ISIS

[Moliere]

Survivors Describe Entire Families Being Massacred in Brazen Islamic State Attack on Kobane

As the death toll rises from a surprise attack by Islamic State (IS) fighters on the Syrian Kurdish town of Kobane, witness and victim testimony obtained by VICE News indicates the militants targeted civilians with drive-by killings and massacred entire families during a brazen suicide mission.

Early on Thursday morning, IS fighters detonated a series of car bombs in Kobane, just across the border from Turkey in northern Syria. Dozens of IS fighters — reportedly disguised in the uniforms of Free Syrian Army soldiers and Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) — entered the town. IS had been driven from Kobane months earlier, and the town was miles from current front lines, giving many residents a sense of security. Many people who ventured out of their homes out of curiosity after hearing the explosions were gunned down. In some incidents, Kurdish-speaking IS fighters reportedly knocked on the doors of houses, beckoning families outside and into a hail of bullets.

[GreenGoo]

I'm just amazed that they haven't run out of suicide bombers yet. I'm not joking.

[Moliere]

Islamic State 'beheads women for sorcery' in Syria

IS has previously decapitated the bodies of Kurdish female fighters killed in battle. The group has also beheaded men for witchcraft in Iraq.

The group's extreme interpretation of Islamic law has also seen gay men thrown off buildings and women stoned for adultery.

Last week, IS militants in Syria hanged two youths from a beam by their wrists after accusing them of not fasting during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

[GreenGoo]

Saw that.

I think at this stage they'd need a team of creative writers to come up with some sort of new horror that would surprise and shock me. They are as close to pure evil as I've seen outside of the occasional psychopath.

Was reading some more about Boko Haram yesterday where they were forcing women into marriages and if they refused, cutting men's throats in front of them until they submitted, then of course they were raped repeatedly by their "husbands". Eventually enough of them were brainwashed to do the threatening, throat slicing and punishing themselves to other girls.

This men are literally barbarians. Khan could take notes from these guys.

[Moliere]

Khan could take notes from these guys.

OR



Wasn't the first mad at Kirk for the death of his wife?

As for the second, he only tortured and killed people when they wouldn't submit to his rule. Once they were willing to call him King and pay some taxes they could pretty much go back to their regular lives. He was also good for opening up trade between distant countries since the routes were much safer.

[GreenGoo]

Did I misspell it? I'm no historian.

I'm sure ISIS would leave people alone too as long as they followed their definition of sharia rule too.

For a guy willing to let people live their lives, Khan sure was rapey and murdery.

[Rip]

Are we really committed to defeating them?

The U.S. has reportedly blocked any attempts by Middle East allies to fly weapons to the Kurds fighting the Islamic State in Iraq.

The Telegraph reports that U.S. allies say President Obama and other Western leaders, including Britain’s David Cameron, aren’t showing leadership over the escalating ISIS crisis in Iraq, Syria and throughout the Middle East.

These allies are now willing to “go it alone” in giving heavy weaponry to the Kurds, even if it means defying Iraq and the U.S. who want all weapons to be funneled through Baghdad, according to the newspaper.

High level officials from Gulf and other states have told The Telegraph that plans to persuade Obama to arm the Kurds directly have failed. The Senate voted down an amendment for the U.S. to bypass Baghdad and send weapons to the Kurdish fighters.

The officials told the paper they are looking for ways to bypass U.S. permission to give the Kurdish fighters weapons.

Other Gulf nations have been visibly irritated by the lack of direction from the U.S. in the fight, according to the paper. Other members of the coalition have identified clear militant targets but then have been blocked by U.S. vetoes from engaging them.

One Gulf leader went as far as saying, “there is simply no strategic approach.”

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/07 ... latestnews

Blocking the giving of arms to the Kurds to fight ISIS is not being helpful. They are almost the only ones having any success against them.

[Isgrimnur]

It keeps the Turks happy. It is a fine example of Realpolitik.

[Rip]

It keeps the Turks happy. It is a fine example of Realpolitik.

Then the blood of the people being beheaded is on our hands.

[Isgrimnur]

[Rip]

Kind of ironic that not so long ago we were questioning who we should be arming and whether they would be committed to the fight. We have finally discovered who it is that isn't committed to the fight and it is us.

[hepcat]

You have an almost childlike understanding of the world that I often envy.

[Isgrimnur]

Pissing off the Turks to the point where they cozy up to the Russians would be gerat fun. The Georgians would love it.

[GreenGoo]

...that isn't committed to the fight and it is us.

The US has absolutely not committed to the fight. Why did you think it had? Because it was dropping the occasional bomb or drone strike?

You *just* pulled out of Iraq, for god's sake.

[Rip]

Pissing off the Turks to the point where they cozy up to the Russians would be gerat fun. The Georgians would love it.

If appeasing Turkey is a primary factor in the middle east we have already lost. They need us and NATO a LOT more than we need them. They have already been making waves for some time. If we continue to bow to their wishes we have already lost.

In nearly every instance of tension or conflict in the Middle East, the United States and Turkey have backed different sides, which makes policy coordination extremely difficult. Following the military coup in Egypt, the United States elected to deal with the new government while Turkey insisted on backing the deposed Muslim Brotherhood to the point that the Turkish ambassador was expelled from Egypt. In Syria, Turkey backed jihadi opposition groups that the U.S. was loathe to touch. In Iraq, the U.S. has been an unwavering backer of the Maliki government, while until recently Turkey’s relations with the Maliki government were at an all-time low as Turkey backed Maliki’s Sunni rivals and pursued independent relations with the Kurdistan Regional Government in northern Iraq at Baghdad’s expense. On the Palestinian front, the U.S. supports the Palestinian Authority as the representative of the Palestinian people while Turkey has spent the past decade cultivating ties with and propping up Hamas. So long as the U.S. and Turkey find themselves on opposite sides of various regional ledgers, problems between the two are bound to crop up.

http://warontherocks.com/2014/01/3-bigg ... relations/

[GreenGoo]

Rip, when I think diplomacy, especially international diplomacy, you're name never comes to mind for some reason.

You're an international incident waiting to happen, if only someone would give you a chance.

[Rip]

Mock me if you like but all we are doing is alienating a group who should be close allies.

Our loss.

The Obama administration continues to oppose the creation of a new state. "The policy of this Administration has been clear and consistent in support of a unified Iraq," a State Department spokesman said. "A unified Iraq is a stronger Iraq and is important to the stability of the region as well."

But the spokesman stressed the U.S. and the coalition have been "very supportive" of Kurdish forces. He pointed to more than 95 airlift missions conducted in coordination with the Iraqi government, as well as shipments of 1,000 AT-4 anti-tank systems and dozens of MRAPs, with more shipments on the way.

The Kurds dispute those numbers, insisting a lot of those weapons were never transferred to them after being given to Baghdad.

"They are going to form their own country," said one international agent on the ground in the region. "They see this as the only way to save themselves."

Many within the American Special Forces community seem to agree, with one telling Fox News that they are "pissed off" because since last year most, if not all, members of the U.S. military have to stop in Baghdad before going to Kurdish territory to provide training and support. Sources say Special Forces are not allowed to take heavy weapons such as the shoulder-carried AT-4 rocket launchers and belt-fed machine guns, and are being told to leave them in Baghdad. Also, even with DELTA and other U.S. special forces currently on the ground, they are not allowed to participate in the war against ISIS and fight with the Kurds.

Kurdish leaders and international intelligence officers also told Fox News they are surrounded by people who don't like them, or don't want them to be their own country -- they equate their situation with that of Israel. And they complain that the son of former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki was arrested last year in Lebanon with more than $1 million -- money they insist is part of the tranche that is not being transferred to the north. "The Kurds knew nothing was going to happen. They knew it," one operator said. "They knew they would get no American support or money from Baghdad."

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/07 ... latestnews

[GreenGoo]

Mock me if you like but all we are doing is alienating a group who should be close allies.

I don't like it, but years of black and white, overly aggressive and sometimes complete fantasy suggestions from you have left me with no choice.

Your forte is not diplomacy. Play to your strengths.

[Rip]

Therein lies the problem. This is about war more than diplomacy. Once your means of diplomacy becomes war it should IMHO be fought overly aggressively.

You have the same problem as the administration. They see it more as an "diplomatic isolation". They don't really want to take the fight to ISIS. They only want to play diplomacy, sit on the sidelines and hope it works out.

It seldom does.

[Pyperkub]

Therein lies the problem. This is about war more than diplomacy. Once your means of diplomacy becomes war it should IMHO be fought overly aggressively.

You have the same problem as the administration. They see it more as an "diplomatic isolation". They don't really want to take the fight to ISIS. They only want to play diplomacy, sit on the sidelines and hope it works out.

It seldom does.

Why do you advocate for war here and not against boko haram?

[GreenGoo]

Therein lies the problem. This is about war more than diplomacy. Once your means of diplomacy becomes war it should IMHO be fought overly aggressively.

You have the same problem as the administration. They see it more as an "diplomatic isolation". They don't really want to take the fight to ISIS. They only want to play diplomacy, sit on the sidelines and hope it works out.

It seldom does.

Why do you advocate for war here and not against boko haram?

These guys are running amok with almost no opposition. Nigeria kicked their asses once, but that's it.

[GreenGoo]

Therein lies the problem. This is about war more than diplomacy.

But that's my point. It's always about war with you.

A broken clock and all that, but still...

[Kraken]

Therein lies the problem. This is about war more than diplomacy.

But that's my point. It's always about war with you.

A broken clock and all that, but still...

"War is diplomacy by other means." One must respect the interests of existing powers unless one intends to destroy and replace them.

Kurdistan will likely emerge from the wreckage of Syria and Iraq and the corpse of ISIS whether Turkey likes it or not. Kurdistan will not survive, though, unless Turkey has a voice in its creation.

[Max Peck]

US campaign against Islamic State in Syria 'intensifying'

The US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group is "intensifying" its campaign in northern Syria, President Barack Obama says. Speaking at the Pentagon, Mr Obama said the US would not send additional troops to Syria but would increase support for the country's moderate opposition. He added that "an effective partner on the ground" was needed to defeat IS. It comes as IS militants were reported to have regained control of the town Ain Issa from Kurdish-led forces. Mr Obama's remarks followed some of the heaviest bombing of IS since coalition strikes began in September last year. The bombing targeted Raqqa, IS's de facto capital in Syria.

"We're intensifying our efforts against Isil's base in Syria," said Mr Obama, using another name for the militant group. "Our air strikes will continue to target the oil and gas facilities that fund so much of their operations. "When we have an effective partner on the ground, Isil can be pushed back," he added. However, he warned that the campaign against the group would "not be quick".

Yeah, if only there was an effective partner on the ground...

[Rip]

Yea, if only there was someone who wanted to fight and only asked for weapons. Someone who wouldn't haul them up to the doorstep of the enemy and then turn and run.

If only....

[Alefroth]

Yea, if only there was someone who wanted to fight and only asked for weapons. Someone who wouldn't haul them up to the doorstep of the enemy and then turn and run.

If only....

Yeah, I think we got it the first time.

[Carpet_pissr]

It was sarcastically implied that we don't have an effective partner on the ground? I hope I misunderstood the intent, there, but if not...

[malchior]

Mock me if you like but all we are doing is alienating a group who should be close allies.

Our loss.

Hepcat had your measure right. The Kurds in Iraq are essentially a semi-autonomous *province* in an area of little-to-no-strategic importance. The Turks are an actual current ally *nation* in a strategic area of importance. This is a no-brainer.

[Moliere]

Mock me if you like but all we are doing is alienating a group who should be close allies.

Our loss.

Hepcat had your measure right. The Kurds in Iraq are essentially a semi-autonomous *province* in an area of little-to-no-strategic importance. The Turks are an actual current ally *nation* in a strategic area of importance. This is a no-brainer.

The Kurds control a chunk of Iraq's oil reserves.

[LawBeefaroni]

Mock me if you like but all we are doing is alienating a group who should be close allies.

Our loss.

Hepcat had your measure right. The Kurds in Iraq are essentially a semi-autonomous *province* in an area of little-to-no-strategic importance. The Turks are an actual current ally *nation* in a strategic area of importance. This is a no-brainer.

The Kurds control a chunk of Iraq's oil reserves.

A small chunk of production of a commodity of diminishing importance (price).

[Max Peck]

It was sarcastically implied that we don't have an effective partner on the ground? I hope I misunderstood the intent, there, but if not...

If so, I was sarcastically implying that the Kurdish peshmerga are a damned fine candidate for an effective partner on the ground (in the north, anyway). Hell, there are even Sunni tribes that are fighting IS, pretty much on their own.

The heavy-set tribal elder stood near a breezeblock observation post on the frontline, flanked by fighters. They were anxious for us to see their weapons - or rather what's wrong with them. A powerfully built young man approached on crutches to show us his government issue AK-47 assault rifle. "This is new, " said 26-year old Yasser Ahmed. "But we can't use it. It fires five or 10 bullets and then stops. It's only good for hunting. If President Obama, and our prime minister, want us to fight Daesh they should give us powerful weapons." He refuses to leave the frontline, even though he is outgunned, and maimed. An IS car bomb last year robbed him of his father, more than 20 other relatives, and one of his legs. "We have made huge sacrifices since 2007 and we have never thought about abandoning the fight," he said. "We are defending our honour and our land and securing our region."

Of course, if you supply them with AK-47s that can't even empty a magazine without jamming, then they'll be hard pressed to be "effective."

[LawBeefaroni]

Of course, if you supply them with AK-47s that can't even empty a magazine without jamming, then they'll be hard pressed to be "effective."

Don't fire it on full auto.

Aren't AK-47s legendary for their reliability in poor conditions? Maybe it's the ammo.

[GreenGoo]

Of course, if you supply them with AK-47s that can't even empty a magazine without jamming, then they'll be hard pressed to be "effective."

Don't fire it on full auto.

Aren't AK-47s legendary for their reliability in poor conditions? Maybe it's the ammo.

Yeah, I found that odd as well. They are so prevalent because they are indestructible. Or so I've been led to believe. I'm not gun authority.

[Max Peck]

Of course, if you supply them with AK-47s that can't even empty a magazine without jamming, then they'll be hard pressed to be "effective."

Don't fire it on full auto.

Aren't AK-47s legendary for their reliability in poor conditions? Maybe it's the ammo.

Yeah, I worded that poorly. I didn't mean "empty the mag" as in pray-and-spray, I meant that he describes the weapon as jamming before it fires enough rounds to get to the end of a standard 30-round magazine. The AK-47 is usually portrayed as the Timex of assault rifles, that's why I drew attention to that part of the article. What little materiel support these guys are getting seems to be scraped from the bottom of the barrel.

[Carpet_pissr]

OK, but if by "effective partner" he means "let's arm yet ANOTHER group to the teeth in the Middle East as a proxy fighter there, and hope it doesn't come back to bite us in the ass like the last several times", then Obama needs to get out a history book.

[raydude]

OK, but if by "effective partner" he means "let's arm yet ANOTHER group to the teeth in the Middle East as a proxy fighter there, and hope it doesn't come back to bite us in the ass like the last several times", then Obama Rip needs to get out a history book.

FTFY

[Rip]

Perhaps if we stuck to arming people that actually are committed to the fight and not just trying to see what they can get from us. History would tell us that the Kurds are one of only a handful of allies in the area who fight hard and honor their commitments to us. Unlike the Iraqis

[Zarathud]

The Afghan mujahideen were committed to fighting Russia, too. Arming fighters who want to break away from a NATO ally is complicated at best, stupid at worst.

[Rip]

The Afghan mujahideen were committed to fighting Russia, too. Arming fighters who want to break away from a NATO ally is complicated at best, stupid at worst.

The Kurds didn't "break away" from Turkey. They have always been there as much as Turkey and Iraq have tried to make them disappear. Where it not for our interference previously they might very well already be controlling the area.

[Isgrimnur]

And when the Kurds attack Turkey in an attempt to break away and the Turks invoke Article 5?

The Parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America...

Oh, wait, the Turks aren't technically European. I guess that gives us an out.