“U.S. and German special operations teams had taken up positions in Zumar that allowed them to coordinate with U.S. aircraft.”
I figured that would be happening all along. As to the 38 prisoners that is a mistake. I would not be taking any ISIS prisoners.
And as far as intel is concerned, the political and media lesson learned probably has been - don't take them out of country, and turn them over to the Peshmurga ASAP afterwards for them to adjudicate
You’ve gotta bury them with pig organs first.
Taking prisoners is very important (as I learned from talking to NVA/VC POWS and defectors in SVN and Cambodia).
The hardcore Islamists won’t talk but a little waterboarding in pig piss might change their minds. If not, the desert hides a lot of secrets and bodies.
Kill a few of the most hardcore, in ways to be determined by the creativity of the human mind, and do it in front of the other prisoners. That might open up a few mouths.
The American and German Special Forces aren’t in Iraq to play with themselves. They are there to fight and destroy the enemy and they are doing just that.
If there are any pussies around, they are not in our military forces (though many of their leaders are ball-less pukes - esp. Dempsey). The pussies are in the White House and JCS and Secretaries of the military departments.
Comments about FACS and ground spotters are not only correct, but logical. They are also great moral boosters to not only the Pesh Merga but also the Iraqi forces (who are not stupid, just too often poorly led).
What you might be seeing, at least on a regional level, is a new coalition of traditional Iraqi forces and the Pesh Merga, with, perhaps, some of the Shiite militias, that will temporarily transcend individual group interests.
In a real dream world, they would be the beginning of a new Iraqi identity, one that transcends tribal, ethnic and/or religious identities. I know that this is nor going to happen on a large scale, but perhaps locally, we are seeing something new arise out of this Obama/Amaliki fiasco.
One can hope, but still kill the bastards in the meantime.