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U.S. Spies Missed Urgency of Islamic State Threat in Iraq
Wall Street Journal ^ | August 10, 2014 | By SIOBHAN GORMAN and JULIAN E. BARNES

Posted on 08/10/2014 6:12:39 PM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer

WASHINGTON—Days before the takeover of the Iraqi city of Mosul by the militant group calling itself the Islamic State, U.S. intelligence analysts were sharply divided over whether the group would seize the city, according to people familiar with the debate.

Although U.S. spy agencies have monitored and warned about the Islamic State over the past year, they often have underestimated the group's ability to make rapid operational gains, U.S. officials said. That was the case a week ago when militants launched a dramatic and successful offensive in Iraq's Kurdish region.

The inability of U.S. spy agencies to provide details about the timing of Islamic State offensives or their likelihood of success has touched off debate among U.S. national-security officials about whether intelligence on the group has been adequate.

The struggle to understand the capabilities of the group reflects the difficulty of collecting detailed intelligence on its internal planning. "Collection is tough," one senior U.S. official acknowledged.

(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: failure; iraq; isis; obama; obamaforeignpolicy; obamairaq
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The federal government under our community organizer president is failing to do its basic duty -- protect and defend the United States of America.
1 posted on 08/10/2014 6:12:39 PM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

BS....ignored just like intelligence on Boston Bombers


2 posted on 08/10/2014 6:14:46 PM PDT by Sacajaweau
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

Missed it?
Or was it “willfully ignored it out of political expediency, hoping it will go away”?


3 posted on 08/10/2014 6:15:01 PM PDT by Darksheare (Try my coffee! First one's free..... Even robots will kill for it!)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

And what religion does the head of the CIA practice, hmmmmmm?


4 posted on 08/10/2014 6:15:56 PM PDT by CivilWarBrewing
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

Thrown under the bus by their BOSS..!

How much LONGER will they be willing to play dumb, giggly SHOE SHINE BOY to this turd..?


5 posted on 08/10/2014 6:17:06 PM PDT by gaijin
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

lack of human intelligence and electronic intercepts was a problem prior to 9/11, but was 100% fixed when bunnypants took office.

it’s something else he broke. next thing you know, the massive dumbass is going to misplace one of the Dakotas.


6 posted on 08/10/2014 6:19:06 PM PDT by JohnBrowdie (http://forum.stink-eye.net)
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To: JohnBrowdie

Do we really need a CIA? Just look at the track record.


7 posted on 08/10/2014 6:21:06 PM PDT by DIRTYSECRET (urope. Why do they put up with this.)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

“analysts sharply divided” = Half knew what they saw and half knew what the boss wanted to hear.


8 posted on 08/10/2014 6:21:46 PM PDT by G Larry (Which of Obama's policies do you think I'd support if he were white?)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

The intelligence community let him down, didn’t do its job.

That’s why he had to learn about ISIS by reading the newspaper, just like everyone else.


9 posted on 08/10/2014 6:22:06 PM PDT by Steely Tom (How do you feel about robbing Peter's robot?)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

The chief US Spy is a Muzie pig.


10 posted on 08/10/2014 6:23:27 PM PDT by boomop1 (Only term limits will save this country.)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

I think the word here is “disingenuous”. Of course they knew. Everyone knew that the “good guys” were quickly pushed out of the rebellion against Assad and replaced by these creeps who were most interested in slaughtering minorities, particularly Christians. At least anyone who read FR was advised of this sad truth.


11 posted on 08/10/2014 6:26:09 PM PDT by JimSEA
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

Freepers have been watching.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/3127798/posts


12 posted on 08/10/2014 6:26:13 PM PDT by right way right (America has embraced the suck of Freedumb.)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

Whether they could or not isn’t the action line...
When they were positioned and had intent was the time to act, if action is within the policy.

“We knew they were going to attack but didn’t think they could win so we sat back and did nothing. Oops my bad.”

Policy drives intelligence requirements!
If the requirement said.. can they win the city... the requirement is at fault. The requirement should be intentions, position, and capabilities. Requiring a prediction on results of the action specifies a reactive policy. We only.. if they. Too much room for catastrophic error. Amateurs in charge.


13 posted on 08/10/2014 6:28:29 PM PDT by BlueNgold (Have we crossed the line from Govt. in righteous fear of the People - to a People in fear of Govt??)
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To: Sacajaweau

“BS....ignored just like intelligence on Boston Bombers”

Yea your right.

How did our spy satellites miss all that brand new truck and equipment buildup?

Missed it, didn’t miss it just ignored it, or maybe even some of that $6 billion missing from Hillary’s state dept, paid for it.


14 posted on 08/10/2014 6:29:20 PM PDT by IMR 4350
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

When the CIA missed the implosion of the Soviet Union, it was evident that they didn’t know what was going on in the USSR Then came the failure to prevent 9/11. After that, the attack on our embassy in Benghazi. And the invasion of our country by illegals since October of last year. These failures do not inspire confidence.


15 posted on 08/10/2014 6:29:49 PM PDT by txrefugee
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To: Oldeconomybuyer
Here is a picture of Obama's intelligence chief


16 posted on 08/10/2014 6:39:19 PM PDT by Perdogg (I'm on a no Carb diet- NO Christie Ayotte Romney or Bush)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

Overseas intelligence gathering has been seriously failing in the past few years. The question is why?

1. There are no more human spies.
2. Relying only on internet intercepts
3. Allied nation’s intelligence agencies share on a very limited basis as they no longer trust the CIA, or other US spy agencies because of trust issues.
4. The US collects the right data but discounts it as unimportant.
5. The White House suppresses ME intelligence because of pro-Islamist bias.
6. All US intelligence gathering agencies are immersed in political correctness.


17 posted on 08/10/2014 6:39:41 PM PDT by elpadre (AfganistaMr Obama said the goal was to "disrupt, dismantle and defeat al-hereQaeda" and its allies.)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

They’re all out there looking for the ‘conservative lone wolf’....


18 posted on 08/10/2014 6:41:19 PM PDT by GOPJ (If everything is terrorism, then nothing is terrorism - former senior FBI special agent David Gomez)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer
"The inability of U.S. spy agencies to provide details about the timing of Islamic State offensives or their likelihood of success has touched off debate among U.S. national-security officials about whether intelligence on the group has been adequate."

Maybe it should be called C.Y.A. (Central Yadayada Agency).

19 posted on 08/10/2014 6:43:25 PM PDT by Carl Vehse
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

For a number of years now I’ve been of the opinion that Able Danger was shut down because it inadvertently uncovered operations that weren’t supposed to be...particularly by those without clearance...those ‘outside the circle’.

I still believe Eisenhower had it right. The rest of it is rife with conjecture, opinion & conspiracy. But the more time that goes by...the more the outcome fits the plot and the more it’s clear that when ‘they’ say “intelligence failure” I hear “it’s exactly what we expected and now you’re going to do what we want”.


20 posted on 08/10/2014 6:44:03 PM PDT by logi_cal869
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