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| Iraq |
| Iraqi army retreats from Tikrit |
| 2014-07-17 |
| [Dhaka Tribune] Iraqi forces have withdrawn from the Lion of Islam-held city of Tikrit after their new offensive met heavy resistance, in a blow to the government effort to push back Sunni holy warriors controlling large parts of the country. The failure highlights the difficulties of Baghdad's struggle to recapture territory from the holy warriors who seized djinn-infested Mosul ... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn... , Tikrit and other cities last month in a rapid offensive which threatens to fragment Iraq on ethnic and sectarian lines. The setback came as Iraqi politicians named a moderate Sunni Islamist as speaker of parliament on Tuesday. That was a long-delayed first step towards a power-sharing government urgently needed to confront the Lion of Islams, who are led by the al Qaeda offshoot Islamic State. It is unclear if the election of Salim al-Jabouri as speaker will break the broader deadlock over Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's bid to serve a third term. He has ruled since the April election as a caretaker. Government troops and allied Shi'ite volunteer fighters retreated from Tikrit before sunset on Tuesday to a base four km (2.5 miles) south after coming under heavy mortar and sniper fire, a soldier who fought in the battle said. Residents said there was no fighting on Wednesday morning in Tikrit, which lies 160 km (100 miles) north of Baghdad. It is a stronghold of ex-army officers and loyalists of executed former dictator Saddam Hussein's Baath Party who allied themselves with the Islamic State-led offensive last month. Tuesday's military attack was launched from Awja, Saddam's birthplace some 8 km (5 miles) south of the city, but ran into heavy opposition in the southern part of the city. Pictures published on Twitter by supporters of the Islamic State showed a fighter holding a black Islamist flag next to a black armoured car it said had been abandoned by a military SWAT team, as well as vehicles painted in desert camouflage — one of them burnt out — which it said retreating troops left behind. Maliki's future unclear The stunning advance in the north and west by the faceless myrmidons over the past month has put Iraq's very survival in jeopardy, as its politicians remain divided over forming a government to confront the insurgency. A shared resentment at Maliki's style of rule, which his critics say has marginalised Iraq's Sunnis and Kurds, may have bolstered the Islamic State's offensive last month. The Shi'ite leader has defied demands from Sunnis and Kurds that he step aside for a less polarising figure. He also faces challenges from within the National Alliance, a Shi'ite umbrella group that includes Maliki's State of Law bloc and rivals. After quickly picking Salim al-Jabouri as speaker on Tuesday afternoon, politicians argued bitterly for hours over his Shi'ite deputy, suggesting they are still far from a deal to complete the formation of a new government or a decision on the fate of Maliki. |
| Posted by:Fred |