Clock Against Obama As Iraq Lurches Into Abyss

This is a president with no good options when it comes to Iraq. So he is playing for time. But with the speed of events in Iraq, time is not on his side.

There is nothing urgent about President Obama's reaction so far. He may claim his national security team is working "round the clock" on "options".   

But he personally is off to California for events that include a $32,000-a-head fundraising dinner. 

It is business as usual.

The president is facing a nightmare scenario in Iraq.

Op-ed writers in US newspapers have accused him of "fiddling while Rome burns". 

His Republican rivals say he is "taking a nap" on Iraq.

Mr Obama may well be exasperated that a war he voted against more than a decade ago, and once described as "dumb", is still haunting his presidency.

Mr Obama discusses the Iraq situation with his security team on Friday

He is hugely frustrated that America has spent billions trying to build up Iraq's military, only to watch it crumble in the path of a far smaller force of extremists.

He is shifting much of the blame on Iraq's government and with it much of the responsibility to resolve the crisis. 

The president is on a four-day trip to North Dakota and California

In all this he is probably in tune with US public opinion on the situation.

Americans lost patience with Iraq a long time ago.

"We tried to fix their mess, now it's down to them," might sum up the prevailing wisdom.

Hundreds of thousands of civilians have fled the violence

But for the president it is not that simple. He is facing a nightmare scenario in Iraq. 

Events may stop short of the fall of Baghdad, but even hand-to-hand combat in its streets between Sunni and Shiite forces won't make him look good fundraising in the California sunshine.

Few scenarios spare the president political damage back home. 

The Iraqi rebels want to establish a caliphate

If ISIS dig in and simply consolidate their territory, that will allow Mr Obama's opponents to claim he's stood midwife to the birth of a jihadist statelet that could be the base for attacks on US interests worldwide.

The longer the president ponders his options, the more likely ISIS can entrench its gains. 

The crisis offers Republicans plenty of ammunition in the run up to this year's midterm elections. 

For now, Mr Obama is conditioning any US assistance to Iraq on its government taking steps to heal its sectarian divide. 

"The United States will not involve itself in military action in the absence of a political plan by the Iraqis that gives us some assurance that they're prepared to work together," he said.

It is an understandable position given the divisive rule of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government.

But it sounds surreal while we watch a country slide into civil war.

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Iraq: Mosul Governor Says US Support 'Welcome'

How Militants Are Making Use Of Social Media

Updated: 6:12pm UK, Friday 13 June 2014

By Tom Cheshire, Technology Correspondent

Social media has long been a weapon in militant organisations' arsenal. YouTube videos and Facebook pages have proved to be powerful propaganda tools.

ISIS is evolving the technique in Iraq.

First, they have mainly been using Twitter to post images and some video. Each region ISIS is active in has its own Twitter account, delivering daily updates.

Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi, who has been following ISIS's social media tactics from Oxford University, told Sky News the Twitter strategy was "very co-ordinated".

"ISIS's social media presence is particularly apparent on Twitter," Mr Al-Tamimi said. "They all follow each other.

"Really, the Iraq accounts follow on from the Syria accounts. Whereas last year, a lot more of the visual media output of the ISIS presence was coming from Syria, now in Iraq, since the renewal of the wider insurgency, they've been keen to advertise their presence with photos - particularly on Twitter."

Why Twitter? Well, it is extremely robust. If a Twitter account is taken down, it is very easy to set up another and transfer your followers.

Twitter also makes it easy for fighters to maintain personal accounts, and that is the other new spin.

Previously, propaganda was broadcast over YouTube. Now militants are using mobile messaging platforms like Kik and question and answer sites like Ask.fm to engage others more directly.

Shariz Maher, from the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation at Kings College, London, puts it like this: "When Jihadi groups tried to recruit in the past, they would release a video. It would be very well managed. They'd be saying 'come out here', they'd use ideological reasons, 'look what the West is doing, the Koran says this'. And it was packaged in this very sophisticated way.

"Out of Syria now with these guys who are just tweeting about their experiences, they're able to relate their fellow Britons on a one-to-one level.

"They're saying, 'look, I lived in East London, I'm from Tower Hamlets. Now look at me - I'm in Syria, I've got these cool tools, an RPG, a Kalashnkiov', and for a certain type of person that's very attractive."

The wider tech story of the past year has been about the rapid rise of mobile messaging apps like Kik and Whatsapp - popular because they offer a more direct, engaging experience than Facebook or YouTube.

It seems militants have been paying close attention, too.

However, it could be getting harder for them to take the advantage - there were reports on Friday that Iraq's communications ministry has ordered social media websites and apps to be shut down.

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World Cup Kicks Off With Parties And Protests

The World Cup in Brazil has kicked off with street parties celebrating the host nation's opening win and scattered protests over the huge costs of the event.

Millions of fans took to the streets as their side beat Croatia 3-1 in the tournament opener in Sao Paolo.

Parties continued late into the night with a heavy presence of police and troops to maintain order.

Brazil fans celebrate their team's victory

Tensions spilled over in a number of host cities following construction delays and months of unrest with many Brazilians furious over the $11bn spent on hosting the tournament.

There were violent clashes in Sao Paolo before and after the game.

Police fired stun grenades and tear gas to break up the protests and a number of people were injured.

Clashes were also witnessed in Rio de Janiero, Belo Horizonte, Porto Alegre and Brasilia.

A protester during clashes in Sao Paolo

It is hoped the mood of the country will be improved by their side's encouraging start to the tournament, with fans' favourite Neymar scoring twice.

"This joy will be a contagion that will spread to all Brazilians," one supporter said.

Another Brazil fan added: "The victory will improve the mood a bit. I'm against opportunistic protests.

"Now is not the time to protest during an international event. The problems like bad hospitals date from before the World Cup."

Despite fears over the stadium in Sao Paolo, which was completed six months late, the game passed without any major problems.

Neymar scored twice and it's hoped the result will ease tensions

A number of floodlights failed during the first half but the problem was resolved quickly.

President Dilma Rousseff, who has defended the World Cup against criticism ahead of her bid for re-election in October, was jeered by many in the stadium and by fans watching the game on big screens across the country.

After the final whistle Brazil's coach, Luiz Felipe Scolari, described the stadium as "incredible" and "fantastic".

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Islamist Fighters Poised For March On Baghdad

US Shocked And Angered By Iraq Conflagration

Updated: 6:14pm UK, Thursday 12 June 2014

By Dominic Waghorn, US Correspondent in Washington

"What we were looking for was an Iraq that was secure, stable and self-reliant, and that's what we got here, so there's no question that was a success."

Those words were spoken by Denis McDonough, then Deputy National Security Adviser, in October 2011 shortly before the completion of America's military withdrawal from Iraq.

He is now the White House chief of staff, and those words are coming back to haunt him with a vengeance.

There is shock and anger across America.

"What in the world is happening in Iraq?" asked the anchor on NBC Nightly News.

A reporter then pointed out that Islamic extremists were achieving what so many thousands of American troops died trying to prevent.

Barack Obama wanted his foreign policy legacy to be ending America's wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Instead, as The Washington Post put it, he is "pulling the United States out of wars that were far from over" - a very different proposition.

A Republican administration started the war in Iraq, but this administration ended it too soon, say conservative critics.

In 2011, the Obama administration refused to leave a military force behind in Iraq after the withdrawal. US-Iraqi negotiations failed to reach agreement and that was that.

But America's premature withdrawal from Iraq increasingly looks like it has jeopardised any lasting US achievement there, despite the billions of dollars and thousands of lives spent.

It also now calls into question US plans to pull out of Afghanistan.

The Obama administration's record in Syria is also being blamed for the disaster unfolding in Iraq.

ISIS was on the ropes in Iraq, on the point of collapse, until the Syrian civil war rescued its fortunes.

Moderate Sunni groups opposed to the Assad regime were never armed by the West and were unable to establish supremacy over the opposition.

That gave ISIS the ability to take territory, regroup and prepare for the campaign under way in Iraq.

Thus far the US government's reaction is one of, "crisis, what crisis?" The State Department will not call the situation in Iraq anything more serious than a "deteriorating security situation".

As ISIS reportedly heads for Baghdad, and with half a million people on the move, that looks like a study in diplomatic understatement.

There is no possibility of American boots on the ground. Airstrikes are also considered highly unlikely.

While America is happy to use drones to attack al Qaeda in Yemen, Pakistan and Afghanistan, it is currently not expected to do the same in Iraq.

The Iraqis are on their own, and riding with them is the fate of America's post-war project in Iraq.

Mr Obama is staking his foreign policy legacy on a military that has shown no appetite for putting up a fight.

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Iraq City Mosul Seized By Al Qaeda Splinter Group

Iraq Unrest Threatens To Redraw Middle East

Updated: 2:17pm UK, Tuesday 10 June 2014

By Tim Marshall, Diplomatic Editor

Iraq's second largest city, Mosul, is now under the control of radical Islamist fighters ideologically aligned with al Qaeda, bringing closer the possibility that the country will fall apart.

The violence is also further proof that the conflicts in Syria and Iraq have merged and threaten further instability throughout the region.

Fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) overran a military base, causing the Iraqi army to retreat.

Before they left, soldiers destroyed equipment and ammunition to prevent it from falling into ISIL's hands.

Government buildings, TV stations, police headquarters, and checkpoints are all said to be controlled by ISIL.

Twenty-eight Turkish lorry drivers are reported to have been taken hostage and at least 1,000 prisoners have been freed, many of them ISIL members, with many civilians forced to flee the city.

Most of Nineveh province in now in the hands of the militants, as are large swathes of territory in eastern Syria along the Iraqi border.

There is fighting in four other Iraqi provinces.

The government in Baghdad considers the situation a national emergency. 

Ministers have called on the Kurdish fighters in northern Iraq to help, but authorities in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region appear reluctant to become involved.

ISIL wants to create a Sunni Islamic caliphate out of Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq.

Given the strength of the Shia populations in the area, who are backed by Iran, that does not look realistic.

However, the fighting does threaten to redraw the current map of the region, which was carved up between France and Britain under the Sykes-Picot agreement of 1916.

Before the imperial powers drew what were in many cases artificial borders, few people regarded themselves as belonging to a nation state such as Iraq or Syria, instead they identified with tribe and religion.

With the nation states now under threat people are retreating further into those identities.

ISIL is 100% Sunni Muslim and mostly Arabic; the Iraqi Government is dominated by the Shia; and the Sunni Kurds are increasingly trying to isolate themselves from the rest of Iraq. 

Syria has collapsed into a civil war fought essentially along sectarian lines.

Those identities also cross borders with many of the Kurds identifying far more with their ethnic kin in Turkey, Syria, and Iran.

Many of Iraq's Sunni's have tribal links stretching into Syria.

If the violence worsens (currently about 200 people a day in the region die violently), the death toll will grow and the oil industry in Iraq will be seriously threatened.

A victory for ISIL would also embolden and strengthen similar movements in other parts of the Middle East.

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Egypt To Act After 'Worst Ever' Sex Assault

By Sherine Tadros, Middle East Correspondent

Egypt's new president has ordered a crackdown on sex crimes after a video emerged of a woman being assaulted in Cairo's Tahrir Square.

The blurry, two-minute clip, which was allegedly filmed during celebrations to mark Abdul Fattah al Sisi's inauguration, shows a woman completely naked and bruised with hordes of men around as she is carried into a vehicle.

Dozens of women say they have been attacked in Tahrir Square in the past two years but this is the worst many people have seen.

It has been covered widely by Egyptian media, with one newspaper demanding the perpetrators be executed.

The video, which has been circulated on social media, prompted Mr Sisi to call for sexual harassment to be confronted immediately.

Mr al Sisi has described sexual harassment as "unacceptable"

In one of his first public statements, he called it an "unacceptable form of conduct, alien to the best principles of Egyptian culture".

It comes as a global summit to stop sexual violence in war zones, co-hosted by Angelina Jolie, continues in London.

On Tuesday, the actress told the summit: "We must send a message across the world that there's no disgrace in being a survivor of sexual violence. The shame is on the aggressor."

Part of the problem in Egypt has been an absence of laws protecting women against sexual harassment, allowing attackers to act with complete impunity.

A decree issued last week made it a criminal act for the first time, with offenders warned they could face up to five years in prison.

Jolie co-hosted the London summit with Foreign Secretary William Hague

Importantly, it defines harassment as including the making of obscene gestures "in any manner", recognising it does not have to be of a physical nature.

A study conducted last year by the UN showed 99.3% of Egyptian women have experienced some form of harassment, with around half (47%) claiming they are harassed daily.

It has become so prevalent and widespread in Egypt that many women have simply grown to accept it.

Men often stare and shout obscene comments at women as they walk along the street.

At times, it is seen as acceptable for women to feel shame and humiliation, as if something about how they dress or walk is to blame. 

The video that has shocked many in Egpyt was filmed in Tahrir Square

It is an endemic problem and has become part of Egyptian culture - a dysfunctional yet accepted norm.

Farah Shash, of the Nadeem Centre for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence, said: "The culture here when it comes to sexual harassment is to blame the victim."

She said authorities in Egypt have never seen women's rights as a priority and women are reluctant to report incidents because the police are so unsympathetic.

Journalist Hania Moheeb, who was gang raped in Tahrir Square last January and is attending this week's summit, said: "I have much hope, not only in the current regime but in Egyptian women because they have changed a lot.

"They're more outspoken now and we'll fight for our rights.

"The denial this society has been living in for over two decades is something that has to end."

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Karachi Airport Terrorist Attack: 13 Dead

At least 11 people have been killed after gunmen disguised as police guards attacked a terminal at Pakistan's Karachi international airport, say officials.

Militants armed with automatic weapons, a rocket launcher and grenades stormed the airport before midnight and were involved in an intense six-hour firefight with the airport's security force, police, paramilitaries and commandos.

Of those killed, three were airport security staff and two others were civilian employees of Pakistan International Airlines.

Television footage showed what appeared to be a major fire and plumes of smoke rising from the runway where planes were parked.

Heavy gunfire and multiple explosions could be heard coming from the terminal as authorities scrambled to secure the area.

The terminal targeted by the fighters was said to be used for VIPs and cargo.

Troops joined the firefight after the major security breach

Officials said the airport had been completely evacuated of passengers.

All flights are currently suspended "and have been diverted to other cities", a civil aviation authority spokesman said.

Pakistan's military spokesman Major General Asim Bajwa confirmed an end to operation, saying: "Update: Area cleared. No damage to aircraft, fire visible in pics was not plane but a building, now extinguished. All vital assets intact."

Maj Gen Bajwa added that a total of 10 militants were killed in the clashes and that ammunition, rockets and grenades were recovered from the attackers.

"Precautionary sweep after day light. Airport will be cleared by mid day for operations, handed back to CAA (Civil Aviation Authority)/ASF (Airport Security Force). Pakistan Zindabad (long live Pakistan)!" he later tweeted.

The attack will raise fresh concerns about Pakistan's security situation, and questions about how militants were able to penetrate the airport which serves one of the world's biggest cities.

Karachi has been the site of frequent militant attacks in the past.

While no one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, Pakistan's government has been trying to negotiate a peace deal with militants based mainly in the northwest of the country.

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Five Dead After Las Vegas Pizza Shop Shooting

Three people, including two police officers, have been shot dead by attackers who turned their guns on themselves in a Las Vegas supermarket.

Police said the officers, named as Alyn Beck, 42, and Igor Soldo, 32, were ambushed and shot at point-blank range as they ate lunch at CiCi's Pizza restaurant.

The two suspects, a man and a woman, then fled to a Walmart across the street where they killed a third person before taking their own lives.

A local newspaper, the Las Vegas Sun, reported the attackers took the officers' ammunition before running inside the supermarket.

Larry Hadfield, a spokesman for the Las Vegas Metro Police Department, said that before opening fire, one of the suspects shouted: "This is a revolution."

"We don't know anything about the suspects yet and are trying to learn more," he said.

The officers were shot dead at point-blank range as they ate lunch

Governor Brian Sandoval said he was "devastated" by what he called "an act of senseless violence", while Sheriff Doug Gillespie added: "It's a tragic day. We have a community to protect and we'll do it with our heads held high."

Mayra Calvillo told the Las Vegas Sun she was working inside the Walmart when she heard someone yelling for people to leave.

She said she saw a man with a handgun raised in the air fire at least one round.

Police officers outside the Walmart store on North Nellis Boulevard

Another shopper described a scene of pandemonium inside the store as people ran towards emergency exits.

Both the pizza restaurant and the Walmart store remained closed while detectives carried out forensic investigations.

A Walmart spokesman said: "We express our deepest condolences to everyone who has been affected."

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Ukraine: Poroshenko Promises To Bring Peace

Petro Poroshenko promised the Ukrainian people he would "bring them peace" after being sworn in as the country's fifth president.

Mr Poroshenko told parliament Ukrainians would "never feel the blessing of peace and security until we resolve our relations with Russia".

He pledged an amnesty to any insurgents in the east who had "no blood on their hands" but said he would not open dialogue with "gangsters and killers".

Ukrainian officials say some 200 people have died during troubles in eastern parts of the country.

Mr Poroshenko arrives for his inauguration

And the 48-year-old tycoon - dubbed the "chocolate king" for his popular brand of sweets - stated he would not accept Russia's seizure of Crimea nor attempts to divert his pro-European course.

"Crimea will remain a part of Ukraine," said Mr Poroshenko.

"Ukraine now returns to its natural European condition that so many generations have longed for."

The inauguration was attended by US Vice President Joe Biden and European Council President Herman Van Rompuy.                 

The latter sent this message to Russia: "All neighbours ... need to respect (Ukraine's) sovereign choices, including stronger ties with the European Union and its territorial integrity."

Moscow was represented by its acting ambassador to Kiev, Mikhail Zurabov, who said the pledges "sound reassuring".

Mr Poroshenko met world leaders including Barack Obama in France this week

The Kremlin's only official response to Mr Poroshenko's comments was to call for him to act by "the principles of a democratic society" and release two Russian journalists detained in the east of the country.

Meanwhile, Russian president Vladimir Putin reportedly ordered his Federal Security Service to strengthen protection of the country's border with Ukraine to prevent people crossing illegally.

This came after talks with world leaders in France, where US President Barack Obama urged the Kremlin to cease support for separatists in eastern Ukraine - including stopping arms and materials crossing the border.

Insurgents in both Luhansk and Donetsk responded to Mr Poroshenko's pledge of an amnesty with scepticism.

"I don't believe it," said Valery Bolotov, the insurgent leader in the Luhansk region.                 

Insurgent leader Valery Bolotov

Mr Poroshenko is the first permanent successor to Russia-friendly President Viktor Yanukovych, who fled the country in February after months of street protests against him.

The new incumbent met Mr Putin at D-Day commemoration ceremonies in France on Friday and expressed his satisfaction that dialogue had begun.

Mr Putin added: "I can only welcome Mr Poroshenko's position that the bloodshed in eastern Ukraine must be stopped immediately."

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Fifa Feels Heat Amid Fresh World Cup Claims

By Paul Kelso, Sports Correspondent, in Sao Paulo

Qatar deployed its political connections and natural gas wealth to help win the 2022 World Cup, according to allegations published by the Sunday Times.

For the second week running the newspaper has published details of meetings and deals that it claims demonstrate former Fifa executive committee member Mohamed Bin Hammam broke bid rules as he lobbied on behalf of his country's bid.

The Qatar bid deny that Mr Bin Hammam, since banned for life from football, was directly linked to the bid or worked on their behalf.

Fifa sponsor Sony has called on world football's governing body to investigate the allegations thoroughly.

Qatar deny Bin Hammam was linked to the bid or worked on their behalf

"As a Fifa partner, we expect these allegations to be investigated appropriately," the company said in a statement to The Sunday Times.

"We continue to expect Fifa to adhere to its principles of integrity, ethics and fair play across all aspects of its operations."

The latest allegations, gleaned from millions of documents in the possession of the newspaper, suggest Mr Bin Hammam was in contact with bid officials as he brokered meetings between senior Fifa officials and the Emir of Qatar.

The newspaper alleges Mr Bin Hammam met Vladimir Putin, then the Russian prime minister, weeks before the vote in December 2010, to discuss "bilateral sporting relations".

Putin was backing Russia's 2018 World Cup bid, which beat England on the way to winning the right to host the tournament.

Fifa's Sepp Blatter declined to comment on the matter on Saturday

It also alleges Mr Bin Hammam helped broker a natural gas deal between his country and Thailand.

It reports that an advisor to Fifa executive committee member Worawi Makudi met senior Qatari energy officials to discuss a deal.

Asked by Sky News if he was concerned about the allegation Mr Makudi said: "No, not at all."

The Sunday Times also claims Mr Bin Hammam brokered meetings between the Emir and nine senior Fifa executive committee members, and distributed £1.7m from a slush-fund to Asian football officials.

It says its latest disclosures prove that Mr Bin Hammam was actively working for the Qatar bid.

Qatar re-stated the denial issued last week after the newspaper alleged that Mr Bin Hammam paid around £3m in bribes to African football officials.

Qatar won the right to host the World Cup in 2010

"The Qatar 2022 Bid Committee always upheld the highest standard of ethics and integrity in its successful bid to host the 2022 Fifa World Cup.

"In regard to the latest allegations from The Sunday Times, we say again that Mohamed Bin Hammam played no official or unofficial role in Qatar's 2022 Bid Committee."

Fifa President Sepp Blatter declined to comment on the matter as a meeting of the executive committee concluded in Sao Paulo on Saturday evening.

The governing body has charged US attorney Michael Garcia with investigating the allegations, and he will not report until after the World Cup.

Mr Garcia will be in Sao Paulo this week to discuss his investigation with Fifa officials.

He is also expected to attend the Fifa Congress starting on Tuesday.

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