tribuneindia/2014/20140705/world.htm#1 Iraqi army retakes Saddams birthplace Awja village just south of insurgent-held Tikrit | Govt aims to regain north Iraq from jihadis Baghdad, July 4 The Iraqi army retook Saddam Husseins home village overnight, a symbolic victory in its struggle to seize back swathes of the country from Sunni insurgents. Backed by helicopter gunships and helped by Shia Muslim volunteers, the army recaptured the village of Awja in an hour-long battle on Thursday night, according to state media, police and local inhabitants. Awja lies 8 km south of Tikrit, a city that remains in rebel hands since Islamic State, formerly the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), launched a lightning assault across northern Iraq last month. The offensive to retake Tikrit began on June 28, but the army has still failed to retake the city which fell after the police and army imploded last month in the face of the militant onslaught that also captured Mosul and other major Sunni areas. The military spokesman of embattled Shiite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said Awja had been totally cleansed and 30 militants killed, according to state television. The birthplace of Saddam, Awja benefited hugely from the largesse of the Sunni dictator before his ousting by the US invasion of 2003 and locals remained fiercely loyal to the man who would select his relatives from the area for top posts. Spokesman Qassim Atta said security forces had seized control of several government buildings, including a water treatment plant, but security sources and residents said militants were still holding Iraqi forces from entering Tikrit. The army said it now held the 50-km stretch of highway running north from the city of Samarra, which is 100 km north of Baghdad, to Awja. But the mainly Sunni communities along this corridor remain hostile towards government forces and army convoys continue to come under guerrilla attack. Military officials in the United States, which has deployed advisers to Iraq, believe the Iraqi army will be able to defend Baghdad but struggle to recapture lost territory, mainly because of logistical weaknesses. Government forces could benefit if cracks in the loose alliance of insurgents in Sunni majority areas widens. In the town of Hawija, site of infighting last month between Islamist fighters and Sunni militia forces, members of local Sunni tribes told Reuters that community members had organized to fight against the militants in control of the town. Members of the Al-Obaidi tribe were angered over the militants seizure of homes of local sheikhs and officials and had formed an armed group that killed five insurgents on patrol in the town on Friday, residents said. — Reuters UK imams urge UK Muslims to shun Syria, Iraq More than 100 Islamic prayer-leaders from various denominations of Sunni and Shia Muslims have signed a letter calling on British Muslims not to travel to Iraq or Syria to fight. We urge the British Muslim communities to continue the generous and tireless efforts to support all of those affected by the crisis in Syria and unfolding events in Iraq, but to do so from the UK in a safe and responsible way, the open letter, released on Friday, says. US scuttles Kurd move to seek independence Iraqi Kurdish preparations for an independence referendum met with frustration in Washington, which stressed unity was essential to tackle a jihadist-led onslaught that risks Syria-like chaos. Iraqi Kurdish president Massud Barzani told the autonomous regions Parliament on Thursday that it should make preparations to begin to organise a referendum on the right of self-determination, but the US opposed the move. Jihadists control all main Syria oil fields Beirut: The jihadist Islamic State (IS) now fully controls all of Syrias main oil and gas fields, which are located in Deir Ezzor province next to Iraq, a monitoring group said.
Posted on: Sat, 05 Jul 2014 08:24:37 +0000
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