generalspeaking

Deteriorating Iraq, Desperate Kurds

"A humanitarian tragedy is unfolding in Sinjar."
"The humanitarian situation of these civilians is reported as dire, and they are in urgent need of basic items including food, water and medicine."
Nickolay Mladenov, United Nations envoy to Iraq

"The Islamic Caliphate legions have launched since this morning" operations towards the northwestern regions bordering state of Nineveh. God facilitated for the mujahedeen to break into many important areas controlled by the Kurdish gangs and secular militias."

"The battle of opening the borderline between the state of Ninawa and Dohuk provinces has commenced]."

ISIS Twitter posting

Thousands of Yazidis have fled to areas controlled by the Iraqi Kurds. Many have been fleeing to the mountains and deserts of northern Iraq. Sinjar, one of two major centres of the Yazidi culture in Iraq, has been captured by the Islamic State terrorists who have been celebrating their defeat of the "devil worshippers". The Yazidi worship a faith related to Zoroastrianism, worshiping an angel whom Sunnis claim is Satan.

The Kurdish regional government had been caught off guard by the successful strike of the Islamic State terrorists in capturing the towns of Zumar and Sinjar. They have ordered reinforcements to man the front lines near those towns to protect their own autonomous areas from ISIS attacks. Fighters from Kurdish forces operating in neighbouring Syria and Turkey have crossed the border to help the Iraqi Peshmerga army.



The Christians who lived for so long in the two towns have fled as well. An online jihadist presence celebrated the "breaking of crosses" in Sinjar where the Islamic State is flying their black flags over the now-abandoned churches. The Peshmerga have been recognized as the sole force in Iraq with the capacity and fighting personnel to counter the Islamic State; their losses in the last few days have been unsettling to the Kurdish population.

There have been reports that the Peshmerga have run out of ammunition, awaiting the United States' decision to supply the Kurdish government with a store of advanced weapons. Even the government of Iraq whose military abandoned their protective military duty in panic when the Islamic State attacked northern Iraq, has indicated it plans to send its air force to the aid of the Kurds.

The Kurdish leaders have ordered a major counter-offensive against Islamic State fighters after the jihadist surge resulted in an overrunning of the presumed "safe" areas in control of the Kurds. Tens of thousands of the region's minority groups sheltering under the protection of the Kurds have now been put to flight in the wake of the ISIS forces taking possession of formerly-held Kurdish towns.

Labels: Atrocities, Christians, Conflict, Iraq, ISIS, Kurds

posted by Pieface @ Wednesday, August 06, 2014