Video - Blogger, "Syrian Girl" Interviewed by Paul Joseph Watson on origins of ISIS

Video - Blogger, "Syrian Girl" Interviewed by Paul Joseph Watson on origins of ISIS. HT Infidelbloggers.

ISIS names new ‘war minister’ to replace 'last week' killed Omar al-Shishani.

ISIS names new ‘war minister’ to replace 'last week' killed Omar al-Shishani. (Rudaw).

The Islamic State (ISIS) has elected a former military official of Iraq’s defunct Baathist regime as its new war minister, to replace its dead commander, Abu Omer Shishani.

Yasin Salam, known as Abu Taha, the new minister of war, is from the Haditha area of Anbar province. During Saddam Hussein's rule in Iraq, he was commander of the elite Presidential Guards battalion.

Like many other of Saddam’s former army commanders, Abu Taha pledged allegiance to ISIS after the Iraqi dictator was ousted in the 2003 US-led invasion.

“(Abu Taha) has pledged allegiance to ISIS for five years. He was given the post after several meetings among ISIS leaders,” said Nazim Jighenfi, a leader from the Shiite Hashd al-Shaabi.

Jighenfi added that Abu Taha is now “in Anbar province, commanding ISIS attacks on Iraqi security forces.”

ISIS confirmed that Omar al-Shishani, one of its top military commanders, was killed.

But contrary to reports that said he died in Syria in March, the group said he was killed last week in fighting south of Mosul, the last ISIS-held city in Iraq. Hmmmm..........Shishani Has more lives than a cat.Read the full story here.

Former Saddam officer's Secret Files Reveal the Structure of Islamic State.

Former Saddam officer's Secret Files Reveal the Structure of Islamic State.(Spiegel).

Samir Abd Muhammad al-Khlifawi was the real name of the Iraqi, whose bony features were softened by a white beard. But no one knew him by that name. Even his best-known pseudonym, Haji Bakr, wasn't widely known. But that was precisely part of the plan.

The former colonel in the intelligence service of Saddam Hussein's air defense force had been secretly pulling the strings at IS for years. Former members of the group had repeatedly mentioned him as one of its leading figures. Still, it was never clear what exactly his role was.

But when the architect of the Islamic State died, he left something behind that he had intended to keep strictly confidential: the blueprint for this state.

It is a folder full of handwritten organizational charts, lists and schedules, which describe how a country can be gradually subjugated. SPIEGEL has gained exclusive access to the 31 pages, some consisting of several pages pasted together. They reveal a multilayered composition and directives for action, some already tested and others newly devised for the anarchical situation in Syria's rebel-held territories. In a sense, the documents are the source code of the most successful terrorist army in recent history.

For the first time, the Haji Bakr documents now make it possible to reach conclusions on how the IS leadership is organized and what role former officials in the government of ex-dictator Saddam Hussein play in it.

Above all, however, they show how the takeover in northern Syria was planned, making the group's later advances into Iraq possible in the first place. In addition, months of research undertaken by SPIEGEL in Syria, as well as other newly discovered records, exclusive to SPIEGEL, show that Haji Bakr's instructions were carried out meticulously.

Bakr's documents were long hidden in a tiny addition to a house in embattled northern Syria. Reports of their existence were first made by an eyewitness who had seen them in Haji Bakr's house shortly after his death. In April 2014, a single page from the file was smuggled to Turkey, where SPIEGEL was able to examine it for the first time. It only became possible to reach Tal Rifaat to evaluate the entire set of handwritten papers in November 2014. Read the full story here.

Extravagant wedding plans by Iraqi dictator Saddam’s granddaughter cause a stir.

Extravagant wedding plans by Iraqi dictator Saddam’s granddaughter cause a stir. HT: Rudaw.

The late Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein’s granddaughter has stirred up a small storm by posting a series of pictures of her wedding preparations, garnering criticism for the family’s extravagance at a time when so many Iraqis are suffering.

The wedding of Banan, daughter of Raghd and granddaughter to Saddam, is set to take place in Amman, the Jordanian capital.

The invitation cards and some other wedding accessories are in the shape of Saddam’s Baath party logo, and flags shown are old ones from the dictator’s time.

The reception is reportedly due to take place on Monday at one of Amman’s most exclusive hotels.

The pictures, uploaded on Instagram, have caused a controversy on all sides, criticized by tribal leaders and locals alike. Many are angry because they suspect the luxuries are being paid by money stolen by Saddam during his dictatorial rule. Read the full story here.

Top Saddam deputy Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri appears in new video, lashes out at Iraqi government.

Top Saddam deputy Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri appears in new video, lashes out at Iraqi government.(AlArabiya).A video posted online Saturday purports to show Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, the highest ranking member of Saddam Hussein’s ousted regime still at large, lashing out against Iraq’s Shiite-led government. It was not possible to verify the authenticity of the video or determine when it was made. The man in the video, posted on a website linked to Saddam’s now-outlawed Baath party, was introduced as al-Douri and bore a striking physical resemblance to the former Saddam deputy. He noted that nine years had passed since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, suggesting the video was made recently. Wearing an olive military uniform and eyeglasses, he criticized Iraq’s Shiite-dominated government, led by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, and what he said was meddling by neighboring Shiite powerhouse Iran. “Everyone can hear the sounds of danger echoing daily and threatening this country,” he said during the hour-long address, adding that al-Maliki’s Dawa Party “has announced Iraq as the Shiite capital, and called on all Arab leaders to surrender to this reality.” He also criticized the Arab governments that backed the government and accused them of treason and conspiracy against Iraqi insurgents who fought against the U.S. military after the invasion. U.S. officials have accused him of organizing the insurgency. “Nine years have passed since the invasion and occupation and these corrupt traitors have turned their backs on the heroic Iraqi resistance,” Douri said. He also warned Sunni Arab countries over what he called the “invasion of Safavid” - an apparent reference to Shi’ite Muslim Iran’s growing influence over Iraq’s government, in a region increasingly divided along a Sunni-Shi’ite faultline.“We put it before your eyes and in your hands, the Safavid Persian enemy today stands at the doorstep,” he said. Al-Douri has been reported dead or captured more than once in the past. He has not been seen in public since the U.S.-led invasion, though audio tapes purporting to be from him have been released. His whereabouts are not known. Al-Douri is believed to have played a key role in financing Sunni insurgents seeking to undermine Iraq’s post-Saddam government. He was the “king of clubs” in the deck of playing cards issued by the U.S. to help troops identify the most-wanted members of Saddam’s regime. Ali al-Moussawi, a media adviser for al-Maliki, said the tape is meant to “boost the morale of the terrorists.” “Al-Douri wants to spread terrorism and sectarian violence under the pretext of resistance,” he said. “This will not affect the work of the government or the political process.” Al-Moussawi said al-Douri is still a wanted man, but that he doubts that al-Douri is still in Iraq because his need for extensive medical care in a well-equipped clinic would make it impossible to hide.Hmmmm...... “king of clubs” and America has the 'Joker' Obama: If We Work Hard, Afghanistan Could Be a Success...Like Iraq!Read the full story here.