. Military Space News .
IRAQ WARS
Iraqi Shiites slam calls to disband militia group after IS fight
 by Staff Writers
 Baghdad (AFP) Dec 3, 2017


Half of Yazidis kidnapped by IS still missing
Erbil, Iraq (AFP) Dec 3, 2017 - Around half of the Yazidis kidnapped by the Islamic State group three years ago are still missing, Iraqi Kurdish officials said Sunday.

In 2014, IS jihadists killed thousands of Yazidis in Sinjar and kidnapped thousands of women and girls from the religious minority to abuse them as sex slaves.

Kurdish fighters backed by the US-led coalition against IS captured Sinjar from the jihadists in November 2015 before Iraqi security forces took control of the region in October.

A top official with the ministry of religious affairs of the autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq said that some 6,417 Yazidis were abducted by the jihadists from August 3, 2014.

Up until December 1, 2017, only 3,207 of them have been rescued or managed to flee their captors, said Khairi Bozani.

The remaining 3,210 Yazidis -- including 1,507 women or girls -- were still either held by the jihadists or considered missing, he told AFP.

The ministry has been following up on the case and its figures show that 2,525 Yazidi children are now orphans while the parents of 220 others were still unaccounted for.

According to Bozani 47 mass graves containing the remains of Yazidis have been found since 2014.

The UN has called the massacres of Yazidis a genocide, arguing that IS had planned them and then intentionally separated men from women to prevent Yazidi children from being born.

The Yazidis are Kurdish-speaking but follow their own non-Muslim faith that earned them the hatred of the Sunni Muslim extremists of IS.

Yazidis believe in one God who created the world and entrusted it to seven Holy Beings, the most important of which is Melek Taus, or the Peacock Angel.

Around 550,000 Yazidis lived in Iraq before the massacres but since then 100,000 have left the country while 360,000 have been displaced and live in Iraqi Kurdistan or across the border in Syria.

Iraqi officials have blasted calls to disband a Shiite-dominated militia coalition that has been key in battling the Islamic State group, after French President Emmanuel Macron said it should disarm.

The 60,000-strong Hashed al-Shaabi, or Popular Mobilisation Forces, was formed in 2014 after IS routed government forces to seize swathes of northern Iraq, and it played a central role in helping push back the jihadists.

Calls have grown from the West for the Hashed, an umbrella group dominated by Iran-backed Shiite militias that is officially controlled by Iraq's prime minister, to be dismantled as the IS "caliphate" has been reduced to a few pockets of desert.

"Any such discussion is rejected and we do not accept interference in Iraqi affairs," said one of the group's leaders, Ahmad al-Assadi.

"Asking for the dissolution of the Hashed is like asking for the dissolution of the Iraqi army because the Hashed are a key element of Iraqi security."

Macron called at a press conference with Iraqi Kurdish leaders on Saturday for "a gradual demilitarisation" of the Hashed and for all militias in Iraq to be "dismantled".

"Emmanuel Macron interfered unexpectedly in Iraq's internal affairs by calling for the dismantling of a legal institution, Hashed al-Shaabi," vice president and former prime minister Nuri al-Maliki wrote on Facebook Saturday.

"We don't want any country to impose its will on the Iraqi government and the brave Iraqi nation," the leading Shiite politician said.

The Hashed is deeply divisive inside Iraq and among the country's international backers, and has been accused both of promoting Iranian interests and carrying out a wave of abuses.

In October, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi strongly defended the Hashed after comments from US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson that Iranian militias in Iraq should "go home".

IRAQ WARS
Britain's May tours Mideast amid Islam row with Trump
 Riyadh (AFP) Nov 30, 2017
 British Prime Minister Theresa May met Saudi leaders before leaving for Jordan Thursday on a Middle East tour overshadowed by a high-profile row with US President Donald Trump over Islam. Trump has infuriated British authorities with his tweets on terrorism in Britain, including highly publicised run-ins with London's Muslim mayor Sadiq Khan. On Tuesday, he drew fierce condemnation at ho ... read more
Related Links
 Iraq: The first technology war of the 21st century

Thanks for being here;
 We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once

credit card or paypal
 		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly

paypal only


Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.
Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

IRAQ WARS
Syria army intercepts Israel missiles near Damascus: state media

 Lockheed Martin, Romania sign agreement for PAC-3 MSE missile

 Lockheed, Romania in deal for upgraded Patriot missile systems

 Saudi Arabia intercepts second Yemen missile in a month
IRAQ WARS
Poland to buy AMRAAMs, HIMARS systems from U.S.

 Orbital ATK to support next-step development of anti-radiation missiles

 State Dept. approves potential Javelin missile sale to Georgia

 State Dept. approves potential missile sale to Poland
IRAQ WARS
Drone photos offer faster, cheaper data on key Antarctic species

 Drone Race: Human Versus Artificial Intelligence

 Pentagon steps up Somalia drone strikes

 Lockheed Martin Integrates New Engine for Fury Unmanned Air Vehicle
IRAQ WARS
US Navy accepts 5th MUOS Satellite for global military cellular network

 SES GS Awarded US Government Satellite Solutions Contract

 16th SPCS Defenders of critical satellite communications

 First order for Elta ELK-1882T SATCOM network system
IRAQ WARS
Artificial muscles give 'superpower' to robots

 Marines roll out new anti-tank weapon system

 Saab to supply South African forces with field kitchens

 Raytheon, Saab to develop improved shoulder-launched weapon systems
IRAQ WARS
U.S. sales to foreign militaries top $41 billion in fiscal year 2017

 Britain's May in Riyadh after surprise Baghdad visit

 Greek PM defends controversial Saudi arms sale

 Congress sends $700 bn defense bill for Trump's signature
IRAQ WARS
Under Trump's shadow, Tillerson heads for Europe

 US battles for global push on N.Korea amid Russia, China doubts

 Turkey detains 50 over links to group blamed for coup bid

 Turkish police move to arrest 333 soldiers over Gulen links
IRAQ WARS
Physicists explain metallic conductivity of thin carbon nanotube films

 Ceria nanoparticles: It is the surface that matters

 Semiconducting carbon nanotubes can reduce noise in interconnects

 Manganese dioxide shows potential in micromotors








The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.