Displaying items by tag: Mosul

17 June 2019 marks five years since IS told Christians living in Mosul to ‘convert, pay or die’. Three thousand Christian families were among the half million citizens who left Mosul. Most of them fled to the city of Erbil or to the Kurdish region in the north of Iraq. Only 25 Christian families stayed in the city after the ultimatum - those who were too old, ill, or disabled to flee. Open Doors started working through local churches and partners to support internally displaced people, giving humanitarian aid and providing monthly food packages. By 2015 they were employing 86 local people, distributing food to 75,000 people, and handing out Bibles, Christian materials, hygiene baskets, clothing vouchers and support for medical expenses. Next they gave churches training on trauma care, and provided three trauma centres.

Bad blood and a thirst for revenge divide people in Mosul, the former IS capital. Many local residents welcomed the jihadists who promised protection from corruption, jobs and security. The promises proved false, but thousands in Mosul still pledged allegiance to IS; some driven by IS propaganda, others by hunger or simply fear. Currently men who worked as IS enforcers or officials are still living in Mosul. Local police pursue them nightly, raiding houses and questioning families of suspected IS members. Some police and civil defence workers who have had relatives killed by IS are now working out their hatred and revenge on unconfirmed suspects, and many residents face suspicion and abuse due to guilt by association.

In July many feared that Christians would not be able to return to Mosul (see ). However, they are cautiously coming back; and as they do so, so does the Mass. Father Luis Montes celebrated Mass at St George’s Monastery. The priest travelled to Mosul to record part of a documentary that seeks to show the reality of life for Christians in Iraq and Syria. ‘The experience of celebrating the Eucharist amidst so much devastation was awe-inspiring’, he said. ‘In this place, which has been attacked for being Christian, the contemplation of the mystery of the cross, which is renewed in Holy Mass, had so much power. Some priests later told the young people who accompanied me that they believed that this was the first Mass celebrated in the last three years within Mosul, which was among the areas hardest hit by IS. It’s really a gift from God.’

Syrian rebels close to victory over ISIS in Raqqa.  The Atlantic reports Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) could be days away from victory over ISIS in Raqqa.  The SDF, a group of Kurdish and Arab fighters backed by the U.S., have captured a number of key areas near Raqqa.  That announcement signals their progress of a larger offensive launched just this past week to overtake ISIS’ capital.  In May, the Trump administration offered critical support by agreeing to arm and train members of the SDF’s primary Kurdish militia, the People’s Protection Units (YPG).   Meanwhile, Al Jazeera reports ISIS is expected to retreat in the coming days.

U.S. troops in Raqqa.  The Military Times reports U.S. Special Operations troops are on the ground alongside partner militia forces in Raqqa, ISIS’ capital.  They began their advance against an estimated 2,500 ISIS jihadi backed by coalition air power and American combat advisers.  “Coalition SOF are in Raqqa, and they are close to the front lines,” said a spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition battling ISIS in Syria and Iraq.

ISIS’ caliph on the run.  Reuters reports ISIS’ leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is losing his main centers of power and is on the run.  ISIS is close to defeat in Mosul and Raqqa, said officials and they said Baghdadi is hiding in thousands of square miles of desert between the two cities.  “In the end, he will either be killed or captured, he will not be able to remain underground forever,” said the head of counter-terrorism at the Kurdistan Regional Government.  Reuters reports that one of Baghdadi’s main concerns is to ensure those around him do not betray him for the $25 million reward offered by the U.S.

Iraqi forces make gains in western Mosul.  The Washington Post reports U.S.-backed Iraqi forces pushed toward a medical complex in western Mosul, trying to dislodge ISIS jihadi’ hold.  Iraq’s 36^th brigade commander said his forces had established a foothold at the edge of the medical complex using artillery and coalition airstrikes.

Tortured corpses dumped in Iraq – Iraqi forces responsible?  The LA Times reports 26 corpses tossed to the side of deserted roads near Mosul had their hands tied behind their backs; they had been blindfolded. Human Rights Watch concluded the bodies were victims of extrajudicial killings probably carried out by government forces since the start of operations to retake Mosul from ISIS.   The Times reports that those residents fleeing the fight and who are flagged for ties with ISIS were held, often without charge, where they undergo investigation before being sent to trial.  Note: Extrajudicial killings are unfortunately commonplace in Iraq.  Years ago while visiting Iraq I was taken to the burial place for hundreds of people murdered by gunshot to their heads.  We were shown evidence that the victims were blindfolded and hands tied behind their backs.

ISIS’ chemical weapons capability degraded.  The Military Times reports Iraqi success in Mosul and the killing of ISIS’ chemical weapons experts has degraded the jihadi’ production capability, although it retains some capability to produce small amounts of sulfur mustard and chlorine agents.  There have been a number of reports of ISIS’ use of chemical weapons in both Iraq and Syria.  “The operation to isolate and recapture the Iraqi city of Mosul coincides with a massive reduction in Islamic State chemical weapons use in Syria,” said an analyst at HIS Markit.  The analyst continued, “This suggests that the group has not established any further chemical weapons production sites outside Mosul, although it is likely that some specialists were evacuated to Syria and retain the expertise.”

Robert Lee Maginnis
https://www.facebook.com/RLMaginnis/

Pray for the conquest of ISIS and the remnants of its forces in both Syria and Iraq. Pray that its leaders will be apprehended and brought to justice for their horrific crimes against humanity. Pray that both nations will return to peace and that the needs of those millions whose lives have been disrupted my find that good, especially coming to know Jesus Christ, will come out of the appalling evil and trouble they have experienced.

On 3 June, while liberating western Mosul, Iraqi troops discovered a huge underground prison with dozens of detainees from Anbar province. The detainees were treated medically and then transferred to another place to check their identities. The UN estimates the number of civilians stranded at the battlefield in the old city at 200,000. They will be suffering severe shortages in food and medicine.

Exploring Mosul, RT news reporters have gathered more evidence in support of the Amnesty International report which accuses the US-led coalition and Iraqi government of indiscriminately bombing civilian homes along with IS targets. The debris of destroyed houses, schools and hospitals has turned the city into an urban graveyard. On Tuesday, with explosions and gunfire heard in the distance, RT's crew saw coalition jets heading to and from Mosul every 5–10 minutes. They heard chilling stories of how IS terrorists use civilians as human shields during airstrikes. The Iraqi government isn’t organising humanitarian corridors for civilians to leave Mosul, they’re urging them to stay inside. The perceived safety of their homes becomes their graves as bombs continue to rain down (although less intensively since a severe loss of civilian life which is being investigated).

The fighting in Syria grows more complex as Turkey aims to interrupt the line of territory held by Kurdish forces along its border and the US works with the Kurds to prevent battle escalation and focus on IS. Pray for this tense situation where Turkish and US goals are in disagreement. Pray also for the third round of peace talks sponsored by Russia and Turkey that began on 14 March. In Iraq, the campaign to retake Mosul from IS progresses despite fierce resistance. Iraqi commanders are hopeful they can overcome IS within six months. Many civilians have been prevented from fleeing by IS, and horrific sites of mass burials have been uncovered in captured areas. Pray for the future for Mosul, for peace-building and reconstruction to be given as much thought as the current military campaign. The two-year conflict in Yemen has killed 7,700 people, including 1,500 children. The fallout is that over 18 million people need food aid.

Mariyam Petrayus, a blind Christian woman, was trapped under IS control in Mosul for over two years before she escaped. When IS took over territory in Iraq, it gave Christians and other religious minorities the option to convert to Islam, pay a large tax or die. Mariyam, who is now living in the Sewdinan displacement camp, recounted at least one instance in which an IS jihadist pressured her to convert to Islam. Mariyam, who is in her 50s, refused to deny Christ. ‘He told me, “Why don't you convert to Islam? Why are you Christian?” I told him that everyone is on their religion, and nobody leaves their religion.’ She also told the jihadi that she did not want to convert to Islam and be anything like him.

Numerous attacks, including heavy artillery and mortar fire from Iraqi forces and IS, are killing civilians in Mosul, said Human Rights Watch. They are fleeing in their thousands, with a massive spike in refugees in the last few days. The real concern among the humanitarian community is that this spike is going to continue and perhaps even increase. There is a limit at the moment inside the camps on how many people can be accommodated. Everyone is working as quickly as possible to make more space, but building an entirely new safe camp takes time. There is real worry about where all these people can stay safely. Currently 4,000 people escape Mosul on a daily basis. 30,000 Iraqis were displaced in less than a week, as US-backed Iraqi forces launched their offensive to recapture the densely populated western part of Mosul from IS.

‘People knock on doors begging for food,’ said a man who fled north Mosul with family still trapped there. ‘People will start dying of starvation. There are no doctors or food. No flour, no bulgur wheat, no rice, no milk, nothing to eat.’ As fighting continues, thousands of families have already fled Mosul for their lives, and many more are expected to do so. UNHCR anticipate 250,000 displaced who will need shelter, food and water - including distressed children and those requiring urgent medical care. ‘What we're hearing from inside western Mosul right now is deeply concerning,’ said Save the Children’s director in Iraq. Meanwhile, since December, four million letters of hope and love, written by civilians, have been dropped over IS-held parts of Mosul. Volunteers gathered 2,000+ letters, photocopied them and then showered them from a transport plane. See: