The jihadis are capturing them, lining them up, and shooting or beheading them one by one (on video). So I don’t think they’re going to be particularly worried about the threat from Maliki.
This is being portrayed by the ever-hopeful media as a “sectarian” conflict, between the Sunnis and the Shiites, but it’s not. The ISIL group is killing Sunnis too - anyone who was willing to be part of the police, the military or the civil government of Iraq.
Correct me if I’m wrong. It seems that:
1. Prime Minister Nouri Maliki has weakened his military by replacing competent but untrusted Sunis with trusted but incompetent Shites.
2. As the current war progress it seems that the Sunis in the military are switching sides and supporting ISIS.
3. So maybe Maliki could see this coming and knew that he had to purge the military of the Sunis or it was inevitable that they would turn against him.
4. There aren’t enough competent military men amongst the Shites to support this approach. So Maliki is doomed in any case.
5. Obama could have saved him with some permanent troops.
6. Obama didn’t want to save him since he too is a Sunni Muslim.
I believe that our good friend Occam would support this theory.
Doesn’t Maliki know that they served with honor and distinction?