The violence happens daily. Halgurd Sherwani (KURDISTAN 24) reports, that 3 police officers and 1 civilian were killed by the Islamic State at the Zaganiya police station in al-Abara while two more police officers and five civilians were left injured. Sherwani notes, "The bloody incident comes as part of a recent increase in activity by fighters loyal to the group, over two years after its territorial defeat in Iraq in late 2017 by federal security forces, Kurdish Peshmerga, and Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) militias, with air support by the US-led coalition." ALMASDAR reminds, "Six Iraqi fighters were killed late Thursday night after ISIS terrorists targeted a point belonging to the 35th Brigade of the Popular Mobilization Units in the Salaheddine Governorate." Lawk Ghafuri (RUDAW) charts this pattern:
ISIS militants also carried out multiple attacks against Iraqi security forces early Saturday in Saladin province, killing ten members of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), also known as Hashd al-Shaabi. It was ISIS’s biggest attack in Iraq since its territorial defeat.
Iraqi Defense Minister Najah al-Shammari vowed last week to “ramp up” anti-ISIS efforts.
Despite Iraq’s coronavirus lockdown measures and the US-led coalition’s withdrawal from several bases across Iraq, the ISF has stepped up its operations against ISIS remnants active in the country’s remote deserts and mountains.
Between January 1 and April 15, the ISF carried out 1,060 operations and killed 135 ISIS targets, defense ministry spokesperson Yehia Rasool said on April 21.
At THE NEW YORK TIMES, Elizabeth Bruenig weighs in on Tara Reade and Joe Biden:
I have my own impressions regarding Ms. Reade’s allegations, but no one — save Ms. Reade and Mr. Biden — knows with certainty whether her claims are true. What I can assert with firm conviction is that Democrats ought to start considering a backup plan for 2020.
Ms.
Reade’s account is not nearly as incredible as some have argued. In the
course of my reporting, I have worked closely with many survivors of
sexual assault. It isn’t unusual, in my experience, for survivors to
exhibit behavior that seems unstable or erratic to others. They may
initially disclose to investigators or journalists only a fragment of
what happened, and then reveal more over time — some even falsely recant,
either because they sense the police don’t believe them, or because
they fear the consequences of pressing their claims. And victims often
maintain relationships with their attackers or harbor mixed feelings
about them.
“It’s
not at all uncommon for someone to still have positive feelings about
aspects of the person who assaulted them, or to admire or respect them,”
Scott Berkowitz, the founder and president of the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN)
told me. “With people who work for politicians, there’s usually a
strong measure of loyalty or respect in that relationship. So it’s not
indicative that someone wasn’t telling the truth.”
[. . .]
But it is also possible that this won’t just go away, and that it will
demoralize voters and place Mr. Biden at a disadvantage against Mr.
Trump in the general election, despite the fact that Mr. Trump has a
damning list of accusers alleging sexual offenses. For a candidate
mainly favored for his presumed electability and the perception of
empathy and decency, that’s a serious liability. To preserve the strides
made on behalf of victims of sexual assault in the era of #MeToo, and
to maximize their chances in November, Democrats need to begin
formulating an alternative strategy for 2020 — one that does not include
Mr. Biden.
The following sites updated:
