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Events are obviously spinning totally out of control very quickly.
The following source is not one that I could call reliable, being a right-wing, Republican one. However, putting two and two together it would seem that the information could well be right.
I have noticed how all the news in the main outlets is about Obama and how he has reacted and very little about what is happening in the ground in Iraq.
Not exactly a blackout, but getting close to it.
My guess is that a lot of people are running scared at the moment - including the Iraqi government, including the Iranians - and especially, including the Americans.
Get out the popcorn and prepare for a rough journey!
US
Embassy in Baghdad Preparing to Evacuate
The
U.S. Embassy in Baghdad is preparing contingency plans to evacuate
its employees if necessary now that one of the deadliest Islamic
militant groups in the region has taken control of large swaths of
Iraq, a U.S. official told TheBlaze.
13
June, 2014
Mortar
rounds and rockets have hit Baghdad International Airport and Mosul’s
airport has been the target of militant assault. The State Department
advisory warned U.S. citizens to avoid public gathering places
because of the high risk of kidnapping and terrorist violence.
When
asked about what plans are being made for the U.S. Embassy in
Baghdad, Ryan Brown, a spokesman for Nelson, said “Sen. Nelson has
already inquired and there are contingency plans being made for a
possible evacuation.”
State
Department officials referred questions to a news briefing scheduled
this afternoon.
The
al-Qaida offshoot group known as ISIS has already captured the Iraq
cities of Mosul and Tikrit and is heading toward Baghdad.
Meanwhile,
a senior U.S. official confirmed to Fox News that Americans were
being evacuated from a base in Balad, which had been one of the
largest training missions in Iraq.
The
three planeloads of Americans are mostly contractors and civilians,
and were still in the process of being evacuated Friday, the
Associated Press reported.
Two
senior intelligence sources, though, told Fox News there is serious
concern about how to evacuate other Americans out of Iraq if the
situation further deteriorates.
“We
need places to land, we need safe and secure airfields,” one source
said, noting that the militants are “seizing airfields and they
have surface-to-air missiles, which very clearly threatens our pilots
and planes if we do go into evacuation mode.”
Sources
said “all western diplomats in Iraq are in trouble,” and American
allies are scrambling to put together an evacuation plan. Military
officials said there are “not a lot of good options.”
There
aren’t going to be many good options when you ignore Al Qaeda until
it does something that you can no longer ignore. That’s how Bill
Clinton paved the road to September 11. Now Obama has done it again
in Iraq.
From
another source – although the news is dated yesterday
URGENT – U.S. Embassy prepares evacuation plans
The
U.S. Embassy in Baghdad is preparing contingency plans to evacuate
its staff since ISIL has taken control over large swaths of Iraq,
according to a U.S. State Department official.
12
June, 2014
The
U.S. official also mentioned that the U.S. Embassy, United Nations
and other foreign organizations with a presence in Iraq are
“preparing contingency plans to evacuate employees.” ISIL has
seized control of Mosul, Tikrit and Fallujah and intends to create an
Islamic state across the Iraq-Syria border.
Mortar
rounds and rockets have hit Baghdad International Airport and Mosul’s
airport has been the target of assault. Iraqi Army forces are
conducting military operations in Nineveh and Anbar provinces against
the insurgent and terrorist organizations that have occupied those
territories.
Planeloads
of American diplomats and contractors EVACUATE from northern Iraq as
Obama says he 'won't rule out anything' in stopping jihadist violence
spreading throughout the country
- The planes, loaded with diplomats and contractors, left Thursday amid fears that they could become surrounded by Al Qaeda-aligned militants
- The Americans were stationed at an airbase in Balad, where they had been training Iraqi forces to use fighter jets and surveillance drones
- Several hundred American contractors are still waiting to leave, although the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad continues to operate as usual
- The development signals the worsening security environment in the northern part of Iraq
- The Islamic State of Iraq and al-Shams have issued threats to anybody who defies a harsh code of Sharia they have imposed in captured territories
- President Obama is now weighing a range of short-term military options, including airstrikes
- House Speaker John Boehner accused him of 'taking a nap' while conditions worsened
13
June, 2014
Three
planeloads of Americans have been evacuated from a major Iraqi air
base north of Baghdad as Al Qaeda-aligned militants have toppled
cities in the country's north and threaten to advance toward Baghdad.
The
planes, loaded with diplomats and contractors stationed at an Iraqi
airbase in Balad, flew out amid fears that the base could be
surrounded by the militants.
The
passengers included 12 U.S. government officials and military
personnel who have been training Iraqi forces to use fighter jets and
surveillance drones.
Scroll
down for video
The
planes, loaded with American diplomats and contractors stationed at
an Iraqi airbase in Balad, flew out on Thursday amid fears that the
base could be surrounded by the Al Qaeda-aligned militants (stock pic
of Balad Air Base, Iraq)
The
jihadist group the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has
seized a large swathe of northern Iraq, including second city Mosul,
and they threaten to advance toward Baghdad
The
evacuation means that the training mission at Balad has been grounded
indefinitely - despite repeated statements from the Obama
administration that it would continue to support Iraq's military.
Several
hundred American contractors are still waiting to leave, although the
State Department said on Thursday that the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad
continues to operate as usual.
The
development signals the worsening security environment in the
northern part of the country.
A
senior intelligence source told Fox News there is serious concern
about how to evacuate other Americans out of Iraq if the situation
further deteriorates
Obama said on Thursday that it was clear Iraq needs additional assistance from the U.S. and international community given the lightning gains by the militant group Islamic State of Iraq and Levant
Armed men watch and control Iraqis who fled the violence in Mosul: The al-Qaeda splinter group Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant have captured the country's second city, 400 kilometres north of Baghdad
The
source said 'all western diplomats in Iraq are in trouble,' and
American allies are scrambling to put together an evacuation plan.
Military officials said there are 'not a lot of good options.'
Other
U.S. contractors are at a tank training ground in the city of Taji,
just north of the capital, that is still in operation for now.
The
militants, who operate under the banner of the Islamic State of Iraq
and al-Shams, have issued threats to anybody who defied a harsh code
of Sharia they have imposed in captured territories.
Rule-breakers
who ignore edicts banning drinking, smoking and ‘immodest’
behavior by women can expect ‘be killed or crucified, or have hands
or feet cut from opposite sides.’
Less
than three years after pulling American forces out of Iraq, President
Barack Obama is now weighing a range of short-term military options,
including airstrikes, to quell an al-Qaida inspired insurgency that
has captured two Iraqi cities and threatened to press toward Baghdad.
‘We
do have a stake in making sure that these jihadists are not getting a
permanent foothold,’ Obama said on Thursday in the Oval Office.
Militants of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) fire heavy machine guns during alleged fighting in the northern Iraqi city of Samarra earlier this week
However,
officials firmly ruled out putting American troops back on the ground
in Iraq, which has faced resurgent violence since the U.S. military
withdrew in late 2011.
Obama,
in his first comments on the deteriorating situation, said it was
clear Iraq needed additional assistance from the U.S. and
international community given the lightning gains by the militant
group Islamic State of Iraq and Levant.
'What
we've seen over the last couple of days indicates Iraq’s going to
need more help' from the United States and other nations, Obama said
in the Oval Office.
He
added that the U.S. has been working 'around the clock' to find
appropriate ways to intervene.
'I
don't rule out anything.' he said, because we do have a stake in
making sure that these jihadists are not getting a permanent foothold
in Iraq – or Syria, for that matter.
In
his briefing with reporters, White House Press Secretary cautioned
that Obama was 'responding to a question about airstrikes – or,
would he consider airstrikes – and that's what he meant.'
'We're
not considering boots on the ground,' he added later.
Obama,
however, also said that 'it's fair to say that in our consultations
with Iraqis, there will be some short term immediate things that need
to be done militarily, and, you know, our national security team is
looking at all the options.'
Republican
lawmakers pinned some of the blame for the escalating violence on
Obama's reluctance to re-engage in a conflict he long opposed.
For
more than a year, the Iraqi government has been pleading with the
U.S. for additional help to combat the insurgency, which has been
fueled by the civil war in neighboring Syria.
Northern
Iraq has become a way station for insurgents who routinely travel
between the two countries and are spreading the Syrian war's
violence.
Iraqi
leaders made a fresh request earlier this week, asking for a mix of
drones and manned aircraft that could be used for both surveillance
and active missions.
Refugees flee from Mosul which has been toppled by Al Qaeda-aligned militants who now threaten to advance toward Baghdad
Officials
said Obama was considering those requests and was expected to decide
on a course of action within a few days.
The
U.S. already is flying unmanned aircraft over Iraq for intelligence
purposes, an official said.
Short
of airstrikes, the president could step up the flow of military
assistance to the beleaguered Iraqi government, increase training
exercises for the country's security forces and help boost Iraq's
intelligence capabilities.
The
U.S. has been leery of its lethal aid falling into the hands of
militants or being otherwise misused.
State
Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the U.S. is sending about $12
million in humanitarian aid to help nearly a million Iraqis who have
been forced from their homes by recent fighting.
Obama
huddled with his national security team on Thursday to discuss the
deteriorating security situation. And Vice President Joe Biden called
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to underscore that while the
U.S. stands ready to help, it would be crucial for Iraq to come up
with longer-term solutions to its internal political strife.
House
Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, has accused the president of 'taking a
nap' while conditions worsened in Iraq
Nearly
all American troops left Iraq in December 2011 after Washington and
Baghdad failed to negotiate a security agreement that would have kept
a limited number of U.S. forces in the country for a few more years
at least.
Sen.
John McCain, R-Ariz., a frequent White House critic, called on
Thursday for Obama's entire national security team to resign. House
Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, accused the president of ‘taking a
nap’ while conditions worsened.
But
Congress appeared divided over how to respond, with some Republicans
backing airstrikes and other lawmakers from both parties suggesting
that was the wrong approach.
There
were no calls for putting American troops back on the ground in Iraq,
and Obama's advisers said the president had no desire to plunge the
U.S. back into a conflict there.
‘The
president is mindful that the United States has sacrificed a lot in
Iraq and we need to not just be taking this all back on ourselves,’
said Ben Rhodes, Obama's deputy national security adviser.
Taking no prisoners: A man is executed by fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant as the Al Qaeda-inspired militants continue their march towards Baghdad
‘We
need to come up with solutions that can enable the Iraqis to manage
their internal security and their internal politics.’
Even
after American troops left Iraq, the U.S. has continued to send
weapons and ammunition - although not nearly as much as Baghdad has
requested.
A
U.S. training mission for Iraqi counterterror forces dwindled to
almost nothing earlier this year, and Baghdad asked as early as last
summer for armed U.S. drones to track and strike terrorist hideouts.
The
administration resisted, and similarly rejected options for
airstrikes in neighboring Syria.
Instead,
the U.S. Embassy has sold small scout helicopters, tanks, guns,
rockets and at least 300 Hellfire missiles to Iraqi forces.
A
U.S. shipment of ScanEagle surveillance drones is to be delivered to
Iraq later this summer, and the State Department is trying to speed
an order of Apache helicopters to Baghdad.
Additionally,
Congress is reviewing a $1 billion order of arms, including Humvee
vehicles, to Iraq.
Kurdish
Peshmerga forces and Iraqi special forces deploy their troops outside
of the oil-rich city of Kirkuk, the U.S. has continued to send
weapons and ammunition - although not nearly as much as Baghdad has
requested
The
Islamic State, whose Sunni fighters have captured large swaths of
territory in Iraq and Syria, aims to create an Islamic emirate
spanning both sides of the border.
It
has pushed deep into parts of Iraq's Sunni heartland once controlled
by U.S. forces because police and military forces melted away after
relatively brief clashes, including in Iraq's second-largest city of
Mosul.
Skirmishes
continued in several areas. Two communities near Tikirt - the key oil
refining center of Beiji and the city of Samarra, home to a prominent
Shiite shrine - remained in government hands, according to Iraqi
intelligence officials.
The
price of oil jumped to above $106 a barrel as the insurgency raised
the risk of disruptions to supplies.
In
its statement, the Islamic State declared it would start implementing
its strict version of Shariah law in Mosul and other regions it had
overrun
The
militants, who operate under the banner of the Islamic State of Iraq
and al-Shams, have issued threats to anybody who defied a harsh code
of Sharia they have imposed in captured territories
It
said women should stay in their homes for modesty reasons, warned it
would cut off the hands of thieves, and told residents to attend
daily prayers. It said Sunnis in the military and police should
abandon their posts and 'repent' or else 'face only death.'
The
Islamic State's spokesman vowed to take the fight into Baghdad. In a
sign of the group's confidence, he even boasted that its fighters
will take the southern Shiite cities of Karbala and Najaf, which hold
two of the holiest shrines for Shiite Muslims.
'We
will march toward Baghdad because we have an account to settle
there,' he said in an audio recording posted on militant websites
commonly used by the group.
The
statement could not be independently verified.
Just
in – from another source
URGENT – U.S. Embassy prepares evacuation plans
The
U.S. Embassy in Baghdad is preparing contingency plans to evacuate
its staff since ISIL has taken control over large swaths of Iraq,
according to a U.S. State Department official.
13 June, 2014
Baghdad
(IraqiNews.com) The United States rushed Thursday to evacuate
hundreds of Americans from Iraq and was desperately making plans to
rescue thousands of others as advancing al Qaeda-inspired forces
vowed to attack Baghdad and topple the government.
There
are about 5,000 American contractors remaining in the increasingly
dangerous country, including a team that was bailed out Thursday from
a base in Balad, an hour north of the threatened capital.
The
three plane loads of Americans were mostly civilians who were part of
one of the largest training programs for the Iraqi military – which
so far has been largely impotent in the fight against bloodthirsty
rebels.
Private
companies were rushing American workers out of harm’s way as the
country teetered on the brink of disintegration.
The
State Department warned that US citizens remain “at high risk for
kidnapping and terrorist violence,” and told them to avoid public
places for fear of kidnappings or attacks.
Intelligence
sources stated that officials are scrambling to find ways to get
other Americans out fast if the situation on the ground continues to
deteriorate.
“We
need places to land. We need safe and secure airfields,” one source
said, noting the extremists are “seizing airfields and they have
surface-to-air missiles, which very clearly threatens our pilots and
planes if we do go into evacuation mode.”
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