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ISIS Works to Merge its Northern Front across Iraq and Syria (Analysis)
Institute for the Study of War ^ | 8/8/2014 | Jennifer Cafarella

Posted on 08/12/2014 10:10:33 AM PDT by mojito

...Through a significant escalation against the Syrian regime and the Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga beginning in mid-July, ISIS forces have made large advances in a campaign to consolidate internal control within the Caliphate. The Syrian regime’s Regiment 121, Division 17, and Brigade 93 military bases have fallen to ISIS, and indicators have emerged of an upcoming ISIS attack against the Tabqa military airbase southwest of ar-Raqqa City. ISIS has also seized the Peshmerga stronghold at Sinjar in the west of Iraq’s Ninewa Province, successfully consolidating its internal line of control across the Jazeera desert into Syria. The breath of these linked offensives across Iraq and Syria illustrate the ISIS priority objective of establishing territorial integrity for the Caliphate, and are evidence of the large military capacity ISIS still possesses nearly two months after the fall of Mosul.

In order to achieve its goal of establishing a functional, viable state ISIS must continue to leverage its military capabilities to consolidate its interior lines across Iraq and Syria and form a set of identifiable and defensible borders. Eliminating interior vulnerabilities is a key component of this effort and is likely to remain a primary objective for the ISIS military campaign in ensuing weeks. The victories in ar-Raqqa, Hasaka, and Ninewa suggests that ISIS operational objectives prioritize setting the stage for the consolidation of control over logistical lines of communication from the Iraqi border and the current operational zone in southern Hasaka to strongholds in ar-Raqqa province in order to secure freedom of movement between currently separate systems. As continued military successes from increasingly unified theatres of operation fuel the ISIS war machine, a hardened ISIS exterior line is likely to allow ISIS forces to pursue further expansion.

(Excerpt) Read more at iswsyria.blogspot.com.au ...


TOPICS: Military/Veterans; Politics; Religion
KEYWORDS: caliphate; iraq; isis; isisiraq; isissyria; isw; kurdistan; kurds; peshmerga; syria
Very good operational and strategic analysis of the ISIS campaign, with details I havent' seen elsewhere.

Unstated conclusion: once this northern region is consolidated, it will be on to Baghdad, and perhaps Aleppo. Also, ISIS will be very difficult to dislodge.

h/t Belmont Club.

1 posted on 08/12/2014 10:10:33 AM PDT by mojito
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To: mojito

It appears to me that most muzzies won’t fight for sh!t, so if you can organize a small group of fanatics that will fight, they have a pretty easy task to dominate.


2 posted on 08/12/2014 10:13:30 AM PDT by nascarnation (Toxic Baraq Syndrome: hopefully infecting a Dem candidate near you)
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To: mojito

so USA is supply ISIS in Syria and air-striking them in Iraq. Brilliant foreign policy.


3 posted on 08/12/2014 10:18:21 AM PDT by MNDude
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To: nascarnation

Does this validate Vitruvius.

“Those who live near the equator, and are exactly under the sun’s course, are, owing to its power, low in stature, of dark complexion, with curling hair, black eyes, weak legs, deficient in quantity of blood. And this deficiency of blood makes them timid when opposed in battle, but they bear excessive heat and fevers without fear, because their limbs are nourished by heat. Those, however, born in northern countries are timid and weak when attacked by fever, but from their sanguineous habit of body more courageous in battle.”


4 posted on 08/12/2014 10:26:06 AM PDT by demshateGod (The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.)
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To: MNDude
air-striking them in Iraq

If you listen to Prince Barry, the purported goal of the very limited Iraq strikes is to force ISIS to halt operations against civilian Yazhidis, and little else. Zero doesn't want a humanitarian catastrophe, because that makes him look bad, but he could care less if ISIS consolidates their gains against the Kurdish Peshmerga in Sinjar, for example.

But you're right about ISIS in Syria. 0bama aids and abets Turkish assistance to ISIS in Syria because he and Erdogan are "buddies" and both hate the Israelis.

5 posted on 08/12/2014 10:29:49 AM PDT by mojito (Zero, our Nero.)
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To: demshateGod

Quite possibly.
I recently read a lot of WW2 N. Africa history.
Patton had little good to say about the natives.


6 posted on 08/12/2014 10:30:09 AM PDT by nascarnation (Toxic Baraq Syndrome: hopefully infecting a Dem candidate near you)
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To: mojito; everyone

Hearing rumors isis has put out a video tape threatening the U.S. Have not seen that vid yet. Anyone seen the vid containing the threat?


7 posted on 08/12/2014 10:31:10 AM PDT by no-to-illegals (Scrutinize our government and Secure the Blessing of Freedom and Justice)
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To: everyone

Never mind Everyone ... Seeing reference to the video everywhere am looking.


8 posted on 08/12/2014 10:33:22 AM PDT by no-to-illegals (Scrutinize our government and Secure the Blessing of Freedom and Justice)
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To: mojito
it is assessed that the ISIS stronghold at ash-Shaddadi . . . .

What to do about ISIS anywhere they gather in great numbers.

A moabist proposal

Massive Ordinance Air Blast, aka "Mother of all bombs"

What the hell are we waiting for? I remember. W.W.II ended after four years of our participation. It is strongly believed that the two nukes ended the prospect of suffering more years of war and more hundreds of thousands of casualties. This war has been going on since 1979? 1994? 2001? End the damn thing!

No nukes this time, MOABs And yes! Internment camps here if necessary.

9 posted on 08/12/2014 10:35:30 AM PDT by WilliamofCarmichael (If modern America's Man on Horseback is out there, Get on the damn horse already!)
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To: WilliamofCarmichael

Estimates are 50 to 150 isis members are inside U.S.


10 posted on 08/12/2014 10:36:55 AM PDT by no-to-illegals (Scrutinize our government and Secure the Blessing of Freedom and Justice)
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To: mojito

I hate to even hear the term “Caliphate,” as if it is a known fact.
But it is.


11 posted on 08/12/2014 10:48:00 AM PDT by keats5 (Not all of us are hypnotized.)
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To: mojito

Yes. The time to dislodge them was when they were marching caravans in the desert. Once they are entrenched in the major cities it becomes too late. All of this is unnecessary. A coalition should have already been using air power against them so Iraqi forces can take them out. Still might not be too late but once they have baghdad there won’t be much we can do


12 posted on 08/12/2014 12:12:05 PM PDT by plain talk
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