The Republic of Iraq
The Republic of Iraq

The Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert. Iraq is bordered by Jordan to the west, Syria to the northwest, Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, and Kuwait and Saudi Arabia to the south. Iraq has a narrow section of coastline measuring 58 km (35 miles) on the northern Persian Gulf. The capital city, Baghdad is in the center-east of the country. Two major rivers, the Tigris and Euphrates, run through the center of Iraq, flowing from northwest to southeast. These provide Iraq with agriculturally capable land and contrast with the steppe and desert landscape that covers most of Western Asia.

Prior to the 2006 nuclear explosion in the United States, Iraq was a nation in the shaky process of getting its footing beneath itself after a US-led invasion in 2003 toppled the regime of then dictator Saddam Hussein under the premise of liberating the Iraqi people and continuing an ongoing war against terrorism.

The 2006 explosion in New York City was felt strong in the political turmoil brewing overseas at the time. Iraq, while occupied, was still nowhere near any semblance of order, and American military forces looked like they would be occupying the country well into the next decade. Predictions to that end were, perhaps, too conservative.

Between November 8, 2006 and February 18, 2007 American control over the nation of Iraq backslid dramatically. Militant groups took what was seen by many as a terrorist attack of unprecedented level on US soil as a sign of weakness and began striking back at American military entrenchment in the country. The months between the Midtown event and Senator Petrelli's famous speech marked the highest level of violence and American casualties since the invasion in Iraq began in 2003.

The shockwave of New York Senator Nathan Petrelli's announcement of the Evolved in February of 2007 set off a firestorm of activity across the world. Just three months following the announcement, after a lull in violence in Iraq, the organization known as Mazdak made its first publicized attacks against foreign occupation of the country of Iraq. Comprised of Iraqi nationals and foreign interests, Mazdak is a pro-evolved militant organization that adheres to the notion that the Evolved are the emissaries of a divine force, though their belief-structure is largely non-denominational, many Mazdak members happen to be Muslim, leading to an erroneous assumption by many outsiders that it is a Muslim-centric group. Such is not the case.

Mazdak began its attacks with demands that the United States remove itself from occupation in Iraq, which only entrenched the already deeply invested US Government in the country. Backing out of Iraq following the destruction at home would be a crippling blow to the perception of its military strength around the world. Following the institution of the Linderman Act in America and pending legislation to bring it to Iraq, Mazdak began an aggressive campaign of anti-Registration sentiments across the country.

Foreigners and natives alike were targeted by the group, and a troop surge in late 2007 coupled with increased fighting and focus on Iraq over the war in Afghanistan led to a slowdown in the skirmishes fought in major metropolitan areas after weeks of heightened violence. It was seen by many as the calm before the storm, or the eye of a hurricane. The chaos of Mazdak's attacks and other factional organizations vying for power in the nation have led to a total collapse of the interim Iraqi government and by July of 2008 the country was in total anarchy.

Many members of the Iraqi military had branched off on their own, pulling away from American support and joining the fractioned splited-groups each carving up portions of the country for themselves. Thousands of American troops were deployed to the country to reinstate law and order under military rule, and many called the move an "Annexing" of Iraq. In all but name, that tongue-in-cheek sentiment seems to have come true.

By 2010 it became clear that the United States did not have the capability to focus on as many foreign conflicts as it was. With the liberation of Madagascar on the table and criticism of the necessity of continued efforts in Afghanistan in light of more pressing military concerns, the United States pulled its forces out of Afghanistan, dividing them up between efforts in Iraq and efforts in the island nation of Madagascar.

At present, Iraq is a hotbed of conflict between insurgent groups and terrorist organizations vying for control of the country, while the United States and a handful of allied nations struggle to reinstate law and order in the country. The presence of a powerful and growing organization like Mazdak represents a rising trend of anti-American sentiments around the world, and strong resistance to the American Evolved Registration system, forcibly instated in Iraq.

At present there is only a skeletal centralized government in the nation of Iraq. The United States Military forces in the country currently serve as an interim government, keeping the country running in a ramshackle state of affairs. Foreign travel in and out of the country by the one operational civilian airport in Baghdad is strictly monitored by the military. Outside of US controlled areas, people, weapons and illegal shipments of all kinds flow to the periphery of American controlled territories, crossing in to blockaded US occupied zones.

The Lay of the Land

In areas outside of America's influence, law and order in the country has completely decayed in Iraq. Within the boundaries of the American Occupied Zone (AOZ), society struggles to keep its legs. People still go to work, sparse amounts of businesses are still open, though no oversight prevents them from gouging prices and taking advantage of a socially quarantined people. The AOZ keeps its back to Jordan and Turkey, with Baghdad both its political center and eastern-most area of influence.

Southern Iraq, formerly maintained by British command during the 2003 occupation has largely been abandoned by British forces who hold a token command in the region's southern-most area bordering Kuwait. Much of northern and eastern-most Iraq is entirely lawless, and concern grows daily over the potential for Iran to the east to move in and attempt to claim the land that the American military is unable to maintain, though Mazdak's strong dislike for Iran's vocally anti-evolved political sentiments has kept that nation from considering a battle against both the US military and Mazdak insurgents for the territory.

Registration in Iraq and its Impact

The United States Registry of the Evolved and Non-Evolved is upheld and mandatory in US controlled areas of Iraq. The Department of Evolved Affairs maintains a small office in Baghdad, while the day-to-day Registration work is handled by military and Private Military Contractor (PMC) operatives.

Registration is mandatory for all Iraqi citizens, Evolved and Non-Evolved and Registry cards must be kept on-person at all times. Even foreign travelers coming in to Iraq via the civilian airport in Baghdad are required to present valid Registration (certain nation's Registration are considered legitimate for foreigners traveling abroad, such as the UK's Database of the Evolved or China's National Registry). Unregistered travelers from foreign countries will be forced to submit to a local Registration process or be refused entrance into Iraq.

The registration process in Iraq is identical to that of the United States and Registry cards issued in Iraq are valid in the United States after a processing period with the Department of Evolved Affairs. Registered Tier-1 Evolved are required to maintain contact with the local military every day while in the country, checking in at sunrise and sundown at the Department of Evolved Affairs branch office in Baghdad.

Tier-2 Registered Evolved are not permitted to move around the country without a military escort, which may or may not be available on a given day. Tier-2 Evolved are highly scrutinized as to why they are in the country, and thin reasoning typically results in their being turned around at the gate.

Mazdak operatives are known for making attacks on Registration centers, which is largely why there is such a strong military presence at the DoEA office in Baghdad, and why the office is situated just outside a major Army fortification in the city.

Biotech Research, the New Black Gold

Iraq isn't wanted just for its vast oil reserves. It was discovered in September of 2009 following the fall of the Pinehearst corporation that a laboratory had been performing research on the Evolved inside of the country. Initially discovered by Rachel Mills, Pinehearst's experiments were spread out between seven facilities across eastern Iraq and western Iran, focused on the development of biological weapons designed to affect the Evolved, as well as a program to develop a synthetic Formula to imbue Evolved abilities in Non-Evolved individuals.

One of these seven facilities, just past the Iran/Iraq border was destroyed by Mills and her team while in pursuit by Pinehearst operatives. Following the collapse of Pinehearst, the United States sought to take control of their operations. The _institute coordinated with the US military and began seizing facilities in and around Iraq. However, the central research facility had been discovered by Mazdak, along with locations of other remote Pinehearst research facilities.

As of yet, the United States Military and the Institute have not had the manpower to risk attacking the central facility in Halabja, where it is believed the bulk of Pinehearst's foreign research into the formula and biological weaponry was being developed. It is a tightly kept secret that the facility may even still be active, though it is uncertain what Mazdak could be planning to utilize it for.

The United States continued presence in Iraq can be partly attributed to a desire to secure the secrets of Pinehearst's research for itself, lest the biological weapons and knowledge accrued by Pinehearst be lost to foreign interests.

Major IC Events

Shell Shock

Locations

None Yet!

Iraq in the News

September 2010

Associated Press
Tuesday, September 14, 2010

WASHINGTON D.C. — After months of speculation the question to whether or not the United States Military would remain an armed presence in the country of Iraq has finally been decided. Secretary of Defense Gerard Rutland has outlined the United States Military's plans for the continued occupation of Iraq through 2012. Amidst a flurry of criticisms for the handling of both the Iraq and Afghanistan military operations, the President Nathan Petrelli has also been highly scrutinized for the mobilization of United States Armed Forces for the liberation of the island nation of Madagascar in the winter of 2009.

According to Secretary Rutland, the US military will retain its 15,000 active service members in Iraq through to the end of 2012 when the operation will likely be given another review following the 2012 Presidential elections. Secretary Rutland outlined the two year plan for the reinforcement of US military bases in Iraq after the 2007 Mazdak rebellion in Baghdad which left 250 American servicemen dead and hundreds more injured.

President Petrelli has stated that assisting the burgeoning Iraqi government in rooting out the insurgent Mazdak terrorist organization will be crucial to establishing a sense of stability in the Middle East.

Following this declaration of intent in Iraq, Secretary Rutland informed the gathering at the press conference that a decision had been made in light of the choice to bolster operations in Iraq to begin a one year plan to withdraw from the United States' operations in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Unfavorable public opinion towards the engagement hunting the Taliban presence has likely contributed to this decision.

Secretary Rutland confirmed that troops removed from Afghanistan would be divided between soldiers allowed to return home from their extended tours of duty as well as troops moved between the resurgence of activity in Iraq and the restructuring operations in Madagascar.

This decision comes just weeks following the string of terrorist bombings in New York City and the instatement of the full national registry of the Evolved and Non-Evolved under the Linderman Act.

December 2010

IRAQ — Violence rocked the city of Baghdad yesterday when an attack by the terrorist organization Mazdak resulted in the deaths of 8 American military officers and 13 members of the Baghdad police force. Just shortly after 9:00pm local time, five members of Mazdak, under cover of an SLC-Expressive ability to bend light, infiltrated a security checkpoint along highway 5 to Baqubah. Reports are unconfirmed of the destructive force of the abilities used, but the hit-and-run tactics of the Mazdak membership resulted in zero losses on their side of the brief conflict.

General Stephen Yates, commander of the American forces inside of occupied Iraq, explained that with the movement of US forces out of Afghanistan earlier this year further focus and pressure will be put on finding and eliminating the threat represented by the Mazdak movement in the Iraqi region.

Defense analysts fear that the increasing number of attacks made by the Mazdak group may be indicative of intentions by that organization to make attacks on US soil in opposition to the United States occupation of Iraq which has been ongoing since 2003.

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