Kurdish official warns US: ‘now is not the time’ to pull forces out of Iraq’
As the U.S. mulls over a plan to withdraw troops from Iraq, its Kurdish allies have a message: Don’t forget us. “This is not the time to reduce coalition forces in Iraq,” Treefa Aziz, the Kurdistan Regional Government’s special representative to the U.S., told Fox News Digital. “Extremist groups like ISIS and armed militias continue to pose a serious threat to the people of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.” The U.S. announced plans to shrink the U.S. “footprint” in Iraq and end the current mission of coalition forces – including the Kurds – to fight ISIS, but declined to say how many of the 2,500 troops currently stationed there would remain. “A decade ago, Kurdish Peshmerga forces worked alongside U.S. troops to defeat ISIS and continue to actively combat ISIS remnants to prevent a resurgence of terror today,” Aziz said. The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) “has been a reliable security partner for the United States and remains ready to enhance cooperation.” But now, if Baghdad is pushing the U.S. out of Iraq, the U.S. could feel it must honor that request or risk making another enemy in the Middle East. The KRG says it would be “willing and able” to host U.S. coalition forces in its territory. The current mission is now set to end by September 2025, with a plan to keep the number of forces on the Iraqi side to back up the 900 U.S. troops in Syria until at least 2026. News of a plan that could amount to a significant drawdown of U.S. forces called to mind 2019, when former President Donald Trump announced plans to pull out of Syria and the Kurds felt abandoned by a partner they had fought alongside for years – leaving them open to an attack by Turkish forces. PENTAGON PLANS TO SHRINK US ‘FOOTPRINT’ IN IRAQ Trump, at the time, left the Kurds with a warning to their longtime enemies: “I have told Turkey that if they do anything outside of what we would think is humane . . . they could suffer the wrath of an extremely decimated economy.” The U.S. relationship with the Kurds – an indigenous group of daring fighters whose quest for their own formal state has been unsuccessful – spans back decades. When the Turks denied the U.S. passage into Iraq for the invasion in 2003, Iraqi Kurds helped the U.S. overthrow Saddam Hussein. The Kurds have fought with U.S. coalition forces since they reentered Iraq in 2014 to fight ISIS, and the U.S. pledged arms support and humanitarian aid. The group faces attacks from terror groups on all sides. And as Iran increasingly encroaches on the Iraqi government, Baghdad has the KRG in a choke-hold, officials say. US, IRAQ TEAM UP TO KILL 15 ISIS OPERATIVES “There is growing concern regarding efforts to weaken the federal system in Iraq. The constitutional framework, which is designed to ensure shared governance, is disregarded,” one Kurdish official said. “The continued suspension of oil exports from the Kurdistan region has placed significant economic strain. More than a year and half later, we have yet to see the resumption of these exports.” The KRG has been trying to work with the Iraqis on a power-sharing agreement with no real results. “Some of these actions appear to align with external influences rather than the broader national interest,” the official said, referring to Iranian influence. “With the assistance of our allies, we believe these issues can be resolvable through constructive dialogue and cooperation.” The KRG is also asking the U.S. government to “honor its commitment” included in the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to “provide the KRG with a comprehensive air defense system. The law required the Department of Defense to submit and implement a plan for providing the Iraqi security forces and Kurdistan Region with air defenses by July 2024. “As a steadfast U.S. ally that is regularly targeted by extremist violence, the KRG requires assurances that it will be protected from all threats, both internal and external,” said Aziz. Gen. Michael Kurilla, the commander of U.S. Central Command, told the House Armed Services Committee in March that ISIS-K, which launched a horrific attack in Moscow earlier this year, “retains the capability and the will to attack U.S. and Western interests abroad in as little as six months with little to no warning.”
Month-long terror by wolves in UP’s Bahraich comes to end as villagers kill sixth and final predator while…
After months of terror in Bahraich in Uttar Pradesh, the last in the six-member wolf pack was beaten to death by villagers on Saturday.
Good news for Delhi-NCR commuters as Namo Bharat trial begins between…, here’s what you need to know
This 12 km stretch of the corridor is going to connect Sahibabad RRTS station to New Ashok Nagar RRTS station, having two RRTS stations of Anand Vihar and New Ashok Nagar.
Meghalaya: 10 dead in floods, landslides in Garo Hills, heavy rains continue
According to the Chief Minister’s Office, seven people died due to landslides at Gasuapara area in South Garo Hills district on Saturday, and three people died in floods at Dalu area in West Garo Hills district on Friday.
Trump rallies in Butler, Pennsylvania, site of attempted assassination
Former United States President Donald Trump – the Republican candidate in the presidential election – has returned to Butler, Pennsylvania, where he survived an assassination attempt in July. Supporters on Saturday gathered for the rally, which came just a month before the November 5 election as Trump remains neck-and-neck with Democratic candidate Vice President Kamala Harris. “Exactly 12 weeks ago this evening, on this very ground, a cold-blooded assassin aimed to silence me and to silence the greatest movement – MAGA – in the history of our country,” Trump told the crowd, referring to his Make America Great Again movement. He said he returned to Butler to show his supporters “stand stronger, prouder, united, more determined and nearer to victory than ever before”. He then praised Corey Comperatore, a rally attendee who was fatally shot in the July 13 attack. Comperatore’s family were among those in attendance on Saturday, as were other victims injured in the shooting, Trump’s running mate, Senator JD Vance, and billionaire Elon Musk, who endorsed Trump moments after the assassination attempt. During the July attack, Trump narrowly avoided a bullet fired by a man perched on a nearby roof. The former president briefly went to the floor as Secret Service agents rushed towards him. He then stood up, his ear bloodied, and pumped his fist in the air chanting “fight, fight, fight” as he was moved off stage. The shooting transformed the election season, briefly giving Trump a bump in support as his campaign portrayed the incident as a showcase of Trump’s resiliency. Still, the close call was largely overshadowed by US President Joe Biden’s decision to drop out of the race in July and make way for Harris’s rise. Speaking during the rally, Lara Trump, the co-chair of the Republican National Committee and Trump’s daughter-in-law, sought to again harness the post attack momentum. She framed Trump’s survival as divine intervention. “If you had any question whether God exists and performs miracles we got our answer here July 13 in Butler, Pennsylvania,” she said. “He spared Donald Trump’s life because he wasn’t finished with Donald Trump.” The assassination attempt also raised the spectre of political violence in the US, with Trump briefly pledging to take a more unifying approach before returning to the charged rhetoric that has defined his political career. In September, Trump had another brush with an attempted assassin as he golfed at his resort in Florida, further charging the political climate. Trump has broadly blamed the violence on Democrats’ claims that he poses an existential threat to US democracy. The former president had pushed a series of falsehoods surrounding the 2020 election. His supporters later stormed the US Capitol in an attempt to overturn Biden’s victory. Experts have warned Trump is laying the groundwork to repeat the effort if he loses this time around. Speaking at the rally, vice presidential candidate Vance decried Democrats – and Harris – for arguing the former president could again undermine Democratic norms. “I think you all will join me in saying to Kamala Harris, how dare you call [Trump] a threat to Democracy?” Vance said to cheers. “Donald Trump took a bullet for Democracy.” ‘Strength and resiliency’ For his part, Trump’s son, Eric Trump, lumped the assassination attempts with the legal actions and criminal indictments Trump has faced since leaving office, as well as attempts by lawmakers to impeach Trump while he was in the White House. The younger Trump claimed, baselessly, that Trump has been the subject over a wider coordinated effort to bring him down. “They tried to get my father every second since he went down that golden escalator,” he said, referring to his father’s 2016 campaign launch. The rally came as the US Secret Service continues to face questions over the security breach that allowed 20-year-old gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks to escape detection ahead of the July attack. Crooks was able to take a position on a roof with a direct line of sight on Trump. He was fatally shot at the scene after opening fire. The head of the Secret Service, Kimberly Cheatle, stepped down in the days after the attack, which prompted both internal investigations and a Congressional probe. Anthony Guglielmi, the Secret Service’s chief spokesman, told NBC News that “our people are being pushed to the limit” as they have sought to assure another attack does not happen. “We recognise that this is not sustainable, and we cannot risk another mission failure,” he said. Adblock test (Why?)
Supporters of jailed ex-PM rally in Pakistan despite police crackdown
Demonstrators rally, demanding Imran Khan be released from jail despite a ban on protests and police crackdown. Supporters of former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan have rallied in Islamabad to push for Khan’s release as the police blocked roads, cut off mobile internet and fired tear gas to deter the protesters. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party on Saturday claimed that the party leader from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) Province, Ali Amin Gandapur, has been abducted and unlawfully detained. But Al Jazeera could not independently verify the claim. Gandapur, the chief minister of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, was leading thousands of protesters who camped on Islamabad-Peshwar highway on Friday overnight. Police used teas gas as they attempted to enter the city. This is the latest in a series of protests held by supporters of the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, which has faced a crackdown from authorities. The PTI, which says the Islamabad protest is just for one day, also held a gathering in the eastern city of Lahore on Saturday, where a lockdown of roads was in place. “I am so proud of all our people,” said a message from Khan posted on the social media site X on Saturday afternoon. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi accused the protesters of clashing with police. “Over 80 police officers have been injured in the clashes,” he said. Naqvi had previously called on the PTI to delay any gathering until after diplomatic engagements in the city, including a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting on October 15-16 which will be attended by delegations, including from China, Russia and India. PTI activists began driving to Islamabad on Friday from his powerbase in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, but encountered shipping container roadblocks and volleys of tear gas. Naqvi said the authorities had intelligence that the protesters planned to disrupt the SCO conference in a bid to gain attention. “We can’t allow this. I will say to them again, to not cross more red lines – don’t make us take extreme steps,” Naqvi said. ‘Worrying clampdown’ Amnesty International said the communications cuts and road blockades “infringe on people’s right to freedom of expression, access to information, peaceful assembly and movement”. “These restrictions are part of a worrying clampdown on the right to protest in Pakistan,” the rights group said. The social media site X has also been blocked across Pakistan since after the election in February, when mobile internet was likewise cut on polling day and PTI has alleged widespread vote-tampering took place. The 72-year-old Khan served as prime minister from 2018 to 2022, when he was deposed in a parliamentary no-confidence vote after falling out with the powerful military establishment, widely considered Pakistan’s political kingmakers. He was imprisoned in August last year on several charges. Though his conviction in most cases has either been overturned or suspended, he continues to remain in jail, facing trial in other cases he claims have been orchestrated to prevent his return to power. Khan was barred from standing in the February elections, which the PTI alleges were rigged. Several other countries had raised “serious concerns” about the fairness of the vote, but election authorities in Pakistan have denied the charges. Last month, several PTI lawmakers were arrested on the premises of Pakistan’s parliament. Adblock test (Why?)
DRC launches first mpox vaccination drive in efforts to curb outbreak
The vaccine will first be given to health workers and those with existing health issues. The Democratic Republic of Congo has launched its first vaccination campaign against mpox in the eastern city of Goma, which was hit the hardest by an outbreak. Vaccines were first administered to hospital staff on Saturday, with the wider vaccine drive due to start on Monday in the east of the country, where the current outbreak began last year. On Friday, the DRC Ministry of Public Health warned that the vaccine campaign would be limited due to few resources. So far, only 265,000 doses are available. “As you can imagine, in a country of 100 million people, we’re not going to solve the problem with 265,000 doses,” Health Minister Samuel-Roger Kamba told a news conference on Friday. He added that the aim of the drive was to target priority groups, including those with existing health issues and health workers. More doses of the vaccine are expected to arrive from France, Japan and the United States. Last month, US President Joe Biden said Washington plans to donate one million doses of the mpox vaccine to African nations. World Health Organization’s Africa Director Matshidiso Moeti said in a statement that the vaccine rollout marks “an important step in limiting the spread of the virus and ensuring the safety of families and communities”. Since the start of 2024, the DRC has reported more than 30,000 suspected and confirmed cases of mpox, and 900 deaths, the World Health Organization said. The virus can spread through close contact with an infected person or animal. Once contracted, the virus typically causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions on the body. In August, the WHO declared mpox a public health emergency after discovering a new, more infectious variant, named clade Ib. According to the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, mpox has been detected in 16 African countries so far this year. On Friday, the WHO announced that it had approved a PCR test to detect mpox by swabbing skin lesions. Kamba said the WHO pledged about 4,500 tests for the DRC but did not provide an arrival date. Adblock test (Why?)
IAF set to attempt THIS record with grand air show at Chennai’s Marina Beach today
Nearly 72 aircraft will take part in the air display over Marina, and it is open to the public, as it is being held as part of the 92nd IAF Day celebrations.
‘Willful coverup’: Democrat in key House race hit with ethics complaint that could derail campaign
FIRST ON FOX: A Democratic House candidate in one of the most closely watched races in the country was the subject of an ethics complaint alleging that she had failed to act on allegations of sexual harassment and assault against a man working with her campaign. Fox News Digital obtained a complaint filed with the state’s Legislative Equality Office against Janelle Bynum, running for Congress in Oregon’s 5th Congressional District, alleging that Bynum had failed to be a mandatory reporter of allegations against a man working for the PAC that staffed her State Representative campaign in 2022. The complaint also alleged that when confronted about the alleged actions, Bynum was dismissive and even threatened the individual who had reached out to her. “During the 2024 primary election, I was contacted by an informant with information about Rep. Bynum and her willful coverup of a sexual assault of a minor volunteer who worked for her during the 2022 cycle,” the complaint reads. DEM HOUSE CANDIDATE INTRODUCED ‘SOFT-ON-CRIME’ BILL BACKED BY DEFUND-POLICE GROUPS: ‘SLAP IN THE FACE’ The complainant claims to have “personally spoken” with two former staff members who alleged that they had reported inappropriate sexual behavior by a field organizer “directly” to Bynum, along with two others associated with the campaign, “only for nothing to be done.” “For me, the primary issue here is that all Legislators are mandatory reporters,” the complaint says. “Bynum received credible information regarding one of her campaign staff sexually harassing and assaulting young volunteers, and not only did she not report it, but she also threatened to report the person who blew the whistle. . . .” In a statement to Fox News Digital, a Bynum campaign spokesperson said, “This attempt to smear Rep. Bynum is not based in reality. As a mom of two young women and a legislator who has spent her career advocating for others, Rep. Bynum takes this subject personally — which is why she flagged these accusations directly to the accuser’s employer, Future PAC, as soon as she was made aware of them after the 2022 election.” “It’s also why she’s openly aided the Legislative Equity Office’s investigation into the matter. Rep. Bynum expected Future PAC to deal with these accusations fairly and swiftly and to ensure their employees’ well-being and safety. If Future PAC did anything less, that is unacceptable.” The Bynum campaign shared an email exchange between Bynum and the Legislative Equity Office on September 20 in which the office told her she is “not being investigated” by the office. However, two sources familiar with the situation told Fox News Digital that state police have conducted interviews regarding the complaint which was recently forwarded to them in the last couple of weeks. The nature and scope of that investigation is not known at this time. Fox News Digital obtained text messages between a former Bynum campaign manager and Bynum in which Bynum appeared to show little interest in bringing attention to the alleged impropriety against her former staffer. “I asked you not to send me anything and I meant that,” Bynum says in a November 17th text in response to a warning from a former campaign manager about the staffer harassing women associated with the campaign. “I really can’t take anything else on my plate.” The former campaign manager continued pressing the issue a few days later. MCDONALD’S FRANCHISE OWNER BACKED BY TOP DEMS WINS KEY PRIMARY THAT COULD SWING CONTROL OF CONGRESS “While as unfortunate as this may be for you or [redacted] I am NOT siting (sic) by while someone like this gets off scott free treating young women abusively like that,” the former campaign manager texted Bynum on November 21, 2022. “If he gets a job down there this won’t be the last you hear of it I promise.” Bynum responds by asking, “Are you threatening me?” “Woah, easy there,” the former campaign manager responds. “I am promising you and anyone else that I am not OK with someone treating young women like that.” “I’ll consider reporting your actions,” Bynum responded. “Thank you for letting me know.” In another text thread on November 14, 2022, a FuturePAC staffer says, “It’s best we handle telling Janelle” and says we will “certainly flag” the concerns. It is unclear the exact date that Bynum flagged the concerns through the appropriate channels, but two sources familiar with the situation told Fox News Digital that the accused staffer has continued to be associated with FuturePAC in the last couple of years and held a position with the Oregon State Legislature after the 2022 campaign. FuturePAC did not respond to an inquiry related to this allegation shared with Fox News Digital. OREGON DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE PRIORITIZES LOOPHOLES OVER COMPENSATION, ADVOCATES ARGUE Fox News Digital reviewed text messages between Bynum and a FuturePAC staffer between November 22, four days after the text exchange with the former campaign manager, and November 30 where she attempted to get him on the phone about an unspecified matter. Two sources familiar with the situation told Fox News Digital that multiple staffers at FuturePAC, a campaign arm of Oregon House Democrats that staffs local campaigns, were aware of concerns and allegations against the individual during the campaign but told staffers it would be addressed after the campaign concluded. A spokesperson for FuturePAC denied these allegations. “To our knowledge, during the 2022 cycle no official complaints that would have triggered [an] investigation under the contract were made regarding the staff assigned to Rep. Bynum’s campaign,” a FuturePAC spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “FuturePAC hires and manages the campaign staff working on campaigns that we are supporting — as such, campaign staffers are FuturePAC employees, not employees of individual candidates. We take all allegations regarding staff conduct during campaign work seriously.” “Our union contract agreement with the Campaign Workers Guild requires official complaints and investigations to be handled through FuturePAC — campaigns and candidates are not allowed to be responsible for investigations of any workplace conduct. To our
Haryana Exit Poll Results 2024: Pollsters predict major win for Congress, setback for BJP
A total of 1,031 candidates contested in 90 assembly constituencies, and 20,632 polling booths were set up for voting. The votes will be counted on October 8 for both Haryana