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Trump to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, Iraq

Washington, Oct. 2, 2020 (Xinhua) -- File photo taken on Sept. 3, 2020 shows U.S. President Donald Trump participating in a campaign rally in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, the United States. Trump said early Friday morning that he and his wife, Melania, have tested positive for COVID-19, after a close aide had contracted the virus. (Xinhua/Liu Jie/IANS)

Soon after taking office, Miller, a US special forces veteran who fought wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, indicated he might accelerate the pace to pull U.S. troops out of Afghanistan…reports Asian Lite News

  • US President Donald Trump formallt accepts Republican nomination.

US President Donald Trump will issue a formal order to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan and Iraq as soon as this week, according to media reports on Monday.

US media quoted officials as saying that the Pentagon had issued a notice to commanders to begin planning to decrease the number of troops to 2,500 level in both Afghanistan and Iraq by mid-January, the Xinhua news agency reported.

The 2,500-troop level in reports was in line with what Trump’s National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien said last month that US troops in Afghanistan would be reduced to around 2,500 by early 2021. Currently, there are approximately 4,500 US troops in Afghanistan and 3,000 troops in Iraq.

The reports came after a reshuffle of Pentagon leadership last week. President Trump last Monday appointed the director of the National Counterterrorism Center Christopher Miller as acting defense secretary to replace former Pentagon chief Mark Esper, who reportedly had been pushing back on a premature withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Soon after taking office, Miller, a US special forces veteran who fought wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, indicated he might accelerate the pace to pull U.S. troops out of Afghanistan.

Also read:Andrew Cuomo Slams Trump’s Vaccine Plan

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COVID-19 infections exceed half a million in Iraq

Iraqi officials believe that such rates are widely acceptable with daily recoveries either higher than or equal to the daily COVID-19 infections….reports Asian Lite News

Sayf al-Badr, Iraqi Health Ministry’s spokesman, said that the COVID-19 pandemic is under control in the country and the ministry has followed plans to contain the increase in infections.

“Until now, the health situation is under control and we affirm the need for the citizens to adhere to the health-protective measures,” al-Badr told Xinhua in an interview on Tuesday.

The recovery rate from the coronavirus in Iraq is about 86 percent and the death rate is about 2 per cent, according to the Health Ministry’s reports.

Iraqi officials believe that such rates are widely acceptable with daily recoveries either higher than or equal to the daily COVID-19 infections.

In recent months, the Iraqi Health Ministry has followed a multi-pronged anti-COVID-19 plan despite the fragile health systems amid years of wars, conflicts, and corruption that left heavy damage to its health institutions.

The ministry has worked on increasing hospitals’ capacity, managing so far to provide more than 11,000 hospital beds after opening several makeshift hospitals across the country, and providing medical protocols to treat COVID-19 patients.

It is also working to bring in the coronavirus vaccines after being approved by international health organizations and is seeking to make Iraq one of the first countries to receive such vaccines.



The ministry on Monday said that 501,733 people had been infected with COVID-19 since the outbreak of the disease in the country in February, of whom 11,380 had died, while 432,233 patients had recovered.

The Iraqi health official repeatedly attributed the increase of COVID-19 infections to the public’s failure to comply with health instructions and to a stronger testing capacity with the increase of labs in Baghdad and other provinces.

From the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak, the Iraqi Health Ministry has struggled to increase its testing capacity. It has increased the number of laboratories to 70 and will open new labs in the coming days, in addition to training the health staff on working on PCR labs.

The ministry also plans to enhance health awareness by increasing health programs broadcast on Iraqi Health Radio that covers all Iraqi provinces.

Mohammed Ghanim Mahdi, director of the National Center of the Teaching Laboratories of the Medical City, said that the laboratory is well-equipped and is taking part in the ministry’s efforts to contain the pandemic.

The director said that the work is going on in the Chinese-donated and built laboratory and “our situation now is stable and much better compared with five or six months ago in terms of preparing and supplying laboratory materials for detecting infection with the coronavirus.”

Mahdi praised China’s early medical aid to Iraq, including the efforts made by the Chinese expert team at the beginning of the pandemic, saying that “the Chinese team helped us build and equip the PCR laboratory and we are still in constant contact with them (the Chinese experts).”

Also read:Iraqi forces carry out major anti-IS offensive

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4 killed,3 injured in IS attack near Baghdad

The security situation in Iraq has been improving since Iraqi security forces fully defeated the IS militants across the country late in 2017….reports Asian Lite News

Four people were killed and three others injured in an Islamic State (IS)attack near Baghdad, the Iraqi military said on Monday.

The attack took place late Sunday night when four IS militants attacked a military position manned by a government-backed paramilitary Sunni group known as Sahwa in the al-Radwaniyah area, Xinhua news agency quoted the media office of the Joint Operations Command (JOC) as saying in a statement.

One of the three injured left the hospital after receiving treatment, the statement added, without giving further details.

The security situation in Iraq has been improving since Iraqi security forces fully defeated the IS militants across the country late in 2017.

However, IS remnants have since melted in urban areas, deserts and rugged areas, carrying out frequent guerilla attacks against security forces and civilians.

Also read:Iraqi forces carry out major anti-IS offensive

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Iraqi forces carry out major anti-IS offensive

The first day of the several-day operation resulted in the seizure of 14 roadside bombs, rocket launchers, and 10 mortar rounds as well as finding two tunnels used by the IS militants in the mountains…reports Asian Lite News

Iraqi security forces have launched a major offensive against the Islamic State (IS) terror group in a mountainous area in Salahudin province, the military said.

Iraqi forces, backed by the US-led coalition and Iraqi aircraft, began the offensive on Sunday in the mountain ranges of Makhoul and Khanogah, Xinhua news agency quoted the media office of the Iraqi Joint Operations Command (JOC) as saying in a statement.

The first day of the several-day operation resulted in the seizure of 14 roadside bombs, rocket launchers, and 10 mortar rounds as well as finding two tunnels used by the IS militants in the mountains, the JOC statement said.

The forces conducted a series of airstrikes on the IS positions, Yahia Rasoul, spokesman of the Commander-in-Chief of the Iraqi forces said in a separate statement.

JOC spokesman Tahsin al-Khafaji told the official Iraqi News Agency (INA) that the security forces “pursued a new tactic through setting up towers and thermal cameras for surveillance to prevent the extremist militants from returning to the areas”.

The mountains and vast rural areas in Salahudin province have witnessed intense IS activities during the past months, despite repeated military operations to hunt them down.

The security situation in Iraq has been improving since security forces fully defeated the IS militants across the country late in 2017.

However, IS remnants have since melted in urban areas or deserts and rugged areas, carrying out frequent guerilla attacks against security forces and civilians.

Also read:Thousands gather in Iraqi street on anti-govt protest anniversary

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Thousands gather in Iraqi street on anti-govt protest anniversary

Hundreds gathered in Banhdad’s al-Tahrir Square on Sunday morning to demand reforms and accountability for those who killed hundreds of protesters in previous months…reports Asian Lite News

Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Baghdad, as well as other major provinces of Iraq to mark the first anniversary of the mass anti-government demonstrations that demanded comprehensive corruption reforms.

Hundreds gathered in Banhdad’s al-Tahrir Square on Sunday morning to demand reforms and accountability for those who killed hundreds of protesters in previous months, reports Xinhua news agency.

Later in the day, dozens of protesters tried to remove concrete barriers on the nearby al-Jumhuriya and al-Sinak bridges, prompting security forces to fire tear gas to disperse the crowds, while some demonstrators threw Molotov cocktails on the troops.

A statement by the spokesman of the Commander-in-Chief of the Iraqi forces Yehia Rasool said that “a group of saboteurs infiltrated with the demonstrators and began throwing hand grenades on the security forces, wounding 32 security members, including two officers”.

  • Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi.

During the demonstration, Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi visited the headquarters of the Joint Operations Command and the Federal Police in Baghdad to discuss the protection of the demonstrators and to ensure their right to express their opinion, according to a statement issued by his media office.

Mass anti-government demonstrations have continued in Baghdad and other major cities since October 2019, demanding comprehensive reform, fight against corruption, better public services, and more job opportunities.

As part of his efforts to compensate the families of those killed in the protests across the country, al-Kadhimi decided to pay the salaries of 561 families of the victims.

Also read:Iraqi Parliament approves electoral districts amid disputes

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Iraqi Parliament approves electoral districts amid disputes

Earlier this month, 329-seat Parliament decided to set 83 electoral districts in the country, based on the women’s 25 per cent quota….reports Asian Lite News

The Iraqi Parliament has approved most of the country’s electoral districts amid disputes among political blocs.

On Saturday, Parliament voted by a majority of 176 lawmakers, who attended the session, on the electoral districts in 16 out of Iraq’s 18 provinces, “while the voting on the remaining provinces of Nineveh and Kirkuk was postponed to next Monday’s session”, reports Xinhua news agency citing an official statement as saying.

Ahmed al-Jubouri, a lawmaker from the northern province of Nineveh, told Xinhua that “the reason for postponing voting is due to the deep differences among representatives of the two provinces”.

Al-Jubouri believes that the differences among the lawmakers will be resolved before the coming session on Monday.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi.

Earlier this month, 329-seat Parliament decided to set 83 electoral districts in the country, based on the women’s 25 per cent quota.

Late last year, Parliament passed most of the elections draft, but differences remained on the number of electoral districts due to political row among the political blocs.

The new electoral law came in response to the anti-government protests and was designed to make it easier for independent politicians to win a seat in the upcoming parliament.

On July 31, Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi set June 6, 2021 as the date for early elections.

Also read:Iraq PM Al-Kadhimi arrives in the UK