Posted on 09/29/2014 7:36:40 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Isis fighters are reportedly just one mile away from Baghdad as reports emerge of al-Qaeda militants bolstering their ranks in Syria.
According to the Foundation for Relief and Reconciliation in the Middle East, Isis was approaching the Iraqi capital on Monday morning, report The Independent.
"The Islamic State are now less than 2km away from entering Baghdad," a spokesperson said.
"They said it could never happen and now it almost has. Obama says he overestimated what the Iraqi Army could do. Well you only need to be here a very short while to know they can do very very little."
The news comes amid reports of an emerging alliance between Isis forces in Syria and Jabhat al-Nusra, also known as the Nusra Front.
The group is the Syrian offshoot of al-Qaeda and has been fighting against the Assad regime in the civil war.
Despite months of clashes between its forces and Isis (also known as Islamic State) militants, the two groups appear to be forming a loose coalition in parts of the country to fight increasing attacks by the US and its allies.
Al-Nusra’s official spokesperson, Abu Firas al-Suri, threatened the coalition nations with retaliation on Saturday.
“These states have committed a horrible act that is going to put them on the list of jihadist targets throughout the world,” he said.
“This is not a war against al-Nusra, but a war against Islam.”
Al-Nusra and Isis leaders are now holding war planning meetings together, a source told the Guardian, although no formal alliance has been confirmed.
The reports follow growing defections from other Islamist groups to Isis, which is seen as better organised and equipped to create an “Islamic State” straddling Iraq and Syria.
A loyalty pledge was reportedly made by al-Nusra in June in the town of Al-Bukamal near the Iraqi border, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, and the two groups have fought together against Government forces.
The report appeared to be confirmed on Twitter by a photograph showing an Egyptian al-Nusra Front commander shaking hands with an Isis leader of Chechen origin.
Although both Isis and al-Nusra are rooted in al-Qaeda, the two have been rivals since Isis started its involvement in Syria’s civil war in spring last year and have engaged in bloody battles killing more than 3,000 militants from both sides.
A merger had been declared by Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in 2013, when Isis was known as al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI), but the alliance was rejected by al-Nusra and overruled by al-Qaeda leader al-Zawahiri.
But the international response to Isis’ bloody rampage through Iraq and Syria, and the beheadings of British and American hostages, is pushing the groups towards an alliance.
An al-Nusra source told Reuters: “There are hardline voices inside Nusra who are pushing for reconciliation with Islamic State.”
A formal alliance is believed to only be possible on the orders of al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri.
A deal between the militant groups would strengthen the Islamist force in Syria as air strikes cripple Isis funding sources, equipment stores and slow its advances.
The US has not said al-Nusra is being targeted but its planes have attacked a new group called Khorasan, which some analysts suspect is part of al-Nusra.
The two groups have been known to co-operate and Khorasan is believed to be made up of veteran al-Qaeda fighters with battlefield experience mostly in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Britain, the US and the United Nations are among those who have classed al-Nusra as a terrorist group, citing its use of suicide bombing, terrorist attacks and attempts to impose Islamic law.
A small number of anti-Government groups, including some members for the secular Free Syrian Army, opposed the label after al-Nusra gained respect fighting the Assad regime.
Joined? It ALWAYS was AQ.
I hear the distant sound of boots marching.
This news may “Shock” B. Hussein, but will it “Awe” him?
Where are the B52’s with a massive carpet bombing?
Is Obama planning to give them a pass after the elections?
It wouldn’t take much for our military to take them out. A few really dumb bombs would cease a lot of their activities.
Awwwwwwwwww this can’t be true..Obama has been bombing them ISIS is no more/sarc
RE: A few really dumb bombs would cease a lot of their activities.
And how do we know that we are hitting the enemy instead of civilians?
Bammy n' Biden told us in 2012 that al-Qaeda was on the run. They just didn't tell us in what direction.
Perhaps someone could enlighten me as to the source of ISIS, Al Qaeda, and the various other monikers these terrorist organizations dub themselves ordnance. I know certain weapons, rockets, rocket propelled grenades, and other materials are from Iran, but seriously wondering who is their main source of weapons, ordnance? PRC, Russia, who, or whom?
Granted much of what we left behind is now in the hands of ISIS, etc. but my question is the ongoing re supplier of ordnance for their war is who?
Jeez, I guess the bombing of all those empty buildings Hussein is ordering isn’t hurting ISIS all that much.
Inconceivable!
I thought bombing Syria would stop all ISIS activities in Iraq. Did I miss something?
B@$tards!
Their main source of weapons is US stuff they took from the Iraqi army who fled.
The Iraqi army just might make the South Vietnamese ARVN of 1975 look good.
Well he is only hitting those targets at night, so that he doesn’t hurt his ISIS buddies
“Where are the B52’s with a massive carpet bombing?”
The smell of Napalm in the morning.
He was in Vietnam, you know. Oh...maybe Vietnam isn't a good thing to bring up right now...
At the Love Shack.
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