Posted on 03/28/2015 12:30:36 PM PDT by Brad from Tennessee
The US military continues to launch airstrikes in Tikrit against the Islamic State despite the presence of Iranian-backed Shiite militias. Claims, including those from US military commanders, that the militias have withdrawn are incorrect, and have even been rebutted by a Pentagon spokesman.
On the first day of airstrikes, which began on March 25, the US-led coalition launched 17 strikes, according to US Central Command. Between the morning of March 26 and the morning of March 27, the US and allied nations launched three additional airstrikes in Tikrit.
The US approved the strikes against the Islamic State after receiving assurances from the Iraqi government that the Shiite militias had withdrawn from Tikrit and that the ground operation would be led by the Iraqi military, and not Iranian generals and their militia proxies.
“Preconditions for us to provide support were that the Iraqi government had to be in charge of this operation. We had to know exactly who was on the ground,” General Lloyd Austin, the commander of US Central Command, told Congress on March 26, according to Military Times.
Austin also wrongly claimed that the the militias had left the Tikrit battlespace.
“The Shiite militias that were there have pulled back from that area,” Austin said.
Austin’s statement was contradicted the next day, when Pentagon spokesman Colonel Steve Warren briefed the press. Warren claimed that most of the Shiite militias have withdrawn from Tikrit. . .
(Excerpt) Read more at longwarjournal.org ...
We are helping Iran conquer Iraq...I mean what the hell could go wrong. Why oh why is NOBODY standing up and saying. STOP OBAMA!
Freegards
LEX
I’m sure that will make it much easier to get a great nuke deal out of them.
All part of the plan.
0bama wants to unite his Sunni homies, with a nuclear armed Shia, because the World Caliphate can’t happen until the various jihadi sects unite and the 12th Imam comes.
In his secret fantasies, 0bama believes himself to be the 12th Imam. (Even though he isn’t very good at being a devout muslim himself)..
So Iranian NUKES bother us so little we’re enabling those.
And Iranian GUERILLAS bother us so much we’re bombing them.
RIGHT?
um...the militia’s themselves said they would no longer engage, if there were US air strikes.
Too late.
Baraq has locked the cockpit door and is steering the plane into a mountain.
“the militia’s themselves said they would no longer engage, if there were US air strikes.”
That was just political posturing.
They could not blast ISIS out of Saddam’s fortified palaces, so American firepower was needed.
The Americans didn’t want participate in an operation which includes major war crimes, as part of the plan, or set a precedent for sectarian violence, so they required the militias to back off, “to avoid fratricide”.
The Iranians and their special group militias have been systematically purging and ethnically cleansing areas as they advanced. Tikrit is the Motherlode for them - home to the elites of the Ba’ath Party, and some of the wealthiest and most powerful Sunnis. One of Iran’s main war aims is to massacre their Iraqi domestic opponents, and to consolidate areas where they totally dominate - like the they made the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon, for their Hizbullah militia. Diyala Province has kind of become that for the Badr Brigades. The Iranians and their special groups have long lists of names and addresses in Tikrit to kill and burn out.
So the American plan was for the Iranian backed militias to be held out, while the national Army and Police secure the victory, and get the credit with the public. The militia leader just said that they had decided not to participate, so it did not look like they failed, or were not in charge. Sour grapes.
The militias did not convoy back to Baghdad and disperse though, they are sitting close by, ready to pounce after the bombing has done its work. If they ravage the Sunni population, then the Sunni civilians of Mosul will know that they have little choice but to fight till the death in the upcoming Battle of Mosul, which will be the main event, for what I call The Summer of Death.
Agree. Obama providing CAS for Iran led troops.
Active Duty ping.
Those aircrew are no doubt wondering why all of the sacrifices they made to get to where they are, so they can provide air support to people who want to nuke us. Pray for guidance.
Has AFP ever been this FUBAR?
interesting. and there is warped logic to it. Your last paragraph is telling.
So Iran is giving the US political cover ? Why ?
Iran still wants their folks to go in and wipe out the opposition. They are clear in their eventual goal to establish a Shii’te dictatorship that is allied with Iran.
They want to win over the Shi’ite population by being their saviors and champions, and shape the future by killing, impoverishing, and ethnically cleansing their likely opponents.
The US s trying to keep Iraq together, so that the groups keep each other in balance - Keep the Kurds in, don’t let Sunnis and Shia massacre each other, etc. Despite the tensions and the agitators, Iraqis still have a strong patriotic sense of themselves as Iraqis - even many Kurds, but desire for independence is most popular among Kurds.
Even if (as seems clear) the Obama administration at the high levels is collaborating with Iran and making secret deals, the bureaucracy of the Defense Department and Department of State continue to work with longstanding policies and relationships in the area, as well as the fundamental opposition of vision and interests (i.e. reality).
Lots of reporting out there, that there will be a deal unveiled with Iran between now and Tuesday, that gives away the store - lifts sanctions, Iran keeps all its nuclear and ICBM gear and facilities, without inspections. The only thing worse would be for the US to start paying for their program and send technical experts to help. So that is no doubt a big factor in what is going on.
The reaction in the region is intense, with war spreading and more countries in the region mobilizing.
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