Iraqis volunteer to fight, while Iran pledges its support

Baghdad Collage (Kurtis)

Various ones in Iraq and Iran are taking actions to deal with the rise of the insurgency there:

June 14, 2014

Hundreds of Iraqi young men are flocking Saturday to volunteer centers across Baghdad and elsewhere to join the fight against Islamist militants who have advanced across the north this week.

The volunteers are responding to a call to arms from Iraq’s most revered Shi’ite cleric, Ayatolla Ali al-Sistani.

A spokesman for the ayatolla speaking Friday at a mosque in Karbala urged Iraqis to “fight the terrorists in defense of their country, its people and its holy sites.” He said fighting the militants is “everyone’s responsibility.”

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has told army officers in Samarra that volunteers are arriving there to help soldiers defeat the militants.

Maliki also said troops who abandoned their positions and left their uniforms in the streets in the northern city of Mosul earlier this week must return to their units or face possible severe punishment, including the death penalty.

In another development Saturday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said his country is ready to help Iraq, if asked, and would consider working with Tehran’s longtime foe, the United States in fighting Sunni extremists if Washington decides to take strong action against the fighters. Iran has developed close ties in recent years with the Shi’ite led government in Baghdad.

U.S. President Barack Obama said Friday his national security advisers are preparing “a range of options” for U.S. assistance to Iraq’s government as it faces an assault by al-Qaida inspired Islamist militants. http://www.voanews.com/content/iraqis-volunteer-to-fight-insurgents/1936925.html

June 14, 2014

Iran is ready to assist the Iraqi government in its battle against extremist Sunni insurgents, President Hassan Rouhani has said.

But he denied Iran had sent troops into Iraq to help bolster Iraqi government forces’ defences.

The insurgents – from the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) – have seized the cities of Mosul and Tikrit and are moving closer to Baghdad.

They regard Iraq’s Shia majority as “infidels”.

Iran has close ties with the Shia-dominated Iraqi leadership which came to power after the toppling of President Saddam Hussein, whose powerbase was the country’s Sunni minority.

ISIS is a hardline Islamist militant group that grew during the US-led occupation and is one of several jihadist militias fighting the rule of Bashar al-Assad in neighbouring Syria. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-27847498

The Sunni Muslims do not wish to be under the domination of Shi’ite Muslims (who tend to take orders from Iran). Iran has felt that it has been slowly gaining control of Iraq and has realized that it has lost at least part of its control and hoped for future influence–hence it wants to stop the Sunni insurgency.

Years ago, Iran and Iraq were at war with each other. The USA tended to side with Iraq because of the hostage problem previously with Iran. Then later, because of Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait, the USA turned against Iraq. The USA also invaded Iraq in 2003 and kept troops there until 2011. The current government in Iraq is supposed to be a type of American ally–and that was part of the plan of the 2003 invasion, but Iraqi leaders have tried to keep their distance from the USA when they felt that they could.

Iraq will ultimately not be a secular independent nation that supports the USA, despite what the government of the USA publicly hopes for.

Iraq will end up supporting the final King of the South. This will be a confederation of mainly Arabic states, as well as Turkey, that will form (Daniel 11:40-43).

Although some Protestants believe that Iraq is the biblical Mystery Babylon the Great, that is NOT the case (see Iraq, Armageddon, and Prophecy).

As far as Iraq goes, there will be changes there and many of the changes will not end well. Iraqi territory is shown to be involved in end time biblical prophecy such as troop movements to get to Armageddon.

But before then, the final King of the South will form, Iraq will be part of it, and Iraq will not fare very well.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Iraq, Armageddon, and Prophecy What will happen to Iraq? Is it the prophesied Mystery Babylon? What is Armageddon and how does that have to do with Iraq?
Iran in Prophecy Is Iran in Bible prophecy? If so, what does the Bible teach? What names, other than Persia, may be used to describe Iran? There is also a YouTube video titled Iran in Prophecy. Here is a related video Iran In Prophecy.
Is the Future King of the South Rising Up? Some no longer believe there needs to be a future King of the South. Might Egypt, Islam, Iran, Arabs, or Ethiopia be involved? Might this King be called the Mahdi or Caliph? What does the Bible say? A YouTube video of related interest may be: The Future King of the South is Rising.
The Muslim Brotherhood and the Rise of the King of the South The Bible tells of the formation of a power of nations that are in the Middle East and North Africa that are part of the final “King of the South” (Daniel 11:40-43) The Muslim Brotherhood wishes to have an Islamic empire with basically the same nations. This YouTube video explains what to expect from such a confederation.
The Arab and Islamic World In the Bible, History, and Prophecy The Bible discusses the origins of the Arab world and discusses the Middle East in prophecy. What is ahead for the Middle East and those who follow Islam? What about the Imam Mahdi? What lies ahead for Turkey, Iran, and the other non-Arabic Muslims? An item of possibly related interest in the Spanish language would be: Líderes iraníes condenan la hipocresía de Occidente y declaran que ahora es tiempo para prepararse para el Armagedón, la guerra, y el Imán Mahdi.
Egypt in Prophecy Does Egypt have a special role in end time prophecy? Will Egypt rise up and then be defeated. What does God teach will
What Should You Know About Turkey in Prophecy Do you know the Turkish people descended from? Did the Ottoman Empire possibly fulfill a promise in Genesis? Will Turkey support the European King of the North or Arabic King of the South? Will it betray one of them? Will Turkey be involved in the encouraging the destruction of Israel? Is Turkey going to become Catholic? Is Turkey mentioned in Psalm 83, Daniel 11, and elsewhere in the Bible? This video provides answers.
Damascus and Syria in Prophecy Will Bashar Assad hold power as he has it? Does the Bible show that Damascus, the capital of Syria, will be destroyed? What will happen to Syria? Will the Syrians support the final King of the South that the Bible tells will rise up? Which scriptures discuss the rise and fall of an Arabic confederation? Does Islamic prophecy predict the destruction of Syria. This is a YouTube video.
Is There an Islamic Antichrist? Is Joel Richardson correct that the final Antichrist will be Islamic and not European? Find out.
Barack Obama in Islamic Prophecy? There is actually a 17th century Shiite prophecy that some believe that Barack Obama will fulfill that will lead to a rising up of Islam.
Arabic Nazarenes May Have Kept Original Christian Practices Were their faithful Arabs who held to original Christianity?
Nazarene Christianity: Were the Original Christians Nazarenes? Should Christians be Nazarenes today? What were the practices of the Nazarenes.
Prophecies of Barack Obama? Reasons why Barack Obama is apocalyptic and reasons why Barack Obama is not the Antichrist. This article includes many biblical and non-biblical prophecies, from around the world, that seem to discuss Barack Obama. Did Nostradamus predict Barack Obama dealing with the Antichrist? Might Barack Obama set the stage for the kings of the North and South as at least one Shiite prophecy suggests? Read it and decide for yourself if President Obama seems to be fulfilling various prophecies. Watch also the YouTube Barack Obama and the State of the Apocalypse.