Hat Tip: Juan Cole
How does this End? 35 Military Interventions since 1980 and Terrorism Grows
Brave New Films:
“Since 1980, we have militarily intervened at least 35 times in more than 27 countries. We keep bombing, we continue spending trillions of dollars, but we’re no safer as a result.”
Since the Cuban Missile Crisis, I always felt the most dangerous moment for US security would be that someone would sink an American Carrier. How do you walk back from that? The good news is that did not happen. The bad news is 911 did. We almost made it right using The Northern Alliance in Afghanistan but we started to screw that up by not punishing Saudi Arabia, because we feared the oil consequences and then made it worse by deciding we could conquer and change Afghanistan.
ReplyDeleteThen the Neocons walked Bush into the Lion’s den, the Cake Walk. At a minimum, we should have learned what we don’t know. We didn’t.
Here we go again. This time will be different. That is what concerns me.
What is interesting is that you deuce, jackRat and Rufus all made your living by participating in the war machine of the United States.
ReplyDeleteyou all are getting VA loans, education and medical care all subsidized by the US tax payer.
so you folks really owe a lot to that machine and it's wars...
Well, we seem to have a President that's capable of "pushing back" against the Military (in this case, regarding "boots on the ground.")
ReplyDeleteAnd, we (Rat, Rufus, and Deuce) subsidized your cushy lifestyle of pecking away at a keyboard in a Tel Aviv basement.)
I live in Ohio, my Father, Uncles and Cousins served and some were wounded and my Uncle was killed in Nam.
DeleteGo fuck yourself.
As for "subsidize"?
DeleteSo sorry, personally I have paid more taxes in 5 years than you grossed as income in 40.
Go fuck yourself
Sure you do.
DeleteSure I do.
DeleteRetard.
Where would you be if you didn't have the government to save your pathetic ass?
DeleteNo one's interested in taxes paid to Tel Aviv.
DeleteYou see this why you are just a dumb fuck.
Deletejerusalem is the capital of Israel
And I live in Ohio and pay taxes to the progressive transgendered led nation in occupied washington DC.
take the stickup of your ass and wake up...
Rufus, your hatred is blind, your brain nonfunctional and your liver is shot..
Deleteseek professional help.
stop jerking off to pictures of obama...
Poor "O"rdure, wants to talk about anything but his homeland, that portion of Palestine that is ruled by Europeans.
DeleteHe spreads his lies, speaks libel and attempts to perpetrate fraud.
But we all know the truth ...
Israel prefers al-Qeada
Israeli Ambassador Oren told US so.
Oren hasn't been part of the Israeli government since before ISIS was publicly recognized.
DeleteCome on skippy, get with the program.
Now it is true that Assad has murdered over 200,000 and displaced 11 million, and that is something to be proud of.
And the other side? Has scarily started killing to even be a threat to much of anyone…
But there is hope that both sides will continue to slaughter each other
And, while we're trying to maintain the viability of the ME oil sources, we're, Also, building out alternative energy - ethanol, solar, wind, geothermal, etc.
ReplyDeleteyou are playing with yourself.
Deletefor the money America has spent on the arabs and their nonsense?
EVERY home and business in America could have solar panels and geothermal heat exchangers.
But your just sit there in Alabama jerking your cock to Obama.
Fixated upon your own little wienie today, aye, "O"rdure, you and Congressman Wiener.
DeleteIs it a "Cultural" thing with 'YOU" people?
Or just an individual proclivity.
Don't think I mentioned MY genitalia.
DeleteYour reading comprehension is failing…
Sober up dickhead.
By David Ignatius Opinion writer September 18 at 8:13 PM
ReplyDeleteThe United States has made the same mistake in evaluating fighters from the Islamic State that it did in Vietnam — underestimating the enemy’s will, according to James Clapper, the director of national intelligence.
Clapper’s comments came in a telephone interview Wednesday, in which he summarized the elements of a new National Intelligence Strategy released this week. Clapper also answered some broader questions about intelligence issues confronting the country.
Asked whether the intelligence community had succeeded in its goal of providing “anticipatory intelligence” about the extremist movement in Syria and Iraq that has declared itself the Islamic State, Clapper said his analysts had reported the group’s emergence and its “prowess and capability,” as well as the “deficiencies” of the Iraqi military. Then he offered a self-critique:
“What we didn’t do was predict the will to fight. That’s always a problem. We didn’t do it in Vietnam. We underestimated the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese and overestimated the will of the South Vietnamese. In this case, we underestimated ISIL [the Islamic State] and overestimated the fighting capability of the Iraqi army. . . . I didn’t see the collapse of the Iraqi security force in the north coming. I didn’t see that. It boils down to predicting the will to fight, which is an imponderable.”
Intelligence officials haven’t publicly discussed the prospects for success of President Obama’s small-footprint strategy for combating the Islamic State through a coalition of nations, without directly committing U.S. combat troops. But some officials appear wary.
“If I were head analyst, I don’t think I’d make a call yet,” one senior intelligence official said, requesting anonymity. “I haven’t fit together the contributions that each of the coalition members might make.”
“This will be a new paradigm where we are looking to others to make substantive contributions,” the senior official continued. “I view it as a test. We haven’t done this before. We have always built around a major force contributed by the U.S. We’re going to try a different approach. . . . At this point, I am reluctant to make predictions about how it will turn out.”
{...}
Delete{...}
Clapper said he believed that the Islamic State posed a “strategic threat . . . long term” to the United States, given “their actions and their statements about the inevitability of confrontation with the U.S.” But he said he couldn’t provide a timeline about how soon the group might have the networks and capabilities to attack the U.S. homeland.
Asked about threats beyond the Middle East, Clapper amplified comments that prefaced the intelligence strategy he released Thursday.
China is described in that document as “opaque about its strategic intentions” and “of concern due to its military modernization.” Clapper explained: “I’m looking at what I find [to be] impressive and disturbing programs, across the board, which the Chinese have embarked on to modernize their military in all branches and all realms, including cyber and space. It’s very impressive what they’re doing.”
As for Russian President Vladimir Putin, Clapper expanded on the strategy’s statement that “Russia is likely to continue to reassert power and influence in ways that undermine U.S. interests.” He said that while Putin was a “throwback” to the Cold War era of confrontation, he had used a masked approach in Crimea and eastern Ukraine that avoided open display of military power.
“We are going to be faced with the challenge of discerning early on these stealthy, creeping invasions, soft invasions — not overt legions of motorized vehicles . . . but a different form of aggressiveness.”
Asked whether U.S. agencies had met his goal of providing “anticipatory intelligence” when it came to Putin in Ukraine, Clapper said that Putin himself probably hadn’t planned on intervention until Russian-backed President Viktor Yanukovych fled Kiev in February . “This was ad hoc on the part of the Russians,” Clapper said. “Their game plan took a while to develop in their minds.”
Clapper concluded with a sardonic account of his job as captain of a leaky intelligence vessel, buffeted by what he called a “perfect storm.” He said the agencies under his command, including the National Security Agency, had to “throttle back” on some intelligence collection “because we need to recover foreign intelligence partnerships and commercial partnerships.”
“We are accepting more risk in this country because of that,” Clapper warned. He offered a caustic mission statement, which he repeated publicly Thursday: “We are supposed to keep the country safe, predict anticipatory intelligence, with no risk, and no embarrassment if revealed, and without a scintilla of jeopardy to privacy of any domestic person or foreign person. We call that ‘immaculate collection.’ ”
Immaculate Collection :)
DeleteFrench planes have carried out air strikes on Islamic State (Isis) targets in Iraq.
ReplyDeleteLess than 24 hours after President François Hollande announced he had approved a request from the government in Baghdad for air support, at least two French Rafale planes attacked the insurgents' positions.
A statement from Hollande's office read: "This morning, at 9.40am, our Rafale aircraft carried out a first attack against a logistics centre of the terrorist organisation Daesh [Isis] in the north-east of Iraq. The target was hit and entirely destroyed. Other operations will be carried out in the days to come."
The target was near Tall Mouss in the Zoumar sector of northern Iraq. The French aircraft are based at Al-Dhafra, near Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.
France's defence ministry said the destroyed building, containing vehicles, weapons and fuel, had been hit four times. "We were able to do this thanks to the reconnaissance missions we have been carrying out since Monday. The mission was carried out in direct coordination with the Iraqi authorities and our allies in the region," it said. "The threat from this jihadist group is unusual because of its size, its weaponry, its determination and its actions. Our goal is to contribute to peace and security in Iraq and to weaken the terrorists."
Hollande's office said similar operations would continue in the coming days.
The jihadist problem is not the west's to solve. It's the Arab and Islamic world's problem.
DeletePlaying whack a mole aint going to reform it.
Hmmm, this could get to be a "thang."
DeleteI wonder who'll be next?
UAE? England?
America has bombed 4 ISIL 4 times a day!
DeleteFor a month!
WOW....
Now that is an Air Force that strikes FEAR into our enemies..
4 sorties.
LOL
Clapper is having a bad week. Apple has informed the government that their new phones are so heavily encrypted that even "they" can't retrieve information from them.
ReplyDeleteIn other words, "screw you, NSA."
Rufus you are SUCH a checkers player.
Deletemaybe the phone is locked but the TRANSMISSIONS to and from said devices and WHO is called is trackable.
You are one dumb drunk.
Police departments fighting crime with predictive analytics software
DeleteWritten by Bill Haffey
Law enforcement officers around the globe may be facing their toughest assignment yet—keeping crime rates down with fewer and fewer personnel and resources. This comes at a time when the worldwide economic crisis is likely to increase criminal activity. People take desperate measures in desperate times.
That’s why hundreds of police agencies around the globe are advancing crime-fighting techniques with an innovative 21st century approach. The growing use of predictive analytics technology is thwarting criminal activity by more precisely targeting investigations, deploying personnel and allocating limited resources, and ensuring the safety of officers.
With local policing budgets slashed 81% nationwide since 2001, according to the U.S. Conference of Mayors, local agencies are being asked to do more with existing resources.
Predictive analytics software plays a key role in helping law enforcement agencies successfully forecast criminal activities and deploy resources effectively in line with community expectations, while decreasing crime and improving public safety.
Colleen McCue is the senior research associate, security analytics at Innovative Analytics & Training LLC (IAT), a privately held company that specializes in expert and technical data sources. She said, “Law enforcement agencies face a daunting daily task—deciding where to most effectively deploy resources. Predictive analytics software has become integral to law enforcement agencies to easily uncover criminal patterns. It is as close to a crime crystal ball as we are ever going to get.”
By using predictive analytics—data mining, text mining, data collection, and statistical analysis—agencies worldwide are able to better understand and predict future criminal behavior by analyzing, modeling and scoring massive amounts of data—thousands of incident reports, crime tips, calls for service and criminal databases, as well as attitudinal data gathered through citizen feedback and surveys.
For police departments worldwide, this makes it easier to capture, predict, and act upon critical information and accelerate the criminal-investigation process, deploy officers where they are most needed, and identify minor crimes likely to escalate into violence.
At 3:00 PM, yesterday, California was cranking out 8,000 Megawatts of Renewable Electricity. (equiv. to 4 Large Nukes)
ReplyDeleteCa ISO
Rufus IIFri Sep 19, 07:39:00 AM EDT
ReplyDeleteAnd, we (Rat, Rufus, and Deuce) subsidized your cushy lifestyle of pecking away at a keyboard in a Tel Aviv basement.)
That statement is so telling on so many levels.
The progressive socialist of the blog points his pony finger at a supposed "israeli" saying how he subsidizing a "Cushy" lifestyle in Tel Aviv.
wow, the looter of the blog accusing others of receiving aid.
Well Mr Looter the aid that israel gets is MILITARY aid and it provides Israel about 1.2% of it's GDP.
For which it spends the majority on AMERICAN overpriced goods, now is there value there? OF course!!!
But to imply that my "cushy" lifestyle (which it aint since I live in the USA and am a citizen of the USA and it's JUST as much my taxes as his) is subsidized for that 1.2% military aid is just ? bigoted.
America subsidizes dairy farmers, arab jihadist fighters, the shipping lanes for oil for china, nato, the palestinians, the jordanians, the illegal immigrants and just about 54% of the looting, non tax paying US citizens.
But only Jews and Israel get your blood pressure raised..
Go fuck yourself.
Now go back to your intel computer and thank Israel.
The Israeli should count thier blessings that the US has subsidized their existence, has funded their defense and saved them from annihilation.
DeleteJust sayin'
Israel Pays Students For Pro-Israeli Social Media Propaganda
The move was publicized in a statement from Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office, the Associated Press reported. Students will receive scholarships to "engage international audiences online" and combat anti-Semitism and calls to boycott Israel.
Students would be paid $2,000 to post pro-Israel messages online for five hours a week.
According to Israeli daily newspaper Haaretz, the most recent proposition is being spearheaded by Danny Seaman, who was slammed by the media for writing anti-Muslim messages on Facebook.
Students will be organised into units at each university, with a chief co-ordinator who receives a full scholarship, three desk co-ordinators for language, graphics and research who receive lesser scholarships and students termed “activists” who will receive a “minimal scholarship”, the Independent reported.
I haven't seen a American college campus, from the inside since 1979..
DeleteGood to see FarmerShit is up and copying and pasting this am..
Guess the drunk tank let out early.
Doubt if you have ever been in the Americas, "O"rdure.
DeleteYour lack of knowledge as to the culture and customs of the US stands in evidence.
"Rufus IIFri Sep 19, 07:39:00 AM EDT
ReplyDeleteWell, we seem to have a President that's capable of "pushing back" against the Military (in this case, regarding "boots on the ground.")
And, we (Rat, Rufus, and Deuce) subsidized your cushy lifestyle of pecking away at a keyboard in a Tel Aviv basement.)"
When, where, and what was your unit? What service connected disability allows you VA treatment?
Who cares?
DeleteOne Israeli claims that we were in the military, then the other Iraeli wants us to verify "O"rdure's claims.
You do not need, nor do your deserve that information.
It has no bearing upon what is being discussed.
Enjoy your ignorance.
LOL The blog's own "disinformation" officer cannot, will not disclose simple information for fear that he and others will be exposed as "stolen valor" frauds.
DeleteThe story is not about me, "O"rdure.
DeleteNever claimed it was.
That you want to make it so, just shows how weak your position on the issues really is.
As David Ben-Gurion said
"I don't understand your optimism," Ben-Gurion declared.
"Why should the Arabs make peace?
If I were an Arab leader I would never make terms with Israel.
That is natural: we have taken their country."
I happen to agree with him.
Farmer RobFri Sep 19, 09:55:00 AM EDT
ReplyDeleteThe Israeli should count thier blessings that the US has subsidized their existence, has funded their defense and saved them from annihilation.
Actually by helping Israel? America has saved countless Palestinians from the Israel Defense Forces having to destroy them for the aggressive terror they have inflicted on Israel.
Think of the lives of palestinians saved since israel cares not to simply nuke them, just as United States has done to it's enemies. If the USA didn't help israel? israel might have to pull out the big guns and finish off the terrorists… (just like the USA did in Japan)
The very fact that the Israeli have a nuclear capability, illustrative of US benevolence towards Israel.
DeleteThe fact that the Israeli require US made F16s to deliver their nuclear weapons, added evidence of US benevolence towards Israel. The fact that Israeli troops carry M16 rifles, more evidence of the reality that Israel's lacks the capacity to go it alone.
DeleteIsrael doesn't require F16's to deliver their undeclared nuclear arsenal.
DeleteYou information is quite bad..
from public sources:
Missiles[edit]
Main article: Jericho missile
Israel is believed to have nuclear second-strike abilities in the form of its submarine fleet and its nuclear-capable ballistic missiles that are understood to be buried deeply enough that they would survive a Pre-emptive nuclear strike.[20][128] Ernst David Bergmann was the first to seriously begin thinking about ballistic missile capability and Israel test-fired its first Shavit II sounding rocket in July 1961.[129][130] In 1963 Israel put a large-scale project into motion, to jointly develop and build 25 short-range missiles with the French aerospace company Dassault. The Israeli project, codenamed Project 700, also included the construction of a missile field at Hirbat Zacharia, a site west of Jerusalem.[131] The missiles that were first developed with France became the Jericho I system
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteNow let's also add in Israel's submarine ability to fire nuke missiles...
ReplyDeleteGermany Sells Israel Dolphin-II Subs
Rat the ass:
ReplyDeleteThe fact that Israeli troops carry M16 rifles, more evidence of the reality that Israel's lacks the capacity to go it alone.
Naw, it's evidence of America demanding Israel spend it's money on American weapons... Overpriced but who can complain that thousands of Americans have jobs...
Now want to see a GOOD Israeli weapon?
The TAVOR Assault Rifle...
Now that's a weapon.
5.56x45mm and a 18 inch barrel...
yummy..
Now the CTAR has a 15 inch barrel...
even yummier..
Now the sniper rifle?
yummy too.
GALIL SNIPER SA
that's got 7.62 x 51mm and it has a 25 round mag... from the tech specs:
Muzzle Brake, Jump compensator & Flash suppressor. These additions will, when firing, reduce recoil and movement by 30%, thus enabling the sniper to observe his target through the telescope and allow an immediate firing of an additional round if necessary.
Real sweet gun... don't have to look up to continue to lay rounds down range... :)
and of course the UZI...
Delete:)
Want to go and drool?
Deletehttp://www.israel-weapon.com
This is the place for real nice weapons...
Not to worry you'd never own a jew-made gun...
LOL
Oh, the Israeli USED to make some good weapons, but ...
DeleteThey cannot afford to arm their troops with them.
Fact of life.
Not a fact of life, a fact of Rat.
DeleteSo in other words?
You are just blowing smoke up our collective skirts.
Never can admit you are just way above your pay grade.
Now go and shovel some hours shit.
Be sure to wash your hands well before eating...
I do not have "Pay Grade".
DeleteLake Odessa, Mich. E85 - $2.09 / gal
ReplyDeleteMichigan Prices
Canada barely understands its battle against Islamic State
ReplyDeleteJeffrey Simpson
The Globe and Mail
Published Friday, Sep. 19 2014, 6:31 AM EDT
The Islamic State, against which the United States and assorted real or erstwhile allies have now declared war, in a manner of speaking, beheaded American and British captives to general and genuine revulsion.
Their beheadings, and various fire-breathing statements against infidels in the West from the IS, suggest the war in which we are now embarked is fundamentally about us. It is not.
The Islamic State, its ambitions and enemies, is more about fierce conflicts within Islam, among rulers of various Islamic sects and countries, power struggles in the region, and of course doctrinal battles, rhetorical and military, about the meaning of Islam.
The West, once again, has stepped into these minefields without having properly identified the nature of the struggle, the ends sought by military intervention and the means necessary to bring those ends about. Nor has it considered that to “degrade and destroy” the IS, the words chosen by U.S. President Barack Obama (cheered on by the Harper government), it will be necessary to align ourselves with groups in the region whose militancy and tactics are only slightly less unsavoury than those of the IS.
The old adage that the enemy of my enemy must be my friend will apply if the IS can be repulsed, the organization having conquered considerable swaths of Iraq and Syria. Western countries are unwilling to put “boots on the ground,” only special operations units and “advisers,” and to provide military and other equipment to those groups in the region actually willing to fight for territory.
Air power, which the U.S. has in abundance, cannot win this conflict. It, like the rest of the U.S. military, is excellent at destruction but cannot build anything. Building requires the reconstitution of two broken states – Syria and Iraq – both of which would seem shattered beyond repair.
In Syria, the forlorn hope is advanced that “moderate” Sunni elements can be encouraged to accomplish two tasks simultaneously: take on and defeat IS while also taking on and replacing the regime of Bashar al-Assad. The West has been betting on these forces for some time without actually putting much money on them in the form of military assistance.
Whatever “moderate” elements existed were supplanted some time ago by a variety of much more militant Sunni factions, none of them very savoury, the worst of which was the IS, all desirous of replacing President al-Assad’s Alawite clique, Alawites being an offshoot of the Shiites.
DeleteRussia is understandably not popular these days, but it was Russia that warned early on in the Syria uprising that outside intervention leading to the weakening of the al-Assad regime would lead to chaos. The West chose, however, to declare that he and his evil regime must go, and sided with what it naively believed to be democratic liberators, another example of superimposing our liberal aspirations on an entirely different kind of conflict.
Now, the real choice is not between some dwindling Syrian “moderates” and the government but among all sorts of Sunni factions, the al-Assad regime and the IS. And even this formulation misstates reality, since the West’s ability to frame any real choice in Syria is limited. Other players such as Turkey, Saudi Arabia, the Gulf States and Iran, all much closer geographically and religiously to the conflict, have themselves varying interests and strategies that may or may not line up with those of the West.
In Iraq, it is hoped a new government will represent the interests of Kurds, Shiites and Sunnis, thereby bringing coherence to government and to a military effort against the IS. Among the fighters will be various Shia militias who once reviled the United States and who are encouraged by Iran, with which the U.S. has strained relations to say the least. Once Shia militias that operate outside the ambit of the Iraq army join the fray, Sunnis in Iraq will be frightened of the Shia militias’ ultimate intentions, and be more inclined than ever to seek refuge within the IS.
All of which is to say, with reference to only a few of the complications, that it would appear Canada is joining a mission it barely understands, except at the highest level of government rhetoric whose intensity will outstrip once again the country’s actual contribution.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/canada-barely-understands-its-battle-against-islamic-state/article20686667/#dashboard/follows/
but of course we can defer to Rufus the armchair general extraordinaire because, well, he has a "feeling" about IS.
DeleteI was nice. You put up an "opinion" piece that I mostly disagree with, and I went on about my business. So, now, you have to come back and bait me?
DeleteYou would have left those people to die on the mountain - all 40,000 of them. You said so, yourself. Perhaps, the writer from the Globe and Mail would have done the same. I don't know.
DeleteMaybe, he wants ISIS to gain complete control of the Iraqi oil fields - and the Kuwaiti, Saudi Arabian, and Bahraini fields, as well. It would greatly raise the price of oil; maybe he owns oil stocks. Maybe, you do.
I don't particularly care. I think that we are pursuing a fairly sensible strategy for The United States. I could give a fuck what a draft-dodging Canadian thinks.
And what, pray tell, is the basis of Jeffery's expertise, Ash?
DeleteHe is a newspaper man, not a military specialist.
He has written numerous magazine articles for such publications as Saturday Night, The Report on Business Magazine, The Journal of Canadian Studies, The Queen's Quarterly. He has spoken at dozens of major conferences here and abroad on a variety of domestic and international issues. He has also been a regular contributor to television programs in both English and French and completed a two-hour documentary for CBC to accompany his book, Star-Spangled Canadians.
When has he EVER gotten out of a chair?
So far, at the cost of No American lives, and no more treasure than we would have spent at the bombing range, we've kicked the headcutters off the Mosul Dam, shooed them away from the Haditha Dam, rescued 40,000 Yazidis, liberated untold towns and villages, including those 7 Christian villages, and given the Iraqi Army a chance to catch its breath, and regroup (oh, and we managed to get rid of Maliki.)
DeleteWhat's not to like?
There is NO program for rebuilding either Syria or Iraq.
DeleteNeither country wants the 'help'.
The primary issue is how to effectively deal with the destabilizing effect ISIS has had in Iraq.
Then, once that is handled, how to deal with whatever is left of ISIS and the Assad regime, in Syria.
Neither the Iraqi nor Syrian government wants US, French or Canadian combat troops on their ground.
DeleteBoth have made that point crystal clear.
Oh, Jeffery Simpson is a member of the "Trilateral Commission".
DeleteAn intellectual man, with little 'practical' and NO military life experiences.
Jeffrey has been a member of the board of trustees at Queen's University; the board of overseers at Green College, University of British Columbia; the advisory councils of the Robarts Medical Research Institute and the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario, and the editorial board of The Queen's Quarterly. He has been vice-chairman of the City of Ottawa Library Board and was awarded the William Watkinson Award for outstanding contributions to the Canadian Library community.
Jeffrey has taught as an adjunct professor at the Queen's Institute of Policy Studies and The University of Ottawa Law School. He is now senior fellow at the University of Ottawa's Graduate School of Public and International Affairs.
Jeffrey was a juror for the Charles Taylor Prize for non-fiction books in 2008 and for the Cundill prize for history in 2011.
He is also a member of the Trilateral Commission.
The aroma of Rockefeller and Kissinger wafts around Mr Simpson.
DeleteNew York Daily News -
ReplyDeleteThe French did for President Obama on Friday what they refused to do for his predecessor - they joined the fight in Iraq. Two Rafale fighter planes armed with laser-guided bombs “entirely destroyed” an Islamic State munitions depot and killed dozens of ISIS ..
Istanbul (CNN) -- The latest ISIS advance in Syria has brought a swath of the country's north-central Kurdish region under siege, with Kurdish leaders warning of another humanitarian crisis without international intervention.
ReplyDeleteAs reports of members of the terrorist Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) being seen in various parts of the country appear in the media, the Intelligence Unit of the Security General Directorate (EGM) has issued a warning for all the 81 provinces to be on guard against 22 bomb-loaded vehicles under ISIL control in Turkey, a news portal said on Thursday.
ReplyDelete“Information that there are 22 bomb-loaded vehicles, most of which are vans, are being looked into [by the police],” the T24 news portal said.
According to the report, it is also estimated that in Turkey there are 30 ISIL terrorists who may be suicide bombers.
In its warning letter sent to governors' offices, the EGM said the terrorist organization wants to attract supporters through propaganda in mosques and that it may carry out bomb attacks in big cities.
It is feared that ISIL, which recently changed its name to the "Islamic State," may have established cells in Turkish cities that may engage in terrorist acts, should Turkey take a step against the terrorist organization.
“In the letter that was sent to all provinces, it was said ISIL was trying to enlarge its sphere of influence in mosques particularly in Ankara, Konya and İstanbul,” the report said.
It was also noted that regulars of Hacı Bayram Mosque in Ankara were not happy with members of ISIL who are active around the mosque. “Upon receiving the letter, police increased security measures around Hacı Bayram Mosque in Ankara, Sultanbeyli district in İstanbul and Konya,” the report said.
Hundreds of Turkish citizens are believed to be fighting among the ranks of ISIL in Syria.
According to the report, the police keep associations through which the terrorist organization gathers new members in Turkey under surveillance. The report said two groups, one directed by İ.A. in Ankara and another by M.G. in Konya are on the radar of the police.
The police found out that ISIL keeps cell houses in cities on and near the Syrian border such as Hatay, Adana, Gaziantep, Kilis, Şanlıurfa, İstanbul and Mersin.
Nearly 4,000 Kurds who fled the recent ISIL attacks against Kurdish villages in Syria were allowed into Turkey on Friday. As Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu had said on Thursday, Turkey aimed to accommodate those who were waiting on the Syrian side of the border, but no Syrians Kurds were allowed to pass the border until noon on Friday.
http://www.todayszaman.com/national_turkey-in-state-of-alarm-against-isil-attacks-in-big-cities_359278.html
The two of you are spouting off just like back in the good ole days when you were both gung ho for invading and occupying Iraq; bringing the poor buggers freedom from Saddam's brutal boot all paid for by the bubblin' crude. Heck, ole Rat was even keen on moving right along to Syria. Now you two claim that the culture wars in the ME have an easy peasy military solution - bomb IS from up high and the locals will cheer and wave purple fingers.
DeleteYou attribute something to me that I never said. Kicking IS's ass has nothing to do with the "culture wars," or "Sunni / Shia" divide.
DeleteIt's a simple matter of National interest.
Wrong answer, Ash.
DeleteYou attribute a position to me that you could never reference, with regards the invasion of Iraq.
Go back into the archives at the Belmont Club, you will not find any corroboration to your statement.
Indeed, you will find that I stated, time and again that the invasion of Iraq was NOT part of the War on Terror, and would be a distraction to it.
DeleteOnce the US was engaged, I pointed out the numerous tactical faults that the US military was committing.
From dismissing the Iraqi Army to not clearing the communities that harbored the anti-purple finger government of Iraq insurgents.
Rufus:
Delete"It's a simple matter of National interest."
Well, it should be a simple matter then to state what the US national interest is in this particular fight in the ME. I've asked before and never heard an answer - What is the US national interest in taking out IS?
The same as it's always been - stability in the region that produces almost 40% of the World's Oil.
DeleteIt isn't stable and it hasn't been stable for a long long time despite US efforts. Care to try again?
DeleteIsn't just so unfair that all our oil got stuck under their sand?
DeleteIt has been stable, Ash.
DeleteOil production has been right on the numbers, since Saddam was deposed.
And every time that Iraqi production starts to exceed 3 million barrels a day, a sure sign of instability, there is some type of military action taken ...
To address that instability.
The "oil-producing" countries, with the sometime exception of Iraq, have been pretty stable.
DeleteAnd, even Iraq is producing pretty much "on trend."
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteWhat measure of "Stability" are you using, Ash?
Deletewelp, you guys have made your position clear - it is simply about getting the oil.
DeleteAlways has been.
DeleteIt is not especially 'our' position, it is the reality of what is "US Interests"
There was no outcry by US over the genocide in the Sudan.
DeleteNo rending of clothes over Zimbabwe.
No concern about the goings on in the Central African Republic.
What do you use as a measure of stability and what do you suppose the US Interests are?
Because not only does the region provide 22% of US oil consumption, it produces an even larger percentage of our allies and trading partners oil needs.
DeleteIndia, China and Japan are all reliant upon Middle Eastern oil stability.
Follow the Money, Ash, and you will find the US Interest.
Liberia, no US interest in that country.
DeleteIn Somalia, there is little that interests Uncle Sam, there.
Burma ... ?
Tibet?
No one would care about Palestine if not for the HUGE levels of cash the US expends in Egypt, Israel and Jordan, attempting to save the Zionists from self-destruction
The oil would most probably still flow if IS managed to score some regions that actually produce oil. They don't, at this stage, actually control much oil producing capability do they? It would appear that some business folk are more interested in their profitable oil revenue and the US, according to you two, is happy to oblige. Banana wars, oil wars, just US interest.
DeleteYou could attempt to make that point, but equating bananas, and oil, might be a pretty iffy pull.
DeleteWar for commercial interests - not a tough equation old boy.
DeleteMake the Bananas = Oil case if you can, but I don't think you'll be taken all that seriously.
DeleteFrom the "two types of moron" file:
ReplyDelete1) Those that think the gun solves everything,
2) Those that think the gun can solve nothing.
Then, there's the asshole that "voices opinions,"
Deletewhile accusing the other side of "spouting off."
An independent autopsy proves that an African-American man, who was killed by Utah police, was shot several times from behind while he was running away.
ReplyDeleteRandall Edwards, a lawyer for the family of Darrien Hunt, says the autopsy shows he was shot six times all from behind.
Meanwhile, investigators have obtained a video footage from security cameras of a bank near the scene of the shooting which could shed light on the whole story.
The footage can reveal if Hunt was shot from behind while running away.
Police had earlier claimed that the 22-year-old was shot as he brandished a sword and lunged toward officers with it.
“When the officers made contact with Mr. Hunt, he brandished the sword and lunged toward the officers with the sword, at which time Mr. Hunt was shot,” according to a police statement.
Susan Hunt, Darrien’s mother, said her son was killed last Wednesday because of his race and that no white boy with a sword would be shot while running away.
“They killed my son because he’s black. No white boy with a little sword would they shoot while he’s running away,” she said on Wednesday.
ReplyDeletePabst Bought by Russian Brewer
But company behind PBR will remain based in Los Angeles
(Newser) – A beer of choice among the hipster set now has a Russian owner. Pabst Brewing, makers of Pabst Blue Ribbon and other brands, has been bought by Oasis Beverages, reports the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The word "iconic" is getting used a lot in coverage given that Pabst can trace its origins back to 1844.
The company will continue to be headquartered out of Los Angeles, but its new CEO is Eugene Kashper, who runs Oasis, Russia's biggest brewer. In a statement, he called PBR "the quintessential American brand."
Both the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal put the price at more than $700 million, making a nice return for food and beverages magnate Dean Metropoulos, who picked up Pabst for $250 million in 2010.