Posted on 03/08/2017 11:05:53 AM PST by BeauBo
In A series of lightning advances over the past few days, Iraq’s army has seized control of most of western Mosul, the last redoubt of Islamic State (IS) in the country. On March 7th, a day that may have marked a turning point, army units took Mosul’s main government complex... “They are in full collapse now,” he said. “When an army breaks it happens very quickly. Within a week or two, this will all be over.” ...American officers working closely with the Iraqi army estimate that as few as 500 IS fighters now remain in the city.
(Excerpt) Read more at economist.com ...
This is an accurate report. The heat is only going to get hotter in Syria and Iraq, much, much hotter. People on the ground know it. People not just reading Open Sources know it. The defeatism and bed wetting of some will soon give way to the joy that it’s done. ISIS as a Caliphate, a pseudo state, a terror group that holds ground, will be done.
GRRRRRRREAT
It's hard to judge this in context. They certainly caused a lot of horror for a lot of people, Christians, Kurds and others.
I endorse your sentiments. Let us hope that all FReepers outlive the Kenyan ususper.
There are certain celebrities that I always figured would come to a bad end. Was anybody surprised over Michael Jackson?
Well, Obamalamadingdong was supposedly our first “celebrity president.” And I’ve always had this odd feeling that he would end his life like many other a drug- or STD-infested celebrity/degenerate.
No wonder zer0 is so pissed off today.
“The Iraqi army is on the brink of defeating Islamic State” NOT.
ISIS will simply fade into the populace for a time, then return when the Iraqi army goes elsewhere.
Mao:
The enemy advances, we retreat;
the enemy camps, we harass;
the enemy tires, we attack;
the enemy retreats, we pursue.
What took them so long. ISIS has held the second largest city in Iraq for more than two years. The Iraqis had overwhelming numbers, air support from the US, and US advisors on the ground. Twas a great victory....
After Iraq gets rid if ISIS they can go back to jubilantly murdering each other...
“ISIS will simply fade into the populace for a time”
As we saw after Saddam was overthrown; victims their families, their tribes, and their religious sect all hunted the perpetrators for vengeance.
Many of them will need to move to a new part of the country, or to a new country altogether. It is a dangerous time to take “refugees” from there, as it is the losers (ISIS) that will need refuge.
The Iraqi army is on the brink of defeating Islamic State ... except for the many pockets scattered throughout all the ‘conquered’ ISIS towns where the Iraqi ‘Army’ and its Iranian allies fear to go - which amounts to ISIS control of almost all of their ‘former’ territory ...
So it is mostly just Show and Tell for media consumption.
By far the most fearsome place for the Iraqi Army or their Iranian allies to go was Mosul.
The fear should really be on the “scattered small pockets” of ISIS, being hunted by the Army, Police, Secret Police, Kurdish Internal Security, Shi’ite Militia Death Squads, as well as the families and tribes of ISIS’ victims.
Gone too is all the money from oil smuggling, and all the tax revenue from the population they used to control.
No doubt the ISIS brand will continue, and some of its leadership will find full time sponsorship from some intelligence services (Saudi? Qatar? Turkey?) - but most of the rank and file will die or have to hide out, like Nazis after Germany lost the war.
I expect that former ISIS will receive harsher treatment than former Ba’athists did before.
Don’t hold your breath. Next week, it’ll be lost again.
TRUMP bombing campaign, troops, and equipment via Gen Mattis.
Winning!
Financial offices raided in Lebanon over ISIS transfers, I saw another related story too.
1st order of business, when things have really died down is to find out who funded this.
The Iraqi army definitely wants to know.
“Next week, it’ll be lost again.”
Things are different now FRiend - ISIS is being decisively beaten. They will soon (months) no longer rule territory. As guerrillas or terrorists, the brand will live on, but their Caliphate is being decisively destroyed.
“find out who funded this”
Through Lebanon, seems like Saudis.
Beirut was long the playground of the Saudi royals, before Dubai rose rose in the desert. Osama bin Laden used to vacation there often, before he became religious.
The Saudis established and maintained deep ties with the Sunni elite in Lebanon (like the family of George Clooney’s wife Amal). Lebanese Sunnis are held in high esteem by the Saudis, as trustworthy, discrete, high skill employees to handle financial matters - even in in London and Paris.
A Saudi Prince was busted there in 2015, using his personal jet to smuggle into Syria a big load of cash and two tons of the amphetamine Captagon, which they use to keep their jihadis hopped up, and willing to do suicide missions.
It is not guaranteed to be Saudi money (they may have introduced some other donors (like Qatar) to their contacts - but it sure smells like a signature Saudi channel.
...........”children are back at school and parents are happy”.............hmmmm...........what do they teach them at school?.....................how to HATE the infidel, cut heads off, fire the AK 47, beat women, rape children and the list goes on................
America should get out of that 2,000 year old sick, sick system............let em kill each other....they’re pretty good at it!
“they’re pretty good at it!”
Practice pays off.
He waves his magic wand...
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