And they're doing what they've always done since 2003: Attack the Iraqi people.
#Iraq - Iraqi government forces send Sunni Arabs who escaped from ISIS controlled areas back...
Caught on video.
Yet again.
It's day 125 of The Mosul Slog.
And the media's trying to sell it all over again.
Notice how so low are the standards now, no one even questions the embed process.
BBC News (World)
.@sommervillebbc is embedded with Iraqi troops as battle for western Mosul begins - follow him for updates
http://bbc.in/2lX0wCw
Even though the embed process kills independent journalism, turns reporters into troop boosters and liars, it's not even questioned anymore.
That's what's been normalized.
But by all means defend the poor (corporate) media against Donald Trump's verbal attacks.
125 days.
And counting.
The United Nations News Centre noted yesterday:
With military operations to retake western Mosul starting, United Nations humanitarian agencies in Iraq are rushing to prepare for the humanitarian impact of the fighting amid grave concerns that tens of thousands of families are at extreme risks.
According to the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in the country, food and fuel supplies are dwindling, markets and shops have closed, running water is scarce and electricity in many neighborhoods is either intermittent or cut off.
"The situation is distressing. People, right now, are in trouble. We are hearing reports of parents struggling to feed their children and to heat their homes," said Lise Grande, the Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq.
According to estimates, between 750,000 and 800,000 civilians reside in the western section of Mosul.
However, few if any commercial supplies have reached the city in the past three months since the main road to Syria was cut-off.
Sources in the city also reported that nearly half of all food shops have closed and bakeries throughout the area have run out of fuel and many can no longer afford to purchase costly flour.
Let's look at another 'liberation' success.
Ramadi was 'liberated' from the Islamic State in December of 2015.
And today?
AFP reports:
Security forces in Iraq's western region of Anbar began digging a trench around the provincial capital Ramadi Sunday (Feb 19) to protect it against infiltrations by the Islamic State group, officials said.
The trench and berm defensive structure will be 45 kilometres (28 miles) long, protecting mostly the city's southern and western side from the vast desert of Anbar where IS has remote hideouts.
Ah, success, right?
In news that actually matters, let's note:
This hairdresser is trying to boost the confidence of displaced Iraqi women by offering them free haircuts
Al Jazeera EnglishWe're finishing at THIRD -- I hope. And Isaiah's latest comic should go up after this.
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