“It is important that the brothers (the politicians) should come out with final and drastic solutions for the problems,” said Sistani. No one, however, seems ready to come up with any effective solution to the challenge that the Islamic State poses.
“Iraqi General, 3 Officers Killed in Islamic State Ambush,” by Elizabeth Faugl, Associated Press, April 25, 2015:
BAGHDAD (AP) — Fighters from the Islamic State group ambushed an Iraqi army convoy on Friday with a bulldozer packed with explosives, killing the commander of the Iraqi 1st Division and three of his staff officers north of Fallujah, said military officials.
The suicide bomber attacked the convoy of Humvees and then militants opened fire, killing Brig. Gen. Hassan Abbas Toufan, a colonel and two lieutenant colonels in the Nadhem al-Taqseem region, said a member of the division and an intelligence officer. There was no initial count on the number of soldiers killed in the attack. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press.
The attack represents a setback for the Iraqi army which is embroiled in a fierce battle to reconquer western Anbar province, which has been under the control of the extremist Islamic State group for the past year. Fighting has been focused on the provincial capital of Ramadi, where the government had been making slow progress.
Earlier on Friday, the army had recaptured the important al-Houz bridge over the Euphrates in western Ramadi, which had served as a primary supply route for the militants, according to police Col. Mahdi Abbas.
The security situation in Ramadi sharply deteriorated after the IS group seized three villages around the city, forcing an estimated 100,000 to flee their homes. Many had just started to return in the past few days as Iraqi soldiers and police have been able to secure the center of Ramadi and push the militants back from some areas of the city.
During the weekly Friday prayer, Iraq’s most revered Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani urged the country’s politicians to end all disputes in order to confront the political, economic and security challenges facing the country.
“It is important that the brothers (the politicians) should come out with final and drastic solutions for the problems,” said al-Sistani’s representative during a sermon Friday in the holy Shiite city of Karbala….
mortimer says
Gradually, Iran will come into this. It could become one big sectarian fight.
oldwhiteguy says
there is only one solution to the entire problem of islam and that is the complete annihilation of all who embrace jihad.
Samse says
To fight ISIS, first ISLAM should be declared an imperialist and fascist ideology, totally incompatible with US constitution. Once that is offically declared all mosques should be closed with no more Moslem immigration to anywhere.
After that we can start a fight against this evil. Until then, good luck.
pongidae rex says
We must never lose sight of the fact that the mass invasion of our societies by Islamists is entirely self inflicted. Most Muslims entering the USA are being brought here fully subsidized at taxpayer expense. This is a catastrophic failure of governance of which Islamization is only a symptom.
Carlos Danger says
Some church groups bear a great deal of responsibility as well.
Well meaning fools.
Jay Airahs says
At least Allah was on his side.
Hey! wait a minute.
Allah was on the enemy Muslim’s side too.
Allah seems to be playing both ends from the middle again.
Sunni or later, the Shite is going hit the fan and Muslims will gang up on Allah.
— or not.