Discover and read the best of Twitter Threads about #kirkuk

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🚨🚨 ALERT WORLD 🚨🚨
🚨🚨 HELP Syria 🚨🚨
Russian Intelligence Service: #US uses #terrorist groups to undermine situation in #Syria
sana.sy/en/?p=304159
Russian Foreign Intelligence Service has announced that the #US continues to use #terrorist groups in #Syria to undermine positions of the Syrian government.
sana.sy/en/?p=304159
“The Central Command of the #US forces is planning to form battalions of terrorists to carry out hostile acts against the legitimate #Syrian government”
-Director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, Sergey Naryshkin-
sana.sy/en/?p=304159
Read 29 tweets
#Iraq: The third nay'ah to the new caliph of IS, from IS in Iraq: another considerable photoset. Precise areas (Diyala, Kirkuk, etc) are not revealed, though I have suspicions.

Standard mix of AK variants, M4 Carbine, M16A2/A4, and uncommonly seen Vz. 58 V here. A rural cell. ImageImageImage
Another very rural group, I suspect from #Kirkuk. Again no RPG but a collection of common (AK/M16) rifles, plus locally procured AR-15, captured (or sold) ex Iraqi Army Remington R4 and ex Federal Police VHS-D2 bullpups.

Oh, and an AKS-74U. High status cell? ImageImageImageImage
Another cell. If I was to guess, these are some of the guys who have been (attempting...) raids in Kirkuk recently and undertaking highway harassment. First look at PG-7V, plus more wrapped M16A4, PKM (w/ MG-1M barrel), M4. They're hiding some TWS🤌 ImageImageImageImage
Read 7 tweets
#ISIS media campaign showing fighters pledging allegiance to new leader Abu al-Hassan al-Hashimi al-Qurashi is growing

Per @siteintelgroup new photo sets show fighters from:

#Syria
#Afghanistan
#Iraq (inclu. #Baghdad, #Saluhaddin)
#Libya
#Nigeria
#Pakistan

1/3
Cont. - #ISIS media campaign posting new photos showing fighters pledges to Abu al-Hassan

#Sahel (#BurkinaFaso #Mali #Niger)

Earlier photo releases showed fighters giving bay'ah from:

#ISWAP
#Somalia
#Yemen
#EastAsia (#Philippines, #Indonesia)
#Iraq (#Kirkuk, #Anbar)
#Syria
Per @JihadoScope, #ISIS has issued 18 photo sets to date showing fighters pledging allegiance to Abu al-Hassan:

#Iraq (4)
#Nigeria (3)
#Syria
#Somalia
#Indonesia or #Philippines (for East Asia)
#Yemen
#Afghanistan
#Sahel - #Cameroon / #BurkinaFaso / #Mali / #Niger
#Pakistan
Read 4 tweets
#ISIS names new leader, sounds a lot like the old leader

More on how the terror group is repeating some familiar patterns as it tries to recover from the death last month in NW #Syria of Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi...& the death of his top spokesman
voanews.com/a/islamic-stat…
NEW: @Reuters reporting the new #ISIS -announced by the nom-de-guerre Abu al-Hassan al-Hashimi al-Qurashi- is actually Juma Awad al-Badri

al-Badri is reportedly the brother of slain ISIS caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi
reuters.com/world/middle-e…
MORE: The campaign to solidify support behind new #ISIS leader Abu al-Hassan al-Hashimi al-Qurashi getting underway

Pledges of bay'ah coming now, and being disseminated online, from ISIS fighters in #Kirkuk #Iraq

courtesy of @JihadoScope
Read 7 tweets
NEW: Dead #ISIS leader was taking "extreme measures" for security prior to his death

Just released @UN report says one intel agency concluded Amir Muhammad Sa’id Abdal-Rahman al-#Mawla (aka Au Ibrahim al-Hashimi al #Qurashi) banned electronics from being carried in his vicinity
.@UN report also says the now dead #ISIS leader was "believed to move regularly between #Iraq & the #Syria|n Arab Republic"

US officials said they had tracked al-#Mawla to his hideout in #Idlib, that he never left & that op had been planned for months
Per @UN intel report, compiled prior to the #ISIS leader's death, "The #Idlib de-escalation zone remains important for [#ISIS] as a strategic location providing limited safe haven; some ISIL activity is noted near the Turkish border"
Read 9 tweets
JUST IN: #ISIS attacks in #Iraq #Syria up in April-June 2021 period compared to previous 3 months, per new @DoD_IG report

Warns reduction in violence at #alHol camp in Syria after #SDF sweep in April "may be only temporary" as ISIS retains a "strong presence" per @CENTCOM
MORE: Impact of #Iran-aligned militias has so far been "minimal" @CJTFOIR tells @DoD_IG, "but the attacks often resulted in the diversion of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) assets away from counter-ISIS activities" per acting IG Sean O'Donnell
"Efforts to promote regional stability in #Iraq & #Syria continued to face challenging conditions, including economic crises, drought conditions, & the #COVID19 pandemic" per @DoD_IG O'Donnell "These conditions...provide fertile opportunities for #ISIS to expand its influence"
Read 13 tweets
NEW: Just released @UN report warns of "heightened threats emerging" from #ISIS #alQaida affiliated groups worldwide

"This is especially true in parts of West and East #Africa" per the report, based on member state intelligence
In West/East #Africa, affiliates of #ISIS #alQaida "can boast gains in supporters and territory under threat, as well as growing capabilities in fundraising & weapons, for example, in the use of drones" per the @UN report
#ISIS in #Syria "has evolved into an entrenched insurgency, exploiting weaknesses in local security to find safe havens & targeting forces engaged in counter-ISIL operations" per the @UN report
Read 55 tweets
#ISIS announced that the Brigadier General of the #Syrian army and 6 soldiers were killed in the Deir ez-Zor desert. Image
Brigadier General Bashir Ismail, commander of the 137th Regiment of the 17th Division, was killed in ambush by ISIS cells while conducting reconnaissance and surveying in the desert of Al Mayadeen.
#ISIS announced that it has attacked the town of Agiri in the Nigerian state of Borno.
It is alleged that the attack was against a militia loyal to the Nigerian army, but there are no militias in the area.
There are armed villagers who do not pay allegiance to ISIS. Image
Read 83 tweets
#Breaking
All security forces in #Baghdad are in high alerts, #Iraq’s PM @MAKadhimi orders Army to deploy in the city and move toward GreenZone .
#Breaking
The chief of #Iran's elite Quds Force Esmail Qaani is in #Baghdad.
🔴 Today there was a meeting between Shia Factions in #Baghdad , the chief of #Iran’s elite Quds Force Esmail Qaani participated in this meeting.
Former PM @nourialmalikiiq asked all factions to dismiss a speaker @AlHaLboosii because they’re not agree with new election bill.
Read 15 tweets
At least 20 journalists are currently missing from countries in the Middle East and North Africa.

All but one of these journalists have disappeared from #Iraq, #Syria & #Lebanon.

Each is #MissingNotForgotten.

Learn their stories in the thread below ⤵️

cpj.org/campaigns/miss… Image
Samir Kassab, a Lebanese cameraman and photographer for @skynewsarabia, went missing in #Aleppo, #Syria, on Oct. 15, 2013, along with Mauritanian reporter Iszhak Ould Mokhtar and their driver.

They have not been heard from since.

#MissingNotForgotten
Ishzak Ould Mokhtar, a Mauritanian reporter for @SkyNewsArabia_B, went missing in #Aleppo, #Syria, on Oct. 15, 2013.

"Our family has been unable to talk to him since he was abducted,” his brother told CPJ. The family is unable to confirm his whereabouts.
cpj.org/data/people/is… Photo Credit: Abdallah Ould...
Read 20 tweets
US reassuring allies #ISIS, while still dangerous, is in decline in #Iraq #Syria

Number of attacks down year-on-year & have been "less complex, showing less sophistication, showing the organization remains under a lot of pressure" per @StateDept's Amb James Jeffrey
"There's been a number of aggressive operations, aggressive #Iraq|i operations" per Jeffrey, the US Sepcial Rep to the Global Coalition to Defeat #ISIS "There's been a number of strikes on terrorist leaders that we've been very successful"
#ISIS "leadership is under very, very strong pressure by coalition or local forces," per Amb Jeffrey "We see them very, very limited in their ability to coordinate tactically, even within #Syria & #Iraq, and very very little ability to organize" external attacks or w/affiliates
Read 7 tweets
Why open source images can be rather revealing to arms ID nerds:

South of #Kirkuk: ISIS targets "gatherings of Shiites" with a rather new mortar, rather similar to existing Yugo-derived designs.

Note that it isn't properly bedded in, meaning a "shoot and scoot" attack.

1/
Here's the mortar bombs they launched, which are also absolutely brand new. These are 81mm M91 with AZ111A2 pattern fuzes, made by Iran. As Iranian materiel is so common locally, this is no surprise.

(See an M91 w/ AZ111A2 from the MV Francop seizure back in 2009)

2/
However, I do have a question- just how are IS sourcing Iranian ammo that's clearly marked to have been made in what appears to be 2018, 2019, or 2016?

Maybe from caches, from IS' time of territorial control?

3/
Read 5 tweets
Reports, rumors, in Iraq say warplanes were heard over Anbar in wake of attack on Taji base which reportedly killed several Coalition members and wounded others. At least 15 rockets fell. #breakingnews
What WE KNOW; Two US and one British personnel # have been killed in a rocket attack on Taji in Iraq, a US Defense official said. Also Iran’s Ali Shamkhani was in Iraq to coordinate removal of US FORCES this week.
We know that Harakat Hezbollah has threatened the “countdown” to remove US FORCES, see @Nasralshammari and also Akram Kaabi and Abu Ali al-Askari have warned US. Sadr slammed US for coronavirus today.
Read 21 tweets
Spox of the commander of #Iraq’s Armed Forces, said during a live interview on state television, the U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper informed the Iraqi Prime Minister half an hour prior to the US airstrikes against #Iran-backed militia positions. #Hezbollah
According to the Spox, Esper told #Iraq's PM that the targeted groups are "suspected by the Americans of launching rockets at the K1 base in #Kirkuk which led to the killing of an American contractor and wounded a number of Americans and Iraqis.”. #Iran
Spox said that #Iraq's PM "expressed his strong objection to this unilateral decision and his concern that it would lead to further escalation and demanded that he [Esper] stop it [airstrikes] immediately.”. #Iran #Hezbollah
Read 3 tweets
9. The legacy of US, UK, Australia, Poland and NATO in Iraq

#Iraq #CrimesAgainstHumanity #WarCrimes #CrimesAgainstChildren
1. The legacy of US, UK, Australia, Poland and NATO in Iraq 🤨👇🏼
threadreaderapp.com/thread/1135299…
2. The legacy of US, UK, Australia, Poland and NATO in Iraq 🤨👇🏼
Read 113 tweets
8. The legacy of US, UK, Australia, Poland and NATO in Iraq

#Iraq #CrimesAgainstHumanity #WarCrimes #CrimesAgainstChildren
1. The legacy of US, UK, Australia, Poland and NATO in Iraq 🤨👇🏼
threadreaderapp.com/thread/1135299…
2. The legacy of US, UK, Australia, Poland and NATO in Iraq 🤨👇🏼
Read 118 tweets
7. The legacy of US, UK, Australia, Poland and NATO in Iraq

#Iraq #CrimesAgainstHumanity #WarCrimes #CrimesAgainstChildren
1. The legacy of US, UK, Australia, Poland and NATO in Iraq 🤨👇🏼
threadreaderapp.com/thread/1135299…
2. The legacy of US, UK, Australia, Poland and NATO in Iraq 🤨👇🏼
Read 105 tweets
4. The legacy of US, UK, Australia, Poland and NATO in Iraq

#Iraq #CrimesAgainstHumanity #WarCrimes #CrimesAgainstChildren
1. The legacy of US, UK, Australia, Poland and NATO in Iraq 🤨👇🏼
threadreaderapp.com/thread/1135299…
2. The legacy of US, UK, Australia, Poland and NATO in Iraq 🤨👇🏼
Read 61 tweets
Its here - the ISW report warning that #ISIS is back in #Iraq & #Syria

From me with @thestudyofwar’s Brandon Wallace & Jason Zhou

Full report available online here: understandingwar.org/report/isiss-s…

Key points & graphics to follow
1/
#ISIS's "remnants" are much stronger than al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI/ISI) was when US forces withdrew from Iraq in 2011

ISIS has ~30K fighters. AQI had ~1K

ISIS has relatively intact leadership; AQIs was decimated

This chart gives a rough overall comparison (sources in report)
2/
ISIS's second comeback could be worse than its resurgence from 2012-2014

Our report explains how #ISIS likely already has the capacity to seize an urban center in #Iraq or #Syria but is waiting to build strength & degrade enemies so it can seize many at once & hold them

3/
Read 19 tweets
IMPORTANTE

La #Turchia bombarda #Sinjar ed uccide Mam Zaki, uno degli eroi che salvò decine di migliaia di #ezidi dal genocidio dell'#ISIS.

#thread
1) Una notizia terribile, l'ennesimo crimine atroce e disumano della #Turchia contro il popolo curdo.
Ieri intorno alle 16 un raid turco ha colpito alcuni veicoli (pare 3) delle forze di autodifesa ezide #YBS che stavano tornando dalla commemorazione del massacro di #Kocho.
2) Tra il 3 ed il 15 Agosto 2014 il villaggio di #Kocho nei pressi di #Sinjar rimane sotto assedio da parte dell'ISIS.
Tra il 15 Agosto e le prime ore del 16 Agosto i miliziani dell'#ISIS entrarono nel villaggio. Radunarono tutta la popolazione, circa 1700 persone, nella scuola.
Read 24 tweets
Make no mistake - the #ISIS problem is a long, long way from going away, in both #Syria & #Iraq.

Raids, ambushes, assassinations, IEDs, kidnappings, extortion/intimidation etc. It’s all continuing, while everyone proclaims “victory” and the fight [near] “over."
#ISIS is back to bombings, assassinations, kidnappings across #Diyala, #Kirkuk & Salah ad Din - in scenes eerily reminiscent of 2011-2014.

This has been building for weeks, but thanks @LizSly for bringing more attention - the fight is **far** from over.

wapo.st/2mrXJPQ?tid=ss…
@LizSly Former #Iraq-i National Security Advisor al-Rubaie:

- “There's going to be an imminent resurgence of #ISIS. You can see it in the records & the intelligence reports”

More deeply worrying reports, this time from @AbdoGeneive:

reuters.com/article/us-abd…
Read 5 tweets
#Iraq: Unofficial election results show big loss for SOL of former PM Maliki. Also lost big time is al-Hikma of S. Ammar al-Hakim. Sadr Movement’s alliance strategy succeeded in adding more gains to those guaranteed by traditional loyalty. (1)
PM Abadi is a close winner, thanks to incumbency factor, use of gov. resources, & alliance wiyh big fish. But still, nowhere near how Maliki performed with same advantages in 2014. PM Abadi will need to make very painful compromises to secure 2nd term. (2)
The Fath (PMFs) coalition performed as expected. Popularity acquired by fighting against ISIS paid off very handsomely. Along with the Sadr Movement, they will have a special seat at the negotiation table. (3)
Read 21 tweets

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