Russia admits to loss of more than 1,300 troops in the month long war in Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin insists on calling the conflict in Ukraine as a “special military operation.” It began on Feb. 24 and Russia has finally admitted to loos of its forces. U S News says more than 1,300 Russian troops have been killed. However, the figures are much less than the assessment of Western powers and Kyiv. Incidentally, an official of the Russian Ministry of Defense indicated the state would take care of rehabilitation of the families of soldiers who lost their lives in the war. Casualties will be there during wars and the United States. had lost 7,000 troops in both Iraq and Afghanistan. That was across two decades.

Russia conducted different methods to subdue Ukraine. However, it seems various issues have bogged down the plans. Some of these are a depletion of Russian armaments coupled with effective defenses of Ukraine. Putin took a decision to use more indiscriminate weaponry and siege tactics against dense civilian centers like Mariupol and the capital Kyiv. These have led to increased civilian casualties. There are concerns in some quarters about Russia going in for chemical weapons or biological warfare. It seems Putin could induct foreign fighters to carry out such attacks.


Source - U S News 25 March 2022.

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United States sending 200 troops to help Iraqi and Kurdish forces take on ISIS

The US would be sendig 200 special operation troops to help out the Iraqi and Kurdish forces battling ISIS with instructions to capture or kill senior leaders of the terror network in Iraq and Syria.
This has been reported in foxnews.com dated 2 December 2015.

These troops would be sent to Iraq within the next few weeks as a part of a "specialized expeditionary targeting force" as announced by Defense Secretary Ash Carter in testimony before the House Armed Services Committee.
The official has informed that the force's remit would include targeted assassinations of senior ISIS if their specific mission requires. A second U.S. official has added that capturing senior ISIS leaders would also be an important component of the new assault force’s mission. That would help them to learn more about the group's structure and any affiliates.
This intel gathering mission is believed to be just as important as compared to eliminating the bad ones and, the number of troops "could grow" beyond 200.
Such operations are not new to the US - the U.S. military had carried out similar operations in Iraq to take out senior Al Qaeda leadership like the mission which killed Al Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in June 2006.

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Migrants ready to pay £1,200 to people smugglers for trip across Channel in UK-registered car

Desperate migrants from mid-East countries like Iran, Iraq and Syria trying to enter Britain ae willing to shell out £1,200 to people smugglers for a trip across Channel in UK-registered cars. It seems cars have been kept in readiness and waiting for the correct passengers.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 31 July 2015.

The cars are hidden in a garage not far from the French ferry port of Calais – there are 20 cars with UK number plates and the address is a closely kept secret known only to a select few like local police and the mayor of the small town of Teteghem. It is here that a makeshift camp has been built for illegal migrants from Iran, Iraq and Syria waiting to be smuggled across the Channel to England.
Teteghem was initially a meeting point for migrants who would reach northern France seven years ago. At that time, some of them set up tents by its lake. Soon, however, the numbers began to increase into hundreds and traffickers came on the scene to make a financial killing.
These people smugglers are from a big criminal organization and are armed with guns and knives. In case of obstruction by the police, they threaten the law.
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MI5 warns – extremists on the prowl in the streets of Britain

MI5 has made no bones about the fact that jihadists trained in extremist activities in Iraq and Syria have returned to Britain and the country is facing an 'unprecedented' threat from these Islamists who have been trained in terrorism overseas.
These jihadists include half of the nearly 700 Britons who have travelled to Iraq and Syria – they have returned back in the UK and could be plotting attacks.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 12 June 2015.

An inquiry has revealed that the number of extremists who had visited a training camp or fought alongside jihadists was higher than at any point before or after 9/11 and, there are also a large number of fanatics in the UK who were trained in other countries like Afghanistan, Pakistan, East Africa and Yemen.
In the opinion of officers of Scotland Yard, troubled teenagers are being groomed online by the flood of Islamic State propaganda and street gang members who used to earlier be involved in crimes like knifing and muggings are forming Islamist cells. They are even trying to co-ordinate international plots.
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Obama agrees to send 1500 additional troops to Iraq

The clock is turning a full circle for US President Barack Obama. When he took over as President of the USA, the US troops in Iraq were counting the days when they would return to the comfort of their homes as assured by Barack Obama. He had promised to evacuate Iraq by end 2011 and he did just that.
But, the present global scenario is forcing his hand because of the growing threats of the ISIS and he has agreed to send an additional 1500 troops to Iraq. This deployment would amount to doubling the current deployment. The Pentagon has decided to brand this deployment as Operation Inherent Resolve and the new troops would extend support to the roughly 1,600 US personnel already in Iraq.
The White House has indicated that the new forces would not be in combat roles and has asked Congress for $5.6bn (£3.5bn) to fund the mission against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. The request includes $1.6bn for an "Iraq Train and Equip Fund".
The US has reiterated that its troops in northern Iraq do not have any fighting role and their main purpose is to help train national and Kurdish forces to battle the Islamic State jihadists.
The White House has clarified that as a part of the strategy for strengthening partners on the ground, the President has authorized the deployment of up to 1,500 additional US military personnel in a non-combat role – they would be involved to train, advise and assist Iraqi Security Forces, including Kurdish forces.
The plan is that the new troops would operate at military facilities beyond Baghdad and Irbil, where they have hitherto been based and the military would set up several training sites across Iraq to instruct 12 Iraqi brigades.

Britain to send Apache helicopters to Iraq to fight the ISIS

Britain has taken a decision to go in for a more active role in Iraq and would be sending Apache helicopters to Iraq to fight the ISIS dailymail.co.uk. Till now, only the Royal Air Force had been involved in air strikes against the terror group but, once Apaches, piloted by the Army Air Corps is dispatched to Iraq, it would mean the first British Army involvement in a conflict role in the country.

The reason for sending Apache attack helicopters is because jihadis are able to move around the battlefield quickly since they use social media and messaging application WhatsApp. Therefore, warplanes that are flying at 20,000-30,000ft have to react to moving targets.
It is felt that UK troops would require ‘something that can act very quickly on intelligence’ and Apache helicopters are most suitable for such jobs since they can to fly close to the ground and at a slow speed, hence would be more effective at finding opposition troops on the ground.

Incidentally, Britain had a fleet of eight Apaches in Afghanistan and Prince Harry was among the co-pilots there during 2012.

More than 24 British jihadists have died in Syria –figure could be higher

Britain is seized with the problem of British jihadists dailymail.co.uk – reports indicate that at least 24 of them have already died and the figure could be higher. An estimate puts the death toll at 30 who might have died fighting for terror groups in Syria.

Researchers believe that 24 jihadists have been killed fighting with Islamic State and other groups but think that there could be hundreds, and possibly thousands, of Britons who have fled to Syria and Iraq to join up with radical Islamic groups like the Islamic State (ISIS) and the al-Qaeda affiliated Jabhat al-Nusra.

However, in spite of these deaths and the mounting political pressure on extremist groups both at home and abroad, Britain has no clue of how prevent radicalization of more British nationals because those who are going are going since they regard it as martyrdom and a victory.

There is crisis in the air as IS militants come to within 2-Km of Baghdad

The situation in the Middle East, especially in Iraq and Syria, keeps changing every minute and latest reports indicate that the IS militants are literally knocking at the doorsteps of Baghdad news.sky.com – within 2-Km as some reports mention.
Local residents are afraid to leave their houses and the roads are deserted in anticipation of imminent attacks and violence.
The revelations have been made by Canon Andrew White – in his words, the IS militants were reportedly only a mile away from the capital amid clashes with Iraqi soldiers. Moreover, there has also been renewed fighting in the central cities of Baquba and Ramadi.
The situation in Syria is no better – in spite of the recent coalition airstrikes, fighters from IS are believed to have come to within three miles of the strategic border town of Kobani.
Canon White is the vicar of St George's Church - the only Anglican Church in Iraq – and he has said that civilians were being killed by coalition air raids in Iraq.
He feels that that his church would be "very high up" on the extremist group's target list and he himself would be at the very top of the list.

68 Sunni Muslim devotees killed in attack on Imam Wais mosque in Diyala

It was another sectarian attack at the Wais mosque in Diyala, Iraq, in which at least 68 Sunni Muslims out of 150 odd present at the time, died in the militant attack news.sky.com.
This attack puts a spoke in the peace efforts to form a united front against IS jihadists because a suicide bomber blew himself up in the mosque north of Baghdad, while the Shia militiamen used machine guns to pick off fleeing worshippers.
The attack was carried out even as thousands of Peshmerga and counter-terrorism soldiers continued to battle Islamic militants around the nearby towns of Jalula and Sadiyah.
This latest attack, in Diyala province, is obviously a blow to the efforts of Prime Minister designate Haider al Abadi, a moderate Shia, to secure backing from Sunni groups in its battle against Islamic State (IS) extremists.
Incidentally, Haider al Abadi is trying to form a more inclusive government after the resignation of outgoing PM Nouri al Maliki.
However, two influential Sunni politicians have pulled out of talks with the main Shi'ite political alliance after the massacre.
Any attack on a mosque is an acutely sensitive issue and has in the past unleashed a deadly series of revenge killings and counter attacks in Iraq.
The US continues to conduct airstrikes against militants and has intensified its rhetoric over the beheading of journalist James Foley. In Washington, Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes has said that the murder of Foley is nothing but a terrorist attack against America.
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