Al Qaeda takes control in Iraqi city
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Al Qaeda takes control in Iraqi city
Islamist group ISIS have taken control of major Iraqi cities of Mosul and Tikrit. Army and police mostly done a runner. "Informal request" for US air and drone strikes from Iraqi govt. Given the pages and pages that have been posted with details of various GW missions, I'm kind of surprised it hasn't attracted any comment here.
Where to from here? Answers on postcard to Pres. G W Bush (ret'd)
Where to from here? Answers on postcard to Pres. G W Bush (ret'd)
You've just insulted Al Qaeda! ISIS are NOT AQ...They had a massive bust up with AQ about 2 years ago. AQ fell out with them because they were too Barbaric! [This includes on the spot fines for breaking the Islamic Code (on the spot public beheading or shooting)].They are extremist Islamists intent on only ONE thing: an independent state straddling Syria and Iraq.
They are a ruthless mix of thugs led by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi who has recently adopted organised military strategies designed to take on a weakened Syria and Iraq.
The worry for the West is that this group is acting as a magnet for anyone from the rest of the world who wants to fight in a Jihadist struggle. Thus their numbers are swelling enormously - out of control - and spilling over into neighbouring countries perhaps.
It needs to be decapitated immediately....(a tsate of its own medicine perhaps).
They are a ruthless mix of thugs led by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi who has recently adopted organised military strategies designed to take on a weakened Syria and Iraq.
The worry for the West is that this group is acting as a magnet for anyone from the rest of the world who wants to fight in a Jihadist struggle. Thus their numbers are swelling enormously - out of control - and spilling over into neighbouring countries perhaps.
It needs to be decapitated immediately....(a tsate of its own medicine perhaps).
No Thomas,it is you who is missing the point entirely. Any culture which is this violent and fails to use half of its population (women) will fail economically. Just leave them alone, and cut off the oxygen of oil money. The sooner the west is energy-independent, the better.
Looks like Kurdistan will soon exist!
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-27809051
Looks like Kurdistan will soon exist!
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-27809051
Last edited by Fox3WheresMyBanana; 12th Jun 2014 at 10:16.
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I reckon it's all going beautifully over there, or at least to 'plan'. I think the Israeli's are going to start feeling a bit gyped one day though.
I've said from the start that regional destabilisation was the end game goal. 'If they are killing each other they are not killing us'. Iraq was the perfect choice..Dictatorial, centrally located, Secular, and in the bad books already after the Kuwait adventure (also providing a free beachhead 13 years later).
All 'we' had to do was walk in, lop the top off the ants nest, destroy any political and military infrastructure (next best thing to bombing them all back to the stone age...do it figuratively instead), and then just let them at each other. There was a reason Iraq once had a long term (read 'successful') hard-line Dictator...THEY NEEDED IT! They'd all have killed each other without him.
Oh. Hang on..
Throw some support to opposing sides occasionally to keep the fires stoked, add Syria, Iran etc into the mix to keep them occupied, and the short to medium term terrorist threat at home is significantly reduced. Long term is TBA. However it turns out, I'm tipping Israel would like Saddam back..
I've said from the start that regional destabilisation was the end game goal. 'If they are killing each other they are not killing us'. Iraq was the perfect choice..Dictatorial, centrally located, Secular, and in the bad books already after the Kuwait adventure (also providing a free beachhead 13 years later).
All 'we' had to do was walk in, lop the top off the ants nest, destroy any political and military infrastructure (next best thing to bombing them all back to the stone age...do it figuratively instead), and then just let them at each other. There was a reason Iraq once had a long term (read 'successful') hard-line Dictator...THEY NEEDED IT! They'd all have killed each other without him.
Oh. Hang on..
Throw some support to opposing sides occasionally to keep the fires stoked, add Syria, Iran etc into the mix to keep them occupied, and the short to medium term terrorist threat at home is significantly reduced. Long term is TBA. However it turns out, I'm tipping Israel would like Saddam back..
Yes skydiver, Turkey will be able to join the fun then as well. NATO will not be involved, as legally it will be an internal problem.
Hempy - don't forget the mullahs want to live in the stone age.
Hempy - don't forget the mullahs want to live in the stone age.
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But let us also not forget that there are thousands (millions I assume) of people living in those countries who don't want further war and bloodshed. Mostly women I suspect who're really rather fed up of their sons and husbands being killed, of being denied education and respect, of being treated like dirt.
I think the allies have lost less than 10,000 servicemen throughout the entire middle eastern conflict, whilst it is reported that 120-130,000 civilians have died.
Warmongering for our own ends is one thing, but let us not tarnish all those living in that area with the same brush.
I think the allies have lost less than 10,000 servicemen throughout the entire middle eastern conflict, whilst it is reported that 120-130,000 civilians have died.
Warmongering for our own ends is one thing, but let us not tarnish all those living in that area with the same brush.
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Seriously, if the gloves really came off one day, the whole middle east could be turned into smoking glass pit in a heartbeat. They can sting at the moment, but they can't run with the big dogs and return that favour, not now and not for the foreseeable future.
We took their dictator away, they don't want Democracy, and no one faction is strong enough to cement power (and once in 'power' likely wont keep it for any length of time). There is too much disharmony inside their religion.
Saddam was the only organised 'threat' in the whole region, Iran aside (but it was too hard to get to) - perceived or actual no matter. Who is a 'threat' now?
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p.s despite any lip service, the US (and by extension her allies) does what the US does for the US NATIONAL INTEREST. The mothers and peace loving folk you mention are NOT in the national interest...aka 'tough luck'.
To a large extent, the only issue the US (and for that matter the rest of us) really need worry about is Islamic extremists getting hold of buckets of instant sunshine - Pakistan is the Mammoth in the broom closet.
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I am getting to the point that what happens in Saudi Arabia/Kuwait/Bahrain/Qatar/Iraq/Syria/Yemen/Somalia/Nigeria/Afghanistan/Pakistan/Dafur/Sudan/Mali/Egypt/Jordan and any other place inhabited by radical Islamists should be a Spectator Sport for the United States.
If we just simply write off that part of the World and make nice with Canada, Mexico, and South American Oil Producers then We would be far better off. Perhaps that would then cause us to focus upon becoming Energy Independent and we could eliminate all those entanglements that come with our presence and relations with those countries that are embroiled with this Islam thing.
Western Europe would have to make nice with Mr. Putin and form up a nice friendly coalition with the Russians and gain reliable access to all the Energy Resources they have.
That would leave China and Japan to deal with the Islamists. I would place my bets on the Chinese in the successful outcome of that.
If we just simply write off that part of the World and make nice with Canada, Mexico, and South American Oil Producers then We would be far better off. Perhaps that would then cause us to focus upon becoming Energy Independent and we could eliminate all those entanglements that come with our presence and relations with those countries that are embroiled with this Islam thing.
Western Europe would have to make nice with Mr. Putin and form up a nice friendly coalition with the Russians and gain reliable access to all the Energy Resources they have.
That would leave China and Japan to deal with the Islamists. I would place my bets on the Chinese in the successful outcome of that.
make nice with Canada
Meanwhile, back at the UK ranch,
BBC News - UK rules out taking military action in Iraq
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Handing out weapons to everyone, you will be back to immediate post war.. Looks like the US might be getting embroiled again.
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what Iraq needs is a strong leader with strong military connections who takes no s*** from the religious
unfortunately we hanged him a few years back.......................
unfortunately we hanged him a few years back.......................
Harry, I beg to differ.
Maybe Iraq needs to break up. Maybe, like Yugoslavia, it is an artifact of WW I that is long past its expiry date.
See the book published in 2006 called " ."
Some interesting thoughts about American efforts leading, perhaps unwittingly, to the establishment of an independent Kurdish homeland, made by someone familiar with the area.
Maybe Iraq needs to break up. Maybe, like Yugoslavia, it is an artifact of WW I that is long past its expiry date.
See the book published in 2006 called " ."
Some interesting thoughts about American efforts leading, perhaps unwittingly, to the establishment of an independent Kurdish homeland, made by someone familiar with the area.
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Iran has entered Iraq to assist the Iraqi Government..