Authored by David Stockman via Contra Corner blog,
After the Berlin Wall fell in November 1989 and the death of the Soviet Union was confirmed two years later when Boris Yeltsin courageously stood down the red army tanks in front of Moscow's White House, a dark era in human history came to an end.
It used to be Iraq's second largest and most vibrant city; now Mosul - which was recently recaptured from the Islamic State - lies under a pile of rubble.
Authored by Darius Shahtahmasebi via TheAntiMedia.org,
The mainstream media appears to be celebrating ISIS’ recent defeat in Mosul, albeit with some reservations. The media is largely using the word “liberation,” which indicates the people of Mosul have been freed from a monstrous force by a friendly, benevolent one.
In reality, the “liberation” of Mosul paints a dark, horrifying picture of America’s foreign policy when one realizes how ISIS took hold of Mosul in the first place.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi arrived in Mosul on Sunday to announce the city’s “liberation” from the Islamic State, and to congratulate the Iraqi armed forces and people on their “victory” in the city after nearly nine months of urban warfare, and bringing an end to jihadist rule in the city, the WSJ reported. As a reminder, Mosul is where the Islamic State achieved its greatest military victory when it captured the city in just four days on June 29, 2014 and handed the Iraqi military a humiliating defeat, sending shock waves through the region.
The Islamic State on Wednesday night destroyed the famous Grand al-Nuri Mosque located in Mosul, best known for its leaning minaret, known as the "hunchback" and one of Iraq’s most famous landmarks. The entire structure has been destroyed, Reuters reported on Tuesday, citing an Iraqi military statement.
The mosque is where the Islamic State leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, ascended a pulpit in 2014 and declared a caliphate after his fighters took control of Mosul and swept through other areas of northern Iraq and Syria, according to the NYT.