New Iraq Crisis Vol. Inevitable International Incident

[jadakhanman]

So i haven't really been keeping up with this but now i see that its heating up like crazy with Iran entering the fray and ISI marching towards Baghdad. The other day they looted 400 mil from a bank making them the richest terrorist organization in the world. This can't end well.

Iraq crisis pulls in U.S. and Iran as violent militants capture more cities By Holly Yan , CNN updated 9:22 AM EDT, Mon June 16, 2014

CNN.com

(CNN) -- One by one, Iraqi cities seem to be falling to a militant group bent on continuing its march forward.

What's happening in Iraq now has all the makings of a civil war -- and a full-blown foreign policy crisis. The United States is mulling direct talks with Iran while it boosts security at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad with military personnel.

Why Iran? In recent days, Iran has sent hundreds of troops to fight alongside Iraqi government security forces in Diyala province, a senior security official in Baghdad told CNN.

Clearly, the crisis in Iraq is spilling far beyond its borders. Here's the latest:

ISIS photos seem to show mass execution

General: Don't make deal with the devil

ISIS moves closer to Baghdad

What's next for Iraq?

Iraq's military strikes back at ISIS

After days of violent advances by the militant group ISIS, the Iraqi air force killed more than 200 militants from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, Iraqi state TV reported Monday.

The air raids against ISIS took place in Saqlawiya, northwest of Falluja, according to state TV.

ISIS has been fighting to take control of Iraq, seizing cities across the country.

Iran enters the mix

In recent days, Iran has sent about 500 of its Revolutionary Guard troops to fight alongside Iraqi government security forces in Iraq's Diyala province, according to a senior security official in Baghdad who spoke to CNN on Friday.

But Iranian President Hassan Rouhani denied reports that some of Iran's elite forces are in Iraq to help bolster Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, a fellow Shiite.

"If the Iraqi government wants us to help, we will consider it," Rouhani said, according to an English translation of his remarks Saturday on state-run Press TV.

But "so far they have not asked specifically for help." Rouhani added that Iran could give strategic guidance, if it's requested.

The Obama administration is exploring possible direct talks with Iran over the deteriorating situation in Iraq, two senior U.S. officials told CNN.

Both officials ruled out any type of teaming up with Iran because the United States and Iran don't have a lot of common interests -- other than a stable Iraq.

The United States is wary of furthering Iran's already considerable influence in Iraq. The Shiite Iranian regime is al-Malaki's closest ally in the region. And the Obama administration is concerned that appearing to team up with Iran would both alienate Iraq's Sunni minority and worry Sunni allies of the United States in the region.

'Foreign legion' in Iraq and Syria may bring jihad to West

Photos could show execution of security forces

Map: Unrest in Iraq

ISIS apparently posted chilling photos on jihadi Internet forums that appear to show the executions of Iraqi security forces.

CNN cannot independently confirm the authenticity of the images purportedly posted by ISIS. Terrain, building signs and the uniforms of the apparent victims in the images reviewed by CNN suggest the photos are legitimate.

A caption on some of the images reads: "apostates heading to their hole of doom."

On Friday, a tweet on what was claimed to be an ISIS Twitter account claimed that its members killed at least 1,700 Shiites. CNN was unable to verify the authenticity of the account, which was apparently taken down Sunday.

ISIS, an al Qaeda splinter group, wants to establish a caliphate, or Islamic state, that would stretch from Iraq into northern Syria. The group has had substantial success in Syria battling President Bashar al-Assad's security forces.

The militants take over more Iraqi areas

The militant group racked up several victories across Iraq on Sunday.

The northwestern city of Tal Afar fell to ISIS, according to Iraqi Gen. Mohammed al-Quraishi. Many Tal Afar residents, including ethnic minority Shiite Turkmen, fled the fighting north toward Iraq's Kurdish region.

Before Iraqi security forces lost Tal Afar, several mortar rounds landed on a busy area in the town and killed at least seven people, security officials in Baghdad and Tal Afar told CNN.

Also on Sunday, ISIS gained control of two villages in Diyala province, northeast of Baghdad.

And Iraqi security forces and suspected ISIS gunmen clashed near al-Khalis, about 18 miles (29 kilometers) from Diyala's capital of Baquba, al-Khalis police officials told CNN. Three mortar rounds landed near a recruitment center opened recently for volunteers to help the Iraqi army fight ISIS.

Obama criticized over handling of Iraq

Kurdish fighters hold back ISIS

Hollywood-type videos show ISIS killings

Meet the terrorists who scare al Qaeda

Given Baquba's proximity to Baghdad, if Baquba were to fall, it could give ISIS militants three-pronged access to Baghdad -- from Anbar province to the west, Ninevah and Salahuddin provinces to the north and from Diyala province from the northeast.

Sunday's gains by ISIS came after militants took control of two villages in the Iraqi Kurdish province of Kirkuk last Thursday.

ISIS seized Iraq's second-largest city, Mosul, last week and has threatened to march on Baghdad, Iraq's capital and largest city.

But "Mosul didn't fall," the Iraqi Prime Minister told military leaders in a speech televised Sunday on state TV.

"The ones who have fallen are the politicians who have bet against Iraq," al-Maliki said. "We will not allow anyone to divide the Iraqi people."

'Blanket bombing' is not going to work

CNN senior international correspondent Arwa Damon visited Kirkuk and asked the local governor whether the United States should launch airstrikes to help fight ISIS.

"I think they know how to do it, but blanket bombing is not going to work here," Gov. Najmaldin Karim said.

Part of the problem would be that ISIS members are blended into the civilian population in Kirkuk, and innocent people could be killed, Karim said.

But there should be targeted bombing in Iraq and Syria, he said.

"I don't think anyone is safe from these people," Karim said.

The U.S. shifts embassy staffing

An amphibious assault vehicle with 550 Marines aboard was expected to enter the Persian Gulf on Monday, a U.S. defense official told CNN. The Marines and their V-22 tilt-rotor aircraft could help evacuate Americans from Iraq if necessary, the official said.

Between 50 and 100 U.S. Marines and U.S. Army personnel have already arrived at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, a U.S. official told CNN on Sunday.

In addition to adding security personnel, some embassy staffers were being moved to consular offices in Basra and Irbil or sent to Jordan, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Sunday. Most will remain in Baghdad, however, she said.

The State Department is warning U.S. citizens against "all but essential travel to Iraq." The official travel warning says U.S. citizens in Iraq "remain at high risk for kidnapping and terrorist violence."

The United States invaded Iraq in 2003. American military forces ended their withdrawal from the country in December 2011.

At the time of the U.S. drawdown, Iraq's leadership had agreed that a residual U.S. military presence was desirable, but the talks broke down over the prickly issue of legal immunity for U.S. troops in Iraq.

Gas prices rise

Even though the ISIS advance hasn't had a major effect on the country's oil exports, gas prices around the world are rising.

Oil experts say the 4% price spike since June 6 -- which has taken a barrel of crude to $107 for the first time since September 2013 -- is being driven by fear that exports could be hit later this year, just as world demand peaks.

Attacks by insurgents had already shut off exports from Iraq's northern oil fields in early March. But it's the threat they could pose to exports from the south -- the heart of the country's oil industry -- that's worrying traders.

"Seasonally we are coming to the peak demand period. We know that Libya is already off line, and this is why there is such impetus for an upward movement in oil prices now," said Amrita Sen, chief oil analyst at Energy Aspects.

 

[hoosierdaddy317]

Damn so basically all that time and $$ invested in Iraq was meaningless?

 

[keko jones]

What you expect when you killed their leader? Although inhumane and a savage that's what it took for the country to be stable ...

These people are savages that fight because of religious believes and not monetary gains. That's extremely hard to fight.

In addition we want to get out of Dodge without a proper military in tack .. What do you expect? Bush organization got it ... Obama knew it but he wanted to please the masses .. Now u have this bs.

 

[rell826]

Surprised that this thread took so long to be made. All hell is literally breaking loose over there. Iraqi soldiers are being executed by the masses and photo evidence for all to see. This is so big and bad that Iran is going to sit down with us to figure out how to remedy this situation because it effects them as well. Could you imagine how worse this would be if the United States supported the Syrian rebel cause with munitions? ****. Don't even want to think.

Damn so basically all that time and $$ invested in Iraq was meaningless?

Yes. More so, the fact that the U.S. left instead seeing the rebuilding process all the way through. Like someone said on Twitter, you knew the U.S. couldn't stay in Iraq long term like they did in Germany following World War 2.

Going off of what Keko said, this is a Sunni vs. Shiite matter. Like the Protestants and Catholics fighting in the past, this is their time to slug it out. We can't do anything, but sit by and watch.

 

[rolaholic]

It's looking more and more likely that Iraq and the current partition of the Middle East is gonna get split up in the near future.

The Kurds have wanted their own state for decades and are slowly making moves by taking advantage of the Iraqi armies retreat to safeguard different cities including oil rich Kirkuk.

It wouldn't be the worst idea to give the Kurds their own state, the Sunnis their own state in the north and a Shia state in the south. It would save a lot of bloodshed instead of fighting to hold on to the artificial borders that were imposed by the British during colonial times. 

I doubt that Iraq is gonna be able to survive this Sunni-Shia conflict unscathed. 

Crazy how all those billions spent trying to train and equip the Iraqi army just went straight down the toilet in a matter of weeks 

 

 

[jadakhanman]

Saddam was one of those old school dictators just out for personal wealth and power. he obviously feared death and reprisal. these dudes fear nothing and WANT a war. smh at paying billions in dollars and thousands in lives just to end up in a insanely MORE dangerous situation.

 

[deuce king]

Not much if anything the US can do about this, it's their country. 

 

[rolaholic]

 
Not much if anything the US can do about this, it's their country. 

I mean the US does have a pretty big stake in this,the Iraq invasion basically accelerated this whole mess. As brutal and oppressive as Saddam was, he kept the extremists in check. 

 

[rell826]

I mean the US does have a pretty big stake in this,the Iraq invasion basically accelerated this whole mess. As brutal and oppressive as Saddam was, he kept the extremists in check. 

I was actually going to make a thread asking was it better off for Saddam Hussein to remain in power knowing that these extremists wouldn't dare to make a move under him. As brutal as he was, he commanded respect even if it was through fear.

 

[suberzat1]

It's not looking good....

 

[deuce king]

 

 
Not much if anything the US can do about this, it's their country. 

I mean the US does have a pretty big stake in this,the Iraq invasion basically accelerated this whole mess. As brutal and oppressive as Saddam was, he kept the extremists in check. 

The US has a "big stake" in this but as a country I don't think we have an appetite for another war or another doubling down of troops.  As a country, we simply didn't know what we were truly in for and how much we had to endure at the beginning of the Iraq invasion. 

 

[nazdrowie]

i agree with giving Kurds their own country HOWEVER, they strongly stand by their land claims, which include large portions of Turkey and Iran.

I really don't think it would be a version of "happy with what their given" if a State was set up for them solely within northern Iraq...but thats just me.

 

[dropten]

Does this mean I have to pay more at the pump?
If so, blow all these mofos up

 

[rolaholic]

I was actually going to make a thread asking was it better off for Saddam Hussein to remain in power knowing that these extremists wouldn't dare to make a move under him. As brutal as he was, he commanded respect even if it was through fear.

In all honesty I think you might be right,he was somewhat of a stabilising factor in the area. Without him or a stable central Gov, these groups have been free to rein and advance their agenda's in whatever brutal way they deem fit. Some of these stories and videos of what they do to people are barbaric,actual crucifictions have been happening...in 2014 

 
The US has a "big stake" in this but as a country I don't think we have an appetite for another war or another doubling down of troops.  As a country, we simply didn't know what we were truly in for and how much we had to endure at the beginning of the Iraq invasion. 

It's a little too late to back out of a problem that was caused partly due to the invasion. I doubt that the US is gonna be sending boots on the ground though as Obama's already ruled it out for the reasons you mentioned but I do believe that they'll at least try to partner with Iran and other countries to slowly halt ISIS's advance. There's already talk of maybe air strikes being needed and they've already moved an aircraft carrier to the Gulf just in case. 

You know the situation is dire when The US and Iran are on the same side 

 

 
i agree with giving Kurds their own country HOWEVER, they strongly stand by their land claims, which include large portions of Turkey and Iran.

I really don't think it would be a version of "happy with what their given" if a State was set up for them solely within northern Iraq...but thats just me.

Agreed but I'm sure that they'd be happy with a lesser Kurdistan for now seeing as they,mainly the PKK, just recently signed a peace agreement with the Turkish Gov. For the time being, that seems to be their best scenario.

 

[Chiron]

Does this mean I have to pay more at the pump?
If so, blow all these mofos up

 

[rell826]

Special Forces may be sent in to quell the insurgents.

 

[danikerhino]

Kurds have held their own through the war and I applaud them for that. Other than Mosul, they haven't really faced a big opposition. Hopefully they can hold their own against this militia. Feel sorry for those soldiers and the Iraqi military have to continue an Offensive until the ISIS is beyond repaired. We will have to also assist alongside with Iran to quell this insurgency as well, unfortunately. This and the stabilization of Afghanistan will keep us involved for a while, we can't just completely withdraw like we planned, we're in it for the long haul.

 

[rell826]

Meeting with Iran in Vienna
275 Special Forces troops headed to Iraq

 

[nawghtyhare]

so all that military spending for nothing
the us in debt for nothing

 

[rico x hood]

****** up the end game. Everyone who was ever involved in the decision to go there should have watched Charlie Wilson's War.

 

[miamiboy]

This video I saw earlier looked crazy

m.youtube.com/watch?v=xNHXw7CU-kE

They captured like 2000 soldiers and marched them somewhere

 

[superblytrife]

I wish it was as simple as letting Iraq figure this **** out on their own, but sadly it isn't.

Being World Police has pros and cons I guess. This situation is clearly a downside.

 

[rell826]

Iraqis in Sadr City are allying with the army to take on ISIS. Saw a powerful picture the other day with civilians grabbing their arms to fight.

LONG READ:

Iraq crisis: Isis jihadists 'seize Saddam Hussein's chemical weapons stockpile' - live
Latest developments and news from the Iraq crisis, as Saudi Arabia warns that Britain and US must not meddle in Iraq


By Raf Sanchez, Andrew Marszal

5:25PM BST 19 Jun 2014

Comments898 Comments
This page will automatically update every 90 secondsOn Off

• Awaiting Obama statement on Iraq
• Isis jihadists 'seize Saddam Hussein's chemical weapons facility'
• Britain & US must not meddle in Iraq, says Saudi ambassador'
• Jihadists raise black banners over Iraq's biggest oil refinery
• Obama 'does not need Congress to launch air strikes'
• Tweet your thoughts to @rafsanchez

Latest

18.52 Obama left the door open to targeted strikes against Isis in the future but it sounds like nothing is happening imminently:

We're developing more information about potential targets associated with ISIL, and going forward, we will be prepared to take targeted and precise military action if and when we determine that the situation on the ground requires it. If we do, I will consult closely with Congress and leaders in Iraq and in the region. I want to emphasize, though, that the best and most effective response to a threat like ISIL will ultimately involve partnerships where local forces like Iraqis take the lead.

-

18.49 Here's the passage on what the US is prepared to do to support the Iraqi military. "Military advisors" is a loaded term in the US - conjuring up memories of the "advisors" who trickled into Vietnman as a harbinger of a larger war" - and Obama promises to be vigilant against "mission creep".

We're prepared to create joint operation centers in Baghdad and northern Iraq, to share intelligence and coordinate planning to confront the terrorist threat of ISIL. And through our new Counterterrorism Partnership Fund, we're prepared to work with Congress to provide additional equipment. We have had advisors in Iraq through our embassy, and we're prepared to send a small number of additional American military advisers -- up to 300 -- to assess how we can best train, advise and support Iraqi security forces going forward.

18.41 As well as the military advisors, Obama says he is dispatching John Kerry to Europe and the Middle East to coordinate with allies and is increasing US surveillance over Iraq: "This will give us a better understanding of what ISIL is doing".

He also had a coded message for Iran: what happens in Iraq is your problem too. As he put it, other countries in the region "have a vital interest in ensuring that Iraq doesn't descend into civil war".

18.39 Obama isn't explicit that Maliki needs to step down to make way for a unity government but he makes clear that the US has little confidence in him:

It's not the place for the US to choose Iraq's leaders but it's clear that only leaders who can govern with an inclusive agenda will truly bring the Iraqi people together.

18.36 Obama says he is sending up to 300 military advisors to support the Iraqi military as they battle against the waves of jihadists but, for now, there will be no airstrikes.

18.30 After his statement on Friday, Obama took a couple of questions from the press. Not clear if he will do the same today:

18.16 A reminder that while the world's focus is on Iraq, the situation in Syria remains extremely grim:

Quote A car bomb in Homs in central Syria on Thursday killed three people and wounded nine in a majority Alawite neighbourhood of the city, state television said.

"Three people were killed and nine wounded, including women and children, in a terrorist car bomb attack in the Akrameh district of Homs," the broadcaster said.

The attack is the second of its kind in a week, and comes just over a month after rebels lost their bastion in the heart of Homs city to regime control.

18.15 Obama is now running behind on his already-rescheduled statement.

18.12 Today's debate about Iraq has many in Washington re-opening old wounds about the run-up to the war in 2002/03. **** Cheney has made a re-appearance to attack Obama and defend the Bush administration's record. Here he is writing in the Wall Street Journal.

Opinion Rarely has a U.S. president been so wrong about so much at the expense of so many. Too many times to count, Mr. Obama has told us he is "ending" the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan—as though wishing made it so. His rhetoric has now come crashing into reality. Watching the black-clad ISIS jihadists take territory once secured by American blood is final proof, if any were needed, that America's enemies are not "decimated." They are emboldened and on the march.

His comments have riled many, who blame him for many of Iraq's current problems.

Here he is being confronted on his record by Fox News.

17.56 So who is Obama meeting with? The White House has released a list of 15 participants, some attending by video conference. They include figures from the military, intelligence and diplomatic branches of the US government:

-Joe Biden, the vice president

-John Kerry, the secretary of state, and Chuck Hagel, the secretary of defence

-John Brennan, the head of the CIA, and James Clapper, the director of national intelligence

-Samantha Power, the US ambassador to the United Nations

-General Martin Dempsey, the chair of the joint chiefs of staff

-Assorted national security and legal aides

The meeting is taking place in the White House situation room. Here's a 2010 picture:

17.46 Obama's statement is now coming at 18.15 UK time.

17.40 Obama's meeting with his national security team is running over and so we're still waiting for his statement on Iraq from the White House.

The expectation is that he's going to announce 100 US commandos are heading to Baghdad to train and advise the Iraqi military but is not going to order airstrikes.

Here's the AP:

Quote President Barack Obama is also expected to announce Thursday that he is deploying about 100 Green Berets to Iraq to help train and advise Iraqi forces, according to a U.S. official. However, Obama does not plan to announce immediate U.S. airstrikes on Iraq, which have increasingly become less of a focus of deliberations in recent days.

The real question is how much public pressure will he apply to Nouri al-Maliki, Iraq's divisive Shia prime minister, to step down and make way for a unity government?

17.25 David Cameron is being asked about the Iraq crisis, and British Isis fighters in his press conference with the Nato Secretary-General in London:

Quote What matters is the approach taken by Iraq's leaders whoever they are, and that they govern for the whole of the country. They must govern in a non-sectarian way...

There is no doubt the government of Iraq has not given enough attention to healing sectarian divides. A combination of poor governance, ungoverned space, encouragement of extremism...

I don't pick Iraq's leaders... what matters is that whoever they are now or in the future runs it in a non-sectarian way...

We are taking this [British Isis fighters] extremely seriously - there have already been 65 Syria-related arrests. Fourteen people had their passports taken away.

Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Nato Secretary-General, adds:

Quote What we need in Iraq is a mmuch more inclusive government... which includes both Sunni and Shia

17.18 Ahead of Obama's statement on Iraq, due in just over 10 minutes, catch up with today's events on the ground with our latest Iraq crisis map. Click on the map to enlarge.

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You can catch up on previous days' maps and plot how the conflict has shifted by visiting our map archive: Iraq crisis map: how the Isis front line has shifted

17.15 In separate Iraq news, John Kerry has said the Obama administration continues to rely on diplomacy to halt hostilities in Iraw because "enough American troops have already fought and died there".

“The test is in really these next few days and weeks, and we are going to do everything in our power to follow through and try to get the job done through diplomacy, if we can, in order to honor their sacrifice,” he said in an interview with NBC's Today programme.


John Kerry, US Secretary of State (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

17.09 Chemical weapons produced at the Al Muthanna facility, which Isis today seized, are believed to have included mustard gas, Sarin, Tabun, and VX.

Here is the CIA's file on the complex.

Quote Stockpiles of chemical munitions are still stored there. The most dangerous ones have been declared to the UN and are sealed in bunkers.

Although declared, the bunkers contents have yet to be confirmed.

These areas of the compound pose a hazard to civilians and potential blackmarketers.

Numerous bunkers, including eleven cruciform shaped bunkers were exploited. Some of the bunkers were empty. Some of the bunkers contained large quantitiesof unfilled chemical munitions, conventional munitions, one-ton shipping containers, old disabled production equipment (presumed disabled under UNSCOM supervision), and other hazardous industrial chemicals.

17.05 The Chemical Weapons Convention, which Iraq joined in 2009, requires it to dispose of the material at Al Muthanna, even though it was declared unusable and "does not pose a significant security risk"

However, the UK goverment has acknowledgeded that the nature of the material contained in the two bunkers would make the destruction process difficult and technically challenging.

Under an agreement signed in Baghdad in July 2012, experts from the MOD’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) were due to provide training to Iraqi personnel in order to help them to dispose of the chemical munitions and agents.

The Al Mutannah chemical weapons complex (CIA)

16.52 The remaining chemical weapons from Saddam Hussein's regime are stored in two sealed bunkers, both located at the Al Muthanna Chemicals Weapons Complex, a large site in the western desert some 80km north west of Baghdad.

This was the principal manufacturing plant for both chemical agents and munitions during Saddam Hussein’s rule.

Thousands of tonnes of chemical weapons were produced, stored and deployed by the Saddam Hussein regime. Iraq used these weapons during the Iran - Iraq War (1980 to 198 and against the Kurds in Halabja in 1988.

16.32 Isis jihadists have seized a chemical weapons facility built by Saddam Hussein which contains a stockpile of old weapons, State Department officials have told the Wall Street Journal:

Quote U.S. officials don't believe the Sunni militants will be able to create a functional chemical weapon from the material. The weapons stockpiled at the Al Muthanna complex are old, contaminated and hard to move, officials said.

Nonetheless, the capture of the chemical-weapon stockpile by the forces of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, known as ISIS or ISIL, the militant group that is seizing territory in the country, has grabbed the attention of the U.S.

"We remain concerned about the seizure of any military site by the ISIL," Jen Psaki, the State Department spokeswoman, said in a written statement. "We do not believe that the complex contains CW materials of military value and it would be very difficult, if not impossible, to safely move the materials."

Saddam Hussein (EPA)

16.21 Amid speculation Obama may be preparing to apply more pressure on Iraqi PM Maliki to either step down or form a unity government, Colin Freeman reports from the streets of Baghdad, where anti-Maliki sentiment is tangible across the city:

The calls for Mr Maliki to go are echoed on the streets of the capital, Baghdad, where the period of relative stability that he was credited with between 2008 and 2010 is now just a distant memory. While Iraqis habitually lay the blame for their woes at the political class in general, Mr Maliki in particular has been accused of sliding the country back towards sectarianism.

Omar Ali, 32, a shopkeeper in the Sunni neighbourhood of al Adel, said: "Maliki should have gone a long time ago, before he took us into this mess with Isis - it is his fault that the Sunni have turned to Isis."

But there were also calls for him to go from politicians in other Shia blocs in his governing State of Law coalition.

Ameer al-Kenani, deputy head of the legal committee of the Ahrar (Freedom) bloc, formed by the Shia cleric, Moqtada al-Sadr, told The Telegraph: "We expected such an incident as this one with Isis, as a result of the ongoing political crisis that Iraq has suffered over the last three years.

"We don't think Mr Maliki should continue in office, as we believe he is part of the crisis, not the solution."

16.09 A US official says Obama is expected to announce the deployment of about 100 special operations forces to Iraq to help train and advise the Iraqi forces.

The official insisted on anonymity because this person was not authorized to publicly discuss the plan ahead of Obama's announcement.

Al-Qaeda inspired militants stand with captured Iraqi Army Humvee at a checkpoint belonging to Iraqi Army outside Beiji refinery (AP)

15.55 President Obama is due to make a statement on Iraq at 5.30pm UK time.

The usual daily White House briefing has been cancelled.

15.50 More strong words from the Saudi Arabian ambassador to the UK, Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf Al Saud, writing exclusively in tomorrow's Telegraph:

Quote The call by the Iraqi Foreign Minister, to President Obama and the US government to launch airstrikes against the ISIS rebels in Iraq is beyond our comprehension.

An air strike will not just eliminate extremists – who we do not support – but will effectively sign the death warrant of many innocent Iraqi citizens, innocent families trapped and terrified by this crisis.

This request to President Obama is a madness, it reveals a government who no longer sees clearly and no longer cares about the people it has been appointed to care for.

The people of Iraq, of all and any faith and denomination, like all people in all countries of the world, look to their government to provide them with the peace and security they need and deserve.

The current Iraqi government is dramatically failing in meeting that objective.

Kurdish Peshmerga forces drive thorough the town of Sinjar, Iraq, near the border with Syria (SAM TARLING)

15.30 The United States is flying F-18 attack aircraft launched from the carrier USS George H.W. Bush on missions over Iraq to conduct surveillance of insurgents who have seized part of the country, a U.S. official told Reuters on Thursday.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the F-18s were being flown from the carrier, which was ordered into the Gulf several days ago, because it is sovereign U.S. territory and can deploy tanker refueling planes if needed.

General Martin Dempsey, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told lawmakers on Wednesday the United States has been carrying out manned and unmanned intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions over Iraq and was devoting a number of planes and Navy ships to the effort.

15.15 Isis has widely been reported as the world's richest terrorist organisation following its seizure of money and gold from Mosul banks.

The jihadists are now reported to have stolen $429m from banks in Mosul.

14.53 Iran's Supreme Leader warns on Twitter that Isis is serving the interests of US in the Middle East, writes Damien McElroy.

Iran's Supreme Leader has signalled his intense distrust of any proposed cooperation with US to resolve the Iraq situation by accusing Washington of sowing the seeds of division between the country's sects.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei used a Twitter account associated with his office to accuse Isis and other Sunni extremists of wanting to bring about a war in the Muslim world.

The divisions created by Isis were serving the purposes of the "arrogant powers" - Iranian language that refers to the US.

14.49 Isis appears to have a new weapon in its armoury - taxi drivers. Colin Freeman reports:

According to a Baghdad military spokesman who has just popped up on Iraqi television, the Isis militants are using taxi drivers to spread false rumours about the success of their campaign.

Having spent a fair amount of time in the company of Iraqi taxi drivers, I can testify that that they share their British counterparts' status as being the fount of all knowledge, so there might bo some substance to this story. After all, Isis's Twitter account has been suspended, so perhaps this is them reverting to much older forms of communication.

14.37 The breakdown of order in northern Iraq has given US Congress cause for concern over the planned withdrawal from Afghanistan.

"There's no guarantee [Afghanistan would not deteriorate]," Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told a Senate panel on Wednesday.

"It is up to the people of Afghanistan to make these decisions, their military, their new leadership that will be coming in as a result of their new government."

This comes despite Afghan president Hamid Karzai dismissing idea of Iraq-style al-Qaeda comeback in Afghanistan in an interview yesterday, citing his good relationship with the Taliban.

Hamid Karzai (REX)

14.20 The European Union on has pledged an extra five million euros to help the hundreds of thousands of Iraqis displaced by a jihadist offensive.

"This fresh wave of violence has terrible consequences for vulnerable children, women and men", said the EU's Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid Kristalina Georgieva, announcing funding that will bring total EU humanitarian assistance for 2014 to 12 million euros.

13.55 A British extremist fighting in Iraq has urged Muslims in the UK to avenge the brutal murder of a Saudi Arabian student in Essex, reports Oliver Duggan.

Nahid Almanea, 31, was stabbed to death on Tuesday in a "frenzied" attack that is being considered as a "targeted" assault on her religious identity.

A British member of Isis, the fanatical Islamic force leading an insurgency in Iraq, has subsequently said Muslims in the UK should "take up a knife and kill as they did in Colchester".

Abu Rashash Britani, who has previously said he would bring Isis' brand of bloody attacks to Britian, tweeted: "These kuffar [non-Muslims] getting out of hand, dare they touch a #Muslimah.

"I call upon any brother to take up a knife and kill as they did #colchester."

He added: "#colchester attack is cowardly act. At least when our noble brothers, killers of #leerigby did so they killed a soldier not a civilian.

"I pray a revenge attack takes place in #uk against those enemies of #Islam n #Muslims."

13.35 Qassim Atta, a spokesman for Iraqi military, says 70 'terrorists' have been killed in the government forces' operation to reclaim Beiji oil refinery.

Earlier today there were witness reports that black al-Qaeda-style banners had been unfurled over the refinery, but fighting has been ongoing in a sporadic manner since Tuesday, with both sides claiming victory at different times.

13.20 Iraqi prime minister Maliki has said that 59 officers will now face court martial for failing to defend northern Iraq against Isis.

This follows the arrest yesterday of four top generals over the fall of Mosul last week.

13.05 The full Saudi Arabia ambassador's piece warning Britain and the US not to meddle in Iraq is now live here:

Saudi Arabia: 'This is Iraq’s problem and they must sort it out themselves'

Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf Al Saud also said his country has been "alarmed" by suggestions made by Iraqi PM Malaki and some Western commentators that in some ways we in Saudi Arabia support the Islamic State of Iraq and Al Sham (Isis):

Quote The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia wishes to see the defeat and destruction of all al-Qaeda networks and of the Islamic State of Iraq and Al Sham operating in Iraq. Saudi Arabia does not provide either moral or financial support to Isis or any terrorist networks. Any suggestion to the contrary, is a malicious falsehood.

We do not and we will not support violence or extremism in any form, anywhere by anyone. At all times we seek and strive for a peaceful coexistence between all people both within our country and with our region and in the wider world community.

12.50 Two interesting developments in Iraq reported by my colleague in Baghdad Colin Freeman, who has reports of a truce at the Baiji oil refinery and growing sectarian unrest over weapons seizures in the Sunni areas of the capital:

Iraq's al-Sharqiya TV is reporting that ceasefire has been organised between Isis forces and government troops fighting around the oil refinery at Beiji, so that some 250 foreign workers can leave. The truce was organised by local tribal chiefs.

The government has been accused of taking weapons away from residents of Sunni neighbourhoods in Baghdad.

Ever since the fall of Saddam, Iraq has been awash with weapons, and to this day, every Iraqi household is permitted to keep one Kalashnikov at home for self-defence. However, a Sunni friend of mine claims that secturity forces have been confiscating them during raids or operations in Sunni neighbourhoods. As a result, he says, his neighbourhood is now defenceless against both Isis and the government.

12.25 Saudi Arabia is increasingly concerned that a US intervention against Isis will end up boosting Iran's influence in Iraq, according to Jonathan Eyal, the director of the Royal United Services Institute.

Quote The worst scenario for Saudi Arabia in Iraq is that the West undertakes airstrikes against Isis and ends up making common cause with Iran in Iraq.

12.10 Britain and the US must not meddle in Iraq, Saudi Arabia has warned.

Writing exclusively in the Telegraph, Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf al-Saud - Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the UK - said the crisis in Saudi Arabia's northern neighbour should be sorted out between Iraqis alone as it was a product of the sectarian divisions in Iraq.

Quote We oppose all foreign intervention and interference. There must be no meddling in Iraq’s internal affairs, not by us or by the US, the UK or by any other government. This is Iraq’s problem and they must sort it out themselves

Any government that meddles in Iraq’s affairs runs the risk of escalating the situation, creating greater mistrust between the people of Iraq – both Sunni and Shia.

12.00 As both side continue to claim victory in the battle for Baiji's enormous oil refinery, one fact that is clear is that the fighting has done serious damage to the facility.

This satellite photograph shows part of the refinery on fire, with black smoke billowing out:


Satellite image of Baiji oil refinery after Isis attack (LANDSAT/NASA/ORBITAL HORIZON)

11.29 Photographs have emerged on social media which appear to show Isis jihadists burning a huge pile of cigarettes, which are fordbidden under the strict Sharia law being imposed by militants on captured territory:


Isis fighter burning cigarettes, forbidden by Sharia law

11.03 Kurdish intelligence chief Lahor Talabani has added his voice to growing fears that British Isis fighters will attack the UK on their return:

10.53 Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan has warned that US air strikes on militants in Iraq could cause a high number of civilian deaths.

He said today that Washington did not view such a strategy favourably

However, Iraqi government spokesman Zuhair al-Nahar said:

Quote Targeted airstrikes against centres of these terrorists is very effective. Targeted airstrikes against their convoys, their supply lines, are absolutely vital.

There is always collateral damage in war, but that can be minimised by specific targeting.

This will allow the Iraqi army and the Iraqi volunteers and the tribes to take the initiative to defeat these terrorists, rather than [allowing them to get] a permanent grip on Iraq which will be used as a base for this cancerous growth of terrorism to spread throughout the whole area.

American helicopter on aircraft carrier in Arabian Gulf (US NAVY/AFP/GETTY)

10.40 The Iraqi government has likened Isis's rule over vast swathes of the north of Iraq to the Nazi occupation of Europe.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Iraqi PM spokesman Zuhair al-Nahar said:

Quote This is a catastrophe of unprecedented scale.

We are having a similar situation to Rwanda, where there are going to be genocide and we are having mass killings already. This is similar to the Nazi occupation of Europe.

We'd just had an election where Mr Maliki had three times more votes than his nearest rival - that [whether Maliki should stand down] is something for the Iraqi people and the Iraqi politicians to decide

Our focus needs to be on urgent action, air support, logistic support, counter-intelligence support, to defeat these terrorists who are posing a real danger to the stability of Iraq and to the whole region.

As the prime minister of the UK said yesterday that is something that will affect the UK

10.25 As the security situation in Iraq continues to deteriorate, global risk consultancy Drum Cussac is exploring options for evacuating staff on behalf of its clients from Kurdistan.

"We have the option of evacuating people across the border to Turkey," said Chris Job MBE, Drum Cussac's Vice President of Operations.

"If a road movement is not possible then we could land a chartered jet at one of the airports in Kurdistan. We are looking at all the options available to us to safeguard our clients in this rapidly-evolving situation."

According to its website, Drum Cussac has a number of clients working in Northern Iraq with multiple staff in various locations close to the worst of the fighting between government forces and the Islamist ISIS rebels.

09.50 Militants have hung their black banners at Iraq's largest oil refinery, according to witness reports.

However, security officials are claiming that the government still holds it.

The Iraqi witness who drove past the Beiji refinery, some 250 kilometers (155 miles) north of Baghdad, said militants also manned checkpoints around it. He said a huge fire in one of its tankers was raging at the time.

The witness spoke to AP on condition of anonymity because he feared reprisals.

Contrarily, a security official in Baghdad said the government force protecting the refinery was still inside on Thursday and that they were in regular contact with officials in Baghdad.

He said helicopter gunships were flying over the facility to stop any advance by the militants of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant inside the refinery.

09.28 In further - albeit slightly more veiled - criticism of Iraq's PM Nouri al-Maliki, top-ranking military officer General Martin Dempsey said:

Quote There is very little that could have been done to overcome the degree to which the government of Iraq had failed its people

An F-18 fighter jet launches off the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush in the Arabian Gulf

09.20 The Wall Street Journal has spoken to several top US officials who believe Iraq's embattled prime minister Nouri al-Maliki should be compelled to step down by the Obama administration in return for air strikes on Isis.

Here are a few of the statements the newspaper has reported:

Quote Sen. John McCain: My concern is whether we're going to do anything besides send a few extra Marines, which won't do anything... [the US should send emissaries to Baghdad to] work with Maliki and tell him he's got to step down and have a coalition government."

Senate Intelligence Chairman Dianne Feinstein: The Maliki government, candidly, has got to go if you want any reconciliation

White House spokesman Jay Carney: Whether it's the current prime minister or another leader, we will aggressively attempt to impress upon that leader the absolute necessity of rejecting sectarian governance.

09.05 On the ground in Iraq, the battle for control of the country's biggest refinery rages on between Iraqi government forces and Sunni jihadists.

The sprawling Baiji refinery, 200 km (130 miles) north of the capital near Tikrit, was a battlefield as troops loyal to the Shia-led government held off Isis insurgents who stormed the perimeter yesterday, threatening national energy supplies.

250-300 remaining staff were evacuated early this morning after military helicopters attacked militant positions overnight, one worker told Reuters.

09.00 US vice president Joe Biden last night called on Iraq’s leaders to govern in an inclusive manner, promote stability and unity among Iraq’s population as they seek to combat Isis militants.

The call specifically urged Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to seek national unity, coming amid reported calls from the US Right for Maliki's resignation to be a stipulation for the US launching air strikes on Isis.

Read our full report.

08.30 Here's our leader in response to David Cameron's comments yesterday that battle-hardened Isis fighters are a major threat to attack Britain:

Quote The police and the security services are fully aware of the threat. Indeed, dozens of Syria-related arrests have been made, passports confiscated, citizenship rights removed and legislation is now being prepared to make the planning of terrorist attacks overseas illegal here in the UK.

This needs to be put on to the Statute Book as speedily as possible.

There is also an important role for the Muslim community in Britain to play. The police have already sought the co-operation of Muslim women, to try to dissuade or inform on men who intend to fight. But religious leaders also need to be involved, by urging would-be jihadis to stay at home and counter the call to arms they may hear on the internet.

As Mr Cameron told MPs, we cannot be indifferent to what is happening in Syria and Iraq, imagining it to be a self-contained, faraway war between Muslims. Without the utmost vigilance, it has the potential to harm us as well.

08.00 Colin Freeman is in Baghdad for the Telegraph and has this update on the US air strike request:

The Iraqi government formally asked America on Wednesday to conduct airstrikes against ISIS. But even if America agrees - which isn't a given - there's no certainty as to how effective they will be.

For a start, they require a detailed intelligence picture to be built up first, which could take some time. As General Martin Dempsey, the chair of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the US Senate on Wednesday: “It’s not as easy as looking at an iPhone video of a convoy (of Isis fighters) and then immediately striking”.

As he points out, Isis will not always be obligingly driving down some empty desert highway in a huge convoy waving their flags. Instead, they will be blending in among Iraq's civilian population, which makes the risks of innocent casualties in any airstrike much higher.

Remember, also, that the US had all manner of warplanes and drones at its disposal when it was actually occupying Iraq, not to mention more than 100,000 troops, and it still didn't stop the insurgents holding ground.

Read more: Iraq calls publicly for America to bomb Isis 'terrorists'

Peshmerga fighters 500m from the Isis fighters at the Tal Afar frontline (CAROL MALOUF)

07.30 Good morning and welcome to today's coverage of the crisis in Iraq.

Interesting developments overnight in the United States, where Obama has met with top officials from both parties in the Oval Office to discuss options for responding to Iraq's request for air strikes.

Among those was Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who told reporters Obama has "indicated he didn't feel he had any need for authority from us for steps that he might take".

The prospect of Obama launching attacks on Isis without going through Congress - which he insisted on doing prior to aborted action on Syria - could lead to clashes in Washington.

 

[Trent Reznor]

I refuse to get myself worked up about this, cause ultimately, I can't do anything about it....

I just cant, and will never, understand WHY we have to get involved. Let them destroy themselves, EVENTUALLY someone with a brain will rise up and restore order.

USA is dying within and we're worried about things 6,000 miles away.

I just dont get it.

 

[360waves]

I refuse to get myself worked up about this, cause ultimately, I can't do anything about it....

I just cant, and will never, understand WHY we have to get involved. Let them destroy themselves, EVENTUALLY someone with a brain will rise up and restore order.

USA is dying within and we're worried about things 6,000 miles away.

I just dont get it.

Then you don't comprehend American history