. Military Space News .
IRAQ WARS
Iraqi state holds key to Yazidi return to Sinjar: ICG
by Staff Writers
Baghdad (AFP) Feb 20, 2018

Iraq must stabilise the northern region of Sinjar to help the Yazidi minority brutalised at the hands of the Islamic State group return home, the International Crisis Group said Tuesday.

A report by the conflict analysts said Baghdad must set up a local administration and mediate between factions who hold sway over Sinjar to pave the way for the return of the Yazidis.

The Kurdish-speaking Yazidis follow their own non-Muslim faith that earned them the hatred of the Sunni Muslim extremists of IS, who seized Sinjar in 2014 and unleashed a brutal campaign against the minority.

Thousands of men from the Kurdish-speaking minority were slaughtered, women and girls abducted as sex slaves and boys sent to military training camps.

The UN has called the massacre of Yazidis a genocide.

Of the world's 1.5 million Yazidis, the largest community was in Iraq where it comprised some 550,000 people before being scattered by the IS offensive.

Around 100,000 have fled the country while 360,000 have been displaced and live in Iraqi Kurdistan or across the border in Syria.

ICG said Sinjar's occupation by "a succession of Iraqi and non-Iraqi sub-state actors has militarised the population, fragmented the elites and prevented the return of the displaced".

"Only the effective reentry of the Iraqi state, mediating between factions and reinstating local governance, can fully stabilise Sinjar, lay the groundwork for reconstruction, allow the displaced to return and end foreign interference," it said.

- 'Second-class Kurds' -

According to the ICG, the problems of Sinjar are deep-rooted and go back to the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq that toppled dictator Saddam Hussein.

After the invasion, "real power (in Sinjar) was exercised by... the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP)" of Massud Barzani, the former head of Iraq's Kurdish autonomous region.

The KDP, it said, "took advantage of the administrative and security vacuum" in the region.

The party "treated the Yazidis... as second-class Kurds" and "barely disguised its ambition... to annex Sinjar" to the Kurdish region.

"The KDP made itself still more unpopular by withdrawing its forces from Sinjar ahead of the ISIS (IS) assault, leaving the population to the jihadists' mercy."

The ICG said the battle to rout IS jihadists from Sinjar "brought peace but no political or economic recovery".

Kurdish fighters backed by the US-led coalition against IS captured Sinjar from the jihadists in November 2015, before Iraqi paramilitary forces took control of the whole region last October.

ICG said the Baghdad government must reassert its authority by making use of a local administration set up by the KDP in Sinjar.

Members of this administration "possess the skills needed for the restoration of functioning governance institutions in Sinjar", it said.

It urged Baghdad to "lead the way" to restore local governance in Sinjar by relying on Yazidis in order to reduce "their dependence on external power".

This initiative would also "facilitate the provision of international reconstruction aid and improve prospects for the return of the displaced," the ICG said.


Related Links
Iraq: The first technology war of the 21st century


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


IRAQ WARS
Battle to free Mosul of IS 'intellectual terrorism'
Mosul, Iraq (AFP) Feb 17, 2018
In a classroom of the University of Mosul, in the Islamic State group's former Iraqi capital, around 50 volunteers have undergone a week's training on how to combat the jihadists' ideology. The ulema, or Islamic scholars, aim to set up "brigades" tasked with ridding Mosul residents of extremist ideas following the city's recapture last July which ended three years of IS rule. "Mosul must be liberated from the thinking of Daesh after having been liberated militarily," said Mussaab Mahmud, who jus ... read more

Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.



Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

IRAQ WARS
China to Develop Sea-Based Missile Interceptors

Lockheed awarded $523M for Patriot missiles for Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Romania

Beijing holds successful missile defense test

Saudi says Yemen rebel ballistic missile shot down

IRAQ WARS
Navy turns to General Dynamics for anti-missile protection

Raytheon awarded $12M for work on Standard Missile

Thales to provide rockets for Spanish, German helicopters

Russia, India may sign contract on S-400 air defense systems supplies soon

IRAQ WARS
General Atomics enlists Boeing for its MQ-25 Stingray proposal

Programming drones to fly in the face of uncertainty

Alleged Iranian UAV captured by Israel is 'copy' of US' Sentinel UAV

Drones showcase wildlife-counting skills in the EpicDuckChallenge

IRAQ WARS
Northrop Grumman awarded $429M contract for Polar payloads

Improve European defence with new commercial space capabilities

Military innovation demands state-of-the-art satellite connectivity for maritime applications

L-3 to provide advanced optics, sensors to U.S. Air Force

IRAQ WARS
Rheinmetall to provide munitions to Navy, Marine Corps

Boeing contracted by Air Force for MOP 'bunker busters'

Marines successfully test mine plow prototype for assault breacher

Oshkosh awarded $476.2M contract for tactical vehicles

IRAQ WARS
Airbus to pay 81 mn euros to end German corruption probe

US budget outline calls for huge Pentagon increase, cuts to State

France hikes defence spending to hit NATO target

Okinawa vote seen as boosting Japan's bid to relocate US base

IRAQ WARS
US says NATO closing gaps in alliance unity

China slams India PM trip to disputed region

Top US admiral warns of China's growing military might

Polish PM slams NATO 'free riders' before Berlin visit

IRAQ WARS
Scientists observe nanowires as they grow

Scalable and cost-effective manufacturing of thin film devices

More-sensitive DNA nanowires promise better measurements of biological processes

Ultra-efficient removal of carbon monoxide using gold nanoparticles on a molecular support









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.