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Saturday, July 25, 2015
Excerpts: US-led coalition troops in Iraq. Subject: Iraq VP's Saudi comments slammed. Saudi position on Hamas unchanged. Turkey bombs IS in Syria. Obama Kenya visit. Jordan north border re Syria shells. July 24, 2015

Excerpts: US-led coalition troops in Iraq. Subject: Iraq VP's Saudi
comments slammed. Saudi position on Hamas unchanged. Turkey bombs IS in
Syria. Obama Kenya visit. Jordan north border re Syria shells. July 24, 2015

+++SOURCE: Telegraph co.uk 24 July ’15 “Iraq deploys coalition-trained
troops to Ramadi fight for first time”, by Reuters
SUBJECT: US-led coalition troops in Iraq
QUOTE:”Three thousand troops including 500 Sunni tribesmen will be sent to
take Anbar's capital which was seized two months ago “
FULL TEXT:Iraq has for the first time deployed troops trained by the US-led
coalition in their campaign to retake the city of Ramadi from Islamic State
of Iraq and the Levant (Isil), sending 3,000 of them in recent days, a
Pentagon spokesman said on Thursday[23 July].

Colonel Steve Warren told reporters travelling with Ash Carter, the defence
secretary that 500 Sunni tribesmen, whose training by Iraqis was overseen by
US troops, were also taking part in the operation. He declined to say how
many Iraqi forces in total were involved in the Ramadi operation.

The Iraqi forces, backed by US-led coalition air strikes, were in the
process of encircling Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province, in an effort to
choke off Isil supplies and trap their fighters, ahead of a push to seize
the city, Col Warren said.

Isil seized Anbar's capital Ramadi two months ago, extending its control
over the Euphrates valley west of Baghdad and dealing a major setback to
Haider al-Abadi, the Iraqi prime minister, and the US-backed army he
entrusted with its defence.

Mr Carter, on his first visit since taking up his post in February, met US
commanders as well as Iraqi political leaders, including Mr Abadi. He was
briefed by Iraqi officials on the deployment of the coalition-trained
troops.

Mr Carter has criticised Iraqi forces in past for lacking a will to fight in
Ramadi. He praised Mr Abadi and Iraqi troops on Thursday[23July] but also
stressed that US-led coalition air power needed to be complemented by
"capable ground forces".

"And getting those forces, in turn, requires inclusive governance," Mr
Carter said during his meeting with Mr Abadi.

The loss of Ramadi was the Iraqi army's worst defeat since Isil militants
swept through north Iraq last summer and raised questions about the ability
of the Shia-led government in Baghdad to overcome the sectarian divide that
has helped fuel Isil's expansion in Anbar.

President Barack Obama responded last month by ordering 450 more US troops
to set up at Taqaddum base, which is closer to the fighting in Anbar
province and only about 15 miles (25km) from Ramadi.

One of the goals of a new US deployment to Taqaddum is to encourage Sunni
tribes to join the battle against Isil, complementing efforts at the Ain
al-Asad airbase, also in Anbar.

The Iraqi forces, backed by US-led coalition air strikes, were in the
process of encircling Ramadi in an effort to choke off Isil supplies and
trap their fighters, ahead of a push to seize the city, Col Warren said.

Citing Iraqi battlefield reporting, Col Warren said Iraqi forces had
advanced to the area around the University of Anbar in Ramadi, saying they
were moving "methodically, deliberately and slowly".

The United States estimates there are about 1,000 to 2,000 Isil fighters in
Ramadi, Col Warren said.

Shia militia commanders, who have led much of the fightback in Iraq against
Isil over the last 12 months, have said their initial focus is not on Ramadi
but the nearby city of Falluja, under insurgent control for more than a year
and a half.

Col Warren said that the government in Baghdad had indicated the militia
would not be involved in Ramadi.

"The government of Iraq has indicated that they have no intention of using
the Shia militia forces as part of the liberation of Ramadi," Col Warren
said



+++SOURCE: Saudi Gazette 24 July’15:”GCC,OIC,slam Al Maliki’s statements
against Kingdom”, Saudi Gazette Report
SUBJECT:Iraq’s V.P.’s Saudi comments slammed

FULL TEXT:RIYADH — Iraqi Vice President Nouri Al- Maliki's statements
against the Kingdom are irresponsible and false, the Gulf Cooperation
Council (GCC) and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) asserted on
Thursday[23 July].

In separate statements, GCC chief Dr. Abdullatif Rashid Al-Zayani, strongly
condemned Maliki's remarks as heinous accusations that do not help
strengthen the Gulf-Iraqi relations.

Appearing recently on an Iraqi TV channel, Al-Maliki alleged that the
Kingdom sponsors and supports terrorism. Al-Zayani said these provocative
and unrealistic statements are part of the known Al-Maliki efforts to
sabotage Iraq's relations with its Arab brethren, and separate it from its
natural Arab surroundings, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said.

Al-Zayani commended the clarifications issued by the Iraqi presidency and
the government on their positions in this regard. Al-Zayani stressed that
the sincere efforts of the Kingdom and other GCC states in the fight against
terrorism place them at the forefront of countries in this regard. He noted
that these efforts include the participation of the Kingdom and the GCC
states effectively in the international coalition to fight Daesh (the
so-called IS) terrorist organization in Iraq and Syria to help strengthen
the Iraqi defense capabilities that preserve Iraq's unity, security and
stability, and protect its people.

Al-Zayani stressed the keenness of the GCC countries to strengthen their
relations with brotherly Iraq after years of tension ensuing from the
policies adopted by Al-Maliki.

The OIC Secretariat General considered Al-Maliki's statements to be
irresponsible. It stressed that the statements contradict the OIC charter
that calls for strengthening relations between member countries on the basis
of justice, mutual respect, good neighborliness and non-interference in the
internal affairs of the member countries.

In another development, the OIC strongly condemned the decision of the
Israeli occupation authorities to approve the construction of 886 new
settlement units in the occupied Palestinian territories.



+++SOURCE:Saudi Gazette 24 July ’15:”(Saudi)Position on Hamas unchanged :Al
Jubeir, by Agencies
SUBJECT: Saudi position on Hamas unchanged

QUOTE:”Al Jubier said the Iran nuclear deal appears to have the provisions
needed to curtail Iran’s ability to obtain a nuclear weapon”

FULL TEXT:SAUDI ARABIA on Thursday[23 July] played down the significance of
a visit by Hamas leaders, saying it was only a religious pilgrimage and
Riyadh’s position on the Palestinian Islamist movement was unchanged.

“There was no (political) visit by Hamas to the Kingdom,” Foreign Minister
Adel Al-Jubeir said at a joint press conference with his Egyptian
counterpart, Sameh Shoukry.

The official Saudi Press Agency reported last Saturday[18 July] on the rare
Hamas visit.

“A group from Hamas, including (politburo chief) Khaled Meshaal... visited
Makkah for Umrah (the lesser pilgrimage). They performed the Eid prayers
there and offered Eid greetings to the King,” Jubeir said. “There were no
meetings.”

Jubeir described as inaccurate and exaggerated media reports that the visit
was political in nature.

Saudi Arabia is a strong supporter of the Palestinian Authority, which
governs the West Bank, and of Egypt’s government, both of which are at odds
with the Hamas rulers of the Gaza Strip.

“The position of the Kingdom toward Hamas has not changed, nor its positions
concerning supporting the (Palestinian) Authority and Egypt’s efforts to
preserve stability and security,” Jubeir said, referring to “some
exaggeration” about the visit.

Hamas said in a statement last weekend that the delegation, including
Meshaal’s deputy Mussa Abu Marzuk, also met Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Naif,
deputy premier and minister of interior; and Deputy Crown Prince Muhammad
Bin Salman, second deputy premier and minister of defense.

Ties between Hamas and Riyadh deteriorated after the Kingdom supported the
Egyptian army’s 2013 ouster of president Mohamed Morsi and its crackdown on
his Muslim Brotherhood.

The exiled Meshaal has been based in Doha since he abandoned Damascus in
2012 after the group sided with Syrian rebels against Iranian-backed
President Bashar Al-Assad.

The Hamas visit triggered press criticism in Iran, Saudi Arabia’s regional
rival.

Meanwhile, Crown Prince Muhammad received Shoukry in Jeddah on Wednesday[22
July]. During the meeting, which was attended by senior officials, the two
men discussed bilateral cooperation and ways of improving ties.

They also spoke about regional and international matters, Saudi Press Agency
reported.

Iran deal

Al-Jubeir said the Iran nuclear deal appears to have the provisions needed
to curtail Iran’s ability to obtain an atomic weapon.

His remarks were the most favorable so far from the Kingdom, which has been
skeptical of the US-led deal struck earlier this month between world powers
and Iran.

Al-Jubeir said the Kingdom has been reassured by Washington while
consultations continue about the deal. He says it allows for effective
inspections, including of military sites, and the possibility of snap-back
sanctions.

Al-Jubeir, who visited Washington in mid-July, says the Saudis are
“currently in talks with the American government regarding these details,
but it (the deal) generally seems to have achieved these objectives.” US
Defense Secretary Ash Carter visited the Kingdom Wednesday[22 July]. —
Agencies
:

+++SOURCE: Naharnet (Lebanon) 24 July ’15:”Turkish Warplanes Bom IS Targets
in Syria”, Agence France Presse
SUBJECT:Turkey bombs IS in Syria
QUOTE:”Erdogan …Obama agreement which would allow US manned and unmanned
warplanes to use Incirlik for raids against IS”
FULL TEXT:Turkish fighter jets early Friday[24 July] bombed positions of
Islamic State jihadists inside Syria for the first time, in a dramatic
escalation of fighting after the killing of a Turkish soldier in
cross-border clashes.

Three Turkish F-16s took off from the southeastern Turkish city of
Diyarbakir for an early morning bombing raid against three IS targets,
dropping four guided bombs, a statement from the prime minister's office
said.

The operation came after the first major cross-border clashes between Turkey
and IS jihadists on Thursday left one Turkish soldier and one militant dead,
thrusting Turkey into an open conflict with the Islamists.

The bombing raid was the first by the Turkish air force on IS since the
Islamists began their advance across Iraq and Syria in 2013, seizing control
of swathes of territory right up to the Turkish border.

It also came as Turkey, after months of negotiations, finally gave the green
light for the U.S. to use a key air base in its south for its air strikes
against IS.

The decision to launch the Turkish air force's operation was taken at a
meeting of security officials in Ankara late Thursday[23 July] chaired by
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.

"In this context.... an operation was carried out against targets belonging
to Daesh inside the Syrian border," the statement said, using an Arabic
acronym for the group.

"Three of our F-16s hit... three targets belonging to Daesh," it said,
adding that "the government of the Turkish Republic is determined to take
the necessary measures to protect national security".

The planes dropped their bombs just before 4:00 am local time (0100 GMT) and
all returned safely to their base.

On Thursday[23 July], one Turkish soldier was killed and two sergeants
wounded in the Kilis region by fire from IS militants on the Syrian side of
the border. A jihadist was also reported dead.

Turkish tanks then responded by opening fire on IS targets in Syria.

- Militants raided in Istanbul - The fighting erupted after the killing of
32 people in a suicide bombing Monday[20 July] in a Turkish town on the
Syrian border that the government blamed on IS.

This sparked an upsurge in violence in Turkey's Kurdish-dominated southeast,
where many accuse the Turkish authorities of collaborating with IS,
accusations Ankara denies.

Turkish police on Friday[224 July] launched raids to arrest suspected
members of the IS group and Kurdish militants, in an apparent bid to stamp
down on all sources of violence.

A total of 251 people were detained, the prime minister's office said in a
statement, adding that the raids took place in 13 provinces across Turkey.

Police had raided addresses in several Istanbul districts in search of
members of IS, the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and other militant groups.

The Dogan news agency said some 5,000 police were involved in the Istanbul
operation.

As well as IS and the PKK, the operation targeted suspected members of the
PKK's youth wing the The Patriotic Revolutionary Youth Movement (YDG-H) and
the Marxist Revolutionary People's Liberation Party Front (DHKP-C), Anatolia
said.

A female member of the DHKP-C was killed in Istanbul in clashes with police
during the raids, the agency said.

Two police had been shot dead in southeast Turkey close to the Syrian border
on Wednesday[[22 July], in an attack claimed by the PKK's military wing
which said it wanted to avenge the Suruc bombing.

On Thursday[23 July], another policeman was killed in the majority Kurdish
city of Diyarbakir.

Meanwhile, the YDG-H claimed it had shot dead an alleged former IS fighter
in Istanbul late Tuesday and threatened further assassinations.

- 'Deal on key air base' - Turkey has been accused of colluding with IS
extremists in the hope they might prove useful in its aim of knocking out
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Ankara has always vehemently denied the
claims.

NATO member Turkey has also fallen far short of playing a full role in the
U.S.-led coalition assisting Kurds fighting IS militants, much to the
chagrin of its Western allies.

However Ankara has finally given the green light to U.S. forces for use of
its Incirlik base for air strikes against IS in Syria and Iraq, American
officials said Thursday[23 July]

The Hurriyet daily said that the accord was finalized in telephone talks
Wednesday[22 July] between President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his U.S.
counterpart Barack Obama.

The New York Times said the agreement, which would allow manned and unmanned
U.S. warplanes to use Incirlik for raids against IS, was described by a
senior administration official as a "game changer".


+++SOURCE: Jordan Times 24 Juuly ’15:”Suffocating security ahead of Obama
Kenya visit”,Agence France Presse
SUBJECT: Obama Kenya visit



QUOTE: “ ‘I will be honest with you . Visiting Kenya as a private citizen is
more meaningful to me than visiting as president because I can actually get
outside of the hotel room or a conference center’ said Obama”

EXCERPTS:NAIROBI — Presidential tours are always expensive, but especially
so when the country being visited is, like Kenya, the scene of regular
terrorist attacks.

US and Kenyan officials are fixated on making sure Al Qaeda's Somali-led
affiliate, Al Shabab, cannot violently disrupt the US presidential visit
this week.

"The American president is a high value target so an attack, or even an
attempt, would raise the profile of Al Shabab," warned Richard Tutah, a
Nairobi-based security and terrorism expert.

Mitigating that is an overwhelming security presence in the capital. "The
level of security is suffocating," said Abdullahi Halakhe, a regional
security analyst.

President Barack Obama is due to address an international business summit in
Nairobi, an event the US embassy itself warned could be "a target for
terrorists".

The closely-held details of the security arrangements for the three-day
visit are a source of endless fascination and speculation in the Kenyan
media.

"US President Obama's security gadgets arrive," read the headline in The
Star, a tabloid with a talent for Kenyan security scoops.

"A US military cargo plane... will ferry in a whole range of secure advanced
communications equipment, some of it to be used by President Obama himself
when he lands," the paper breathlessly reported.

Hundreds of American security personnel have arrived in Kenya in recent
weeks. Kenyan media reports that three hotels — the Sankara, Villa Rosa
Kempinski and Intercontinental — have been scouted by the Secret Service.

The Beast

This week the distinctive Osprey tilt-rotor aircrafts, usually stationed at
the US military base in Djibouti, flew over Nairobi alongside a White Hawk
chopper with presidential insignia, causing much excitement on social media.

Other military helicopters have been flown in reportedly from a US special
forces facility at Kenya's Manda Bay base, which serves as a launchpad for
raids on Al Shabab in Somalia.

Kenya is also playing its part. Nairobi's police commander Benson Kibue said
on Wednesday that 10,000 police officers — roughly one quarter of the entire
national force — would be deployed to the capital.

Kibue also said that a series of main roads would be closed on Friday and
Saturday, in a move that will paralyse the traffic-clogged city.

The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority announced that national airspace will be
closed for 50 minutes on arrival and 40 minutes on departure, unwittingly
publicising the exact dates and timings of Obama's travel.

Kenya and Islamic extremism have been entwined since 1998 when Al Qaeda
bombed the US embassy in Nairobi.

While in capital, Obama is expected to travel in his bespoke, bomb-proof
limousine, nicknamed “The Beast”.

The $1.5 million car is a moving fortress with 20.3cm thick steel plates,
12.7cm thick bulletproof glass, Kevlar-reinforced tyres, and a presidential
blood bank in the boot.

The Beast is one of as many as 60 vehicles flown into Kenya for the visit,
Kenya Airports Authority officials told The Standard newspaper, as snapped
photos of the vehicles arriving on cargo planes were shared on social media.

Fight against terror

Obama's three-nation tour of Africa in 2013 was estimated to have cost
between $60-100 million.

A planning memo leaked to The Washington Post revealed that security
measures for the visit to Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania included a navy
aircraft carrier moored offshore, fighter jets providing 24-hour air cover,
more than a dozen armoured limousines flown in and sheets of bulletproof
glass imported to protect the hotels where he stayed.

No US president has ever visited Kenya which, along with its neighbour
Ethiopia — also due a presidential visit on this tour — is a crucial ally in
fighting Islamic extremism emanating from Somalia.

Al Shabab has proved itself adept at launching low-tech assaults on soft
targets such as Nairobi's Westgate Mall in 2013, Garissa's university in
April and small towns on Kenya's coast, but it has failed to emulate the
terrorist spectacular of 1998.

Obama is expected to visit the Nairobi bomb site during the Kenya leg of his
trip.

In a televised address on Wednesday[22 July], ahead of Obama's visit,
Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta acknowledged the threat posed by
terrorists.

"Our country has endured the attacks of depraved, ideological criminals," he
said. "We have fought them unrelentingly, and they know, as well as we do,
that they will lose."

Kenyatta added that there is "very close cooperation" with the United States
and "the fight against terror will be central" to his scheduled meeting with
Obama.

In a press conference in Washington this month Obama bemoaned the heavy
security restrictions during his visit to Kenya, his father's homeland.

"I will be honest with you, visiting Kenya as a private citizen is probably
more meaningful to me than visiting as president, because I can actually get
outside of the hotel room or a conference centre," Obama said.

+++SOURCE: Jordan Times 24 July ’15:”Shells hit north border area, no
injuries”

SUBJECT:Jordan north border re Syria shells

QUOTE:”Shells hit north border area, no injuries

FULL TEXT:AMMAN — Four mortar shells from Syria fell, at separate times, on
deserted areas in Ramtha District, on Thursday[23 ], the Jordan News Agency,
Petra, quoted Irbid Governor Saad Shihab as saying.

Three of the shells did not explode and the fourth exploded on empty land in
the Turra border area near Ramtha, 90km north of Amman, but caused no
injuries, according to Shihab.

Meanwhile, pictures of blazes from an explosion on agricultural land went
viral on the media. In response, Shihab said, concerned parties scanned the
area to find that the fire broke out on the Syrian side.

Early in July, authorities dealt with an unexploded mortar shell that fell
south of Turra Bridge in an area far from the residential area.

Moreover, in June a mortar shell fell on a Ramtha market in the city centre,
killing a university student and injuring four other people.

In recent remarks to The Jordan Times, residents of the border town, just a
few kilometres from the Syrian border, said they have had “sleepless nights”
due to the proximity of the intense clashes between the Syrian army and the
armed opposition near the border.
===============================
Sue Lerner - Associate, IMRA

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