Al Quaeda splinter group sweeping through Iraq

Something funny for once:

http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1981563

Daily Mail trolls joining a muslim forum to whip up anti-west hate and enthusiasm for caliphates, and being caught when a mod checked their ip.

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache%3AQDDb7ydcC5kJ%3Awww.ummah.com%2Fforum%2Fshowthread.php%3F408155-i-am-pledging-allegiance-to-the-caliphate+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk

Doubtless the Wail intended to run an 'outraged' story.    

They are so busted!          

From:

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/07/09/world/pentagon-isis-leader-drone/index.html?hpt=hp_c2

Pentagon considers how to target ISIS leader in drone strike
From Barbara Starr, CNN Pentagon Correspondent
July 9, 2014 -- Updated 2223 GMT (0623 HKT)

(CNN) -- The Pentagon is considering under what circumstances it will recommend President Barack Obama authorize the use of a missile-equipped drone to kill the leader of Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, CNN has learned.
Any such mission to kill al-Baghdadi would have to be approved by Obama, according to several defense officials CNN has spoken to at length. All of the officials have direct knowledge of the intelligence gathering efforts in Iraq, but declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the information.
"He is a person of great interest to us," one defense official told CNN. If the U.S. military were to recommend a drone strike against al-Baghdadi, there would have to be specific and detailed intelligence showing his location at the moment of a strike and intelligence to assure that civilians would not be at risk. In order to launch a kill mission, the U.S. has to demonstrate the target poses a threat to the U.S. Al-Baghdadi's ISIS organization does threaten the U.S. Embassy and U.S. citizens in Iraq, according to U.S. officials.
It is also possible the U.S. could turn the information over to the Iraq government for it to conduct a capture or kill mission against the ISIS leader on its own. Another point of consideration would be the impact of a U.S. strike on the situation in Iraq and whether the U.S. would be seen by Sunnis as siding with the Shiite-led government.


Yes, do that thing, make him a martyr. I can think of few things guaranteed to make matters worse than Obama killing Pretender Caliph with a drone strike. It would make ISIS/IS even stronger and also bring in MORE recruits.

And since when has Washington ever bothered about civilians being at risk? Civilians killed by drones are referred to as 'bug splat'.

Also, isn't it a great idea to advertize things such as this?   

Washington doesn't seem to do joined-up thinking any more, Lily, they seem to come up with one dumb idea after another which inevitably makes bad situations even worse.

That's what many people here are saying........you can imagine how fed up so many people are.

Lily, I cannot imagine how ordinary Americans must feel, watching this shambles day in, day out. This business of the Mexican border is sheer insanity. What the HELL is the point of spying on your own allies when the entire world can simply walk into your country with little or no checking? Or does Obama think would-be terrorists would never dream of catching a flight from the Middle East to Mexico?

I wonder if he really cares? After all, does it inconvenience him at all?

Oops, there goes some more 'nice rebels'- from:

http://rt.com/news/171952-thousand-strong-defect-islamic-state/

An entire 1,000-strong rebel brigade based in Syria’s Idlib province has reportedly defected to the Islamic State group, raising new questions as to whether other factions will rally behind the militant force that has swept through Iraq’s west.

The Dawud Brigade, which was based in Sarmin and fell under the umbrella of the anti-government Sham Army, arrived in the northeastern city of Raqqa last weekend, the main headquarters for the Islamic State (IS) – previously known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS/ISIL).

The rebel group arrived in a convoy of over 100 vehicles, including 10 tanks seized from Syrian government forces, McClatchy reported quoting anti-government activists as saying on Tuesday. Syrian journalist Ammar Abu Shahin said that an increasingly complex relationship between anti-government rebel groups prompted Dawun Brigade’s leader, Hassan Abboud, to head to Raqqa.

“Frankly speaking, people in the countryside of Idlib are in a real panic about the advancement of the Islamic State,” said Shahin.

According to the journalist, who is familiar with the dynamics between pro-Western Syrian rebels and more radical Islamist elements, the decision by the brigade to formally align itself with the Islamic State was “only a change in uniform,” suggesting that groups already sympathetic could well identify themselves and also head for its Raqqa headquarters.

Meanwhile there have been reports on Monday that several rebel factions affiliated with the FSA have pledged allegiance to the IS in the border town of al-Bukamal in eastern Syria. Sources and eyewitnesses told Zaman Alwasl newspaper that brigades of Ahl Al Athar, Ibin al-Qa'im, and Aisha have joined the IS.

---------

FSA? Isn't that the lot Obama's been giving mega-bucks to? The bunch that is being feted in Washington as the 'real government of Syria'?

http://rt.com/news/158036-syria-american-missiles-test/

The US is sending missiles to Syrian rebels as part of a “pilot program” to strengthen the opposition, American media reveals. Addressing criticism the US is arming extremist militants, Washington claims its weapons will not “fall into the wrong hands.”

Oops!


https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/world/a/24339579/syrian-rebels-can-play-role-in-iraq-says-kerry/

Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) (AFP) - Syrian rebels can help push back jihadists in Iraq, US Secretary of State John Kerry said Friday as Washington unveiled plans to boost Syria's opposition with $500 million in arms and training.

The top US diplomat, who landed in the Red Sea city of Jeddah in the afternoon, also met Saudi King Abdullah a day after hosting urgent talks in Paris with the Saudi, Jordanian and UAE foreign ministers on the widening crisis in Iraq and Syria.

Well, he got one bit right - the FSA will be playing a role in Iraq with all that US money and weapons...

Of course, a REAL statesman would have told KSA to stop funding terrorists; instead, the Ketchup Gigolo happily posed for photos with ISIS' backers.

 

Back to last week's Most Evil Man In The World:

http://www.worldtribune.com/2014/07/22/official-seized-u-s-combat-platforms-transform-isil-military/

ISIL seizes 50 U.S. artillery batteries and up to 4,000 U.S. PKC machine guns
Special to WorldTribune.com
WASHINGTON — Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant has been bolstered by the seizure of a fleet of U.S.-origin artillery batteries.
Officials said ISIL has captured a huge amount of U.S. combat platforms and equipment deployed in military bases in northern Iraq.

They said ISIL was already using combat ground vehicles and artillery acquired during the advance by the Al Qaida force in June.
“The booty could help ISIL transform into a military,” an official said.
The extent of ISIL’s new U.S.-origin arsenal was determined by the U.S. military’s Central Command in early July. The 120-page review, already submitted to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, cited the loss of more than 50 155mm artillery batteries sold to the Iraq Army. The M-198 artillery was said to have a range of nearly 35 kilometers.
“The assessment is that ISIL has also taken plenty of shells for the howitzers,” the official said.
ISIL has also captured 1,500 Humvee combat vehicles. The review said the Humvees were armored and could withstand light arms fire.
Another U.S. weapon seized by ISIL was identified as the PKC machine gun. The U.S. military has assessed that the Al Qaida force could have taken up to 4,000 machine guns, a 1960s-era weapon designed to fire 800 rounds per minute.
So far, ISIL has used the Humvees in operations in Iraq and neighboring Syria. Officials said ISIL could find fuel for the Humvee fleet from its vast oil wells in Syria.

http://news.sky.com/story/1315089/obama-approves-strikes-to-stop-iraq-genocide

Obama Approves Strikes To Stop Iraq 'Genocide'
The President says strikes, if needed, would stop the advance of Islamist militants and help prevent a "genocide" of minorities.

President Barack Obama has authorised airstrikes against Islamist militants in northern Iraq and ordered airdrops of supplies to besieged religious minorities.

Three aircraft delivered food and water to thousands of Iraqis trapped on a mountain, and left the drop zone after 15 minutes, according to the Pentagon.

In a late-night televised address, Mr Obama said targeted strikes would be launched - if needed - to stop the advance on Irbil by the Islamic State - the group previously known as ISIS or ISIL.

The President said the action would be aimed at defending Americans and protect civilians under siege, preventing a "potential act of genocide".

"Earlier this week, one Iraqi in the area cried to the world, 'There is no one coming to help,'" said Mr Obama.

"Well, today America is coming to help."

However, he stressed there was no intention of sending in any troops.

Prime Minister David Cameron called the attacks by IS "barbaric" and said he was "extremely concerned by the appalling situation in Iraq and the desperate situation facing hundreds of thousands of Iraqis".

However, Downing Street said there would be no UK military action in Iraq.

Some 40,000 residents from the ancient Yazidi community have been forced to leave the northern Iraqi town of Sinjar after the Sunni fighters overwhelmed Kurdish forces.

Many Yazidis are trapped on Mount Sinjar without food or water and are at risk of starvation as the militants surround the base.

"Children are dying of thirst, meanwhile ISIL forces have called for the destruction of the entire Yazidi people, which would constitute genocide," Mr Obama said.

But he said the strikes had been approved to help Iraqi forces and stop a "massacre" of the Yazidis.

IS has issued the Yazidi people an ultimatum to convert to Islam, pay a religious fine, flee their homes or face death.

The group sees the Yazidis, who are followers of a religion derived from Zoroastrianism, as "devil worshippers".

Attacks on minorities in Iraq could constitute a crime against humanity, said the UN Security Council at an emergency meeting on Thursday.

Hundreds of thousands of people, mostly Christians, are fleeing from the jihadists who have swept through more than a dozen towns in recent days.

Among them, the militants captured Iraq's biggest Christian town, Qaraqosh, prompting many residents to leave, fearing for their lives.

The group has declared a caliphate - an Islamic state - across much of Iraq and Syria and wants to bring in a strict version of Islamic law.



"Earlier this week, one Iraqi in the area cried to the world, 'There is no one coming to help,'" said Mr Obama.

"Well, today America is coming to help."

None of this would be happening if America hadn't 'helped' in the first place.

http://www.infowars.com/implausible-deniability-wests-isis-terror-hordes-in-iraq/

The US has pledged assistance for victims of and even possible “airstrikes” against terrorists who have surrounded and threaten to eradicate thousands of religious minorities in Iraq. However, the terrorists themselves are a product of US foreign policy in the Middle East and North Africa, and instrumental in achieving Western objectives across the region. Punitive strikes and aid to the victims of what is essentially a Western mercenary army is part of maintaining plausible deniability.

Well worth a read; the US is showing NO sign of explaining why it has been arming and training the same people in Syria, that it is now proposing to bomb in Iraq.

50,000 members of Iraq's Yazidi ethnic minority who fled the offensive and are hiding on a mountain near the town of Sinjar risked starving to death if they are not rescued in 24 hours.

More on link.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/08/politician-begs-world-help-iraq-yazidis-20148681139201392.html

Iraq crisis: who are the Yazidis and why is Isis hunting them?
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/07/who-yazidi-isis-iraq-religion-ethnicity-mountains

This explains why IS or ISIS is making such grounds and at such speed in Iraq.   LL

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/iraq-crisis-saddam-husseins-generals-fighting-jihadist-isis-insurgency-1452365

And look at these links. LL
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/militant-islam-isis-flag-flies-east-end-housing-estate-1460255
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/gaza-strip-jews-who-loathe-israel-1459888

The Sunni insurgency that is storming Iraq towards the capital Baghdad reportedly includes Baathist military officers from the era of Saddam Hussein's regime.

A former top military commander and vice president in the Hussein government, Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, has  joined forces with the jihadists of the Isis (The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) with the aim of overthrowing the Shiite-majority government of prime minister Nouri al-Maliki.

A senior Baathist leader told the New York Times that the groups are "unified by the same goal, which is getting rid of this sectarian government, ending this corrupt army and negotiating to form a Sunni Region".

Al-Douri escaped capture from the US forces after the invasion that overthrew Hussein and gave the majority Shiite Muslims a prominent role in the new government. Over the last few years, he encouraged anti-government Sunni protesters to challenge the Maliki government and force him out.


Have you noticed, LL, that the involvement of Saddam's former troops has been downplayed from the start? ISIS, or whatever they are this week, are undeniably a nasty bunch, even by Loony Snackbar standards, but it's been glaringly obvious that someone has been doing the military thinking.

The only reason I can think of for this is that it's easy to 'sell' the idea of loony snackbars being dangerous (obviously) and that Something Must Be Done.

If the general public was aware that a fair percentage of ISIS is actually Saddam supporters out for power and payback, the whole picture changes....if that makes sense?

It would also remind the public exactly WHY Iraq is in this mess in the first place, and who caused it. Clue - it wasn't Snackbars.

http://news.sky.com/story/1315410/us-strikes-isis-artillery-in-northern-iraq

US Strikes ISIS Artillery In Northern Iraq
Two US fighter jets drop bombs on Islamist militants after Barack Obama vowed to protect Americans and prevent a "genocide"

The US has carried out airstrikes against artillery used by Islamist militants in northern Iraq, the Pentagon says.

Two F/A-18 aircraft dropped 500-pound laser-guided bombs on a mobile artillery piece near Irbil, the capital of the semi-autonomous Kurdish region.

Rear Admiral John Kirby said in a statement that the Islamist militants had been using the artillery to shell Kurdish forces defending the city, where US personnel are located.

According to military officials, the strike was launched from the US aircraft carrier the USS George HW Bush, which in June was moved to the Gulf in preparation for any possible military action in Iraq.



On Thursday President Barack Obama said he had authorised the strikes on Iraq to stop the advance on Irbil by the Islamic State - the group previously known as ISIS or ISIL.

He vowed to protect American citizens and religious minorities and to prevent a "genocide" by the IS, Sunni fighters who are intent on eradicating non-believers.

In the hours after the airstrikes, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) banned all US civilian flights over Iraq. Turkish Airlines also halted its flights to Irbil.

Some 40,000 residents from the ancient Yezidi community have been forced to leave the northern Iraqi town of Sinjar after the militants overwhelmed Kurdish forces


More at link.

Islamic State reportedly captures hundreds of Yazidi women
Senior Kurdish official says militants are planning major attack on Kurds and pose existential threat to the ethnic group.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/1.609632

Just appearing on Sky, too, LL-

http://news.sky.com/story/1315654/hundreds-of-women-held-captive-by-militants

What a God-awful, bl**dy mess.

bb1 wrote:Just appearing on Sky, too, LL-

http://news.sky.com/story/1315654/hundreds-of-women-held-captive-by-militants

What a God-awful, bl**dy mess.

The ISIS lot consider the Yazidis as devil worshippers so they don't get the choice to convert, they will get slaughtered. This will go on until no Yazidis are left other than the ones who managed to leave for other countries. More dead innocents and the world does nothing. LL

http://news.sky.com/story/1315662/us-launches-fresh-airstrikes-in-northern-iraq

The US has launched a second round of airstrikes upon Islamic State (IS) targets in northern Iraq.

Rear Admiral John Kirby said a US drone struck a terrorist mortar position near Irbil, the capital of the semi-autonomous Kurdish region.

A further strike took place when four F/A-18 fighter jets hit a stationary convoy of seven vehicles and a mortar position.

"On both runs, each aircraft dropped one laser-guided bomb making a total of eight bombs dropped on target neutralising the mortar and convoy," the statement said.

The fresh airstrikes came after the Pentagon confirmed two F/A-18 planes had earlier dropped 500-pound laser-guided bombs on a mobile artillery unit near Irbil.

The US said Islamist militants had been using the artillery to shell Kurdish forces defending the city, where US personnel are located.

Officials say the first round of strikes were launched from the USS George HW Bush, which was moved to the Gulf in June to prepare for possible military action in Iraq.

More follows...



I've been trying to work out why flights over Iraq have been stopped by the US. I assume not even they would shoot down one of their own airliners, so it can only be because of all those Stingers that have been missing since Benghazi....and whatever other weaponry the US supplied to the 'nice rebels'.