The ISIS offensive in Iraq

[Sebastian]

One wonders how well they have re-equipped. Without a lot of air-support, heavy direct fire support is necessary in urban areas. Tanks work, but not ideal in tighter spots. I wonder if they have acquired more BMPs or if we sold them some MGSs.

Also, the Iraqi Air Force only exists on paper. The F-16s we sold them are not operational yet, and further delayed when Balad was overrun by ISIS. That is where the training of the IAF on that platform was taking place.

 

[Simon]

Not watching the video at all....

 

[brownindian]

What is with these people and beheading their captors? Why cant they use bullets ?

 

[Soda]

Not watching the video at all....

Freedom... For who?

P.S. The video linked doesn't show anything. It does show the "militant" beginning to swing, but it stops before any blood is shed.

 

[The Oi]

Freedom... For who?

From anyone who doesn't believe in the same omnipotent sky creature they don't or would dare to doubt it's existence or question or passively live in opposition to the barbaric laws they want to enforce.

 

[Soda]

From anyone who doesn't believe in the same omnipotent sky creature they don't or would dare to doubt it's existence or question or passively live in opposition to the barbaric laws they want to enforce.

That's my problem with the idea of leaving extremist occupied regions alone... They just want to be free from the US "oppression", but to what end? And who will benefit from the US leaving it alone? I have a hard time believing the non-extremist citizens will benefit from it.. Seems like the ones who would benefit from such "freedom" would be the ones who want us all dead.

I can understand the cynicism if someone were to compare the US involvement in the middle-east to that of someone like North Korea. I can also understand that there are going to be factions of people in these regions who will suffer from the US involvement, even though they don't harbor extremist belief systems. This doesn't change my opinion that the US's presence is aimed at liberating people who don't want to push a tyrannical belief system as far as it'll spread. I also believe that the rise of cells, like ISIS, is a direct threat to the United States' stature in the World.. Fortunately, the US is in a position where this type of uprising can be suppressed.

 

[The Human Q-Tip]

On top of that, you also have to factor in the huge civilian presence they have in Mosul. They're forbidden by ISIS to even leave the city.

Me personally? I'd send in special forces to soften them up and at least attempt to rally some kind of citizens' resistance, maybe a few days ahead of the main attacking body. At the very least, hit a few strategic targets and undermine the integrity of ISIS within the city's borders.

Well, they sent Spec Ops in before the Second Battle of Fallujah, but I think organizing civilian resistance is a loser. Horribly risky task to give to what amount to a bunch of amateurs, and I say "amatuers" because most of those with a military bent would already be in the regular army. And if you can get Spec Ops guys into the city, and they have enough freedom of movement to organize a resistance, then they should be able to simply evacuate them instead.

This is setting up like the Second Battle of Fallujah, but with the correlation of forces much worse. Mosul is much larger than Fallujah -- more than three times the people -- and the Iraqi Army and peshmerga are not remotely comparable to the Marines and Army that took Fallujah. And ISIS is tougher than what our guys faced in Fallujah.

The vast majority of civilians managed to get out of Fallujah before the battle. I know ISIS isn't permitting people to leave, but Mosul is geographically large enough that I think it'd be difficult for ISIS to completely prevent people from leaving. Still, it's fair to say that it will likely have a lot more people in it than Fallujah did, and that will make the job of the Iraqi forces that much more difficult.

Worse geography, weaker forces on our side, stronger forces on their side, and less ability to use supporting arms because of a larger number of civilians.

Ugh.

 

[Sebastian]

Well, they sent Spec Ops in before the Second Battle of Fallujah, but I think organizing civilian resistance is a loser. Horribly risky task to give to what amount to a bunch of amateurs, and I say "amatuers" because most of those with a military bent would already be in the regular army. And if you can get Spec Ops guys into the city, and they have enough freedom of movement to organize a resistance, then they should be able to simply evacuate them instead.

This is setting up like the Second Battle of Fallujah, but with the correlation of forces much worse. Mosul is much larger than Fallujah -- more than three times the people -- and the Iraqi Army and peshmerga are not remotely comparable to the Marines and Army that took Fallujah. And ISIS is tougher than what our guys faced in Fallujah.

The vast majority of civilians managed to get out of Fallujah before the battle. I know ISIS isn't permitting people to leave, but Mosul is geographically large enough that I think it'd be difficult for ISIS to completely prevent people from leaving. Still, it's fair to say that it will likely have a lot more people in it than Fallujah did, and that will make the job of the Iraqi forces that much more difficult.

Worse geography, weaker forces on our side, stronger forces on their side, and less ability to use supporting arms because of a larger number of civilians.

Ugh.

One hopes that ISIS has suffered more attrition than thought even by DoD's modest estimates. Now this:

"An affiliate of the Islamist terror group ISIS has claimed responsibility for a series of deadly attacks in Egypt on Thursday, security consultants told NBC News. The four attacks in North Sinai and Suez killed 27 people, security and medical officials told Reuters.

The attacks came after commemorations of the anniversary of the 2011 uprising turned deadly earlier this week. Egypt's government faces an Islamist insurgency based in Sinai and growing discontent with what critics perceive as heavy-handed security tactics.

The ISIS group said it would release more details later, according to Flashpoint Intelligence, a global security firm that is a consultant to NBC News. Reuters reported that 25 people were killed in a bombing of military buildings in the capital of North Sinai province, an army major was killed at a checkpoint in Rafah and a police officer was killed by a roadside bomb in Suez city. The government newspaper, al-Ahram, said its office in al-Arish was destroyed in a fourth attack, which the ISIS group claimed.

The Egyptian military confirmed the attacks, although it didn't say how many casualties were involved. It said that the attacks were the result of a successful campaign to pressure the militants."

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/is...esponsibility-attacks-killed-27-egypt-n296531

 

[brownindian]

A 66-second ISIS video purports to show the beheading of Japanese reporter Kenji Goto, a gruesome end to a week of failed negotiations.

There was no immediate comment from Japanese or U.S. intelligence officials, but the video appears to show the detached head of the 46-year-old reporter who was captured late last year by the terror group while on assignment in Syria.

The video, titled “A Message to the Japanese Government,” begins with Goto on his knees in a river valley. A masked man with a knife in his hand speaks with a British accent, addressing Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

“Let the nightmare for Japan begin,” the executioner says as he puts a knife to Goto’s neck.

LINK: http://abcnews.go.com/International...beheading-japanese-reporter/story?id=28630750

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[Soda]

A 66-second ISIS video purports to show the beheading of Japanese reporter Kenji Goto, a gruesome end to a week of failed negotiations.

The most troubling thing I read in that. Not that beheading isn't sad and serious. Beheading is a response to negotiations...? And we should leave them alone?

 

[OptimusPrime]

And we should leave them alone?

There is no "we". You can do whatever you want. If you are that offended, grab a rifle and go kill you some Mooslims. Leave me out of it.

 

[The Human Q-Tip]

What is with these people and beheading their captors? Why cant they use bullets ?

Well, I'm probably going to get blasted for this, but....

Beheading -- fi done correctly -- can be one of the most human ways to kill someone. It's the reason the guillotine was invented. Obviously, one problem is that when it is not done for that purpose, and amounts more to sawing off a head -- which is horrible -- rather than a quick beheading.

I think at least as important as the beheading itself is the reason the person is being put to death in the first place.

 

[Sebastian]

What is with these people and beheading their captors? Why cant they use bullets ?

Terror is a weapon.

 

[macbdog]

Terror is a weapon.

Yup. Same reason the ancient Assyrians would leave piles of heads at crossroads of areas they just conquered. Same reason Rome would line the roads with crucified enemy combatants. Same reason for Vlad Tepes' forest of impaled bodies outside his castle. Serve as a deterrent and a reason to surrender before a fight.

 

[I.K.W.T]

Apparently they reneged on the Jordan prisoner swap deal (if there was a deal) and just released a video of burning the pilot hostage alive in a cage. What the actual fuck is wrong with these people.