Champion of Democracy Joe Biden to uphold Iraq's Democracy?

[MenInG]

Thousands of protesters have breached Iraq's parliament for a second time this week.

Followers of influential Shia cleric, Muqtada al-Sadr, are demonstrating against efforts by Iran-backed political groups to form the next government.

Security forces deployed tear gas and sound bombs in a bid to prevent people from entering the parliament building in the capital Baghdad.

But demonstrators used ropes to pull down cement barricades leading to the gate of the Green Zone - which is home to official buildings and foreign embassies.

At least 60 people have been injured in the clashes on Saturday, which saw an expected parliament session cancelled.

Demonstrators occupied the parliament floor and held aloft the Iraqi flag and posters of Mr al-Sadr.

The protests erupted as Iraq continues to face political deadlock, with ordinary people suffering most as a result of the stand-off.

Britain's former ambassador to the US Sir Christopher Meyer dies

Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr gather during a protest against corruption in Baghdad
Demonstrators breach Baghdad's parliament in protest over PM nomination in Iraq

Mr al-Sadr's party came first in a general election in October but fell short of a majority. Nine months later, no official government has been formed.

The party left talks in June after failing to form a government without Shi'ite rivals - mainly backed by Tehran.

The withdrawal handed the Coordination Framework bloc, led by Iran-backed Shi'ite parties and their allies - the majority necessary to move forward.

At least 70 people were hurt after protestors stormed the Iraqi parliament on Wednesday in protest over Mohammed al Sudani being nominated for the Iraqi premiership by the Coordination Framework.

Mr al-Sadr insisted any new government should be free of foreign influence and corruption that has plagued Iraq for decades - and has vowed civil unrest if he does not approve of the new regime.

One person among the crowds, Raad Thabet, 41, said: "We came today to remove the corrupt political class and prevent them from holding a parliament session, and to prevent the framework from forming a government.

"We responded to al-Sadr's call. We will go to the Green (Zone). No matter the cost."

Another protestor, Abu Foad, said: "We are calling for a government free from corruption and those are the demands of the people."

The political stalemate is exacerbated by the fact Mr al-Sadr's loyalists are involved in running the country and hold powerful positions within Iraq's ministries and state organisations.

Caretaker prime minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi has urged protestors to "immediately withdraw" as he urged people to show calm and restraint.

A statement posted on his official Twitter account on Saturday said Mr al-Kadhimi had "directed security forces to protect the demonstrators, and called on the demonstrators to remain peaceful in their movement, not to escalate, and to abide by the directives of the security forces whose goal is to protect them, and to protect official institutions."

 

[MenInG]

Iraqi security forces were on high alert in Baghdad on Monday as tensions soared after rivals of Shiite Muslim cleric Moqtada Sadr, whose supporters are occupying the parliament, called for counter-demonstrations.

A political standoff 10 months after Iraqis went to the polls pits Sadr — a populist with a devoted following of millions among the country’s majority Shiite population — against the powerful pro-Iran Coordination Framework, another Shiite alliance.

Sadr’s supporters have been occupying parliament in the normally high-security Green Zone — also home to government buildings and embassies — since Saturday.

They started their protest in response to the rival alliance’s prime ministerial nomination.


Dawn

 

[MenInG]

US-led forces and Iran-backed militias exchanged fire for the second day in a row, but the Biden administration said the fighting would not affect nuclear negotiations with Tehran.

US Central Command said the two bases, Conoco and Green Village, used for the US-led mission against the Islamic State (IS) had come under rocket attack on Wednesday evening, but there were no serious injuries. The US struck back with attack helicopters, killing “two or three suspected Iran-backed militants conducting one of the attacks” and destroying vehicles.

“The response was proportional and deliberate,” a CentCom statement said. “The United States does not seek conflict with Iran, but we will continue to take the measures necessary to protect and defend our people.”

US officials have stressed there is no connection between the fighting between the US and alleged Iranian proxies, and the delicate endgame of negotiations to revive a 2015 agreement between Iran and major powers which has largely disintegrated since Donald Trump withdrew the US in 2018.

The state department confirmed that the US had sent a response on Wednesday to Iranian proposals on ways to return to the deal.

Iran said that it had received the US response and was studying it. Both the US and Iran responses follow a proposed EU blueprint for restarting the nuclear deal, by which Iran would roll back its nuclear program in return for sanctions relief.

John Kirby, spokesman for the US national security council said Iran had made some concessions which had closed the distance between the negotiating positions but added: “Gaps remain. We’re not there yet.”

As the nuclear negotiations appeared to end the final stretch, fighting flared up in Syria, where the US-led anti-IS coalition are in close proximity to Tehran-supported militia in Syria and Iraq. Wednesday’s clash came a day after US airstrikes against targets in Deir Azzour, which Washington said were arms bunkers used by militias affiliated to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). That action was taken in retaliation for drone attacks on US military outposts on 15 August.

Kahl said Tuesday’s US strikes had struck nine bunkers, and had originally targeted 11 but people had been seen near two of them. The aim was not to cause casualties but to send a deterrent message, he said.

“Our response was extraordinarily carefully calibrated. It was meant to be proportional to the attacks that the Iran-backed groups carried out on 15 August. It was very precise,” he said.

There have been a succession of attacks on the residual US military mission in Syria, left behind to monitor and contain the remnants of IS. Kahl said the decision was taken to strike back after the 15 August drone attack in part because wreckage from a downed drone could be traced back directly to Tehran. He added that US airstrikes were also a cumulative response to a series of attacks by Iranian-based militias.

“We don’t want Iran to draw the wrong conclusion that they can continue just doing this and get away with it,” he said.

He insisted the US military operations in Syria were not linked to negotiations on the nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

“Whether the JCPOA is reborn or not, it actually has nothing to do with our willingness and resolve to defend ourselves,” Kahl said. “I think the strike last night was a pretty clear communication to the Iranians that these things are on different tracks.”

Ellie Geranmayeh, a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, said there were signs of anticipation on both sides of a deal being clinched.

“The US and Iranian governments have begun shifting the message for their audiences in expectation of something happening,” Geranmayeh said.

The Iranian press has noticeably changed tone over recent weeks, swapping nationalistic and anti-western views for more neutral positions on the deal, which Iranian leaders have framed as a pillar of sovereignty.

The Israeli government, which has struggled to prevent the JCPOA being reborn, struck a defiant tone as the prospect of a new deal rose.

“We are not prepared to live with a nuclear threat above our heads from an extremist, violent Islamist regime,” the prime minister, Yair Lapid, said. “This will not happen, because we will not let it happen.”

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...an-backed-militias-tehran-nuclear-talks-biden

 

[Robert]

Biden has just written off $1trillion in student debt for people earning less that $140K per annum.

This on top of getting the carbon reduction bill through

He’s getting some good stuff done and looking more impressive of late.

 

[KingKhanWC]

Biden has just written off $1trillion in student debt for people earning less that $140K per annum.

This on top of getting the carbon reduction bill through

He’s getting some good stuff done and looking more impressive of late.

What has this got to do with continuing the occupation in Iraq?

Its been months since the Iraqi parliament demanded Yank terrorist invaders leave but they wont. If this was Russia in Ireland you wouldnt be so supportive.

 

[Technics 1210]

What has this got to do with continuing the occupation in Iraq?

Its been months since the Iraqi parliament demanded Yank terrorist invaders leave but they wont. If this was Russia in Ireland you wouldnt be so supportive.

Biden hasn't even written off all student debt, he has also deferred payments on loans.

You are spot on, these NATO apologists do not give 2 hoots on what goes on outside of white Europe.

Iraq is still a mess, the ME is still a mess, but West 9nly cares about the KC alliance and white race.

 

[KingKhanWC]

Biden hasn't even written off all student debt, he has also deferred payments on loans.

You are spot on, these NATO apologists do not give 2 hoots on what goes on outside of white Europe.

Iraq is still a mess, the ME is still a mess, but West 9nly cares about the KC alliance and white race.

Its another lame move by Bidens little groupies to gain votes in the November elections. The Trump raid backfired.

Yanks are still in Iraq, using it as a base for more state terrorism, recently senile Joe ordered strikes into Syria.

Their whole ideology and history is of invading, terrorising via military, economics to regime change mostly covert. One really has to be brainwashed to believe the nonsense coming out of the US mouths.

 

[Technics 1210]

Its another lame move by Bidens little groupies to gain votes in the November elections. The Trump raid backfired.

Yanks are still in Iraq, using it as a base for more state terrorism, recently senile Joe ordered strikes into Syria.

Their whole ideology and history is of invading, terrorising via military, economics to regime change mostly covert. One really has to be brainwashed to believe the nonsense coming out of the US mouths.

NATO - North Atlantic Terrorist Organisation.

Anyone who supports NATO, is a terrorist sympathiser.

 

[Robert]

What has this got to do with continuing the occupation in Iraq?

I couldn't find the other Biden thread.

Its been months since the Iraqi parliament demanded Yank terrorist invaders leave but they wont. If this was Russia in Ireland you wouldnt be so supportive.

Yes, I agree that the USA should finally leave Iraq because the Baghdad government asked them to. Why are they still there?

Looks like much of Congress fears a return of ISIL. But some American defence analysts believe that limited precision airstrikes are more cost-effective than a permanent Brigade-level garrison.

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/explained-why-does-america-still-have-troops-iraq-111751

Ireland are NATO-aligned so Russia won't mess with them, other than probe their national waters to see what happens. Óglaigh nah Éireann isn't up to much, having a few minesweepers and offshore patrol boats and basically no air force, but NATO would immediately move to support them if invaded.

 

[SalimBhai]

Leave Iraq alone please

 

[MenInG]

At least 15 people have been killed as clashes between Iraqi security forces and supporters of a powerful Shia cleric continued in Baghdad overnight.

Officials say dozens more were injured after protesters loyal to Muqtada al-Sadr stormed the presidential palace.

The violence was sparked after Mr Sadr announced his retirement from politics.

Iraq's caretaker prime minister has called for calm and the military has declared a nationwide curfew after unrest in several other cities.

Street fighting erupted overnight, as fighters exchanged gunfire and tracer rounds illuminated the night sky in some of the worst violence to hit the Iraqi capital in recent years.

Much of the fighting has been concentrated around the city's Green Zone, an area that houses government buildings and foreign embassies.

Security officials said some of the violence was between the Peace Brigades, a militia loyal to Mr Sadr, and members of the Iraqi military. Videos shared on social media appeared to show some fighters using heavy weaponry, including rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs).

Iran has closed its borers with Iraq amidst the fighting, and Kuwait has urged its citizens to leave the country immediately.

Medics said 15 supporters of Mr Sadr had been shot dead and about 350 other protesters injured, according to AFP news agency.

A spokesperson for UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said he was alarmed by events and called for "immediate steps to de-escalate the situation".

And Mustafa al-Kadhimi, the interim prime minister and an ally of Mr Sadr, has suspended cabinet meetings and has pleaded with the influential cleric to intervene and stop the violence.

A senior aide to Mr Sadr later told Iraq's state news agency INA that he had announced a hunger strike until the violence and use of weapons stopped.

It followed a day of violence sparked by Mr Sadr's announcement that he was withdrawing from political life - a move he blamed on the refusal of rival Shia leaders and parties to reform the Iraqi political system.

In October, candidates loyal to Mr Sadr won the most seats in Iraq's parliament, but he failed to secure enough seats to form a government. He has since refused to negotiate with Iranian-backed Shia groups, sparking almost a year of political instability.

Mr Sadr said in a statement: "I had decided not to interfere in political affairs, but I now announce my final retirement and the closure of all [Sadrist] institutions." Some religious sites linked to his movement will remain open.

Mr Sadr, 48, has been a dominant figure in Iraqi public and political life for the past two decades. His Mehdi Army emerged as one of the most powerful militias which fought US and allied Iraqi government forces in the aftermath of the invasion which toppled former ruler Saddam Hussein.

He later rebranded it as the Peace Brigades, and it remains one of the biggest militias which now form part of the Iraqi armed forces.

Although the Mehdi Army had links to Iran, Mr Sadr had latterly distanced himself from Iraq's Shia neighbour and repositioned himself as a nationalist wanting to end US and Iranian influence over Iraq's internal affairs.

The rival Shia political bloc, the Coordination Framework, with which Mr Sadr's bloc has been at loggerheads, mainly includes Iran-backed parties.

Mr Sadr, one of Iraq's most recognisable figures with his black turban, dark eyes and heavy set build, had championed ordinary Iraqis hit by high unemployment, continual power cuts and corruption.

He is one of a few figures who could quickly mobilise hundreds of thousands of supporters onto the streets, and draw them down again. Hundreds have been camped outside parliament since storming it twice in July and August in protest at the deadlock.

BBC

 

[MenInG]

The deadly fighting in Iraq's capital appears to have subsided, after the figure at the centre of the crisis told his supporters to end their protests.

Hundreds of people who had been camped outside parliament in Baghdad for weeks dispersed as instructed by influential Shia Muslim cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.

On Monday, at least 23 of his followers were killed in clashes with security forces and militias aligned with Iran.

The violence erupted after Mr Sadr said he was withdrawing from political life.

His announcement followed months of deadlock over the formation of a new government. Observers said Mr Sadr's move might be tactical, having declared his political retirement more than once before.

Mr Sadr's bloc won the most seats in elections last October but he would not agree to a coalition with the second largest bloc, comprised mainly of rival, Iran-backed Shia parties.

Once an Iranian ally, Mr Sadr has repositioned himself as a nationalist wanting to end US and Iranian influence over Iraq's internal affairs.

BBC

 

[Champ_Pal]

The real reason why Islamic world will not be at peace is because of Iran and Saudis. They both are scared of each other and cause violence to have an upper hand in the region. Blaming US is pointless when the culprits are clear to see.