Jihadists Seize Iraq's Nineveh Province!

[josie_L]

ISIL is not going to take Iraq, I guarantee it. They’ve had no real opposition yet, are not that well armed and are seriously lacking in numbers.

You guarantee it???

 

[josie_L]

The USA could do it alone, but that would involve a very significant military intervention, including ground troops.

No military intervention from the West means either an ISIL terrorist state that is openly hostile to the West and will launch support terrorists to attack us at home, or we will see Iran emerging as an even more powerful force in the region. There are no easy choices.

No, there are no easy choices. I realize that (it’s too bad we can’t turn the hands of time though).

 

[josie_L]

Let them solve their own problems instead of killing young American boys and bleeding the hard working American taxpayer. For how many more years is this thing going to go on? Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan have resulted in the deaths of thousands of innocent people, not to mention the hundreds of billions of dollars wasted. This money could have been used to help poor families in the USA who are struggling with the high costs of college education.

You act like this is going to go away, sorry, but terrorists don’t go away, especially not for Islamic militants who want a caliphate.

 

[Brendan_64]

Let them solve their own problems instead of killing young American boys and bleeding the hard working American taxpayer.

So let Iran step in then and establish itself as the dominant force in the region?

For how many more years is this thing going to go on? Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan have resulted in the deaths of thousands of innocent people, not to mention the hundreds of billions of dollars wasted. This money could have been used to help poor families in the USA who are struggling with the high costs of college education.

Pulling out might seem like a reasonable option, but does that mean the West leaves all the nations in the middle-east to stand or fall depending on their own military strength? How do you think Israel would fare in those circumstances? Do you think Russia would also simply stand by and keep out of things then? Do you think that a major regional conflict engulfing the middle-east would not have any ramifications for the West?

The trouble is that the genie is out of the bottle and we don’t live in a protective bubble.

 

[Tomdstone]

You act like this is going to go away, sorry, but terrorists don’t go away, especially not for Islamic militants who want a caliphate.

What has been gained so far after spending hundreds of billions of dollars in Iraq except that now the situation is much much worse than before the US intervention. What people don’t seem to understand is that using armed force and selling weapons only results in the loss of thousands of lives and makes the USA hated in many parts of the world. Before the USA invasion of Iraq, there were only a small number of terrorists. Now the number is in the thousands or tens of thousands. The USA is only exacerbating centuries old animosities between various groups in Iraq instead of focusing in on non-military solutions to these complex problems.

 

[Tomdstone]

So let Iran step in then and establish itself as the dominant force in the region?

Pulling out might seem like a reasonable option, but does that mean the West leaves all the nations in the middle-east to stand or fall depending on their own military strength? How do you think Israel would fare in those circumstances? Do you think Russia would also simply stand by and keep out of things then? Do you think that a major regional conflict engulfing the middle-east would not have any ramifications for the West?

The trouble is that the genie is out of the bottle and we don’t live in a protective bubble.

There is absolutely no evidence that further expenditure of hundreds of billions of dollars and further loss of thousands of American lives will solve anything. In fact, the evidence is that any meddling or intervention by the USA military will only make things even worse. The time has come to rethink the whole question and recognize that permanent peace will come only through non-military means. The Iraqi government needs to insure that each group in the country is fairly represented.

 

[GaryTaylor]

The most astonishing request is, we should hire back General Petraeus, who as we see with his recent job changes is a indirect result of what? Maybe we ought to ask the other General fired to come back too, what was his name? Oh right McChrystal who “this year” called Iraq one of the biggest foreign policy mistakes in U.S. history.

They are having a “Holy War” its none of our business to take sides in it. McChrystal also offered support for the idea of a draft, saying that the armed forces should reflect the US population.

Also…

"This is the first time since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 that the embassy has decreased its staffing levels in response to a threat posed by violence, and the move was an indication of the level of concern that the unrest could reach even into the fortresslike Green Zone, where members of the Iraqi government also reside.

Citing the “ongoing instability and violence in certain areas,” a State Department statement said the embassy will also increase the number of security personnel deployed at the heavily guarded mission. A separate Pentagon statement said “a small number” of Defense Department personnel were being sent to augment security at the facility."

google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CCEQqQIwAQ&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonpost.com%2Fworld%2Fseveral-kurdish-forces-killed-in-iraq-as-shiites-begin-to-slow-advance-of-isis-fighters%2F2014%2F06%2F15%2F5b0e015c-f473-11e3-b633-0de077c9f768_story.html&ei=48SeU-TXKYGOyASRnYDIBg&usg=AFQjCNGu55sXn4OUKFleIjO-WMzdehfKUg

ISIS accumulated several victories across Iraq on Sunday. The reports by CNN today and 200 militants killed cannot be confirmed nor can their image’s of Isis.

 

[GaryTaylor]

“Between 50 and 100 U.S. Marines and U.S. Army personnel have arrived at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, a U.S. official told CNN on Sunday.”

CNN is now reporting 550 Marines dispatched.

 

[GaryTaylor]

Jeff Barnes, who did two tours of Iraq as a U.S. Army captain, spent several days last week talking to fellow veterans about the developments in Iraq while attending the National Association of County Veteran Service Officers conference in Grand Rapids.

“It was the topic of the day,” said Barnes, director of the Michigan Veteran Affairs Agency. “It’s painful to see the ground we fought so hard for to be lost, the time and effort, the resources and lives lost.”

Blair, the Army veteran from Warren, said he doesn’t see a good way to end the conflict.

“The Sunnis and Shi’ites have been at each other’s throats for a long time,” he said. “We cannot stop that.”

google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CB8QqQIwAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.usatoday.com%2Fstory%2Fnews%2Fnation%2F2014%2F06%2F15%2Fus-vets-heartbroken-as-civil-war-overtakes-iraq%2F10536069%2F&ei=R9SeU8jnNtijyAT23oCwBQ&usg=AFQjCNHyk20jvMNPMo4PtbmWMfqr973svA

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Romney said the terror enveloping Iraq is “a result of inaction” by President Barack Obama.

 

[GaryTaylor]

And today, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel ordered a United States aircraft carrier, the USS George H.W. Bush, and two Navy warships carrying long-range missiles to sail from the Arabian Sea to the Persian Gulf. According to a Pentagon statement, the boats will provide Obama with “additional flexibility should military options be required to protect American lives, citizens and interests in Iraq.”

google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CCMQqQIwAQ&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnymag.com%2Fdaily%2Fintelligencer%2F2014%2F06%2Funited-states-warships-sent-closer-to-iraq.html&ei=p92eU-XJJ8WUyASWt4GQBg&usg=AFQjCNE_KciZUfcSfeaBrr7rLJGW8IW4nQ

The result and shortsight, which left Americans with no safe exit.

 

[Ridgerunner]

So let Iran step in then and establish itself as the dominant force in the region?

Pulling out might seem like a reasonable option, but does that mean the West leaves all the nations in the middle-east to stand or fall depending on their own military strength? How do you think Israel would fare in those circumstances? Do you think Russia would also simply stand by and keep out of things then? Do you think that a major regional conflict engulfing the middle-east would not have any ramifications for the West?

The trouble is that the genie is out of the bottle and we don’t live in a protective bubble.

It’s only a matter of time before the left in the west supports, promotes and cheers Iran and its surrogates. We’ll see it on CAF too. Quite possibly, the Obama administration will provide a supporting role to Iran. The mullahs would be tremendously amused at the prospect of having an “American puppet” on the string, helping them build their empire.

Iran will not allow ISIS to take Baghdad, and has the means to do that. It will be cheered for doing so.

 

[josie_L]

There is absolutely no evidence that further expenditure of hundreds of billions of dollars and further loss of thousands of American lives will solve anything. In fact, the evidence is that any meddling or intervention by the USA military will only make things even worse. The time has come to rethink the whole question and recognize that permanent peace will come only through non-military means. The Iraqi government needs to insure that each group in the country is fairly represented.

It was a mistake to go into Iraq but it would be an even greater mistake if nothing is done now, i.e., something has to be done by the West because this threat is not going to go away, as Brendan said “the genie is out of the bottle and we don’t live in a protective bubble.”

p.s. You keep disregarding the fact that ISIS wants a caliphate, i.e., this group is the same group that is working in Iraq and Syria. And what of Iran?

 

[Ridgerunner]

It was a mistake to go into Iraq but it would be an even greater mistake if nothing is done now, i.e., something has to be done by the West because this threat is not going to go away, as Brendan said “the genie is out of the bottle”.

p.s. You keep disregarding the fact that ISIS wants a caliphate, i.e., this group is the same group that is working in Iraq and Syria, what happens if they get into power?

The U.S. no longer has anything to say about what happens there. We once held the center in the Middle East, and had influence. But Obama wanted to fulfill his campaign pledge, so now it’s between ISIS (and its Sunni supporters) and Iran.

Iran has its advisors and some Quds force peoeple in Baghdad, probably more than we know. It has told its puppet, Hezbollah to increase pressure in ISIS’ rear. ISIS won’t take Baghdad, but Sunni Islamists in Baghdad will certainly create as much chaos as they can, drawing cruel Iranian responses about which we’ll not likely hear very much.

One needs to remember that sometimes people will opt for a force they think is friendlier to them than the alternative, even though there are negative aspects to it. To the Sunnis, it was once the U.S. Now it’s ISIS. To the Shia, it was once the U.S., now it’s Iran.

 

[JimR-OCDS]

There are two sides in the Middle East conflicts and both sides hate the US and Western Nations.

Whatever side we help, merely serves to help the side who will undermine us and attack our interest.

Sure, Russia can help one of the sides, but then, they’re in the same spot as the USA, the opposition will seek revenge against the side the support and Russian citizens themselves.

The bottom line is, there are only bad choices in the Middle East for the West. Try to pick the lesser of the two evils seems to be what our government leaders are trying to sort out.

Jim

 

[GaryTaylor]

The presence of the USS Mesa Verde “provides the commander-in-chief additional options to protect American citizens and interests in Iraq, should he choose to use them,” Pentagon press secretary Rear Adm. John Kirby said.

The Defense Department said the ship was in the region on a routine deployment and is “capable of conducting a variety of quick reaction and crisis response operations.”

Along with the Bush and the Mesa Verde, the U.S. has four guided missile destroyers in the Gulf: The USS Arleigh Burke, Truxtun, O’Kane and Phillipine Sea.

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[GaryTaylor]

google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CCIQqQIwAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.reuters.com%2Farticle%2F2014%2F06%2F16%2Fus-iraq-security-idUSKBN0EP0KJ20140616&ei=-gGfU97rDsSkyAT8zIBQ&usg=AFQjCNFemO-WnHoQBtYIXFsdeOATJIGHmw&bvm=bv.68911936,d.aWw

Joint action between the United States and Iran to help prop up the government of their mutual ally would be unprecedented since Iran’s 1979 revolution, demonstrating the urgency of the alarm raised by the lightning insurgent advance.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called the advance an “existential threat” for Iraq. Asked if the United States could cooperate with Iran against the insurgents, Kerry told Yahoo News: “I wouldn’t rule out anything that would be constructive.”

As for air strikes: “They’re not the whole answer, but they may well be one of the options that are important,” he said. “When you have people murdering, assassinating in these mass massacres, you have to stop that. And you do what you need to do if you need to try to stop it from the air or otherwise.”

 

[GaryTaylor]

Mr. Khamenei also said a combative-type mindset was necessary for Iran to achieve its higher goals and win over the “oppressors’ front,” The Daily Caller reported.
“The reason for continuation of this battle is not the warmongering of the Islamic Republic,” he said. “Logic and reason command that Iran, in order to pass through a region full of pirates, needs to arm itself and must have the capability to defend itself. Today’s world is full of thieves and plunderers of human honor … [who] commit crimes and betray human ideals and start wars in different parts of the world.”
One lawmaker asked how long the battle would wage, The Daily Caller reported.
His reply: “Battle and jihad are endless because evil and its front continue to exist. … This battle will only end when the society can get rid of the oppressors’ front with America at the head of it, which has expanded its claws on human mind, body and thought. … This requires a difficult and lengthy struggle and need for great strides.”

Read more: washingtontimes.com/news/2014/may/26/iran-ayatollah-jihad-will-last-until-america-wiped/#ixzz34odRTlL4
Follow us: @washtimes on Twitter

Note, this was last month.

This battle will only end when the society can get rid of the oppressors’ front with America at the head of it, which has expanded its claws on human mind, body and thought. … This requires a difficult and lengthy struggle and need for great strides.”

 

[Ridgerunner]

There are two sides in the Middle East conflicts and both sides hate the US and Western Nations.

I’m not persuaded of this in its entirety. There are, in the M.E. (excepting Israel) two very basic sides; one of which is unified and one of which is not. There is Iran on the one hand, and those who oppose Iran on the other. Of the latter, some are jihadis and some are not.

During and after the Gulf War (phase 1 and 2) there were plenty of people in the M.E. who did not hate the U.S. or western nations, either one. But there were then as now (and for millenia) those who feared and hated Iran…even more than they hated Israel. When we left, those who felt the Iran threat most keenly, believed the sunni jihadis to be the lesser of two evils.

The Kurds apparently feel themselves able to resist the Sunni Arab jihadis, and do not embrace them. Nor do they hate the U.S. or western countries.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Mr. Khamenei also said a combative-type mindset was necessary for Iran to achieve its higher goals and win over the “oppressors’ front,” The Daily Caller reported.
“The reason for continuation of this battle is not the warmongering of the Islamic Republic,” he said. “Logic and reason command that Iran, in order to pass through a region full of pirates, needs to arm itself and must have the capability to defend itself. Today’s world is full of thieves and plunderers of human honor … [who] commit crimes and betray human ideals and start wars in different parts of the world.”
One lawmaker asked how long the battle would wage, The Daily Caller reported.
His reply: “Battle and jihad are endless because evil and its front continue to exist. … This battle will only end when the society can get rid of the oppressors’ front with America at the head of it, which has expanded its claws on human mind, body and thought. … This requires a difficult and lengthy struggle and need for great strides.”

Read more: washingtontimes.com/news/2014/may/26/iran-ayatollah-jihad-will-last-until-america-wiped/#ixzz34odRTlL4
Follow us: @washtimes on Twitter

Note, this was last month.

This battle will only end when the society can get rid of the oppressors’ front with America at the head of it, which has expanded its claws on human mind, body and thought. … This requires a difficult and lengthy struggle and need for great strides.”

Thus, when and if we aid Iran against ISIS, Iran will tell those whom it influences that we were responsible for the jihadis all along, even though those jihadis would kill every American on the planet, wherever found.

But Iran will have an argument that people will believe. After all, we did aid the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and the jihadis in Libya, and we pay money to Fatah and Hamas.

The U.S. foreign policy could not possibly be in greater confusion and disarray than this administration and its supporters have made it.

 

[GaryTaylor]

The Kurds are stuck protecting their interests just as the Marines are at the embassy. All these tribal leaders need to sit down and talk. But we took four days off while Isis didn’t and are now on the evacuation part of the plan with the 500 Marines coming. Honesty I just don’t get some of thinking on this administration. This is predictable, why do you think I been harping on those US citizens. We are playing chicken and dashing in for last minute shock effect.