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Attention

Kurdish Peshmerga: Iraqi forces taking over Kirkuk 'a declaration of war'


RT
Mon, 16 Oct 2017 18:49 UTC
Iraqi tank
© ReutersAn Iraqi tank along with other military vehicles advances into Kirkuk, Iraq October 16, 2017
Iraqi soldiers have raised their country's flags over key buildings in Kirkuk, and Baghdad has declared the Kurdish city be under government control. The Kurdish Peshmerga forces called the takeover "a flagrant declaration of war" and vowed that Iraq will pay a "heavy price."

The Iraqi government forces have taken full control of Kirkuk, Al Jazeera and Sky News Arabia report, citing the central government in Baghdad.

The Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's has ordered to raise the Iraqi flag over the city and other Kurdish-controlled areas.

The "attack" on Kurdish-controlled Kirkuk by Iraqi troops is "a flagrant declaration of war against the nation of Kurdistan,"the Peshmerga General Command said in a statement earlier, as cited by Rudaw.

Comment: See also: Iraq takes back Kirkuk - The end of the Kurdish independence project

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Megaphone

Bannon bashes GOP establishment, GOP - promises 'season of war'

Andrew Restuccia
Politico
Sat, 14 Oct 2017 16:22 UTC
steve bannon
© Brynn Anderson APFormer White House strategist Steve Bannon speaks at a rally for U.S. Senate hopeful Roy Moore, Monday, Sept. 25, 2017, in Fairhope, Ala. Conservatives say this is just the beginning of the GOP primary fight.
Steve Bannon taunted Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Saturday and vowed to challenge any Senate Republican who doesn't publicly condemn attacks on President Donald Trump.

"Yeah, Mitch, the donors are not happy. They've all left you. We've cut your oxygen off," Bannon, Trump's former chief strategist, said during a speech to religious conservatives at the Values Voter Summit in Washington.

Referencing Shakespeare, Bannon compared McConnell to Julius Caesar, adding that lawmakers are wondering who will emerge as Brutus, the character who reluctantly joins in on the assassination of Caesar for the benefit of Rome.

Bannon, now the executive chairman of Breitbart News, bashed Senate Republicans by name for not publicly distancing themselves from Sen. Bob Corker's criticism of Trump, reserving particular animus for Sens. John Barrasso (Wyo.), Dean Heller (Nev.) and Deb Fischer (Neb.).
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Quenelle

Avoiding the Western trap: Poland says no thanks to $9.2bn credit line from IMF


RT
Mon, 16 Oct 2017 15:39 UTC
Warsaw Poland
© Kacper Pempel / ReutersThe Old Town in Warsaw, Poland.
Warsaw will withdraw from the International Monetary Fund's precautionary Flexible Credit Line (FCL) worth billions of dollars, according to the country's finance ministry.

"We are resigning from a $9.2 billion credit line from the IMF. The Polish economy is in such a good situation that we can do it," the ministry quoted Finance Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on Twitter.

Comment: Another country moves towards freeing itself from Western domination.

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SOTT Logo Radio

SOTT Focus: Behind the Headlines: Las Vegas Massacre: What Really Happened - Trump and Iran, What's his Problem?


Sott.net
Sun, 15 Oct 2017 16:00 UTC
M240L
This week on Behind the Headlines, we'll be taking another look at the Las Vegas Massacre on October 1st and analyzing the latest statements made by the Las Vega Police Department and the FBI about what really happened that night. Anyone with a few neurons still firing correctly and who has been watching the events unfold will already know that the official story is laughably inconsistent and unbelievable. Within the last few days, the authorities have changed their narrative a third time while the alleged 'hero' of the day- security guard Jesus Campos - has 'disappeared' with both him and his family allegedly under a 'gag order'.

As always, using common sense and critical thinking, while steering clear of the more outlandish and improbable claims, we'll do our best to paint as close a picture as possible of what really happened that night.

We'll also be taking a look at recent development in the Trump administration, in particular the increasing bellicosity aimed at Iran.

Join us from 12-1.30pm EST (6-7.30pm CET) for what will, as always, prove to be an enlightening discussion.

Running Time: 01:54:57

Download: MP3

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Star of David

IDF reports Israeli jets bombed Syrian anti-aircraft battery after alleged attack


RT
Mon, 16 Oct 2017 15:19 UTC
Israeli jet
© Baz Ratner / Reuters/File photo
Israeli warplanes have bombed a Syrian anti-aircraft battery east of Damascus, the Israeli military said. Syrian forces reportedly fired an anti-aircraft missile at the jets while they were on a spy mission overflying Lebanon.

The battery was reportedly located 50 kilometers (30 miles) east of Damascus, Reuters reported citing Israeli military.

The planes, which the Israeli military said were on a "reconnaissance mission," were not hit.

"Earlier today, an anti-aircraft missile was launched from Syria towards IDF aircraft during a routine flight over Lebanon. No hits confirmed," the Israeli Defense Force spokesperson tweeted.

The Israeli military reportedly hit the Syrian battery with four bombs, leaving it no longer operational.

Comment: Syria has never given Israel, nor the US for that matter, permission to enter its airspace. Bombing a Syrian facility is the definition of aggression. But then again, breaking international law doesn't bother those rogue nations.

Syrian authorities have now commented on the Israeli attack:
"At 8:15 this morning, the Israeli enemy penetrated our airspace at the Lebanese border in the Baalbek area. Our air defenses fired a missile, hit a hostile jet directly and forced it to flee," the Syrian Ministry of Defense said in a statement.

Regarding the Israeli airstrikes that reportedly destroyed the Syrian SA-5 anti-aircraft battery 50 km east of Damascus, the Ministry of Defense said: "At 11.38 am today (local time), the Israeli enemy fired several missiles from inside the occupied Golan Heights. One of them landed in one of our military posts in Damascus countryside. The losses were limited to material damage."

The statement, however, does not mention SA-5 anti-aircraft battery being destroyed as was initially claimed by Israel.


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Map

Iraq takes back Kirkuk - The end of the Kurdish independence project


Moon of Alabama
Mon, 16 Oct 2017 15:04 UTC
Today the Iraqi government took Kirkuk back from occupying Kurdish forces. This marks the end of the Kurdish independence project in Iraq.

in 2014 the Islamic State occupied Mosul. At the same time the regional Kurdish government under Masoud Barzani sent its Peshmerga troops to take the oil rich city of Kirkuk from the collapsing forces of the central Iraqi government. There were plausible allegations and some evidence (vid) that the Kurds had made a deal with ISIS and coordinated the move.

In 2016 and 2017 Iraqi forces defeated ISIS in Mosul. Kurdish groups took the opportunity of the ISIS defeat to occupy further land, even as that did not have a Kurdish majority population and did not belong to their autonomous region.
kurdistan iraq

Comment: According to Peshmerga sources, at least 30 of its fighters were taken to hospitals after the fighting. Before fleeing his home, the ex-governor of Kirkuk reportedly demanded civilians to fire on Iraqi troops as they entered the region. But the Iraqi Army were reportedly welcomed by locals with food and tea:
kurdistan tea
kurdistan tea
Peshmerga fled the K1 military base, allowing Iraqi military helicopters to land:


Hundreds of Peshmerga are fleeing to Sulaymania. Iraqi forces are treating the wounded Peshmerga.

Lavrov gave Russia's position:
"Our position towards the clashes is negative," Lavrov said at the first Global forum of young diplomats during the Festival of Youth and Students in Sochi. "We believe this runs counter to the interests of all the Iraqi people."

"Unfortunately, in the past, there were not enough efforts to resolve two major issues concerning the use of oil revenues and the status of Kirkuk, which still remain pending," Lavrov noted. "Delaying these issues did not contribute to the stable development of the Iraqi state," he added.
The U.S.-led coalition offered the following remarks:
...the maneuvers "of military vehicles and personnel" in the vicinity of Kirkuk "so far have been coordinated movements, not attacks," while the clashes between Peshmerga and Iraqi government forces were a mere "misunderstanding."

"Coalition forces and advisers are not supporting Government of Iraq or Kurdistan Regional Government activities near Kirkuk, but are aware of reports of a limited exchange of fire during predawn hours of darkness October 16. We believe the engagement this morning was a misunderstanding and not deliberate as two elements attempted to link up under limited visibility conditions," the coalition said in a statement.
Update: The Iraqi government has accused the Kurds of a misinformation campaign "to cover up their sinister actions in attempting to disrupt the coordinated and professional movements of the Iraqi Security Forces."
The statement reiterated that Iraqi government forces had communicated their redeployment plan in advance to Kurdish forces, but added that troops from the Iraqi Security Forces were harassed and fired upon by party militias who attempted to cause an outbreak of conflict.
Meanwhile, civilians in Kirkuk are celebrating the Iraqi Army's arrival. And the Iraqi flag is flying.




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Vader

Next in line? Trump is now pulling a Libya on Iran

Robert W. Merry
The American Conservative
Tue, 10 Oct 2017 00:00 UTC
Muammar Qaddafi
© US NavyMuammar Qaddafi, the Libyan chief of state, attends the 12th African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Feb. 2, 2009. He was killed during the 2011 U.S.-led military intervention in Libya.
Word is out that President Trump this week will "decertify" the nuclear deal with Iran, also known as JCPOA, for Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. This is the deal struck with Tehran not only by the United States but also by France, Germany, Russia, China, the UK, and the European Union. It's a nifty word, "decertify." It hides the real meaning of Trump's planned action. The correct word is "renege."

That's a loaded word in polite society. It characterizes a person or organization or nation that doesn't care about his or its character sufficiently to live up to his or its commitments and promises. To say someone has reneged on an agreement is to call into question that person's honesty, self-respect, and sense of honor.

Trump is called upon every 90 days, based on the Iran Nuclear Review Act, to certify whether Iran is living up to the JCPOA deal, which suspended economic sanctions against the Islamic Republic in exchange for Tehran freezing, for 15 years, whatever nuclear weapons development it may have been engaged in. Trump hates the deal, as he has made clear since the beginning of the 2016 election cycle, and he doesn't want to go on record saying Iran is living up to it.

Comment:

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Bad Guys

Trump's hypocritical policy in Syria possibly work of rogue CIA agents

Ziad Fadel
Syrian Perspective
Mon, 16 Oct 2017 02:34 UTC
Trump Syria
© The Dodo's Lament
Does anybody believe the U.S. is acting honorably in Syria? Well? The Russians don't and they've been accusing the U.S. of duplicity in the fight against ISIS and pure indifference in the fight against Alqaeda which is now called Jabhat Fath Al-Shaam. American two-facedness has reasons which need some analysis.

It is hard for this writer to tell if Donald Trump really has his finger on the foreign policy button. It is even more debatable whether Rex Tillerson has any influence on foreign policy. The entire Trump administration has the appearance of a failing amateur circus existing only for some kind of tax deduction. Nowhere in the world is this more obvious than in Syria.

We all agree that if the U.S. wanted the war in Syria to end, it could contribute mightily to that conclusion by stopping all forms of assistance to ISIS and pressuring its allies in Saudi Arabia to turn off the financial spigot which is the first form of enticement these terrorist organizations can deploy to gain and keep recruits. In interview after interview in Iraq and Syria, captured ISIS rodents continue to repeat the same mantra: that they joined ISIS because it paid them $100.00 per month as a salary when nobody else in the country could deliver such generous sums. In recently liberated Hawija, an ISIS recruit from the Muhaymin family told interviewers exactly that. Other factors such as fear of Shi'i expansion, of course, are notable, but, in the final analysis, it's money that talks in the world of recruitment.
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Eye 1

Footage reportedly reveals Kurdish-ISIS collaboration in Kirkuk

Paul Antonopoulos
Fort Russ
Mon, 16 Oct 2017 02:34 UTC
isis flag
© Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP/Getty Images
Sura News has released a rare video that shows direct communication between the Kurdish Peshmerga militia and ISIS.

Sura News confirmed the video took place in Kirkuk province in early 2014.

The video shows friendly relations including invitations for dinner and discussing talking on the phone later that day.
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Pills

Pharmacist who shuttles carloads of drugs to Congress says its denizens are senile and brain-damaged

Ethan Huff
Natural News
Mon, 16 Oct 2017 02:03 UTC
congress asylum
Many of the nation's top lawmakers appear to be pharmaceutical drug addicts who rely on a steady stream of pharma pills being covertly shipped into them daily at Capitol Hill via a local pharmacy in D.C. known as Grubb's. It's a quaint little place that a recent article published by STATNews.com featured in an almost sentimental light, while also admitting that many members of Congress who utilize its services likely "aren't all there" in terms of their brain function.

Mike Kim, the head pharmacist and owner of Grubb's, should know; he's the one who's responsible for filling prescriptions for members of Congress. And he says that what he sees are plenty of prescriptions for things like diabetes and circulation issues, as well as for more serious conditions like Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. This, he says, is somewhat concerning because it calls into question whether or not the people crafting our country's laws are cognitively fit to be making such important decisions.

"It makes you kind of sit back and say, 'Wow, they're making the highest laws of the land and they might not even remember what happened yesterday,'" Kim reportedly told STATNews.com.

Comment: Well that sure explains a lot!

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