GOVERNMENT PROPAGANDIST ANI DI FRANCO, FRESH OFF HER NON-PROTEST ALBUM OF WHICH SIDE ARE YOU ON? AND FRESH OVER HER SCANDAL THAT LED HER TO BE CALLED RACIST, ANNOUNCED TODAY SHE WAS RESCHEDULING HER SONGWRITING RETREAT. FROM HER FACEBOOK PAGE.
hey, peeps, i heard ya. i really, really heard ya. it was insensitive for me to plan to hold a retreat at a plantation that endorsed the lie that slavery was happy times for 1 and all. i was wrong not to listen to you.
i have listened.
and good news, i've decided to do the retreat after all and have found a new location, one in savannah, georgia.
it's an eatery.
the lady & sons.
the lovely owner, 1 paula deen, swears to me it will be a boost for both of us.
love,
ani
FROM THE TCI WIRE:
Iraq Times reports that troops were pulled from Dhi Qar and, now in Iraq, they don't have sufficient food rations. More poor planning from Nouri.
اعلام الربيع العراقي
سيطرات #جيش_المالكي في مناطق السعدان بقضاء #ابي_غريب غرب العاصمة بغداد بعد فرار عناصرها.
. pic.twitter.com/f86N9CMazQ
Militants/terrorists/rebels/who knows attacked/defended/ who knows. But turmoil continued in Iraq today. All Iraq News notes Baghdad Opertations Command says they've killed 30 people (suspects) in Anbar. National Iraqi News Agency reported clashes taking place in Ramadi, a tribe has taken 'back' a Ramadi police station from militants, the governor of Anbar says Ramadi is quiet and police should return to their posts and help citizens repair police stations and Jabbar Yawar (Secretary Generl of the KRG's Ministry of Peshmerga) declared, "The Peshmerga forces are protecting citizens in the areas between Nafutkana and Vichabour, which include Salahuddin, Diyala and Kirkuk provinces, and part of Nineveh." You get what the 'safe to return' message from the governor is, don't you? People deserted their posts. A Ministry of Interior announcement today also made that clear. Here you can see a photo of the military force in Anbar after Nouri's forces fled. Al Mada notes that for several hours today fighters were able to seize police stations in Ramadi and Falluja. Irish Times reports on the seizures and includes this:
“The tribesmen are now fighting the army. What is the
army doing in our city and why did they come?” Sheikh Adnan al-Mehana,
the head of one of the biggest tribes in Anbar, said by phone from
Ramadi.
“Today, we defeated the army and if another force will be sent, we are ready for them,” he said.
Grasp that?
Good.
For the second time this week, the BBC's Rafid Jaboori has provided lies as news. I hope Nouri's f**king Rafid, because I hope Rafid's getting something out of his whoring. Here he is today, offering 'analysis:'
Al-Qaeda has moved into Anbar to exploit the dispute between the Sunnis and the government. However, Mr Maliki has now secured backing from key Sunni tribal leaders.
Maybe if you just follow the BBC you can pretend Rafid's offering analysis.
Iraqi Spring MC notes that Anbar tribal leaders are pointing out that they did not ask for Nouri's forces to be sent into the province and the tribal leaders maintain they're more than able to provide security without Nouri's forces.
Nouri's forces are committing genocide. You can pretty as much you damn well want and you kid yourself however you need to, but that's what's happening and that the United States government is allowing to happen. They have armed a despot.
As the day wound down, NINA reported that police Colonel Mohammed al-Thiyabi had been shot dead in Ramadi. Iraqi Spring MC reports that tanks shot at rebels on a bridge in Anbar and that Nouri's aircraft dropped bombs on homes in Ramadi. His forces also bombed Falluja and many people were wounded and taken to Falluja General Hospital. A 6-year-old girl named Estrabraq was killed by the bombs Nouri's forces dropped and two more children were left wounded.
The people are being terrorized and maybe someone can ask the State Dept about that? Maybe they can ask about this child that Nouri's forces shot dead in Iraq?
عناصر #جيش_المالكي تقتل طفلا-8 سنوات- باطلاق الرصاص باحدى سيطراتهم في الصقلاوية.
#التفاصيل_في_الصورة_المرافقة.
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That little boy was shot dead by Nouri's forces in Saqlawiyah which is an Anbar Province city near Falluja.
Nouri's forces always get away with killing children.
Former US Ambassador to Iraq James Jeffrey tells USA Today (on the Anbar assault, not about children dying), "Maliki has taken a very serious and unfortunate step toward pushing a large percentage of the Sunni population to feel disenfranchised."
There are multiple reports in Arabic social media that "fighter jets" are being used. Iraq has no fighter jets. That's what Congress was told in December, just weeks ago. So where did these fighter jets come from?
Also, the White House might want to check with the propaganda channel Voice of America -- it's also saying fighter jets are being used in Anbar.
Let's drop back to Monday's snapshot:
Rudaw also notes, "The scholars also demanded that all Sunnis involved in the political process withdraw from the so-called Document of Honor, because 'Maliki has proved that he does not respect treaties or covenants'." Let's get back to the resignations noted earlier in the snapshot. Al Mada reports 44 MPs with the Motahidon Alliance have submitted their resignations to Speaker of Parliament Osama al-Nujaifi because of today's attacks on the protesters in Anbar. All Iraq News notes the spokesperson for the Motahidon Alliance held a press conference and stated that the resignations are taking place and "that the war in Anbar is unconstitutional and violate all patriotic terms." KUNA covers it here. Liu Dan (Xinhua) reports, "The MPs from the Sunni Motahidoon (United) Alliance also demanded the withdrawal of the army from cities in the Anbar province and the release of Ahmad al-Alwani, a Sunni lawmaker who was arrested on Saturday, the bloc's spokesman Dhafer al-Ani said at a televised press conference." Matt Bradley (Wall St. Journal) points out, "Mr. Awlani was an early supporter of the year-old Sunni protest movement against Mr. Maliki and his Shiite-dominated government."
Monday at Marie Harf's State Dept press briefing some of that was asked of:
QUESTION: Today, a number of parliamentarians have resigned and the government continued to pound areas in Ramadi and Anbar and so on, and at the same time, you have already sent in some drones and other material to fight terrorism. Do you have any comments on that?
MS. HARF: Well, we’re tracking the events in Anbar closely. We’re concerned by the reports of soldiers and civilians who have been killed in clashes. We, from the U.S. side, have been intensely engaged from both Baghdad and Washington with Iraqi leaders on all sides. We’ve been urging restraint, dialogue, and certainly for all sides to take steps to de-escalate and not to further escalate the situation. We’ll continue to gather facts on the ground and continue to engage with Iraqi leaders as this moves forward.
QUESTION: Yeah. Are you talking to the – to people, like, from the Iraqiya and the dialogue like (inaudible) and so on who have just withdrawn, including the speaker of the parliament and --
MS. HARF: Well, I think we’re still gathering facts on that, Said. I saw some of those reports before I came out. I think all the facts aren’t entirely clear. Suffice to say, we’re talking to folks from all different sides that are involved in this.
QUESTION: Are you concerned that the government may collapse?
MS. HARF: I think you’re getting 15 steps ahead of where we are. What we’re calling on folks to do is to de-escalate the situation on all sides.
QUESTION: Don’t you think that the security forces has overreacted in dealing with the protestors in Anbar?
MS. HARF: Again, we’re still looking at the situation to get all the facts on the ground. I just don’t want to go further than that before we know exactly what happened. We’ve called on all sides to show restraint. That includes, certainly, the security forces and other folks as well. So we’ll see what exactly happened and go from there.
QUESTION: And on what level are you talking to the prime minister?
MS. HARF: I can double-check and see if there’s some specifics I can share about what level.
Let's note what's going on with imprisoned MP Ahmed al-Alwani -- illegally imprisoned. NINA reports:
A parliamentary delegation headed to the Anti-terrorism center to meet MP Ahmed al-Alwani.
MP, of the Iraqiya coalition, Sumayya al-Qallab told the National Iraqi News Agency / NINA /: "The delegation includes MP Khalid al-Alwani, MP Hamid al-Zobaie and Sumayya al-Qallab."
The Acting Defense Minister, Saadoun al-Dulaimi and the head of the Iraqi Awakening Conference, Ahmed Abu Risha met Alwani yesterday, emphasizing that he enjoys good health, and he was allowed to contact with his family, and he will be presented to the investigating judge on Thursday.
Why did that visit take place?
Before today's visit was being reported, Wednesday, in fact, Iraq Times was reporting that Nouri had acknowledged that al-Alwani was not responsible for shooting anyone or transferring weapons and would allow the visit to take place.
How nice of him.
Per the Iraqi Constitution, al-Alwani cannot be arrested unless he's arrested while he's committing a crime or the Parliament strips him of his office. At his home at dawn, asleep, on Saturday, he was not in the midst of any crime.
He has not been stripped of his immunity.
The arrest was illegal.
He was said to be -- yes, it's coming -- a 'terrorist.' And an assassin.
Why have the charges not been made public?
Where's the government release noting why he was arrested?
It doesn't exist.
But Monday, Nouri's office did issue a statement of him claiming the assault on Anbar was uniting the province.
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