Posted on 10/09/2014 6:15:19 AM PDT by C19fan
For weeks now, ISIS militants in northern Syria have been attacking the Kurdish city of Ayn al-Arab, also known as Kobani, attempting to seize the city and solidify control of the territory. In the past few days, U.S.-led airstrikes on ISIS have included many targets around Kobani, and appear to have at least slowed their advance for the moment. Kobani is situated on a hillside right on the Syria-Turkey border, a border crossed by tens of thousands of Kurds fleeing their besieged city. Now, some of these refugees and fellow Kurds from southern Turkey have gathered on the border to watch the battles in Kobani through binoculars and cameras. Some Kurdish forces remain in the city, defending against invading militants, supported by Western aircraft and missiles, while ISIS continues to attack with artillery, mortars, suicide bombings, and small arms. CNN reports that senior U.S. administration officials conceded that Kobani will likely soon fall to ISIS, but downplayed the importance of the loss.
(Excerpt) Read more at theatlantic.com ...
Obama is beginning to realize that after his soaring rhetoric of how he was going to destroy ISIS, the fall of Kobane and the massacre of the heroic surviving Kurdish defenders will be a political disaster for him and the Democrats.
Right. They looked very comfortable and relaxed.
Probably got the word from the WH that it’s OK to ‘stand down’
Kobani, shoshani, bobani
If the Turks aren’t worried why are we? It’s their border.
We should stay the hell out of the way.
That B1 looked awfully low and slow over a combat zone.
Each dropped bomb requires the approval of a team of JAG lawyers and the White House. By the time that approval comes (hours) the ISIS target has moved (minutes).
It’s all about the OODA loop.
And the Turks just sit around and do NOTHING.
“And the Turks just sit around and do NOTHING.”
Of course. Why do you act surprised?
Unfortunately, it won't. Americans can't get themselves to focus on this issue. To them, it's some unknown, faraway place, events of which are inconsequential to their own little worlds.
Amazing pics. Thanks for posting.
Assad could be fighting ISIS if we were fighting Assad.
Agree, but then you have to remember this is a half hearted, bogus effort by Obama to make it look like we are doing something other than putting our own heroes in jeopardy.
The town is a Kurdish town. The Kurds are fighting ISIS with no weapon or ammo support. Turkey should help the Kurds against ISIS being in NATO. However, the Kurds are very independent and are a thorn in the side of Turks and probably Syria.
ISIS will slaughter all those people watching from the hillside. I say, get them some helmets, bullet proof vests and arm them so they can at least protect themselves.
I know all that.
Why is this our fight?
So if the Saudis, Iraqis, Syrians, Turks are all concerned about these ISIS fighters...why do they not take care of it.
In fact, the same folks that scream for the U.S. to help are the folks that yell and burn American flags, death to America.
This sort of fighting has been going on in the middle east for generations, for thousands of years. It's nothing new.
ISIS is just another name for all the former names of muzzies battling one another. If they are not fighting Israel/America, they are fighting country to country, province to province, sect to sect, tribe to tribe.
Let’em battle it out.
I think it's a swing wing MiG or Tornado.
I don’t really expect to be able to discern whether any sort of progress is being made from pix in The Atlantic, but the question remains: How the hell will we be able to tell if we actually *are* making any progress? Will we get regretful threats from the ISIS beheading community?
You can see the four engine nacelles under the swept wing.
Picture #27 - ISIS fighter - doesn’t look ME to me. Looks more like he came from the US or Europe for the jihadi experience.
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