Mosul

Court-Martial Begins for Navy SEAL Accused of Killing Islamic State Teen Jihadi

The court-martial of Special Warfare Operator Chief Edward Gallagher began on Friday at Naval Base San Diego. According to numerous media reports and word from his family, Gallagher will plead not guilty to numerous war crimes charges, including indiscriminate fire into civilian crowds and using a knife to kill a captured teenage Islamic State fighter.

Edward Gallagher is a 19-year veteran of the Navy SEALs. Pic: justiceforeddie.com

International Community Reluctant to Pay for Post-Islamic State Reconstruction of Iraq

The damage inflicted on Iraq by the rise and fall of the Islamic State (ISIS) is horrendous, with cities like the former ISIS stronghold of Mosul virtually leveled. Baghdad puts the damage at roughly $100 billion, which is an impressive level of vandalism from a group President Barack Obama famously dismissed as the “junior varsity team” of terrorism. Unfortunately for Iraq, donor nations are not lining up to finance the reconstruction.

Iraqi fighters stand next to a wall bearing the Islamic State group flag in western Anbar

Freeing Mosul from Islamic State left 9,000+ civilians dead

MOSUL, Iraq (AP) — The price Mosul’s residents paid in blood to see their city freed was between 9,000 and 11,000 dead, a civilian casualty rate nearly 10 times higher than what has been previously reported. The number killed in the 9-month battle to liberate the city from the Islamic State marauders has not been acknowledged by the U.S.-led coalition, the Iraqi government or the self-styled caliphate.

The Associated Press

Iraqi PM Slams Hezbollah Deal for Safe Passage to Islamic State Terrorists

TEL AVIV — The leader of the Iran-backed Hezbollah released a statement Wednesday explaining the ceasefire agreement between his organization and the Islamic State, which gave hundreds of IS fighters safe passage to the region of al-Bukamal on the border of Syrian and Iraq with support from the Syrian regime.

hezbollah