MILNEWS.ca Highlights – October 25, 2016

#CANvsISIL

• “Bataille de Mossoul: les forces spéciales canadiennes «au plus près de l’action»” (with a few photos of Cdns in the fight) – “Canada’s Role in the Mosul Offensive”
• “Defence Minister Harjit S. Sajjan will hold a teleconference on Tuesday, October 25, 2016, following his meeting with ministers from main force contributors to the Global Coalition against Daesh, in Paris, France ….”
• Kurdish media:  “Kurdish Yazidi refugees to arrive in Canada within months: minister”

Everyone Else Vs. ISIL

• “Carter, Inherent Resolve Commander Brief Operations in Iraq, Syria” (US DoD)
• “(U.S.) House Homeland Security Committee Report: Dismantling ISIS Financial Infrastructure”
• “Fight Against Islamic State Is A Land Grab That Will Resonate For Years To Come”
• “Kuwait Prepares to Counter ISIS on its Borders”

Iraq

• “Russia accuses US-lead coalition of ‘war crimes’ in Iraq”
• “The Campaign for Mosul: October 22-24, 2016” (ISW) – “The Campaign for Mosul: October 24, 2016” (ISW) – “Status Report on the Iraqi/Kurdish Mosul Offensive” (strategypage.com)
• “Street War Ravages in Mosul for the Eighth Day” – “MOSUL: Iraqi Military Displays Shi’ite Flags In Advance on Sunni Region” 
• “Turkey, Iraq Reach Agreement ‘in Principle’ on Mosul” – “Turkey could carry out ground operations against PKK in Iraq – (TUR) foreign minister” – “Turkey Considers Ground Operation in Iraq Against Daesh or PKK” – “US Scrambles to Contain Flaring Turkey-Iraq Tensions”
• “Masrour Barzani on Mosul Assault: It Is IS’s Last Battle” – “Peshmerga reach point beyond which they will not advance in Mosul offensive” – “Kurdish forces reject alleged request help from Turkey in Mosul operation”
• “Environmental Damage as a Weapon of War? Open Source Industrial Risk Analysis of the Mosul Battle” (bellingcat)
• “Why Iraq needs more than a military victory in Mosul”
• On Oil  “Iraq, Citing Mosul Battle, Requests Exemption From OPEC Output Cut” – “Oil Prices Fall After Iraq Signals Doubts Over OPEC Cut” – “Iraq balks at joining Opec cuts, making oil output deal harder”
• “Iraq’s alcohol ban will damage an already fragile country”

Syria

• “Defense minister: Russian arms pass Syria test, but there are problems”
• “Russia: No Russian or Syrian Strikes on Aleppo for Past Week” – “Amid key Aleppo gains, Russia not planning more humanitarian pauses in Syria”
• “Evacuation plan fails in Syria, UN blames all sides” – “Terrorists cutting off Aleppo residents from humanitarian corridors”
• From the Info-fight  ” ‘Crime Against Truth’: How Aleppo Problems Fall Victim to Anti-Russian Agenda” – “Kremlin wants Western media’s unbiased coverage of Russian, Syrian troops’ activities” – “Helped by Russia’s fifth column Atlanticist Integrationists, Washington intends to use Russia*s military assistance to Syria to convict Russia in world public opinion of war crimes, thereby advancing regime change in Moscow …”
• “New Evidence of Russian Incendiary Bombs Used in Attacks Against Civilians in Duma” (bellingcat)
• “Syrian Opposition Plans Operation to Break Aleppo Siege” (ISW)
• “How Putin and Erdogan divided up Syria”
• “Geolocation of Turkish Airstrikes on YPG Positions” (bellingcat OSINT)
• “Plans to Send Heavy Weapons to CIA-Backed Syrian Rebels Stalled by White House”  – “Obama administration split on “Plan B” for Syria intervention” (World Socialist Web Site)
• “Deadly chemical weapons are resurfacing in Syria”

The Kurds

• “Sweden to double military advisors in Kurdistan”
• “President Masoud Barzani Receives the U.S. Secretary of Defense in Erbil”
• “Turkey sends over 500 tons of humanitarian aid to Kurdistan”]

Cold War 2.0

• “US, Canada, Germany, UK to Map Out NATO’s Planned Baltics Battalions”
• “Lavrov: ‘We Have No Ideological Differences Which Make the Cold War Inevitable’ “
• “NATO member commanders outline cyber priorities”
• “Lithuania signs missile agreement with Norway” – “Lithuania and Norway agree NASAMS deal”
• “Estonia: Complex of buildings at Amari Air Base completed”
• “Kaboom! Russian Military Successfully Launches Scary RS-18 Ballistic Missile”
• “South Ossetia’s military may be allowed to serve in the Russian army — (RUS) defense minister”

Mo’ Peacekeeping?/Canada Into Africa?

• “Too fat to fight? CF considering tougher fitness standards for Africa”
• Study into Canadian attitudes based on exposure to different photos  “How news photos sway support for foreign wars” (Journalist’s Resource) – “The Impact of News Photos on Support for Military Action”: Political Communication: Vol 33, No 4
• “What Can Mali Teach the UN About Confronting Terrorism?”
• “New trends in United Nations Peacekeeping: Canadian and Global Perspectives Conference at McGill”

Veterans & Helping Veterans (or Not?)

• Point:  “Former NDP MP Peter Stoffer agrees that medical cannabis can have benefits for veterans, but says he’s worried about the amount of cannabis former soldiers are allowed under Veterans Affairs Canada rules …”
• Counterpoint:  “Trauma Healing Centers (which employs Stoffer) would like to apologize for any distress this has caused veterans and their families. Mr.Stoffer’s comments were taken out of context and it sounds like he is trying to advocate for VAC to make major changes to the amount of medical cannabis veterans can have reimbursed. This could not be further from the truth …”
• “Veteran to meet with Veterans Affairs committee about mefloquine”
• “Genetic sequencing could help diagnose PTSD”

Way Up North

• On Youth Suicide in Ontario’s Far North  “Junior Canadian Rangers Honour Comrade’s Memory”
• “Canada looks to cooperate with Russia in the Arctic”
• “Some Canadian Forces Lee Enfield rifles could be available for sale to the public”

Internal Security

• 3Ds’ Mark Collins:  “RCMP’s Anti-Terrorism Fight Giving Mob Increasingly Free Pass” – “RCMP’s counterterrorism centre in Ottawa serves as intersection of information”
• “Remember when the RCMP and CSIS accused the Chinese government of purchasing real estate in Canadian urban centers as a method of threatening Canada? No? That’s because the recommendations from a former classified program called Sidewinder was abandoned. All documents were ordered destroyed, and buried in 1997 by the Liberal government …”

Other

• “CH-148 Cyclone Involved in Its First RCN Exercise”
• “Royal Canadian Navy leads maritime readiness drills in SPARTAN WARRIOR 2016” (RCN Info-machine) – “The United States and Spain will take part in a Canadian-led training event Spartan Warrior 2016, according to official statement …”
• From the CF Info-machine:  “Army officers propose formal Latino heritage recognition”
• “Canadian Armed Forces celebrates 25 years of support to military families” (DND Info-machine) – “RCAF commander congratulates Military Family Services Program for 25 years of exceptional service”
• “General Hillier promotes ‘perpetual optimism’ “
• “(Rideau Institute) President Honoured for Work on Nuclear Disarmament”

Remembering

• “Remembering the Kootenay explosion, nearly five decades later” – “The HMCS Kootenay Explosion” (RCN History)
• “Ship’s wheel from HMCS Niobe returns home”
• “Fallen soldiers from southern Alberta honoured in Field of Crosses”

World War Two

• “New research for a CBC documentary is shedding light on how a wartime attack on a Mersey Pulp and Paper ship sparked fears that the Nazis were invading Seal Island, N.S. …”
• “A new book from authors John Boileau and Dan Black tells of Canada’s Boy Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen in the Second World War …” – “Too Young to Die” (Lorimer)

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