Posted on 08/25/2014 11:03:00 AM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer
With the Obama White House left reeling from the "savage" slaughter of an American journalist held hostage by ISIS terrorists, military options are being considered against an adversary who officials say is growing in strength and is much more capable than the one faced when the group was called "al Qaeda-Iraq" during the U.S. war from 2003-2011.
ISIS, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, has been making a "tactical withdrawal" in recent days in the face of withering U.S. airstrikes.
"These guys aren't just bugging out, they're tactically withdrawing. Very professional, well trained, motivated and equipped. They operate like a state with a military," said one official who tracks ISIS closely. "These aren't the same guys we fought in OIF (Operation Iraqi Freedom) who would just scatter when you dropped a bomb near them."
ISIS appeared to have a sophisticated and well thought-out plan for establishing its "Islamic Caliphate" from northern Syria across the western and northern deserts of Iraq, many experts and officials have said, and support from hostage-taking, robbery and sympathetic donations to fund it.
“They’re beyond just a terrorist group. They marry ideology, a sophistication of strategic and tactical military prowess. They are tremendously well-funded,” he said. “This is beyond anything that we’ve seen.”
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
The other journalist Peter Theo Curtis was released when his family directly asked Qatar to help. Now why would Qatar have that much influence with Islamic State (IS)?http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/11055049/Did-Qatar-pay-ransom-for-release-of-US-journalist-Peter-Curtis.html and again http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/24/us-denies-ransom-qatar-peter-theo-curtis-syria
Correction, I meant Jabhat al-Nusrah not specifically IS.
Except you misspelled Saudis, LOFL!
Adjust your loadout accordingly....
IRAN and/or Saudis....and the DNC.
I am aghast at my own haste.
well, the Conquer() method (i.e. steal from others) is the only one defined in that particular class of nation states.
oh and the PumpOilAndCollectRoyalties() method..
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