Sunday, September 29, 2019

Lt Gen Abdulwahab al-Saadi remains a news story in Iraq

Starting with THE WASHINGTON POST's Liz Sly.



Iraq’s Lt Gen Abdulwahab al-Saadi became a national hero during the ISIS war. Lots of speculation that he’s been removed at the behest of Iran which sees him as a threat
1:38 AM - 29 Sep 2019
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This was news yesterday and it remains big news.  Bassem Mroue (AP) reports:
The decision sparked speculation that some among Iraq’s Iran-backed politicians were uneasy with the commander’s growing popularity among Iraqis. The Arab state finds itself increasingly caught in the middle between the U.S. and Iran, as the two countries lead rival blocs vying for influence in a tumultuous region.
The 56-year-old general, who in recent years led the fight against the Islamic State group working alongside the U.S.-led coalition, said he did not know the reason for the proposed transfer and would prefer to retire rather than be moved to the defense ministry.
“There is no job for me at the Defense Ministry … I prefer to retire,” al-Saadi said by telephone from Iraq.
Al-Saadi told The Associated Press that Abdul-Mahdi informed him in a phone call that he had signed an order to move him to the Defense Ministry. Officials have not provided an explanation for the move.


On this topic, MIDDLE EAST EYE notes:

 Iraqis across the country - including in battered Mosul, where a statue of Saadi was erected but never unveiled due to divisions in the city - reacted with shock to the move.
The hashtag "We are all Abdulwahab al-Saadi" began trending on Twitter, with users sharing photographs of the general aiding civilians in Mosul and other cities.

"He won the people's friendship but the (politicians') hatred," one supporter wrote, while another lamented there was "no more space for patriots in this country".

The militias (PMF) were outlawed in Iraq.  The rise of ISIS allowed the prime ministers to work to bring them into the Iraqi military.  Today, many live in fear of an Iraq 'protected' by the militias who do not follow rules or laws.  They have terrorized the Iraqi people.  There is no real control on them.  Shi'ite cleric and movement leader Moqtada al-Sadr has only become more vocal against them as the PMF has attempted to move into control of the Iraqi Air Force.

In related news, Lawk Ghafuri (RUDAW) reports:

 When Iraqi police and the predominately  Shiite Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) entered the Saqlawiyah  district of Fallujah in Iraq’s Anbar province on June 4, 2016, they  detained hundreds of local Sunnis, accusing them of fostering ties  with the Islamic State group (ISIS).
Three years on, the whereabouts of many remains a mystery.

According to a report published at the time by the New York-based Human Rights Watch, the PMF, also known as Hashd al-Shaabi, entered the district alongside Iraqi federal police, where they detained at least 1,700 men.

A day later, 605 detainees were released for medical treatment – many of them bearing the marks of rape and torture.

One witness who was released on June 5 and sent to Amiriyat Fallujah Hospital told Human Rights Watch the PMF had separated the town’s men from their families.

During their 24-hour detention, the witness said they were brutally beaten with sticks and cables while PMF guards shouted sectarian slurs. 

In the US, Dan McKnight (IDAHO PRESS) writes:
In February, I wrote urging Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch, R-Idaho, to support President Trump’s call to bring our troops home from endless wars in the Middle East.
“After two decades of war,” Trump said in his State of the Union, “the hour has come to at least try for peace. …It’s time to give our brave warriors a warm welcome home.”
Americans agree. A Smithsonian poll found 84% of U.S. troops and veterans believe occupations in Afghanistan and Iraq have “gone on too long.” Politico found 81% of Trump voters support withdrawing from Afghanistan; 76% from Syria. Pew Research Center found 64% of vets say Iraq wasn’t worth fighting; roughly 60% agree on Afghanistan.
That’s why we launched www.BringOurTroopsHome.US, but our hope of influencing Sen. Risch has grown beyond Idaho.
Rep. Tyler Lindholm, Navy veteran and majority whip of the Wyoming House, endorsed our efforts, forming his own chapter.
Lindholm and another lawmaker coauthored a commentary rebuking Congresswoman Liz Cheney’s criticism of President Trump for not starting another war with Iran, and for trying to stop the one in Afghanistan.
“Rather than publicly criticize Trump’s judgment as mistaken, weak, defeatist, and dangerous,” Lindholm wrote, “she should give our strong commander-in-chief the benefit of the doubt… Rep. Cheney should stop attacking the President when he acts to do what he said he’d do: end America’s endless wars.”


Kat's review of Stevie Nicks' STAND BACK, "Kat's Korner: Just an invitation would have been just fine," went up earlier today.  And the following sites updated:








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