Posted on 08/10/2014 4:15:27 AM PDT by markomalley
U.S. spy agencies have begun to see groups of fighters abandoning al-Qaeda affiliates in Yemen and Africa to join the rival Islamist organization that has seized territory in Iraq and Syria and been targeted in American airstrikes, U.S. officials said.
The movements are seen by U.S. counterterrorism analysts as a worrisome indication of the expanding appeal of a group known as the Islamic State that has overwhelmed military forces in the region and may now see itself in direct conflict with the United States.
“Small groups from a number of al-Qaeda affiliates have defected to ISIS,” as the group is also known, said a U.S. official with access to classified intelligence assessments. “And this problem will probably become more acute as ISIS continues to rack up victories.”
The influx has strengthened an organization already regarded as a menacing force in the Middle East, one that has toppled a series of Iraqi cities by launching assaults so quickly and in so many directions that security forces caught in the group’s path have so far been unable to respond with anything but retreat.
U.S. officials attribute the Islamic State’s rapid emergence to factors both psychological and tactical. Its core group of fighters honed their skills against the armies of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the United States when it occupied Iraq. The group has used raids and ransoms to stockpile weapons and cash. And its merciless reputation triggered rampant defections among Sunni members of Iraq’s security forces already disenchanted with the Shiite-led government in Baghdad.
Even before its assault on Kurdish territories in northern Iraq this month, analysts said the Islamic State had shown an almost impulsive character in its pursuit of territory and recruits, with little patience for the elaborate and often time-consuming terror plots favored by al-Qaeda.
(Excerpt) Read more at thefiscaltimes.com ...
Of course. They are the Flavor of the Month.
Until they get smashed they will continue to be it.
This is what happens when you have weak leadership that bows before Muslim leaders though 0 may have courtsied
Hey, you go where the carnage is.
They’ve stolen a chit load of money from Iraqi banks too not to mention tons of us made weaponry. They are a force we are going to have to engage.
And limited air strikes isn’t the answer. It’s an Obama blunder. A full air campaign is needed.
“The movements are seen by U.S. counterterrorism analysts as a worrisome indication of the expanding appeal of a group known as the Islamic State that has overwhelmed military forces in the region and may now see itself in direct conflict with the United States.”
Don’t anybody worry, obozo is at the helm.
Thanks, Barack.
Wow! 0bama policies have indeed defeated al Qaeda! /s
Anyone happen to know on what river the Mosul dam is built?
Yeah, that’s akin to taking credit for reducing the crime rate by decriminalizing an activity ....
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