Retraction: Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif was referring to Concessions being given by the West on compromises made in Arak, where nuclear facilities are located, and not on Iraq, its neighbour.

26th Aug: Iraqi Security Forces are stating that they have arrested the terrorist responsible for the bombing that took place in Babil on Monday.
26th Aug: Daash has destroyed using explosives the house of the advisor to the Salah Al Din Governor, Martyr Umayah Jebarah. She was killed fighting Daash on the 22nd of June. May God give her a better home close to Him.
26th Aug: Daash terrorists have detonated the house of Ahmed al-Khalaf al-Ibraheem, a tribal chief in Mosul.
26th Aug: The Peshmergas release a statement stating that they are firmly in control of Mosul Dam and they will legally prosecute anyone spreading rumours to the contrary. This is after an Iraqi media outlet claimed that Mosul Dam had been taken over by Daash and that 200 Peshmerga fighters had been imprisoned by Daash.
26th Aug: Saddam’s Tactics: Militants in Fallujah block the flow of water by closing the 10 gates of Fallujah’s Dam in an attempt to dry up areas to the south and flood areas around Baghdad. The Iraqi airforce bombs and damages three of the gates. The cracks in the gates start to free water being blocked by the dam.
26th Aug: Enemy of my enemy: Obama authorises reconnaissance flights over Syrian air space in order to be able to bomb Daash fighters in Syria.
26th Aug: Mullah Khalid, head of the Sunni Iraqi Scientist Group, condemns the retaliatory sectarian attacks targeting Shia Muslims: bombings in Karbala, Hilla, and Baghdad and sectarian statements being made by Sunni leaders after the attack on the Sunni Musab bin Omair mosque in Diyala as being irresponsible and nothing short of pouring oil on fire.
26th Aug: Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, the Interior Minister of Iran, states that any attack on the Sacred Shrines in Najaf and Karbala will result in an automatic military response by Iran, no matter who the attacker is. He stated that President Rouhani has given the necessary permission to the people concerned to act in case this red line is crossed.
26th Aug: Massoud Barzani personally receives Javad Zarif at Erbil airport and hosts him at his house. At a joint press conference Zarif stresses that there is no need for Iran to send troops to Iraq as both Iraqi troops and Peshmerga forces are sufficient and strong enough to deal with Daash. Barzani refers to Iran as the First Nation to have come to the aid of Iraqi Kurdistan.
26th Aug: Fool me twice: US congressman Ed Royce talks of arming the good rebels in Syria once more.
26th Aaug: The Iraqi Security Forces kill seven Daash leaders in Al Karama, Baghdad: Samir Khaeed, Arkan Rashwan, Ahmed al-Suedawi, Zamel al-Halbusi, Saddam Rokan and Qatada from Saudi Arabia and Abu Osama from Libya
26th Aug: Daash has expelled 60 families from Nijana village in Al Atheem and killed three residents who refused to cooperate. Daash needed the houses of the civilians to booby trap them to impede the advance of Security Forces. Daash had asked the families to give all their money and belongings to Daash fighters evicting them. Daash has reportedly booby trapped 350 houses north of Baqouba.
26th Aug: Hitler’s Youth: Daash starts to prepare young boys as suicide bombers in Saadia in preparation of Peshmerga assaults on the town. Daash was forced to retreat into the town in the face of artillery strikes by Peshmergas and air strikes by the Government.
26th Aug: Daash executes 12 residents of Hawija on suspicion of spying for the Iraqi government. The men executed belonged to Awakening forces or were police personnel.

27th Aug: Embodiment of the Shia faith, a living treasure for Iraq, Marja of Shias the world over, saviour of Moqtada Sadr, Protector of Baghdad, Evictor of Maliki (for unity), the man who single handedly Sanctioned the Americans from himself, bent the will of Iran, endeared the sects of Iraq, crushed the machinations of the Gulf Monarchs, prevented Iraq’s descent into civil war, the man whose word made people return looted property, and whose command compels the Iraqi army to act: Sistani expresses concern for the citizens of Amerli and this has the Iraqi army preparing for a major push to fight Daash and end the siege of Amerli. The Iraqi Air Force has also carried out air trikes on Daash positions around Amerli.
(My parents had the good fortune to meet Ayatollah Sistani this year, and my father kept repeating, “what noor (light) he has”)
Iraqi Security Forces are reporting that they have now reached Amerli outskirts and fighting with Daash will start soon. Hezbollah hum al Ghalibun.
27th Aug: Nouri Al Maliki criticises remarks made by Kerry that suggested that Iraq be divided on sectarian lines. He has asked other blocs: Sunni and Kurdish to lower their demands prior to government formation and has asked Haider Al Abadi to go ahead with majority rule if they do not show flexibility.
27th Aug: Overwhelmed: The High Commission for Human Rights in Iraq States that there is no accurate figure of the number of people displaced by fighting in Iraq. But a “reasonable” assumption is that 500000 to 1000000 have been displaced.
27th Aug: Nechirvan Barzani, the President of the Kurdistan Region in Iraq, States that the Kurds had a very bitter experience with Maliki. However, he repeats something that Maliki has been repeating since 2006, that fighting terrorism (Daash) is the responsibility of everybody and that the Kurds (Iraq) are fighting terrorism.
The Kurds are keen to resolve issues related to article 140 of Iraq’s constitution. Read here http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirkuk_status_referendum
Most of the territory, though not all that the Kurds had moved into after the Iraqi army fled Daash in June was this same contested territory.
The Kurds state that negotiations between them and the National Alliance are moving forward in the right way. They mention that the National Alliance is cooperating with demands that are within the constitution.
27th Aug: The Kurds bombard Daash positions in Bashiqah, north east if Mosul with artillery and the United Staes bombs them with air strikes killing and injuring many.
27th Aug: Former Speaker and Sunni Politician Ayad al-Samarrai (head of the Iraqi Islamic Party) states that Iraqi Sunnis are also divided in their opinion of whether or not to work with the next government being formed.
27th Aug: One of three Indian nationals missing and believed to be fighting for Daash, Arif Majid, is reported killed in Iraq.
27th Aug: Javad Zarif concludes his three day visit to Iraq. He refers to Iran as being trustworthy and that he had a chance to consult with all political blocs including the Marjas in Najaf (and excluding Daash).
27th Aug: The Iraqi Security Forces hope to be able to free Tikrit in the next 14 days. The plan is to gradually attack and free other areas from Daash after Tokrit has fallen. The besieged sub district of Amerli will also be freed after Tikrit. Food supplies are running low in Amerli and it’s Turkoman Shia inhabitants are at risk of mass murder by besieging Daash terrorists.
27th Aug: Salim Al Jubouri holds a meeting with the concerned officials of Salah al Din province concerning the fate of the 1700 Shia recruits murdered by Daash terrorists.
27th Aug: Death from above: The US carries out two air strikes against Daash targets near Erbil.
27th Aug: Feeling the pain before feeling their maker: A significantly large number of Daash casualties are being reported at the al-Salam Hospital (Saddam) and the al-Jumhori Hospital, and the General Hospital in Mosul. The hospitals lack medicine and anaesthetics. The Daash wounded are from US air strikes and Peshmerga artillery strikes north east of Mosul.
27th Aug: Tribal fighters from the Albu Faraj clan in Dhuluiya, believed to be a Salafi/Wahabi stronghold of Daash fighters 60 km south of Tikrit, attack and kill 7 fighters of Daash on a farm property and sequester their weapons and ammunition.
27th Aug: The Iraqi Air Force claims to have killed over a 100 fighters of Daash in different parts of Iraq.
27th Aug: Douglas McAuthur McCain, an American national, is killed fighting for Daash in Syria. Another 15 Australian fighters are reported killed in Iraq and Syria. Robert Fisk has correctly pointed out that most fighters from the West fighting on behalf of Daash are ethnically either Indian or Pakistani.
27th Aug: Iraqi security forces have used air borne troops to secure the road linking Haditha and Baiji.

Related:
27th Aug: Al Nusra fighters have taken over the Syrian Israeli crossing of Quneitra across from the Israeli occupied Golan Heights. Fighting with Syrian troops is continuing.
An Israeli soldier was hit in stray fire and Israel responded by shelling two Syrian army posts. like always a very measured response by the Israelis. It involves an algorithm that takes into account the total number of Israelis, the total number of Muslim Arabs, the Military strength of both sides, the Economic disparity of both sides, the influence and media outlets available to both sides etc etc etc
27th Aug: End of political correctness? Being British is a privilege: Police in the UK are reporting a five fold increase in the arrests of would be Daash fighters. While the US is tracking up to 300 Americans fighting for Daash.
27th Aug: Shirley Sotloff, mother of journalist Steven Sotloff held by Daash, makes a video appeal for his release. May Allah protect him and give him courage.
Meanwhile, Daash is demanding a 6.6 million USD ransom for a 26 year old Aid worker they had kidnapped. Let’s hope Qatar pays for her too.
27th Aug: An example to all: A Syrian soldier about to be executed by Daash screams out “I swear to God we will eradicate the (Islamic) state.” Amen, ya Rabal Alameen, so be it, oh lord of the Universe(s). The soldier was later executed.
27th Aug: Jordanian Islamic scholars are asking that Daash fighters not be referred to as Jihadists. As they tend to do things that are completely UnIslamic.
27th Aug: Until next time: Following the cease fire in Gaza, Qatar offers to rebuild the entire strip.
27th Aug: Iran announces that it has started to arm resistance groups in the a West Bank.
27th Aug: Pro Daash twitter accounts show photos of captured Syrian soldiers, weapons and Sukhoi aircraft that Daash has captured in Raqqa. It also shows photos of regime soldiers being executed.

Further reading:
The pimps of the Middle East:
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/qatar-and-the-reason-us-hostage-peter-theo-curtis-has-been-released-9690048.html
Spread of Poisoned Islam:
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/isiss-undoubted-skill-in-exploiting-social-media-is-no-reason-for-us-leaders-to-start-talking-about-the-apocalypse-9688438.html
Give and take:
http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/iraq-can-major-concessions-end-political-crisis