Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

Further Reading

• January 30: CJTF-OIR Strike Summary Jan. 13 - 26, 2019 CENTCOM 31 Jan 2019 -- Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve and its partners continue to target and pursue the enduring defeat of ISIS.
• Combined Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve Monthly Civilian Casualty Report CENTCOM 31 Jan 2019 -- The Coalition has worked by, with and through partners since 2014 to defeat ISIS in designated parts of Iraq and Syria, liberating nearly 8 million Iraqis and Syrians from ISIS's brutal rule and reducing its control of territory to less than one percent of what it had previously held.
• Iraq, NATO sign military training MoU IRNA 30 Jan 2019 -- Iraqi Chief of staff of the army, General Othman al-Ghanmi and the NATO mission head General Curtis and NATO chief General Stuart Beg, signed a memorandum of cooperation to develop the capabilities of the Iraqi army, dinardaily reported.
• Iraqi Militia Leader Says US Military Forces Should Go Home - Report Sputnik 30 Jan 2019 -- The head of a powerful Shia militia group says he is "certain and confident" Iraqi lawmakers will vote on a resolution demanding the withdrawal of US military forces from the oil-rich nation, according to a new report.
• Six killed, over a dozen injured in bomb and gun attacks across Iraq Press TV 27 Jan 2019 -- Iraqi security officials and medical sources say at least six people have lost their lives and more than a dozen sustained injuries when separate bomb and gun attacks struck the country's northern provinces of Salahuddin and Nineveh as well as the eastern province of Diyala.
• Kurdish Protesters Reportedly Storm Turkish Military Camp in Iraqi Kurdistan Sputnik 26 Jan 2019 -- Residents were quoted by Reuters as saying that protesters were demonstrating against recent Turkish air strikes in the area.
• UK says to pull fighter jets from Syria after Trump's withdrawal decision Press TV 22 Jan 2019 -- The British Royal Air Force (RAF) is set to call back more than half of its fighter jets from Syria after US President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw American forces from the Arab country.
• UK Royal Air Force to Reduce Presence in Syria, Iraq – Report Sputnik 22 Jan 2019 -- The move was reportedly triggered by US President Donald Trump's announcement about the withdrawal of American troops stationed in Syria that will be carried out in the coming months.
• Iraqi Scientist REVEALS How He 'Helped' Daesh Make Chemical Weapons Sputnik 22 Jan 2019 -- A 52-year-old Iraqi geologist claims to have spearheaded the manufacture of chemical weapons for Daesh over a period of 15 months, The Washington Post reported.
• Iraq's Hashd al-Sha'abi warns Israel against possible attacks, pledges strong response Press TV 21 Jan 2019 -- Iraq's pro-government Popular Mobilization Units, known in Arabic as Hashd al-Sha'abi, have advised Israel against "playing with fire" after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo hinted that Tel Aviv may attack the anti-terror volunteer fighters.
• US Army study of its Iraq invasion concludes Iran was 'the only victor' Press TV 20 Jan 2019 -- The US army has described Iran as "the only victor" in its two-volume, 1300-page study of its brutal invasion of Iraq.
• US-Led Coalition: Militia Didn't Stop Iraq Survey VOA 19 Jan 2019 -- The U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State (IS) Friday denied it was blocked by Iran-backed Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) from conducting a military inspection in Iraq's Anbar province near the Syrian border.
• Iraqi artillery attack kill, injure 35 ISIS forces IRNA 19 Jan 2019 -- Commander of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) for Al-Anbar operation announced that the artillery units' attacks on ISIS positions have killed or injured 35 terrorists.
• Iraqi Hashd al-Sha'abi forces kill, injure dozens of Daesh terrorists in Syria Press TV 19 Jan 2019 -- Iraqi pro-government fighters from the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) have carried out a counter-terrorism operation in Syria's eastern province of Dayr al-Zawr, killing and injuring dozens of terrorists from the Daesh Takfiri group in the process.
• January 15: CJTF-OIR Strike Summary Dec. 30, 2018 - Jan. 12, 2019 CENTCOM 17 Jan 2019 -- Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve and its partners continue to target and pursue the enduring defeat of ISIS.
• Iraq: UN demining agency rejects desecration accusations, involving historic Mosul churches UN News 17 Jan 2019 -- The United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) in Iraq issued a statement on Thursday rejecting allegations made earlier this week by a non-profit organization there, alleging that personnel had carried out explosive hazard clearance inside two historic churches in Mosul "in a barbaric and arbitrary manner."
• FM Zarif: US officials have no right to meddle in Iran-Iraq ties Press TV 17 Jan 2019 -- Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif says US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo -- who was recently on an anti-Iran tour of the Middle East -- and other American officials have no right to meddle in neighborly and deep-rooted ties between Iran and Iraq.
• Macron: France to Keep Military Presence in Syria-Iraq Region Over Next Year Sputnik 17 Jan 2019 -- French President Emmanuel Macron explained that the recent terror attack that claimed the lives of US soldiers in the Syrian city of Manbij showed that the battle against Daesh* is not over.
• Iraqi Hashd al-Sha'abi forces stop US reconnaissance mission on Iraq's border with Syria Press TV 15 Jan 2019 -- Iraqi pro-government fighters from the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) have stopped a "suspicion reconnaissance mission" by US military forces to collect critical information about the movements and positions of the voluntary forces in the country's western province of Anbar and on the border with crisis-hit Syria.
• Baghdad govt. supports Syria's return to Arab League: Iraqi FM Press TV 14 Jan 2019 -- Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohammad al-Hakim says the Baghdad government supports the restoration of Syria's membership in the Arab League, amid promising signs that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government is being admitted back into the Arab world after nearly eight years of foreign-sponsored militancy.
• Jordan monarch visits Iraq for first time since 2008 Press TV 14 Jan 2019 -- Jordanian King Abdullah II has made his first trip to Baghdad in more than a decade, meeting Iraqi President Barham Saleh.
• Iraq underlines cooperation with Iran despite US sanctions IRNA 13 Jan 2019 -- Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohammad Ali Hakim said on Sunday that despite US unilateral economic sanctions, his country insists on economic cooperation with the neighboring state of Iran.
• Iran, Iraq foiled US moves to sabotage mutual ties: FM Zarif Press TV 13 Jan 2019 -- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has commended Iraq's positive stance on the promotion of ties with Iran, saying the two countries have managed to foil US bids to sabotage mutual relations.
• Large US troop deployment in Kirkuk causes Iraqi outcry Press TV 11 Jan 2019 -- The United States military has made a large troop deployment to military bases near the Iraqi city of Kirkuk, causing outcry among the local population.
• Tehran, Baghdad discuss expansion of ties in defiance of US' pressures Press TV 11 Jan 2019 -- Top officials from Iran and Iraq held talks on Thursday on ways to boost cooperation between the two neighboring countries, just one day after a surprise visit by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to the Arab country, which was supposed to convince Baghdad to restrict its ties with Tehran.
• Iraqi special forces deployed in Kirkuk after Kurdish flag raising triggered tensions Press TV 10 Jan 2019 -- Iraqi Special Operations Forces have been deployed in the Arab country's Kirkuk after the flag of Iraq's Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) was raised over a political party headquarters, which revived tensions more than a year after Baghdad seized the disputed northern city from the Kurdish Peshmerga fighters.
• CJTF-OIR reflects on significant military gains, fighting ISIS in 2018 CENTCOM 09 Jan 2019 -- Within one year, the Coalition has grown from 70 nations and four partner organizations to 74 nations and five partner organizations in the campaign to ensure the lasting defeat of ISIS. The Coalition welcomed the Philippines in February, Republic of Guinea and the Community of Sahel-Sahran States in June, Kenya in August, and Fiji in September.
• Pompeo Vows to Coordinate US Troops Pullout From Syria With Iraq - Baghdad Sputnik 09 Jan 2019 -- US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo promised during a meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi on Wednesday that Washington will coordinate with Baghdad the withdrawal of US troops from Syria, which is planned to be carried out gradually, the Iraqi prime minister's press service said.
• Pompeo makes unannounced visit to Iraq, makes no statements to the media Press TV 09 Jan 2019 -- US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has made an unannounced visit to Iraq, involving meetings with high-ranking officials and no statement to media.
• U.S. Secretary Of State Meets Troops, Iraqi Leaders In Unannounced Visit RFE/RL 09 Jan 2019 -- Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has visited Iraq in a previously unannounced visit, where he met with U.S. troops and Iraqi leaders to reassure them about a planned U.S. military withdrawal from Syria.
• Pompeo Meets Top Iraqi Officials During Unannounced Visit to Baghdad VOA 09 Jan 2019 -- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with top Iraqi officials Wednesday during an unannounced visit to Baghdad.
• Iraqi troops kill senior Daesh commander, capture 17 others near Mosul Press TV 07 Jan 2019 -- Iraqi security forces have killed a high-ranking commander of the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group and detained more than a dozen other terrorists during a counter-terrorism operation in the country's northern province of Nineveh as government troops and allied fighters from Popular Mobilization Units are trying to purge the Arab country of the last remnants of the terror outfit.
• CJTF-OIR Strike Summary Dec. 16 – Dec. 29 CENTCOM 04 Jan 2019
• Turkey, Iraq will deepen cooperation against terrorism in region: Erdogan Press TV 03 Jan 2019 -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Turkey and neighboring Iraq will deepen their cooperation against terrorism in the region, after tensions between Ankara and Baghdad over Turkey's airstrikes against purported positions of Kurdish militants in northern Iraq.
• Iraq Backs Syria's Return to Arab League – Foreign Minister Sputnik 03 Jan 2019 -- Iraqi top diplomat Mohamed Alhakim has confirmed the country's support for Syria's return to the Arab League, in a statement quoted by the Foreign Ministry.
• Iraq seeking ways to bypass unilateral US sanctions on Iran Press TV 03 Jan 2019 -- The Iraqi foreign minister says his country is "not obliged" to abide by unilateral US sanctions against Iran, stressing that Baghdad is considering options to bypass those bans and maintain trade ties with its neighbor.