Iraq parliament to decide on new PM
The Associate Press reports that the Iraqi parliament newly elected in May will meet today to decide who will be the Prime Minister since most of the country has lost confidence in Nouri al-Maliki suddenly since the ISIS, now known as Islamic Nation, has swept across northern Iraq;
“There are many issues that need to be discussed today, but I believe that the most important one is to restore security and stability to Iraq, which is an essential condition for reform and development,” said Mahdi al-Hafidh, who as the legislature’s oldest member chaired the session.
“The main problem that Iraq faces is how to prepare the suitable atmosphere to practice democracy to fight sectarianism by respecting all sects,” al-Hafidh said, before announcing a break to give lawmakers time to meet.
In another AP link, the UN released their estimates of the Iraqi casualties over the last few weeks;
The figures issued by the U.N. mission to Iraq put last month’s civilian death toll at 1,531, with 886 security forces killed. UNAMI added that 2,287 Iraqis, including 1,763 civilians, were wounded.
The figures exclude deaths in embattled Anbar province, which is largely controlled by Sunni militants.
The second deadliest month this year was May, with 799 Iraqis killed, including 603 civilians. April’s death toll was 750.
These figures are released as the President announced the introduction of 200 more US troops to the mission in Iraq. Of course, that was in reaction to the Russian and Iranian aid to Iraq;
Iran has deployed hundreds of troops from its elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to reinforce its Shiite ally, and Russia last week delivered the first Sukhoi fighter jet to Maliki the day after vowing that it won’t stand by while Iraq collapses.
The US has been promising support for Iraq for more than six months, support that hasn’t appeared yet. So, the vacuum has been filled by the Russians and Iran. That’s what happens when the US dithers.
Category: Terror War
Yeah, THAT worked out pretty well…they had a quorum, then first order of business was a 30 minute break, coming out of which they no longer had a quorum, and they’ll retire until after Ramadan. Gotta love the fierce urgency of now in that part of the world…
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/ML_IRAQ?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2014-06-26-04-15-58
–Quote from the story–
Before the brief session concluded, Kurdish lawmaker Najiba Najib called upon the government to end “the embargo imposed on Kurdistan region which did not receive its share in the budget since February.”
Then as the lawmakers filed out, a Shiite lawmaker from the al-Maliki bloc, Khazim al-Sayadi, shouted: “We will crush with our shoes the heads of those who downed the Iraqi flag,” apparently referring to the Kurdish forces, known as peshmerga.
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BWAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!! Yeah, buddy, you go get your Pesh-stompin’ boots on, see how far up the Zagros you make it…
That’s funny shit right there, a no confidence vote in Maliki….I’m betting most Americans, and almost every veteran has zero confidence in the Iraqi government.
Obama will sit around with his thumb up his ass while the Russians make friends with the current ruling party. That should prove entertaining when the dust settles…we all know the Russian propensity for pleasantries while ruling through a puppet government.
“Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps” Kinda reminds me of Saddam’s Elite Republican Guard. It means, “hey Jamal, you want be in elite Corps? You bend over and take it like young boy and then run mile with AK-47. If you make it without your butt bleeding, you be new elite corps guard. Plus we give you special uniform with lots of bling so you look special. What you say Jamal?” Jamal says, “I want be elite corps. Do I have to bend over? I do? Well okay then but it’s going to be hard run with my ass hole wide open!”
In all seriousness, I hope they toss Maliki. I also hope when they speak of an inclusive nation, they include the Kurds. If they don’t and take them on, it will be out and out civil war and Iraq proper, will lose. They do not have the heart to fight and die for their country and beliefs of “freedom” that could even hold a candle to the commitment of the Kurdish people. That is why I have advocated helping the Kurds because they are the only ones who truly want a free homeland and are willing to fight for it. They could be a very stabilizing ally in that region of it is done properly.
Exactly right Jonn. This is reality, something that this administration does not live in. When the U.S doesn’t lead someone else will and it will probably be somewhat unsavory characters filling the void as we’re seeing in Iraq.