The Common Ills: 2017-07-09

Saturday, July 15, 2017

War Crimes and same old same old

It's the War Crimes.

Videos allegedly show U.S.-backed Iraqi forces beating, executing prisoners after liberating Mosul from ISIS. http://abcn.ws/2usyL9d 

63 replies77 retweets124 likes

Conflicts Zone‏ @Conflictszone 20 hours ago

Activist from Mosul Reporting that Iraqi Army is carrying out Mass Killings of Civilians in West Mosul, after so called Media Black out.

2 replies60 retweets12 likes

‏ @TjpAbdul

#Mosul - #USA backed Shia Iraqi Army massacring Sunni civilians under banner of #ISIS. Where's the outcry?

#WarCrimes #Iraq #UnitedNations

9 replies21 retweets15 likes

Meanwhile

Again and again in the same situations
For so many years . . .
-- "The Same Situation," written by Joni Mitchell (first appears on COURT & SPARK).

And the Islamic State had not been defeated in Iraq. Hassan Hassan (GUARDIAN) observes:

■ Isis is still stronger than it was before its military advances in June 2014. It became more powerful as it controlled territory, something that enabled it to make money and recruit from local populations based on its military success. It has been significantly weakened compared with the height of its strength after it had seized one third of Iraq and half of Syria.
But compared with what it used to be before then, however, Isis is significantly stronger, larger and a greater threat to both Iraq and Syria. As a local insurgent group, Isis now has a bigger network since it expanded into various territories in the two countries. Its internal structures have been minimally damaged, if not strengthened. The group still controls several strongholds in both countries, and Iraqi forces continue to be unable to recapture those strongholds without close US air support – an indication that the group is still a capable military force; Isis is likely to continue to hold on to some territory well into the fourth anniversary of its so-called caliphate this time next year. US officials expect the fight in Raqqa to drag on until the end of the year and the complex operation to expel it from Deir Ezzor will take about the same time after that. The US is at loggerheads with the Syrian regime and its Iranian and Russian allies over who fights in Deir Ezzor or in which areas.

■ The Isis strongholds in Anbar, while possibly easy to recapture, are likely to continue to be hideouts from where the organisation can operate and launch attacks. These border areas, which can be described as the group’s “third capital” after Mosul and Raqqa, are central to its post-caliphate strategy of hit-and-run operations. They were also where Isis began its push into much of Iraq and Syria in 2014.

And, of course, the conditions that led to the rise of the Islamic State in Iraq are still present. Jamal Hashim (XINHUA) speaks with Najib al-Jubouri:

As for the Sunni Arab community, who are overwhelmingly relief for the liberation of their territories from IS militants, there is also fears about the Shiite-led government and the future.
The Sunnis believe that Baghdad Shiite-led government has long been ignoring complaints of the Sunni community, Jubouri said. "They also accuse the Shiite-dominated security forces and Iranian-backed militias of indiscriminately arresting, torturing and killing their sons," he added.

"Such complaints are very serious. Whether they were true, or partially true, the angry Sunnis went into more than a-year-long demonstrations and sit-in protests against the former Shiite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who responded to the Sunni demands by storming their sit-in camps in Hawijah and Ramadi, sparking fierce armed conflict and bloodshed. Such policy by Maliki was a perfect opportunity for the extremist groups, including IS, to thrive," he said.

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IAVA Welcomes Stronger GI Bill Following Defeat of Troop Tax

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of the War issued this release Thursday:

Claire Owens

Press Secretary Tel: 212-982-9699

Email: press@iava.org

New York, NY (July 13, 2017) — Today, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, the leading voice of the Post-9/11 generation of veterans, welcomes a new bill that will strengthen and expand the GI Bill to benefit more veterans, servicemembers and their unique education needs.

“This is very good news for veterans and our military,” said IAVA Founder and CEO, Paul Rieckhoff. “It looks like forcing Congress to do their job and IAVA’s campaign to #DefendTheGIBill earlier this year worked. We now finally have a bi-partisan plan to appropriately expand the post-9/11 GI Bill–that doesn’t do it on the backs of veterans and servicemembers, or by cutting other vital programs.”

IAVA has led the fight against cuts to promised GI Bill benefits and attempts to tax new recruits in wartime for their Post-9/11 GI Bill, while vigorously calling for improvements in the bill itself and to fighting bad actors in the for-profit education industry. Many of the provisions of today’s bill, which IAVA supports, can be found outlined in IAVA’s Policy Agenda here.

“This new bill builds on our critical GI Bill victories over the last decade, expands America’s best investment and creates a brighter future for millions of veterans and their families,” Rieckhoff continued. “IAVA has long supported overdue improvements to the GI Bill, many of which are outlined in our Policy Agenda. But what we don’t condone is politicians pitting members of our community against each other to avoid doing their job of finding the money. We go to war, Congress finds a way to pay for it. This new bill isn’t paid for through any new fees or taxes passed on to troops or veterans. This is a plan we can support, especially with the vast improvements to veterans education gained in the end.

“The hard work now will be getting this bill passed, but we hope members of Congress will achieve bipartisan success as they have been uniquely able to do on veterans issues over the past few months. We look forward to working with the leaders of the Veterans Committees in both the House and Senate and our allies in the VSO community to get this critical bill through Congress and on the President’s desk swiftly. We’re proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with Student Veterans of America, the American Legion, the VFW, and countless other VSO leaders. Congress should do all they can to get this done before the new school year starts in the fall.

“This is an important step for veterans, but every inch of ground we gain must also be defended. With budget cuts and waning attention for veterans affairs possible in years ahead, IAVA and our allies will continue to remain vigilant in holding the line to #DefendtheGIBill,” continued Rieckhoff.

Note to media: Email press@iava.org or call 212-982-9699 to speak with IAVA CEO and Founder Paul Rieckhoff or IAVA leadership.
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (www.IAVA.org) is the leading post-9/11 veteran empowerment organization (VEO) with the most diverse and rapidly growing membership in America. As a non-profit founded in 2004, IAVA’s mission is to connect, unite and empower post-9/11 veterans. Celebrating its 12th year anniversary, IAVA has connected more than 1.2 million veterans with resources and community, and provided more than 7,300 veterans with personalized support from IAVA’s Master’s level social workers.