Iraq's second largest city, Mosul, captured by Islamic State of Iraq and Syria

[RodeoX]

Baghdad will never fall , we have 17 000 us troops and mercenaries there , remember?

The US embassy is heavily fortified and there are thousands of US troops and private security contractors guarding that facility. But if the ISIS launches a surprise attack with all their might, the Americans will not even get time to evacuate their personnel.

If the ISIS will ever try to launch an all attack on that embassy it will be their doom.
They will die there without setting foot inside.

The moment they gather in large groups for such an attacks they are targets for the planes and drones.

My guess is that they will wait until the Americans will evacuate and just then storm Baghdad.
That is they will even reach the city.

If only it were that easy. We were not able to beat these guys after more than a decade of fighting on the ground. We certainly wont beat them with airstrikes now. There is really nothing we can do to stop this.

[bryant.coleman]

My guess is that they will wait until the Americans will evacuate and just then storm Baghdad.
That is they will even reach the city.

OK. Confirmed news. The American Embassy is currently evacuating its nationals from the Baghdad installation (including security personnel). The local employees are staying on, but I think if the situation gets any worse, then they will also be evacuated to Basra. The Correspondent of the Telegraph is saying that the USAF has no plans to get directly involved in this fight.

[Chef Ramsay]

From what I can tell this is all by design to create something bigger and build on what Bush sr and jr set up. The neocons like McCain were doing backflips hoping to arm these Syrian rebels and now they are in possession of top notch weaponry and doing untold damage. THIS kind of thing is why us liberty minded personnel need to be the drivers of the GOP from here on out and let the neocons go back to their Troskyite ways in the democratic party from whence they came. They sure as hell aren't fiscally conservative in the least.

[beetcoin]

From what I can tell this is all by design to create something bigger and build on what Bush sr and jr set up. The neocons like McCain were doing backflips hoping to arm these Syrian rebels and now they are in possession of top notch weaponry and doing untold damage. THIS kind of thing is why us liberty minded personnel need to be the drivers of the GOP from here on out and let the neocons go back to their Troskyite ways in the democratic party from whence they came. They sure as hell aren't fiscally conservative in the least.

mccain seems to be oblivious, bellicose, and faux pas when it comes to foreign policy.. yet he still acts like he is some sort of expert. it seems like the man loves war.

[Tzupy]

McCain wanted to ship weapons and other equipment to moderate fractions fighting against Assad, not to ISIL. And Hillary Clinton had a similar opinion.
But Obummer said no, just like he said no to recent requests of help from the Iraqi government. The ISIL has some US built weapons, but shipped
from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf States. If the Iraqi army collapses, the fight will be carried on by Shia militias and Iranian volunteers, resulting
in a civil (sectarian) war that could last years and could do massive damage in destroyed property and loss of life.

[beetcoin]

McCain wanted to ship weapons and other equipment to moderate fractions fighting against Assad, not to ISIL. And Hillary Clinton had a similar opinion.
But Obummer said no, just like he said no to recent requests of help from the Iraqi government. The ISIL has some US built weapons, but shipped
from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf States. If the Iraqi army collapses, the fight will be carried on by Shia militias and Iranian volunteers, resulting
in a civil (sectarian) war that could last years and could do massive damage in destroyed property and loss of life.

obama haters and lovers alike put him in a catch 22 position. many people are asking why even bother meddling in other countries? and obama seems, at least on this issue, to not want to meddle. then you have people like you and mccain who want more involvement in the middle east.

FYI the rebel fighters fighting against assad are al queda. you know, the same one that we armed in the russian war.

[Tzupy]

Maybe now only al-Qaeda are still alive, fighting against Assad, because the moderate ones had no chance (thanks Obummer).
I don't want more involvement, but what Obummer does is similar to what happened in Vietnam. The US army eventually won
the attrition war (the vietcong was depleted), then left and the NVA conquered the South. If you think US occupation of Iraq
was bad (and I don't say it was good, they made many mistakes, especially under Rumsfeld), the civil war is going to be worse.

[beetcoin]

Maybe now only al-Qaeda are still alive, fighting against Assad, because the moderate ones had no chance (thanks Obummer).
I don't want more involvement, but what Obummer does is similar to what happened in Vietnam. The US army eventually won
the attrition war (the vietcong was depleted), then left and the NVA conquered the South. If you think US occupation of Iraq
was bad (and I don't say it was good, they made many mistakes, especially under Rumsfeld), the civil war is going to be worse.

you are complaining that we are leaving the iraqi government to fend for itself.. i don't know how to take that other than "we need more support and troops in iraq." that, to me, is calling for more involvement in iraq.

[ChiliPowder]

Islam the religion of peace!


Its obvious this was going to happen, anyone who has been around Iraqi or even Afghan soldiers, or has personally known soldiers that were over there has allready heard about thier complete incompetence. I recommend everyone watches this Vice Video on the next army to have to defend itself the Afghan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ja5Q75hf6QI.

I jsut saw the other day the ISIS robbed all the banks in Mosul and made an absurd ammount of money, guess they are richer than Al Qaeda now.

Due to the soldiers abandoning thier posts and gear the ISIS  also now have up armored humvess, massive ammounts of ammunitions and arms, Sapi plates and body armor and who knows the may have some abrahms and a fucking mrap for all we know.

4 trillion and large ammount of us soldiers, such a god damn joke.

[beetcoin]

Islam the religion of peace!


Its obvious this was going to happen, anyone who has been around Iraqi or even Afghan soldiers, or has personally known soldiers that were over there has allready heard about thier complete incompetence. I recommend everyone watches this Vice Video on the next army to have to defend itself the Afghan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ja5Q75hf6QI.

I jsut saw the other day the ISIS robbed all the banks in Mosul and made an absurd ammount of money, guess they are richer than Al Qaeda now.

Due to the soldiers abandoning thier posts and gear the ISIS  also now have up armored humvess, massive ammounts of ammunitions and arms, Sapi plates and body armor and who knows the may have some abrahms and a fucking mrap for all we know.

4 trillion and large ammount of us soldiers, such a god damn joke.

yeah it's the same as vietnam.. the southern government was equally incompetent. it's funny that we side with the people who don't give a shit about winning a war.. or maybe they don't give a shit about winning because it's the "american side."

either way, there are so many teams in the game.. and we never choose the right one (if there is one).

[bryant.coleman]

ISIS is edging closer to Baghdad. They might attack Erbil as well. According to most reports, the hard core fighters of the ISIS numbers only a few thousands. The remaining is made up of dissident Sunni Arab civilians. The Iraqi army is low on morale and is fleeing to the South. Only the Peshmerga is willing to fight the ISIS, but they are both outmanned and outgunned.

[beetcoin]

i guess it'll be interesting to see how much isis can inspire people to join them.. he sure looks like a darkhorse.

[bryant.coleman]

i guess it'll be interesting to see how much isis can inspire people to join them.. he sure looks like a darkhorse.

Read this. You'll know how they are getting support:

http://rt.com/news/166920-isis-iraq-offensive-report

But seriously, ISIS does have a lot of support among the Sunni Arabs, who feel discrimination at the hands of the pro-US Shiite regime.

[beetcoin]

i guess it'll be interesting to see how much isis can inspire people to join them.. he sure looks like a darkhorse.

Read this. You'll know how they are getting support:

http://rt.com/news/166920-isis-iraq-offensive-report

But seriously, ISIS does have a lot of support among the Sunni Arabs, who feel discrimination at the hands of the pro-US Shiite regime.

being cool and pro is one thing, but the more important part is where you don't get people who are uninspired/not loyal.. you know, like those iraqi guys who just surrendered their weapons and uniforms. ISIS would do well if they knew how to appeal to people by giving them a goal or reason to fight.

[bryant.coleman]

ISIS would do well if they knew how to appeal to people by giving them a goal or reason to fight.

Reason to fight is already there, as I have posted (discrimination of the Sunni Arabs by the Shiites). Even in Mosul, a large part of the local population is supporting the ISIS right now. (Mosul is an ethnically polarized city, divided between the Sunni Arabs and the Kurds).

[Chef Ramsay]

ISIS Poses No Existential Threat to America

As the Islamic warriors of ISIS rolled down the road from Mosul... “We are now facing an existential threat to the security of the United States of America,” said McCain. But nothing that happens in Mesopotamia is going to threaten the existence of the United States. As for the terrorist threat from ISIS, for us it is neither greater nor less than it was a week ago.

The existential threat here is to Iraq. Its survival as one nation is now in question, with the possibility it could be torn apart in a civil and sectarian war. But this is preeminently Iraq’s problem, not ours. And if Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, his 900,000-man army, and Shia militia cannot defend Baghdad from a few thousand Islamist warriors, America is under no obligation to do it for them. Maliki told us to go home three years ago. We did. And before we plunge back into that misbegotten war, let us consider what the real threats are—to America.
...
...ISIS has as allies in the north and west of Iraq Sunnis who detest Maliki and wish to be rid of him. But these Sunni are not demanding a Taliban regime to abolish smoking and drinking. Nor are they fighting to cut off the heads of their Shia countrymen. If ISIS goes beyond the liberation of the Sunni triangle to trying to take over all of Iraq, they will lose many Sunni allies and find themselves facing Iraq’s Shia majority, backed up by Iranian forces, virtually alone.

But while the Iraqi army and Shia militia may well hold Baghdad, it is hard to see how Maliki can soon reconquer the Sunni provinces. For the Sunnis want no part of him or his regime. Nor does Maliki seem capable of taking back Kirkuk, which the Kurds seized in the chaos as a step toward independence. What should America do? Take a hard look at our entire Middle East policy.

More...http://www.theamericanconservative.com/isis-poses-no-existential-threat-to-america/

[niothor]

Number of Australians fighting with militants in Iraq and Syria 'extraordinary', Julie Bishop says

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-06-19/150-australians-fighting-with-extremists-in-iraq-and-syria/5535018

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop says 150 Australians have been or are currently overseas fighting with extremists in Iraq and Syria.

Things must be pretty boring there , with no neighbors to fight

[RodeoX]

We should remind ourselves that there was never a time we were going to win this war. That self delusional nonsense was only for the most gullible soccer moms and neo-con flag waivers.   
I remember when GWB announced a "crusade" in the middle east. I was like "Holly shit, did he just say that?" Such a statement showed me that he knew nothing about the region. But I assumed that his CIA advisers would steer him back to planet Earth.  Sadly, Dick Cheney's office went after anyone who spoke truth to power and promoted those who said "yes sir!".
Their claim that in six months the war would be over and we would be welcomed with roses was... well a bit off.
So settle in folks. We will be fighting this war for the rest of your life. In the mid-east, in Europe, and in America.

"Wars begin when you will, but they do not end when you please."
-Niccolò Machiavelli