ISIS/ISIL conflict in Syria/Iraq (No OpEd, No Politics)

Re: 2014 ISIS attack in Iraq: News, Views, Photos, Videos

The whole region is just so volatile and so unstable no one can go and fix the problem lunatics are running the streets

Unless someone deploys like 650,000 troops ties down every street corner and steals every border crossing I highly doubt any containment is possible

Re: 2014 ISIS attack in Iraq: News, Views, Photos, Videos

asif iqbal said:

The whole region is just so volatile and so unstable no one can go and fix the problem lunatics are running the streets

Unless someone deploys like 650,000 troops ties down every street corner and steals every border crossing I highly doubt any containment is possible

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To be honest, large part of the problem could be resolved by cutting the funding for most extreme Islamists. I

>>> Removed conspiracy theory <<<

Saudi Arabia has denounced ISIS

Re: 2014 ISIS attack in Iraq: News, Views, Photos, Videos

thunderchief said:

To be honest, large part of the problem could be resolved by cutting the funding for most extreme Islamists. It is an open secret that money comes from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf monarchies, yet everybody ignore this because of petrodollar system.

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Broader use of air power with minimal SpecOps was able to turn the tide on Gaddaffi's military, the same can be done with ISIS if the US wants to but that's when the problem you mentioned comes up.

Re: 2014 ISIS attack in Iraq: News, Views, Photos, Videos

airsuperiority said:

Doesnt matter who it is, I just hope everyone look past differences and get rid of this beast called the IS. It's a fangs-bearing monster that will become the true nightmare of humanity if not exterminated. A true international effort to destroy them should be warranted.

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In short term, I think this is the kind of international crisis that needs to be acted on with more than just somesupported air strikes and giving weapons to kurds. I think there is enough appetite amongst American population to give a stronger response than what we've seen from the Obama administration thus far.

Re: 2014 ISIS attack in Iraq: News, Views, Photos, Videos

tphuang said:

In short term, I think this is the kind of international crisis that needs to be acted on with more than just somesupported air strikes and giving weapons to kurds. I think there is enough appetite amongst American population to give a stronger response than what we've seen from the Obama administration thus far.

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Obama could have and should ave used massive US air power back when they were staging to go in against Mosul

He did not.

He should use much more air power now.

He is not...but perhaps he will be forced to because of public and international pressure.

IMHO ISIS is a reincarnation of Al Queda Iraq, but now even more radical and bloodthirsty. They must be defeated in either case.

Re: 2014 ISIS attack in Iraq: News, Views, Photos, Videos

I would recommend the following two books.

"One tribe at a Time," and "American Spartan."

The first is about the white paper a US Special forces officer wrote about how to work with the various tribal leaders, to truly help their people, and then fight with them.

It was used extensively to help defeat Al Queda, Irag, during the surge, with General Petraeus blessings, and it worked. This officer was then sent to Afghanistan to employ the same arctics.

But new leadership under the Obama administration did not like the tactics and he was discredited and forced to retire. The second book is about that whole episode and how his successful efforts were halted in the face of the draw downs in both countries.

They found his white paper in the bin Laden compound, all marked up with notes on how to try and respond to the Officer's successful efforts.

Re: 2014 ISIS attack in Iraq: News, Views, Photos, Videos

I don’t usually post strong comments, but after seeing the video of women and children butchered, I had to post this thought.

There are many more armed men willing to fight against ISIS than there are fighting for ISIS. With that being the case then defeating ISIS requires many things, but two which are the most important:

1) The denial of the heavy weapons which ISIS currently possess. Therefore airstrikes en mass to deny them this asset.

2) The political will to mobilize all those who would fight against ISIS.

If a real leader can put both of these into place then ISIS will not last long. They can't produce an endless stream of death-worshiping fanatics willing to die for their cause.

It must be the Kurds who take the lead, since everyone else in the area has proven time and again to be incapable of managing their affairs, they need external guidance, and Kurdistan can provide the will and possibly take the lead with external help.



I will now get back to bottling my Malbec

Re: 2014 ISIS attack in Iraq: News, Views, Photos, Videos

Jeff Head said:

Obama could have and should ave used massive US air power back when they were staging to go in against Mosul

He did not.

He should use much more air power now.

He is not...but perhaps he will be forced to because of public and international pressure.

IMHO ISIS is a reincarnation of Al Queda Iraq, but now even more radical and bloodthirsty. They must be defeated in either case.

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This would be a legitimate war on Terror because ISIS = Terror in every sense of the word. I agree with TP that the American public as much as we are tired or war can justify wiping ISIS out due to their pure evilness and atrocities. It would be an easy sell as well from the politicians because this is not necessarily about oil, politics, Israel etc.

All they have to do is post pictures and videos of ISIS beheading children, cutting women's limbs off, lining up and killing everyone in a church in Mosul, the 7 yr old kid brainwashed enough to hold the head of the soldier, mass graves etc and I think most Americans on either side of the aisle would support Obama going all out on ISIS.

Re: 2014 ISIS attack in Iraq: News, Views, Photos, Videos

thunderchief said:

Highly unlikely. A-10 and AH-64 have relatively short range. They need to be deployed close to battlefield, and in this case that would probably mean US would have to put boots on the ground again in Iraq (to secure air bases and handle logistic) . There is very little chance Obama would want to do that.

As for AC-130, it is possible but risky. ISIS poses some fairly advanced MANPADs , and AC-130 is big and slow target .

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That's why we will never win because we always fight with our hands tied behind our backs. To be truly effective you have to do CAS period! F-18s dropping a couple of SDBs or even JDAMs is not going to cut it.
Yes I understand they have MANPADs but it's a risk we have to take because they are very effective platforms and made for this types of mission profiles.

The way I see it if someone cuts off my daughter's head I'm not going to fly an F-18 or two and drop a couple bombs here and there. I'm going to wipe them all out.

Re: 2014 ISIS attack in Iraq: News, Views, Photos, Videos

kwaigonegin said:

All they have to do is post pictures and videos of ISIS beheading children, cutting women's limbs off, lining up and killing everyone in a church in Mosul, the 7 yr old kid brainwashed enough to hold the head of the soldier, mass graves etc and I think most Americans on either side of the aisle would support Obama going all out on ISIS.

The way I see it if someone cuts off my daughter's head I'm not going to fly an F-18 or two and drop a couple bombs here and there. I'm going to wipe them all out.

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Thank you my friend. You took the words right out of my mouth!


The big questions are:
1) Is there a leader with the testicular fortitude out there to implement this campaign?
2) Why is there such limited coverage of the atrocities in the world media? Who are they trying to not offend?


I will now get back to bottling my Malbec