Sorry I intended this to go on on this thread....time for bed....!!!
The performance of Iraqi troops and air-force jets in the battle of Tikrit will indicate their preparedness for the much tougher fight in Mosul. Urban warfare is brutal and slow, so Tikrit will be a litmus test for both the fighting skills and the stamina of the Iraqi forces.
Early reports indicate that Shia irregulars are leading the assault on Tikrit, under the supervision of Hadi al-Amiri, nominally Iraq’s transport minister, but better known as the leader of the Badr Organization, an Iran-backed militia notorious for brutal torture and murder of Sunnis.
Apparently unsatisfied with having a surrogate in the battlefield, Tehran has also despatched to Iraq’s Salahuddin province—of which Sunni-majority Tikrit is a part—the notorious Qassem Suleimani, the general who supervises most of Iran’s proxies, from Hizbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza, to the Houthis in Yemen.
One of the world’s most dangerous men, Suleimani has had the freedom of Iraq for over a year, building and reinforcing Shia militias that have been murdering and terrorizing Sunnis with almost as much enthusiasm—if not with quite as much efficiency—as ISIL has been slaughtering civilians.
Suleimani’s presence in Salahuddin is especially infuriating for many in Mosul, a city that prides itself as the birthplace of Iraqi military heroes. He is a veteran of the eight-year Iran-Iraq war, and is seen to have Iraqi blood on his hands. That he should now be effectively calling some of the shots in the Iraqi military campaign is a humiliating reminder of Baghdad’s subservience to the old enemy.
Perhaps it is to stay out of any sectarian conflict that the US military is keeping the Tikrit campaign at an arm’s length: It is not providing any air support to the Iraqi troops.
http://qz.com/354276/the-sunni-killers-leading-the-assault-on-tikrit-are-bad-news-for-iraq/
“Shia irregulars are leading the assault on Tikrit, under the supervision of Hadi al-Amiri, nominally Iraq’s transport minister, but better known as the leader of the Badr Organization, an Iran-backed militia notorious for brutal torture and murder of Sunnis.”
Badr Brigades are famous for tracking down Baathists for revenge after the fall of Sadaam, like Nazi hunters, but performing brutal executions instead of trials. I believe that they will ruthlessly purge ISIS, Baathists, potential future political rivals, foreigners, and any other Sunni that looks at them sideways.
Those that don’t escape are unlikely to have much luck surrendering.
Thanks for that info.
Imagine what the world would look like if we had ended WWII like we did Iraq.
Beat Germany, but then just leave. The Soviets would have moved right in. Same in Japan (although China may have beat the Soviets there).
I understand the push against spending lots of money on nation building, but it seems really unwise in the long run to fight these wars with no long-term solution in place.
Although with all of the various tribes and sects over there - that may have been impossible.