what’s worrying,” Gen. Townsend added, “We know they are up to something, and it’s an external plot. We don’t know exactly where; we don’t know exactly when.”

Secretary Ash Carter said the military has enough resources to launch the operation in both Mosul and Raqqa.

“We’re going to win this, and so if there’s anything we need to do to accelerate, I’m prepared to ask for it,” he said.

Secretary Carter and his NATO counterparts shared the same insight and committed that anti-ISIS operations would be its major focus.

The transatlantic alliance committed to increasing its participation and launch aerial surveillance flights in the Black Sea Region.

NATO has been training Iraqi military officers in Jordan as it avoids direct involvement in the anti-ISIS fight, leaving the decision to its members to be involved in the U.S. led coalition.

NATO’s commitment for Peace

NATO spokesperson Dylan White said on Tuesday, “We will improve the coalition’s overall air picture by providing surveillance and situational awareness, thereby making the skies safer,”

“This is a meaningful contribution to the (anti-ISIS) effort and a clear signal of NATO’s determination to help fight terrorism,” he added.

NATO showed its determination despite the recent criticism made by Presidential nominee Donald Trump.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said, “NATO has played a key role, has been in a front line in a fight against terrorism for many, many years with our operation in Afghanistan, training Iraqi officers supporting Tunisia, Jordan and many other ways.”
“As I stated many times, the adaptation of NATO — where you focus more on intelligence, where you step up of our efforts to fight terrorism, where we increase defense spending — is not related to (the) US election campaign,” he added.

Other than anti-ISIS operations in Syria and Iraq, NATO also focuses on Russia’s recent aggression in Eastern Europe.

Secretary Carter said that the U.S. will deploy rotations of U.S.-based armored brigade combat teams to Europe early next year to strengthen deterrence in the region

 

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Trump: WWIII Possible with Clinton’s Policy on Syria

Republican candidate, Donald Trump delivered another controversial statement regarding the Democratic candidate, Hillary Clinton. Trump pointed out that going with Clinton’s standpoint in Syria may possibly start World War Three.

Clinton’s foreign policy includes persuasive talks with the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down from the position and a “no-fly-zone”. The latter policy can definitely result to conflicts with the Russian jets, which in the last few weeks had been bombarding Syria with air strikes.

Catastrophic Strategy

Trump believed otherwise, he recommends that the US should concentrate on defeating the Islamic state in its entirety. He said, “You’re going to end up in World War Three over Syria if we listen to Hillary Clinton”.

The Republican candidate’s tone suggested a very catastrophic message in condemning Clinton’s strategic plan in controlling Syrian air space. Trump stated, “You’re not fighting Syria anymore. You’re fighting Syria, Russia, and Iran, all right?

Trump also deliberated the Democratic candidate’s relationship with Russia. He pointed out Clinton’s harsh criticism of the Russian President Vladimir Putin. He also said that if Clinton is made president on November 8, “how is she going to go back and negotiate with this man who she has made to be so evil”?

Adding to his disapproval of Clinton’s remarks over Russia, Trump said: “Russia is a nuclear country, but a country where the nukes work as opposed to other countries that talk.”

Furthermore, Trump also criticized his fellow Republicans who backed down from supporting his candidacy. He said in an interview with Reuters at Trump National Doral golf resort in Miami, Florida, “If we had party unity, we couldn’t lose this election to Hillary Clinton,”

“Playing to Americans’ fears”

The Democratic Party group shrugged off Trump’s criticism, rebutting that the presidential candidate received disapproval from both the Republican and Democratic national security experts to be the next head of the state.

Clinton’s camp defended their standard bearer by saying that Trump is “playing to Americans’ fears”.

Jesse Lehrich, Clinton’s spokesman sad, “Once again, he is parroting Putin’s talking points and playing to Americans’ fears, all while refusing to lay out any plans of his own for defeating ISIS or alleviating humanitarian suffering in Syria”.

No-Fly-Zone

Trump’s statement about Clinton’s proposal of the “no-fly-zone” over Syrian air space came from a conference held last month. The highest-ranking military officer in the Armed Forces believed that the suggested policy will definitely lead to war with Russia.

General Joseph Dunford, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Marine told the senate, “Right now, senator, for us to control all of the airspace in Syria it would require us to go to war, against Syria and Russia,”

He then assured the Senate Arms Services Committee, “That’s a pretty fundamental decision that certainly I’m not going to make.”

Clinton provided her approval for the policy during the debate in Nevada on October 20. She said, “A no-fly zone can save lives and hasten the end of the conflict”.

However, her leaked email circulated by Wikileaks stated the contrary. In a 2013 communication to Wall Street firm Goldman Sachs, Clinton’s was fully aware that the no-fly zone would “kill a lot of Syrians”.

Her policy over the Syrian airspace strongly contradicts the standpoint of President Barack Obama. It will also largely expand US involvement in the war-stricken country. The policy also indicates the need to take out Syrian air defenses which are strategically located in populated areas. The confrontation between the two countries will result in countless civilian lives lost.

Trump’s election dilemma

In the past few weeks, Trump had been bombarded with sexual harassment allegations. Also, he accused the media of despairingly reporting to rig the votes against him.

Nevertheless, Trump, determined as ever, said, “The people are very angry with the leadership of this party because this is an election that we will win 100% if we had support from the top. I think we’re going to win it anyway.”

With just two weeks before the On November 8 election, America will choose its 45th president. The Republican flag bearer is still behind Clinton in the recent polling surveys.

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Longer, Bloodier Fight for Mosul as ISIS Adopt Horrific New Tactics

Dozens of people arrived in a mosque to offer condolences to the family of Brigadier Hamid Birmous.

Brigadier Hamid Birmous was recently killed in action during the Iraqi Securty Forces attempt to retake the city of Mosul.

“I would need days to talk about his life. He was a hero,” said by Iraqi Sergeant Hermen Idress, the dead brigadier’s nephew.

Idriss has been fighting ISIS for a long time and said the bomb that killed his uncle was a kind he hadn’t seen before.

The Iraqi security forces supported by different branches including advisors from the U.S. led coalition have been preparing months for this offensive.

Iraqi Prime Minister and U.S. officials said that operations are on track. However earlier this week, some Iraqi officials told National Public Radio (NPR) that operations would take weeks. But after the recent chaotic battle, Idriss disagrees.

“They are fighting a tough fight, and that means it will take longer,” he added.

In recent weeks, ISIS has been delaying the advancing Iraqi forces, by sending dozens of trucks, car bombs and suicide bombers, planting network of mines, setting mortars and snipers.

Over the past years, Iraqi security forces have known where ISIS Fighters are located and also have intelligence about what they have been planning.

Nevertheless, Iraqi commander Jamal al Amenki says they weren’t expecting attacks on this magnitude.

“We knew all their tactics. We knew that when we started to attack them, they would also fight us — and we knew where they were.”

Mosul honeycombed by booby traps and tunnels

He believes that during the past two years, the front line had barely moved which gave ISIS extremist plenty of time to build tunnels, bombs, and booby traps, laying them at night.

ISIS does not directly engage the advancing forces. Their strategy is to delay the attackers then slowly exterminate them using traps and suicide bombers.

No one knows the exact number of casualties, but soldiers speaking unofficially and anonymously says dozens have died this week.

Mosul, home to over 2.5 million people is also the birth-place of the ISIS caliphate. Hence, it is the most important city for the extremist group.

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Iraq City of Kirkuk, Power Plant Stormed by IS Fighters

Islamic State fighters equipped with assault rifles and explosives attacked targets in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk early on Friday. The attack is possibly aimed at redirecting authorities’ attention for the battle to recapture IS-held Mosul.

More than 11 workers, two of them Iranians, were killed when IS militants captured a power plant north of Kirkuk and then blew themselves up.

Witnesses said in Kirkuk that several explosions rocked the city and gun battles were ongoing. The witnesses spoke on condition of anonymity as they were concerned for their safety. Most of the fighting was focused on a government complex in the city.

IS said its fighters were behind the assault, which the extremist group said was aimed at the Iraqi government. The statement was conveyed by the IS-run Aamaq news agency and could not immediately be confirmed.

Local Kurdish television channel Rudaw aired footage showing black smoke climbing over the city while prolonged bursts of automatic gunfire rang out. It cited Kirkuk Gov. Najmadin Karim as stating that the militants have not taken control of any government buildings.

Meanwhile, three IS suicide bombers stormed a power plant in Dibis, a town north of Kirkuk, and took 10 workers hostage, said Maj. Ahmed Kader Ali.

The assailants demanded to be taken to the Iranians who work at the plant. One of the workers brought them to the Iranians before fleeing. The militants then executed the Iranians and the other workers, and set off their explosive vests when police arrived.

Kirkuk is about 170 kilometers (100 miles) from the IS-held city of Mosul, where Iraqi troops have been engaged in a large-scale offensive since Monday.

The city is around 290 kilometers (180 miles) north of Baghdad and southeast of Mosul. It is claimed by both Kurdish region and Iraq’s central government. It has long been a hotspot for conflict and has been the setting of several attacks by Islamic State militants.

Rudaw TV said later Friday that all IS fighters who participated in the attack on Kirkuk had been killed save for two who were secluded in a newly built hotel which was damaged in the attack.

There was no immediate word on fatalities among civilians or Kurdish troops in Kirkuk. Also, the TV report could not immediately be impartially verified.

A town where a Kurdish peshmerga base is located outside the city also came under fire early on Friday. Kemal Kerkuki, a senior commander of Kurdish peshmerga forces west of Kirkuk, said the base is now under control.

IS retains sleeper cells in Kirkuk and the surrounding villages, Kerkuki said. He added that a group of IS fighters attempted to attack a power station in Dibis village west of Kirkuk with light weapons and a suicide bomber.

IS also claimed an assault on the power station. It said that its fighters had attacked the facility and killed all security forces posted there.

Wolves in sheep’s clothing

Kerkuki said he believes the attackers gained access to Kirkuk masquerading as evacuated civilians. The city has taken in several thousands of displaced people from nearby provinces. This started when IS initially invaded broad stretches of northern and western Iraq in the summer of 2014.

“Many of (the displaced civilians), I’m sure they are working with ISIS,” Kerkuki said. “We arrested one recently and he confessed (he was part of a sleeper cell).”

Iraqi and Kurdish forces supported by U.S.-led coalition began a multi-pronged offensive this week to take back Mosul and neighboring areas from IS. The operation is the most extensive undertaken by the Iraqi military since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.

Iraqi officials said they had progressed as far as the town of Bartella, 15 kilometers (9 miles) from Mosul’s borders, by Thursday.

 

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Australia: 2 Teenagers arrested after alleged IS Terror Attack

According to a police statement released on Thursday, officers arrested two 16-year-old boys in Sydney due to suspicious acts of terror. The authorities also charged the teenagers as being part of the Islamic State terrorist group. Two knives were found during the incident.

The officers did not disclose the identity of the two teenagers due to their age.

The teenagers declined the bail charges and will stand before the Parramatta Children’s Court in Sydney later the same day.

Catherine Burn, the acting New South Wales Police Commissioner said, “The fact we are putting two teenagers before the court on such serious charges reflects the ongoing threat we face. Fortunately, the excellent cooperation between State and Federal agencies has prevented a very disturbing crime,”

It is the latest terrorism-related incident in Australia.

Increased incidents of terrorist activity

In September, police arrested a 22-year-old for committing a terrorist act and attempted murder. The suspect stabbed a man walking through a nature reserve “a number of times.”

Earlier this year, New South Wales police arrested a 16-year-old boy in Sydney. Authorities suspect him of plotting a terror attack on an Anzac Day ceremony.

In 2014, self-styled cleric Haron Monis held several people hostage at a Sydney coffee shop, ultimately killing two of them.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott described Monis as “a deeply disturbed individual (with) a long history of crime, a long history of mental instability and infatuation with extremism,” adding that he “sought to cloak his actions with the symbolism of the (ISIS) death cult.”

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Singapore Defense Chief Warns of Threats From Extremist Groups

Singapore Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen said on Friday that violent extremist groups represents a grave threat to Southeast Asia. Moreover, he believed that these groups are growing each year, becoming more organized and focusing on their objectives.

Ng gave his statement during the meeting of Southeast Asian defense ministers in Hawaii. US Defense Secretary Ash Carter was also present in the meeting. Ministers dedicated a lot of time discussing threats from Islamic State and similar groups.

According to Ng, over 1,000 Southeast Asians assembled to join the Islamic State’s self-declared “caliphate” in Iraq and Syria. He also said, “Every year we meet, the situation and threat from extremist terrorism rises. Ng added, “Compared to, say, a year or even two years ago, they’re more organized…they’re more networked, they’re more clear in their articulation of what they want to achieve.”

A statement from security officials in June said Southeast Asian militants claimed to fight for Islamic State. These militants have chosen an individual from within the region to lead the group. The Philippines considers this regional faction head as one of their most wanted terrorists.

Jakarta bombing

Since the bombing last January in the Indonesian capital Jakarta, regional authorities reinforced heightened security. The Islamic State claimed the attack which killed eight people including for attackers.

Ng mentioned of a foiled plan concocted by an Indonesian faction to strike at hotels in Singapore’s Marina Bay area. The Indonesian militants maintained coordination with an Islamic State member in Syria. However, It was averted with the help of Indonesian authorities. Ng said, “They have gone beyond networks to push the flow of funds, weapons. They are already plotting”.

Dreaded homecoming

Hundreds of citizens from Southeast Asia joined the Islamic State in their battles in Iraq and Syria. US Defense officials believed they have returned home, raising concerns to launch a rash of attacks.

The US is currently conducting an air campaign to displace the Islamic State from Iraq and Syria. Ng believed destroying its base would lead to a short term increase of regional attacks. Subsequently, seasoned Islamic State fighters would likely return home.

Ng said, “They would decide to come back, some re-energized, some trained and the networks would still be existing”.

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