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Iraqi Prez calls for calm amid a dispute over poll results

Iraqi Prez calls for calm amid a dispute over poll results

The Iraqi parliamentary elections, originally scheduled for 2022, were held in advance in response to months of protests against corruption, poor governance and a lack of public services…reports Asian Lite News

Iraqi President Barham Salih urged people who have objected to the results of the early parliamentary elections to calm down and resort to law in an effort preserve the country’s stability.

“We call on all parties to adopt a responsible national stance, keep calm, and avoid any escalation that might affect societal peace and security,” Salih said in a statement issued by the presidency media office.

Iraqi Prez calls for calm amid a dispute over poll results

Meanwhile, Salih urged the electoral commission and the judiciary to follow up on all complaints and appeals submitted by those who reject the election results with high professionalism, responsibility, and complete impartiality.

On Monday, the Iraqi Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) announced the preliminary results of early parliamentary elections, with the Sadrist Movement led by the Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr in the lead with more than 70 seats, while the al-Fateh Coalition (Conquest), which includes some Shia militias of Hashd Shaabi, garnered about 17 seats after becoming one of the leading blocs in the previous 2018 elections.

However, the Imtidad Movement, whose members joined the 2019 mass protests against corruption and mismanagement, also won about nine seats.

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The initial results were surprising to many political parties, who denounced the early elections as manipulation and fraud and warned that they will not accept the “fabricated results” whatever the cost is.

The Iraqi parliamentary elections, originally scheduled for 2022, were held in advance in response to months of protests against corruption, poor governance and a lack of public services.

In the polls, 3,249 candidates within 167 parties and coalitions competed for 329 seats in the upcoming parliament.

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Moqtada al-Sadr set conditions to deal with the US if he takes office

Moqtada al-Sadr set conditions to deal with the US if he takes office

Iraq’s prominent Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has set several conditions to deal with the US if his Sadrist Movement takes office…reports Asian Lite News

One of the conditions is that the diplomatic relations between the US and Iraq should be “state-to-state with full sovereignty”, al-Sadr tweeted on Saturday, after his party appeared the frontrunner in the October 10 parliamentary elections.

Al-Sadr noted that the talks should be serious about the US troops’ withdrawal from Iraq.

Moqtada al-Sadr set conditions to deal with the US if he takes office

He also called on Washington not to interfere in internal affairs and to keep Iraq away from the regional conflicts.

On Monday, the Iraqi Independent High Electoral Commission announced the preliminary results of the elections, with the Sadrist Movement in the lead with more than 70 seats.

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The Iraqi parliamentary elections, originally scheduled for 2022, were held in advance in response to months of protests against corruption, poor governance, and a lack of public services.

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Iraq News World

Iraq announces success in early voting for parliamentary polls

Iraq announces success in early voting for parliamentary polls

Iraqi authorities announced the success of the early voting with a 69 per cent turnout ahead of snap parliamentary elections…reports Asian Lite News

Judge Jalil Adnan Khalaf, Chairman of the Board of Commissioners at the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC), said in a press conference that the participation in Friday’s early voting “indicates the beginning of successful legislative elections”, reports Xinhua news agency

Iraq announces success in early voting for parliamentary polls

Khalaf stressed that no irregularities were registered during the early voting, and the results of early voting will be combined with the result of Sunday’s snap elections, which will be announced 24 hours after the end of the general polls.

However, an IHEC statement posted on its official website showed that 821,800 voters cast their ballots out of 1,196,524, which is 69 per cent of the early voting voters across the country.

Early voting for Iraq’s security forces, prisoners, and displaced people began at 7 a.m. and ended at 6 p.m.

ALSO READ: UAE, Iraq discuss joint parliamentary cooperation

The Iraqi parliamentary elections, originally scheduled for 2022, were advanced in response to months of protests against corruption and a lack of public services.

According to the electoral commission, about 24 million Iraqis are eligible to cast their ballots for 3,249 candidates, running individually and within 167 parties and coalitions, vying for 329 seats in the legislature.

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UAE, Iraq discuss joint parliamentary cooperation

UAE, Iraq discuss joint parliamentary cooperation

The two sides also affirmed the importance of joint parliamentary cooperation to serve Arab and Islamic issues and rallying support for issues of top priorities at international parliamentary gatherings…reports Asian Lite News

Saqr Ghobash, Speaker of Federal National Council, FNC, welcomed today Muhammad Al-Halbousi, Speaker of Iraq’s House of Representatives, to discuss ways of bolstering of parliamentary friendship and cooperation between the two houses and coordinating stances and consultations towards regional and international issues of mutual interest.

UAE, Iraq discuss joint parliamentary cooperation

The two sides also affirmed the importance of joint parliamentary cooperation to serve Arab and Islamic issues and rallying support for issues of top priorities at international parliamentary gatherings. They also suggested the creation of a joint parliamentary friendship committee to realise the aspirations of the two countries in several areas, help exchange expertise and knowledge and best practices to serve parliamentary diplomacy and promote parliamentary legislative and supervisory frameworks.

ALSO READ: Iraq, US agree to reduce combat units

Saqr Ghobash extended an invitation to Al-Halbousi to visit Expo 2020 Dubai.

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Iraq, US agree to reduce combat units

The two sides agreed to reduce the combat units from the military bases in Ayn al-Asad in the Anbar province, and Erbil in the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan….reports Asian Lite News

The Iraqi Joint Operations Command (JOC) announced that the domestic forces and US military have agreed to reduce combat units in two bases by the end of this month.

The agreement was reached during a meeting held on Thursday in Baghdad between an Iraqi committee headed by JOC’s Deputy Commander Lt. Gen. Abdul Amir al-Shammari and an American committee headed by Maj. Gen. John Brennan, commanding general of the US-led coalition forces in Iraq, the Command said in a statement on Friday.

The two sides agreed to reduce the combat units from the military bases in Ayn al-Asad in the Anbar province, and Erbil in the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan.

The reduction of US units will be completed by the end of this month, and the remaining units will be for support, equipment, and intelligence sharing purposes, it added.

The meeting was part of what was agreed upon during the US-Iraqi Strategic Dialogue in July, when the two sides agreed to withdraw all American combat troops from Iraq by December 31, 2021.

The two sides also agreed to hold regular sessions to complete the discussion of the remaining steps to secure the transition to a non-combat role for the US-led coalition forces.

The Strategic Dialogue sessions between Iraq and the US were initiated on June 11, 2020, under the Strategic Framework Agreement signed in 2008 between Baghdad and Washington.

The relation between the two countries strained after January 3, 2020, when a US drone struck a convoy at Baghdad airport, which killed Qasem Soleimani, former commander of the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy chief of Iraq’s paramilitary Hashd Shaabi forces.

The Iraqi parliament passed a resolution two days later, requiring the government to end the presence of foreign forces in Iraq.

The US airstrike also pushed unidentified militias to launch a series of rocket and mortar attacks on Iraqi military bases housing troops across Iraq, as well as the American embassy in the Green Zone in central Baghdad.

The tension pushed the two sides to launch sessions of strategic dialogue during which the S pledged to cut its troops in the country.

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Iraq PM arrives in Tehran on official visit, meets Iranian president

The statement indicated that Kadhimi will meet with a number of Iranian leaders and will discuss “files of common interest… as well as bilateral coordination…reports Asian Lite News

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi headed a government delegation to Tehran on Sunday for an official visit at the invitation of Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi, state news agency INA reported.

The INA correspondent said that “the bilateral meeting between Al-Kadhimi and Raisi began a short time ago in the capital, Tehran.”

Kadhimi said in a statement before departure that “the visit aims to strengthen bilateral relations, open up prospects for cooperation in various fields, and focus on the depth of the relationship between the two friendly countries.”

The statement indicated that Kadhimi will meet with a number of Iranian leaders and will discuss “files of common interest… as well as bilateral coordination on regional and international issues.”

Drones target northern Iraqi airport

Meanwhile, explosives-laden drones targeted Irbil international airport in northern Iraq late Saturday where US-led coalition troops are stationed with no reports of casualties, according to security forces and officials in Kurdish-run region.

Kurdistan’s Counter-Terrorism Service said at least two drones carrying explosives targeted the airport in a statement. It said the attack did not lead to any casualties.

Lawk Ghafuri, spokesman for the semi-autonomous northern region, said the explosives struck outside of the airport and dismissed reports the attack had impacted flights. He said the airport remained open and an investigation was ongoing by Kurdish authorities.

The attack is the first following a two month lull in drone and rocket attacks to target the US presence in Baghdad and military bases across Iraq. On July 8, rockets landed in and around the heavily fortified Green Zone in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, which houses the US Embassy. It caused material damage but no casualties.

Until recently the attacks were a frequent occurrence. The US has blamed Iran-backed militias for attacks. More recently, the attacks have become more sophisticated, with militants using drones instead of Katyusha rockets.

US forces will end their combat mission in Iraq by the end of this year, but will continue to train and advise the Iraqi military. There are currently 2,500 US troops in Iraq helping local forces counter what remains of the Daesh group.

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Death toll from IS attack in Northern Iraq rises to 12

During the early hours of Sunday morning, the news agency reported seven deaths….reports Asian Lite News

The number of police officers killed in the Islamic State (IS) terrorist attack in Iraq’s northern Kirkuk Governorate rose to 12, Shafaq News reported, citing security sources.

During the early hours of Sunday morning, the news agency reported seven deaths.

IS militants attacked the 19th Brigade, 2nd Regiment of the Federal Police in the village of Tal al-Steih. The attack also left three officers injured.

On August 29, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken assured Iraqi President Barham Salih that the operation against IS is not over, but is entering a new phase. There are currently 2,500 US troops in Iraq assisting local forces to counter the terrorist group.

In July, US President Joe Biden said that by the end of 2021, the US combat mission in Iraq would come to a close and after December 31, the US will be expected to switch to training and assisting Iraqi forces to counter the IS. (ANI)

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IS attack on funeral kills 13 in Iraq

The attack took place on Friday evening when IS militants attacked a funeral tent in the village of Albu Jily near the town of Yathrib….reports Asian Lite News

At least 13 people were killed and 45 others injured in an attack by carried out by the Islamic State (IS) terror group on a funeral and a nearby checkpoint in Iraq’s Salahudin province, a police source said on Saturday.

The attack took place on Friday evening when IS militants attacked a funeral tent in the village of Albu Jily near the town of Yathrib, some 80 km north of Baghdad, the source told Xinhua.

The IS militants also attacked a nearby checkpoint in the village, al-Bazi said, adding that three policemen were among the killed.

The security forces sealed off the scene as reinforcement troops arrived in the area, he added.

Islamic State

A medical source from Balad Hospital said that they received 13 bodies with bullet wounds, while 45 wounded others were admitted for treatment, some of them in critical condition.

A brief statement by the Iraqi Joint Operations Command confirmed the attack, adding that details were to be released later.

Salahudin Provincial Governor Ammar al-Jaber condemned the deadly attack in a statement, stressing the security forces will launch an investigation into the incident to bring the perpetrators to justice.

During the past months, the terror group have intensified their attacks on the Iraqi security forces in the province the militants previously controlled, leaving dozens dead and wounded.

The security situation in Iraq has been improving since Iraqi security forces fully defeated the IS terrorists 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.

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Two rockets fired near US embassy in Baghdad

The announcement came on the heels of Biden’s decision to withdraw fully from Afghanistan nearly 20 years after the U.S. launched that war in response to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks….reports Asian Lite News

Two rockets were fired early Thursday against Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone which houses the US embassy, without causing any casualties or damage, according to Iraqi officials.

The dawn attack came as Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi was flying home from Washington after White House talks in which President Joe Biden announced an end to US combat operations in Iraq.

Even before Biden took office, the main U.S. focus has been assisting Iraqi forces, not fighting on their behalf. And Biden did not say if he planned to reduce the number of troops in Iraq, now about 2,500.

The announcement came on the heels of Biden’s decision to withdraw fully from Afghanistan nearly 20 years after the U.S. launched that war in response to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Together, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have heavily taxed the U.S. military and kept it from devoting more attention to a rising China, which the Biden administration calls the biggest long-term security challenge.

For years, U.S. troops have played support roles in Iraq and in neighboring Syria, which was the origin of the Islamic State group that swept across the border in 2014 and captured large swaths of Iraqi territory, prompting the U.S. to send troops back to Iraq that year.

Kurdish security forces, known as Peshmerga, assemble outside the town of Bashiqah, some 30 km northeast of Mosul, Iraq

Speaking to reporters during an Oval Office session with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, Biden said his administration remained committed to a partnership with Iraq — a relationship that has been increasingly complicated by Iranian-backed Iraqi militia groups.

The militias want all U.S. troops out of Iraq immediately and have periodically attacked bases that house American troops.

Dan Caldwell, a senior adviser to Concerned Veterans for America, said U.S. troops will remain at risk.

“Regardless of whether their deployment is called a combat mission, U.S. troops will remain under regular attack as long as they remain in Iraq,” Caldwell said in a statement.

“An American military presence in Iraq is not necessary for our safety and only risks the loss of more American life.”

Biden said the U.S. military will continue to assist Iraq in its fight against the Islamic State group, or ISIS. A joint U.S.-Iraq statement said the security relationship will be focused on training, advising and intelligence-sharing.

“Our shared fight against ISIS is critical for the stability of the region and our counterterrorism operation will continue, even as we shift to this new phase we’re going to be talking about,” Biden said.

ALSO READ: Iraq recovers 17,000 artefacts from US

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Iraq recovers 17,000 artefacts from US

About 15,000 pieces of cultural relics from the Stone Age, the Babylonian, Assyrian, and Islamic periods had been stolen or destroyed by looters after Saddam Hussein’s regime was toppled by US-led troops, reports Asian Lite News

Iraq has managed to recover some 17,000 stolen artefacts from the US, marking the return of the largest amount of smuggled Iraqi antiquities, Minister of Culture, Tourism, and Antiquities Hassan Nadhim said in a statement.

In the statement issued on Wednesday, Nadhim praised the return of these artefacts as a “momentous event”, and expressed hope for more efforts to retrieve other Iraqi antiquities smuggled to Europe.

According to the official statistics, about 15,000 pieces of cultural relics from the Stone Age, the Babylonian, Assyrian, and Islamic periods had been stolen or destroyed by looters after Saddam Hussein’s regime was toppled by US-led troops in 2003.

PIC CREDIT WIKIPEDIA

The Mosul Museum and ancient cities of Hatra and Nimrud had also been destroyed and large numbers of antiquities smuggled after the Islamic State terror group took control of large territories in northern and western Iraq in 2014.

More than 10,000 sites in Iraq are officially recognised as archaeological sites, but most of them are not safeguarded and many were still being looted.

PIC CREDIT WIKIPEDIA

US takes step to return 3,500-year-old looted artefact

Meanwhile, a US federal court has verified that a 3,500-year-old rare artefact was legally seized by authorities, paving way for its return to Iraq. US district judge Ann M. Donnelly ruled that the tablet recounting the epic of Gilgamesh, written in Akkadian, originated in present-day Iraq and entered the US contrary to federal law.

The US state department on Tuesday said that the rare fragment was illegally imported to the country after it was bought by Hobby Lobby, a prominent arts-and-crafts retailer based in Oklahoma City, from an international auction house for more than $1.67 million. The law enforcement agents seized it from the museum in 2019.

“This forfeiture represents an important milestone on the path to returning this rare and ancient masterpiece of world literature to its country of origin,” acting US Attorney Jacquelyn M. Kasulis said in a statement.

“This office is committed to combating the black-market sale of cultural property and the smuggling of looted artefacts,” she added.

The Gilgamesh Dream Tablet was discovered in 1853 in the ruins of the library of the Assyrian King Assur Banipal in Nineveh, situated in modern-day northern Iraq. In 2003, a US antiquities dealer purchased the tablet from a family member of a coin dealer in London and shipped it to the US by international post without declaring formal entry, according to the US state department.

The antiquities dealer then allegedly sold the tablet with a false provenance letter that stated the ancient artefact had been inside a box of miscellaneous ancient bronze fragments purchased in an auction in 1981. The tablet changed hands several times in different countries along with the false letter.

“Hobby Lobby consented to the tablet’s forfeiture based on the tablet’s illegal importations into the United States in 2003 and 2014,” the department added.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi is reportedly set to take back 17,000 pieces of archaeological treasures when he returns on Thursday. However, it was not immediately clear whether the Gilgamesh tablet would be among those thousands of artefacts.

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