Iraq army pushes into Tikrit

How has ISIS, a 21st-century terrorist organization with a retrograde religious philosophy, spread from Iraq to Syria, Libya and beyond? Video by Quynhanh Do on Publish Date December 13, 2014. / Picture from New York Times

Iraqi government forces make slow advance

There is a fierce battle going on between the Iraqi government forces and the ISIS militants. The area around a teaching hospital has become the latest battle zone. The government forces advance was slowed down by roadside bombs placed by the militants. The operations to retake Tikrit, are being commanded by Iranian commanders, US is not providing air support. The Iranian air force helicopters and war planes have conducted air strikes. The offensive began on Sunday (BBC). Tikrit is the birthplace of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.

According to The Telegraph, UK, the pro Baghdad alliance is having a tough time against the ISIS forces. The ISIS would need to retain the loyalty of the local Sunni population, “through fear or preference”. Sectarianism overshadows the operation as there is “a heavy use of Shia forces.” (Telegraph, UK) against ISIS who are largely Sunni. This has led to an unease in the US led coalition. The involvement of the Iranian forces could also be seen as a significant factor. However, it is an “alliance of convenience” that is backed by the western powers. What this would mean for the future can be gauged from the fact the fight against terrorism is replete with stories about such alliances which in the end have come to haunt the west in the form of terrorist formations of which ISIS is one.

More than 70,000 protestors, angry at Mr Nemtsov’s murder, took to the streets of Moscow yesterday / Picture from Express, UK

Russia: Boris Nemtsov 

Britain’s former PM, John Major, joined mourners in Moscow. Thousands of people gathered to pay their respects to the Russian opposition leader who was gunned down on a bridge near the Red Square. Moscow. He was a vocal critique of President Vladimir Putin. Many fingers have been pointed at Kremlin in connection with the attack. The assassination has been widely condemned. Mr. Nemtsov was walking with his companion near Kremlin after a dinner at a restaurant, when motorcycle bound gun men opened fire. Mr. Nemtsov was a “champion of democratic reforms”. He had earlier, “savaged” Mr. Putin in a radio interview and called him “blood thirsty” (Express, UK). He had accused Putin of,

“…eating the brains of Russians” with propaganda and dubbed his rule “a disaster”. “The key political demand is an immediate cessation of the war with Ukraine,” he said as he called for people to join the protest against Mr Putin’s “aggressive policy, deadly for our country and many citizens, of war against Ukraine” (Express, UK March 2 2015).

Mr. Nemtsov was on the verge of exposing the content of a dossier that would have exposed the presence of Russian troops in Ukraine. In another story in the Newsweek (CIA Veterans Finger Putin in Nemtsov Assassination, Jeff Stein,  March 2 2014) have said that it  was inspired by Putin, if not explicitly ordered by him. Meanwhile, the article says that Kremlin, while dismissing its involvement have, “floated alternative villains”. The absence of  “nearby closed circuit cameras” and the fact that the only evidence is provided by a camera that was on the far side, from the scene of the crime and a garbage truck that was blocking view, point to work of professionals. However, there is still no conclusive proof of Kremlin’s involvement.