Friday, June 23, 2017

They are children too

After three years away from home we asked the children what do they miss the most back in Mosul,here are the answers in their own voices.


I don't get how we, as a country, spent 8 years in denial about what we were doing to Iraq.

And the denial continues.

Iraq is not an empty land.

There are people there and, yes, that includes children.

Would you want your children living through a never-ending war?

And experiencing bombings and shootings daily?

Even if you 'survive,' how do you survive?

You're whole childhood has been violence and death.

How is that a childhood?

And we, Americans, are responsible for the violence.



"Iraq snapshot" (THE COMMON ILLS):
Friday, June 23, 2017.  Chaos and violence continue, a judge weighs in on Iraqi Christian refugees in the US, The Mosul Slog continues and much more.



Starting with the topic of refugees . . .


Replying to 
From Syria to Libya to Iraq and beyond, millions of refugees wouldn't have fled if the US, the UK and co. didn't destabilize their homelands
 
 


They didn't create themselves.

Before the start of this decade, the Iraq War had already created the largest refugee crisis in the Middle East since 1948.

And that's only continued through this day.

Some of the displaced stay in other parts of Iraq.

Some leave for other countries.

Those who turn to other countries arrive hoping they've found a place where they can create a home.


For a number of Iraqi Christians, the US may not be that place as they've been informed that they are being deported.

Some hope emerged yesterday.


BREAKING: Detroit judge temporarily halts deportation of more than 100 Iraqi Christians who fear torture if sent back.
 
 

A Detroit judge has temporarily halted deportation of 100+ Iraqi Christians who fear persecution if returned. ICYMI:
 
 


US judge halts deportation of more than 100 Iraqi Christians
 
 



Federal judge temporarily blocks Iraqi Christians’ deportation
 
 






Meanwhile, it's day 247 of The Mosul Slog.




Mosul to be liberated in a few days as [the Islamic State] on the verge of defeat says Iraqi PM
Thousands of civilians trapped in Mosul as fighting continues
Mosul's Old City is being reduced to rubble. More than 100 thousand people are believed to be trapped as the battles continues. Iraqi PM says forces will retake Mosul within days.
 
 



Of course, prime minister Hayder al-Abadi has been making the "within days" claim for 247 days, over eight months.

247 days.

And the operation only kicked off after Mosul had been occupied by the Islamic State for over two years.


The Islamic State seized control in June of 2014.


The liberation has resulted in increasing the refugee population and civilians being targeted.




This is what, the Iraqi army, U.S and France allies in the region is doing...
 
 






Iraq's late for provincial elections.  They were supposed to be held in April.

National elections are to be held next year -- or supposed to be.

Protests are taking place over the Independent High Electoral Commission.

Which is a good thing.

It's impacted each election negatively.

And usually the complaints are on hold until after the election is days away.



What's happening? ماذا حدث؟
 
 



These protests could make a difference.

Meanwhile, the violence continues.


XINHUA reports, "Six civilians were killed and 11 wounded on Friday when four suicide bombers attacked the town of al-Baghdadi in Iraq's western province of Anbar, a provincial police source told Xinhua."  AFP notes that the death toll has now increased to nine.














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