MUHAMMAD HAMED/REUTERS
Daily Beast: Where ISIS In Iraq Will Make Its Last Stand—or Its Comeback
The so-called Islamic State remains in control of three strategic towns while other fighters have retreated to the mountains, and sleeper cells operate at the gates of Baghdad.
BAGHDAD—The Iraqi government declared victory against the extremist Islamic State group in Mosul this month, and that was cause for major celebration.
But the extremists are far from eradicated in Iraq. Several strongholds remain. And the battle to push the so-called Islamic State, or ISIS, out of these places will be more complicated than the previous, straightforward fights have been in places like Fallujah and Tikrit.
Notably, the stalemate between Turkey and Iran in this area poses a serious political challenge for the Iraqi government in the remaining cities controlled by ISIS.
At the same time, many extremists have taken to the hills and begun to wage a classic rural guerrilla war, while some sleeper cells have been activated at the very gates of Baghdad, the Iraqi capital.
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WNU Editor: Bottom line .... the war against the Islamic State is far from over.
"Arrest Order for Sunni Leader in Iraq Opens New Rift"
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/20/world/middleeast/iraqi-government-accuses-top-official-in-assassinations.html
For sure I do not know what Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi was up to, if anything.
But I date the rise of ISIS to Obama's bad faith negotiations in the Status of Forces agreement (SOFA) (the evidence came out in the last 2 years documented by WNU) and his lack, near total lack) of communication with Maliki.
Bush was on the phone with Maliki everyday. Obama not so much.
IMO Malik if he felt the U.S. had his back would not have been paranoid about Hashimi or would not have given not his worst impulses. Thanks OBAMA!
1) SOFA
2) Hashimi
3) ISIS
ReplyDeleteTHE debacle in Iraq isn’t President Obama’s fault. It’s not the Republicans’ fault. Both bear some responsibility, but, overwhelmingly, it’s the fault of the Iraqi prime minister, Nuri Kamal al-Maliki.
Some on the left suggest that President George W. Bush is at fault because he invaded Iraq in the first place. Senator John McCain argues that the White House bears such responsibility that President Obama should replace his national security team.
I don't know which Anon I am replying to.
ReplyDeleteThere is a technique that if you cannot nail the other side dead to rights, then you try to say it was everybody's fault.
George bush had to negotiate a SOFA in 2008 for a withdrawal and that would force a negotiations.
Arch-liberals, left-wingers & wingnuts were croaking (1) imperialism in chorus. They were also crying a river and saying that it was a war for oil despite the open and public sale of oil production rights and the fact that much of it went to (2) China.
Iraq could not be considered an independent nation unless it had absolute veto power, when it came to a SOFA. WNU reported on the bad faith negotiation of Obama, when it came to a SOFA agreement.
If you want to spread the blame, I'll be happy to look it up from the archives here.
Obama SOFA IRAQ "WarNewsUPDATE" site:blogspot.com
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