Category: Middle East,

Fleeing ISIS’ assault on girls and women 

On By peanutgallerynhIn Chick Stuff,, Middle East,, Modern Parenting,Leave a comment

Things had been getting worse for women in Iraq since the 2003 US-led invasion, [emphasis: mine] the rise of sectarian strife and fundamentalist Islam. But in the summer of 2014 came the biggest blow when ISIS enforced its extreme ideology in northern Iraq.

…Tales of rape and other horrific abuses of women had spread across Nineveh; of the capture and enslavement of non-Muslim women from Yazidi and Christian communities, acts that ISIS claims are justified in the Quran.

So Zainab, who is Muslim, was married off at 16 to save her from ISIS. Three months ago, she became pregnant. In the madness of escaping her ISIS-held town, she lost her baby. She says little about it except there was a lot of blood.

…But what happened to her is also an assault. She was a child still and robbed of her freedom, her life’s trajectory altered because of an ideology that does not value her worth as a woman. Early marriage for girls has emerged, sadly, as a coping mechanism under the militants.
…I ask about her journey from Mosul, why she fled in her condition. Her initial answer is wholly expected: “I was afraid for my daughter.”
She continues: “But I was afraid as much for my son. He would have been brainwashed by them and one day forced to join their ranks.”

…The prospect of a military victory over ISIS in Mosul offers glimmers of hope for a better future, but the women are unsure if life can ever be the same again.

How long, they ask, will it take to reverse the damage that has been done; to undo a perverse way of thinking that does not see women as human beings? How long before they can walk in the streets without constantly surveying their surroundings?

Fleeing ISIS’ assault on girls and women – CNN.com

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Iraqi forces evacuate 1000 civilians from Mosul front lines 

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Special forces Maj. Gen. Haider Fadhil said the residents of Tob Zawa and other nearby villages were taken to a camp in the nearby Khazer region for their safety. The International Organization for Migration said at least 8,940 people had been displaced since the operation to retake Mosul began on Oct. 17.

Over 3,300 displaced Iraqis sought help from the government on the ninth day of its offensive to retake Mosul, the AFP news agency reported on Wednesday, which was the highest number of any day so far.

Iraqi forces evacuate 1000 civilians from Mosul front lines – CBS News

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Spain under pressure to refuse refuel of Russian warships

On By peanutgallerynhIn Europe,, Middle East,Leave a comment

Spain was under pressure Wednesday from its allies to refuse permission for Russian warships headed for the Syrian coast to refuel at one of its ports.

Russia’s request to allow its ships to stop on Spanish territory “are under review” while Spain weighs input from its allies and Russian authorities, the foreign ministry said in an e-mail.

Spain under pressure to refuse refuel of Russian warships | News , World | THE DAILY STAR

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ICG: Yemen’s War Will Get Worse 

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Yemenis are no strangers to horrific attacks on civilians. After 18 months of war, both the US-supported, Saudi-led coalition and its adversaries, a combination of Houthi rebels and fighters loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, stand accused of flagrant violations of international humanitarian law, perpetrated seemingly without consequence. The United Nations estimates the war has claimed more than 10,000 lives, including 4,000 civilians, with the majority of deaths caused by coalition airstrikes.

…The anger and hostility directed toward the Saudi-led coalition in the aftermath of the funeral hall strike will make it harder to contain the regional rivalries unleashed across the Middle East and to convince Yemen’s domestic parties to reach a negotiated settlement. Indeed, the premonitions of Abdul-Qader Hilal, the Sanaa mayor who was killed in Saturday’s attack, are ones that deserve our attention now.

Two and a half years ago, I sat with Hilal in his home on the outskirts of Sana’a as he received rounds of Salafi, tribal, and Houthi mediators in an attempt to solidify a truce between warring factions in Yemen’s north. A politician with connections to all sides of the country’s complicated political and tribal mosaic, he predicted a conflagration if violence in the north was not contained by integrating the Houthis into the political system. When the military tide was unleashed, he warned, it would be hard to stop. “If the Houthis take Amran [a city north of Sanaa], they will take Sana’a,” he said. “If they take Sana’a, we will be talking about [stability in] Riyadh a year later.”

ICG: Yemen’s Terrible War is About to Get Worse – National Yemen

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White House accuses Israel of betraying trust 

On By peanutgallerynhIn Middle East,Leave a comment

The White House accused Israel of a betrayal of trust, in an unusually sharp rebuke over its plans to build hundreds of new settlement homes deep in the West Bank.

Days after President Barack Obama approved a $38 billion Israeli military aid package and attended former president Shimon Peres’s funeral in Jerusalem, the White House railed at the construction of 300 housing units on land “far closer to Jordan than Israel.”

…A sharper tone over settlements now could help put Israel on notice that future ties are at risk and give Washington more credibility with Palestinians and their Arab allies.

In a similarly strong-worded statement, the State Department said building the units “is another step toward cementing a one-state reality of perpetual occupation.”

The plan not only undermines hopes for peace with the Palestinians but “is fundamentally inconsistent with Israel’s future as a Jewish and democratic state,” spokesman Mark Toner said.

…US officials have adopted a more forceful tone with Netanyahu’s government in recent weeks, accusing it of recklessly accelerating construction despite international concern.

White House accuses Israel of betraying trust – The Express Tribune

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