4 May 8, 2016 Cover Story Iraq Iraqi factions unify ranks, recapture Bashir

Nermeen Mufti Minister Haider al-Abadi, spoke to The Arab Weekly during an inspec- tion tour of Bashir. Bashir “We will soon start rehabilitat- ing the village’s infrastructure, re- ebris littered the area. moving the ISIS-planted explosive Brick and cement build- devices to allow for the return of ings were flattened to displaced Iraqis to their homes,” the ground. There were Mufti said during a government- no residents to be heard, sanctioned tour. Djust the whisper of a draft across the deserted Turkmen village of Bashir, The extent of south-west of the Iraq’s northern destruction in city of Kirkuk. Bashir bears witness to The extent of destruction bears the atrocities that witness to the atrocities that Islamic Islamic State (ISIS) State (ISIS) militants committed in militants committed the village since taking it over on June 14th, 2014. The village was re- since 2014. captured on May 1st. Seizing Bashir is a significant A force of Turkmen fighters, as- step towards liberating Hawija, one sisted by Kurdish peshmerga and of ISIS’s bastions in northern Iraq, units of Iraq’s popular army that in- which is used as a supply and trans- cluded Shia militias, assisted by US portation route linking the jihadists air strikes, recaptured Bashir. with each other in north-western The village underwent a similar Iraq. destruction 36 years ago. In June It is also a lesson to Iraqis that 1980, Bashir was demolished at the when various ethnic groups unify hands of the Iraqi regime, which their ranks, they can defeat ISIS executed dozens of Bashir’s Turk- militants. mens, mostly Shias, who were a ma- jority in the town. Seizing Bashir is a Abu Redha Najjar, a supervisor significant step of the northern axis of the Turk- towards liberating men Force, Division 16, said liberat- (Photo credit: Courtesy of Turkmen Forces) Hawija, one of ISIS’s ing Bashir “does not only open the A resident of Bashir, which was recaptured from ISIS on May 1st, tries to hoist the Iraqi flag at a bastions in northern plain road towards Hawija but also government building Iraq. protects Taza Khurmatu from ISIS’s attacks”. Analysts and politicians said lib- Taza Khormato, also widely nels under the village linked to each their village. cleared of explosives. erating Bashir will ease a noose on known as Taza, is 15km south of other in a very complicated way,” Sadiq Bashirly, a poet, said he fled Bashirly said he could not forget Taza Khurmatu, further south. The Kirkuk, while Tuz Khormato is Abu Thaer said. He said it was not Bashir with his family the night ISIS that night when ISIS attacked. Tens multi-ethnic city includes Arabs, about 60km away from Taza. immediately clear what the tunnels attacked the town in June 2014. He were killed and many others went Kurds and Turkmen, who are con- He said the joint operation of were used for. said his family went to Najaf, while missing, he added. tinuously fighting jihadists to drive ethnic groups of different religious Abu Thaer said the next step the others went to Kirkuk and Taza Earlier, the Kurdish peshmerga them out of their areas. At least three sects was a “direct message to the would be to recapture Rashad, 10km Khurmatu. commander Wasta Rasul was quot- civilians were killed and scores of government to say that unity makes west of Bashir, a move that would He said his cousin from the Turk- ed as saying that Iraqi forces could others were wounded. More than 50 us stronger “. stop attacks against Bashir and Taza men Force told him his house was cooperate with the peshmerga in peshmerga, Turkmen and popular Abu Thaer, a commander of Khurmatu. demolished, yet he saw his library Kirkuk province in northern Iraq to Iraqi militias were reported killed or the Turkmen Force’s Division 16, Taza Khurmatu Mayor Hussein and personal documents under the liberate Hawija. wounded in fighting April 25th-26th. said coalition warplanes bombed Ali said at least “80% of the village fallen walls. “Although my house “I can tell ISIS is already on the “Liberating Bashir is an important a bridge, cutting off supplies and was destroyed, 800 houses from was destroyed, finding the books verge of falling in Hawija. Peshmer- step towards Hawija, a stronghold fighters for ISIS. 1,000 houses are totally destroyed, and a written collection of poems ga forces are also ready to close in on for ISIS”, observed Torhan al-Mufti, He explained that while the pesh- the mosques, hospital, schools and waiting to be published made me the town,” Rasul said. president of the Higher Commission merga deployed on the southern the infrastructure facilities are de- feel happy,” he said. for Coordinating between Provinc- part of the village, Turkmen fighters stroyed completely”, adding that he “We will be back soon to the vil- Nermeen Mufti, based in Baghdad, es. advanced into the village. met many displaced Iraqi families lage”, he said, pointing out that resi- has been reporting on Iraqi affairs Mufti, representing Iraqi Prime “We discovered a network of tun- from Bashir who want to return to dents will be back once the area is for three decades. US seeks to speed up Iraqi push on Mosul

Harvey Morris The message from Iraqi Prime the short-term. no plan to put a substantial force of ther suspicions among the Kurds’ Minister Haider al-Abadi’s Ameri- “We may be able to begin the boots on the ground. nominal Iraqi allies that they will can allies has been a mixture of campaign, do some isolation op- The British government is pre- want to exact a price, possibly stak- London caution and impatience. Washing- erations around Mosul but secur- paring to dispatch “hundreds” of ing a claim to Kurdish-populated ton officially defers to Baghdad to ing or taking Mosul is an extensive soldiers to Iraq to join about 300 areas to the east of Mosul. eports predicting the decide when and how it chooses to operation and not something I see already there, nevertheless stress- Whenever the offensive comes, imminent recapture of target Mosul and avoids predicting in the next year or so,” he said. ing that they will be confined to a Stewart is right to warn it will be Mosul began to circulate an early offensive. Despite that note of caution, training role. complex. ISIS is generally on the in December 2014, six In February, the director of the there are indications that a ma- Defence ministers from the Unit- retreat but yet was able to mount months after Iraq’s sec- US Defense Intelligence Agency, jor campaign is in the works. The ed States and ten Western allies multiple attacks on peshmerga Rond largest city was seized by forc- Marine Corps Lieutenant-General death of US Navy SEAL Charles met recently in Germany to pledge forces east of Mosul. es of the Islamic State (ISIS). Vincent Stewart, told US senators Keating in a firefight with ISIS more resources to combating ISIS A year-and-a-half on, a military that retaking Mosul would be a highlighted the growing front-line in both Iraq and Syria in a state- “Securing or taking campaign to liberate the city is still complex operation. He was not op- role of American soldiers, despite ment that specifically referred to Mosul is an extensive “imminent”, although more cau- timistic about capturing the city in Obama’s assurances that there is Mosul. operation and not tious voices are suggesting the op- The ministers pledged to speed eration may be as much as six, or up additional support for their something I see in even 12, months away. partners on the ground and provide the next year or so.” Aside from the conflicting agen- more resources “in the near-term, The director of the US das of those with a stake in con- in order to hasten the collapse of Defense Intelligence fronting ISIS — the Iraqi Army, Shia ISIS’s/Daesh’s control over Mosul Agency, Marine Corps militias, Kurds, Sunni Arab tribes as and Raqqa”. Daesh is an Arabic ac- Lieutenant-General well as outside players that include ronym for ISIS. Vincent Stewart. the United States and Iran — an un- When it comes to the domestic resolved political crisis is diverting front, ISIS’s enemies remain di- The jihadists may be getting Baghdad’s attention from the war. vided on the putative offensive. nervous, however, as are the ci- US President Barack Obama, Shia-dominated militias insist they vilians marooned under ISIS rule. during a visit to Riyadh in April to should play a role, despite the dan- Operations around Mosul have urge Saudi Arabia and other Gulf ger that this could alienate the lo- forced refugees to flee the area and Cooperation Council countries to cal elements in and around the ma- the United Nations fears a further do more to help Iraq, warned of jority Sunni Mosul that Baghdad 30,000 could be displaced in the the dangers of Baghdad’s political would like to see on its side in the coming weeks. stalemate. “They’ve got a lot on fight. Meanwhile, in Mosul, residents their plate,” he said. “Now is not Hadi al-Amiri, leader of the Ira- report that ISIS has begun disman- the time for government gridlock nian-backed Badr organisation, tling satellite dishes — the city’s or bickering.” which is one of the strongest Shia main ear to the outside world — as On March 24th, with the political militias, was quoted as saying in part of a blackout to ensure locals crisis already bubbling, the Iraqi late March that Shia Hashd forces cannot follow news of their prom- military announced the first phase would play an “essential role” in ised liberation. of its Fatah Operation, launched the battle for Mosul, although local to liberate Nineveh province, of fighters and the army would be the Harvey Morris has worked in the which Mosul is the capital. A num- ones to actually enter the city. Middle East for many years and ber of villages were recaptured in Kurdish peshmerga forces will written several books, including the initial ground operations but inevitably continue to play a sig- No Friends but the Mountains: this still left the army about 110km Iraqi security forces fire at Islamic State positions from villages nificant role in the anti-ISIS cam- The Tragic History of the Kurds short of its ultimate prize. south of the ISIS-held city of Mosul, Iraq. paign. That, however, raises fur- published in 1993.