Iraq Working Group


Turkey continues to dominate the news of Iraq, in addition to the more recent focus on the activities of private security firms in Iraq. It has been reported that the general Iraqi populace loathe these mercenaries, but have been powerless to do anything through their elected representatives, because of the powerful American immunity these men enjoy.  However, too many innocent Iraqis have died through the actions of the private security firms, and the Iraqis now intend to revoke the protection under which they operate.

 

As the British Defence Minister meets the Iraqi Prime Minister, the leader of the American Armed Forces, Gen. Petraeus, announces positively that troop losses are being significantly reduced as they gain a stronger hold over the security situation. This announcement is complemented by the news that the Americans are slowly handing over control of certain Iraqi Provinces to the Iraqis themselves. In line with this, it has been announced that the Germans have been awarded a contract to train the Iraqi military.

 

The fierce concentration on the security situation by everyone in Iraq ignores the fragile state of Iraq's infrastructure. In August The Independent printed an article on the extremely precarious nature of the dam in Mosul. This has now been confirmed by the Iraqis, and is a problem that urgently needs assessment, to prevent what could be a catastrohpic disaster.

 

 

Iraqi Kurds key to ending PKK crisis Agence France Presse 
Iraq’s Kurds, not Baghdad, hold the key to defusing the crisis over the Kurdish armed revolt against Turkey as the two states try to find a formula to avert a military strike, analysts and MPs said.

A high-level delegation from Baghdad yesterday held talks with Turkish leaders to prevent a military incursion into Iraq, but analysts said an active role was needed from Iraqi Kurdish leaders... To see the full text please click on this link   

Trilateral agreement signed for training of Iraqi military in UAE Khaleej Times The UAE, Iraq and Germany signed a trilateral agreement yesterday for continuation of the training of Iraqi military in the UAE by Bundeswehr, the German armed forces.

The agreement was signed at the Armed Forces Officers’ Club in the capital, by Brig-Gen. Mohammad Ali Al Jabri of the UAE Armed Forces, Maj-Gen. Qassim Hussain Al Ali of Iraqi Ministry of Defence, and Col. Ingbert I. Herzog of the German Ministry of Defence... To see the full text please click on this link   

Defence secretary meets Iraq PM
BBC Defence Secretary Des Browne has met the Iraqi prime minister Nouri Maliki during a visit to Baghdad. He is also planning to meet the Iraqi foreign minister, as well as coalition and Iraqi army officers. He visited Basra on Wednesday when Iraq announced its forces will take control of Basra province in December...  To see the full text please click on this link   
Iraq to End Contractor Immunity BBC 

The Iraqi government has approved a draft law revoking the immunity from prosecution private security contractors enjoy under Iraqi law. The law, which has been referred to parliament, would revoke an order set up after the US-led invasion in 2003...

Iraqi dam burst 'would drown 500,000' The Independent 

A catastrophic failure of the largest dam in Iraq would send a wave 65ft high hurtling down the valley of the river Tigris, killing up to 500,000 people, US engineers warned yesterday.

The dam, which is near Mosul in the north of the country, was built in 1984 on a bed of water-soluble rock and is in imminent danger of collapse. "In terms of the internal erosion potential of the foundation, Mosul Dam is the most dangerous dam in the world," said a report by the US Army Corps of Engineers. "If a small problem [at] Mosul dam occurs, failure is likely." The collapse of the two-mile long, earth-filled dam would release eight billion cubic metres of water in the lake behind it in a giant wave which would flood Mosul – a city of 1.7 million people 20 miles downstream – to a depth of 60ft... To see the full text please click on this link   
Gen Petraeus: Al-Qa'eda threat in Iraq reduced Daily Telegraph 
America is expected to confirm on Thursday that troop losses in Iraq have dropped to an 18-month low, as its surge of forces resulted in dramatic security gains in cities and provinces once deemed lost to al-Qa'eda.
 
The military death toll for October stood at 33 yesterday, averaging out to just over one per day or less than one third the rate recorded in June. It is the lowest figure since March 2006... 

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