[Ynet] US worker from Apache Oil Corporation in Egypt reportedly killed by Bedouins in Egypt; growing jihadist violence in neighboring libya threatens local stability.
An American citizen, who worked for the Apache Oil Corporation in Egypt, was killed in an apparent car jacking in Egypt's western desert as he traveled between production facilities on the highway between Egypt and Libya this week. Witnesses said men in Bedouin dress stopped the US citizen, forced him from the car, shot him and drove off.
"An employee was the victim of an apparent car jacking during which he was fatally shot on the road," Patrick Cassidy, a front man for the Apache Oil Corporation based in Houston, Texas told The Media Line. "Apache is working with the authorities and a full investigation is underway. The victim was a long-time Apache employee, and we are deeply saddened by his death. Notifications to family members are being made."
It was not clear if the attack was meant to be only a robbery or if it was a jihadist attack. Sources at Apache said there are fewer than one hundred US employees at the company's facilities in Egypt, but there are thousands of local Egyptians employed there.
The shooting comes as the Egyptian military may be preparing to confront Islamists in neighboring Libya who are threatening Egypt's stability. As the largest Arab country, Egypt see itself as a regional power, and the new government of military leader Abdel Fatteh al-Sissi is determined to impose stability on Egypt.
Earlier this week, an Egyptian police captain and two of his aides were shot and killed in a drive-by shooting at the entrance gate to the luxury resort of Marina in Egypt's North Coast. The Egyptian army declared the entire 400 mile north coast strip from Alexandria to the Libyan border a closed military zone. Sources in the Egyptian army told The Media Line that soldiers pursued the attackers and killed four Libyan citizens in a car. Two of them were commanders in the Libyan army.
Residents along the Egyptian-Libyan border say there has been a buildup of Egyptian tanks and troops in the past 48 hours. Last month, 22 Egyptian border guards were killed when the ammunition room at the checkpoint went kaboom! after it was hit with a grenade. In a statement on their website, the Islamic State (IS) took responsibility and said it was in retaliation for "arresting jihadists and torturing them in prisons."
"There has been an increased security awareness and surveillance after the attack at Farafra oasis," an Egyptian military official who asked to remain anonymous because he is not authorized to speak to the media told The Media Line. "There is no intention to have conventional troops enter and fight inside Libya; the terrain is different, and we will be fighting ghosts we don't know."
Egypt has signed a mutual defense agreement with several Arab states which it chairs in Cairo. While Egypt can take action legally to enter Libya, the military official said that there is only cooperation on the level of intelligence gathering, and information sharing. Several sources have claimed that Egypt is only maintaining the status quo by protecting its borders from infiltration by holy warrior groups inside Libya.
Egyptian military officials deny that there is any intention to invade Libya to fight jihadist forces there.
"There is no talk about an intervention by the armed forces in Libya," Egypt's Armed Forces Spokesman Brigadier General Mohammed Samir told The Media Line. "We have announced several times that there are constitutional regulations that the armed forces have to go through before taking such action. There is no parliament in session now to take such a decision."
He also said that Egypt's goal is clear.
"The Egyptian army is only tasked with protecting the borders of the Egyptian state, and there is a continuous re-evaluation and increase in forces regardless of the attacks. The Egyptian armed forces are completely capable of protecting its borders."
A Libyan official told The Media Line that intelligence about Islamists movements in eastern Libya and near the Egyptian — Libyan borders were conveyed to the Egyptian government. He said that faceless myrmidons will be using tactics similar these used by IS in Iraq.
"We told the Egyptians to take the matter seriously and told them that the Islamists are able to cross the borders with ease."
Jerry Lewis doppelgänger Amr Moussa ... who was head of the Arab League for approximately two normal lifespans, accomplishing nothing that was obvious to the casual observer ... , the former head of the constitutional committee and former minister of foreign affairs, said recently that Libya's deteriorating security situation could force Egypt to launch a military intervention. A statement from Amr Moussa's office in Cairo claimed that the situation in Libya is increasingly a cause for concern in Egypt and other neighboring countries, and Egypt might have to resort to self-defense measures in light of the often fatal attacks on Egyptians in Libya.
The growth of sectarian militia groups on the other side of the border threatens Egypt's stability, Moussa continued, and poses a "direct threat to Egypt's national security." He called for a halt to all attacks on Egyptian expatriates.
Saudia Arabia is also concerned about the infiltration of IS gunnies coming from Iraq. The Saudi kingdom announced in May that it had foiled a plot to assassinate senior Saudi officials and religious figures by Lions of Islam linked to IS. Pro-IS graffiti has begun to appear around the kingdom and residents in parts of Riyadh woke in June to find jihadist leaflets on their car windscreens.
Abdel Satar Hetieta, an Egyptian strategic analyst, says that Egypt could decide to send troops to Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... . However, the man who has no enemies isn't anybody and has never done anything... officially Egypt cannot announce this now publicly since there is no parliament in session. Egypt's armed forces front man denied that there are any troops in Saudi Arabia, but said that Egypt and Saudi Arabia are in constant communication about the terrorist threats.
"The security of the Gulf impacts on the security of the entire Middle East," he said. Saudi government spokesmen could not be reached for comment.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
08/08/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
All that Libyan oil and chaos must be tempting to the Egyptians.
[Al Jazeera] Yemeni troops defending a key southern city have battled with suspected members of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula for a second day, killing at least eight of them and raising the fighters total corpse count from the ongoing festivities to 26.
In a statement on Thursday, the Defence Ministry said the festivities took place in Sayoun, one of the biggest cities in the province of Hadramawt.
Security reinforcements had been deployed over fears that Yemen's branch of al-Qaeda might try to seize the city.
On Wednesday, the military said it had killed 18 al-Qaeda suspects in festivities in the same area, the AP news agency reported.
In the spring, the military waged a wide offensive against al-Qaeda strongholds in the south.
Those who fled under intensive bombardment sought refuge in mountain areas bordering Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... and elsewhere in Hadramawt.
Yemen, the Arab world's poorest country, has been grappling with a number of regional rebellions in addition to the al-Qaeda insurgency.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/08/2014 00:00 ||
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The latest victims of the Islamic State campaign of terror in Syria and Iraq have been revealed in a shocking new set of photos published online by the jihadist group's media arm.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the Sunni tribesmen were from Shaitat, near Deir ez Zor, which has long been considered a key strategic target for the Islamic State owing to the eastern province's considerable oil revenue. Rounded up and marched into the desert, they are made to kneel on the dusty grouind before being systematically shot in the head. Others aren't so lucky. One image shows a jihadist fighter gleefully carving off a prisoner's head as the victim screams in agony.
"The punishment of those who fight Allah and his Messenger and spread mischief on earth is to kill or crucify" Any questions now about why we should be in a war of extermination with ISIS? Just like the Nazis - track them down and kill them. This sort of evil cannot be negotiated with, only destroyed.
Posted by: OldSpook ||
08/08/2014 13:18 ||
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#1
Oh, I'm sure that POS the "Secretary General of the UN" Ban will get right on it, along with the "Human Rights Commission", the ICRC (keepers, until 9/11 that is, of the Geneva Accords), the US Twitter-armed diplomatic colossus, and the oh so insightful and painfully moral editorialists from western Europe and Ha'aretz.
What? They're all too busy doing a jaw-dropping 100% factually inverted lynch job on Israel for responding carefully to the vile war criminal gang of idiots in Gaza?
#2
If we had a real president and DCI, there would be kill orders out for any and all ISIS top ranks, and a few for their financiers in Qatar and another supposed US ally. But we do not, and this cancer will be allowed to spread, and the isiots at State will believe they can negotiate, and eventually they will strike the US and inflict a mass casualty event. Unless things change radically.
Posted by: Paul D ||
08/08/2014 16:40 Comments ||
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#5
Jeeze, I don't know, PD. That one would have made sense with an exclamation mark. You are the worst distraction here, but may be forgiven, as long as you stay out of the office.
#6
Actually, Reagan didn't do much at all (except retreat) when Hezbollah, under Iran's direction, blew up the Marines barracks in Lebanon in 1983, killing 241 US servicemen, including 220 US Marines. To his credit, Reagan did later act against Libya in 1986 after the German club bombing.
US President Barack Obama has authorised the US military to make targeted strikes against Islamist militants in northern Iraq, and began an emergency airdrop of water and food to members of a religious minority trapped in the mountains by advancing Islamist militants, US officials said.
"I authorized targeted airstrikes if necessary to help forces in Iraq," Mr Obama said in an national address at the White House.
In a telephone interview from Erbil, Falah Mustafa Bakir said Peshmerga retreats in recent days were calculated to protect civilians from indiscriminate attacks and didn't represent a military collapse along the lines of the Iraqi army earlier this summer.
"President Obama considering the airdrop and other military options will be an important show of support," he said. "This is what is needed, especially for people stranded in Sinjar. These people are in dire need of whatever assistance is possible and an airdrop is the only way. We also welcome airstrikes," Mr. Bakir said.
The US troops in Erbil are part of a force of planners and advisers working in joint US-Iraqi centers. Pentagon officials said no US strikes had begun by Thursday evening. An Iraqi military official said the Iraqi air force conducted some airstrikes Thursday.
Posted by: OldSpook ||
08/08/2014 00:15 ||
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#1
For once, I applaud President Obama in his actions as CinC.
Yes, you can be officially shocked with that statement coming from me.
Just be sure to follow through (keep supplying the Kurds with weapons and ammunition, especially artillery rounds).
#14
OS, time will tell, but this is what the White House site has:
(")I’ve, therefore, authorized targeted airstrikes, if necessary, to help forces in Iraq as they fight to break the siege of Mount Sinjar and protect the civilians trapped there. Already, American aircraft have begun conducting humanitarian airdrops of food and water to help these desperate men, women and children survive. Earlier this week, one Iraqi in the area cried to the world, “There is no one coming to help.” Well today, America is coming to help. We’re also consulting with other countries -- and the United Nations -- who have called for action to address this humanitarian crisis."
The President also said that he understands many people are "rightly concerned about any American military action in Iraq, even limited strikes like these" -- and made clear that he "will not allow the United States to be dragged into fighting another war in Iraq."
"Even as we support Iraqis as they take the fight to these terrorists, American combat troops will not be returning to fight in Iraq," he said.
Note the very limited scope. He's doing just enough not to be blamed for the humanitarian crisis of people starving to death on a mountain top, but not enough to keep them from being beheaded on the plains.
#15
Pinprick (bullshit) reaction to internal US Politics per retired General McCaffrey. 2 missiles fired from two F/A-18 aircraft just to say he is bombing ISIS. The day I give the SOB jackass in the Oval office any credibility is for the day he enters the furnaces of Hell.
#16
Trivia (but sort of instructive): the "highway of death" had very little death on it. Once lead/trailing vehicles were hit, and column stopped, most personnel high-tailed it away from their vehicles (of which only a small number were actually hit, from the entire column). Know someone who got to the scene very soon (probably first Coalition contact) after the attack. Very few bodies, lots of footprints. Combined smell of burning tires/vehicles and ..... perfume, quite strong from a distance.
Anyway, back on-topic. The WH's hand is being forced by events. Events they have long had a chance to affect but refused to do so, of course. As is to be expected, there is no clear or sensible approach - we'll bomb only where ISIS makes a break-through, or threatens a US consulate or coordination team, even if all of Nineveh and Anbar and Salah al-Din become Cambodian killing fields? The standard (idiotic) "no boots on the ground" nonsense?
Unserious country, with an unserious electorate, and unserious institutions.
The only interesting question to me is separate: WTF with the peshmerga's operations and (rumored) logistics issues? They've been arming/stockpiling for 20+ years. I find it very hard to believe they have logistics issues.
#18
I saw the so-called "Highway of Death". Other than command vehicles, and the column leads, the vehicles were abandoned before they were destroyed. The Zoomies did a good job of the Air-Land battle doctrine of taking out the Antenna vehicles, knowing the lower echelons would be paralyzed -- with the result of them deciding to ride out on their LPCs instead of their vehicles. A lot of looters in that area too - stolen vehicles filled with stolen stuff - thats another reason they bailed instead of maintaining military discipline. Hard to believe we are nearly as far removed from that as the Tet offensive was from the Battle of the Bulge.
Back to the topic at hand: It sounds like they may have authorized some limited strikes around Mosul, which will be of great value for the Kurds. My bet is these are designed to interdict and isolate the forces at the Mosul dam, and a few key logistics and maneuver related points. Its a minimal amount of strikes, certainly low risk. But it would help the Kurds immensely if coupled with solid resupply, and some humanitarian aid so they don't have to deal with that logistically, allowing them to concentrate on fighting and securing the areas instead of feeding refugees. However, they do have long experience of running refugee camps in their history, so they will be able to organize such things quickly and well. This is one case where I hope the US and UN are up to the task of pouring food, shelter and equipment for civilian life into the region. The Kurds will put it to good use, unlike the Paleostinians or Africans, for example.
One thing that's interesting is the Turks and Erdogan. I wonder what his game is? Is he getting a quid pro quo from the Kurds in Turkey, politically? Rumor has it he is supporting them in exchange for their tacit electoral support in Turkey. Im not so sure thats a good thing in the long run, but for now, it seems to be a bad but necessary temporary step.
#19
These are the days our children will call us on for sticking our heads in the sand and allowing the new Nazis to take root in this world. We are standing by, doing nothing, while evil flourishes. It will soon be here in America, we wont get lucky like we did in WWII. He dropped two bombs. Its like going to the superbowl and hanging out in the hotel watching it on TV then saying you were there. As Islam creeps into the fabric of our society under the false flag of multiculturalism our leaders are lost and without a clue. We have cancer and are rotting from within, I only wonder if we will realize the path we're on in time to fix it...
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
08/08/2014 12:50 Comments ||
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#20
Verklane - they've had 20+ years of rule under other governments. Its nearly impossible to stockpile artillery to any extent in a clandestine manner, That's been the issue -- not small arms, but the stuff that differentiates an army from a rabble: artillery. Also, basic strategic reserve comes into play. The bulk of their artillery is recent acquisition from the Iraqi Army - meaning they have not had that much time to stockpile it. So what they do have, they are reserving for last-etch defense of the Kurdish home areas. The fighting you see in the new is forward of that, in areas the Kurds advanced into when the Iraqi Army abandoned it. The Kurds were NOT set up with the ability to logistically support heavy weaponry when forward deployed like that. Unlike a lot of militaries, the Kurdish one is not set up for large offensives (taking and holding large swaths of territory), and is relatively untrained in it. They did this current advance into these areas out of necessity, in order to provide a buffer against ISIS incursion.
Without a lot more ammunition, heavy weapons resupply, fuel, and logistics "advise" (From US "advisors" on the ground there), the Kurds will not be able to sustain the forward positions without risking their own homeland and population security. THAT is why they need more supply.
#21
Verlane, to put it in more personal terms, place yourself in this survival situation: Society has collapsed, but thanks to your foresight, you have enough ammunition and firearms to secure your home - you even managed to scavenge a bit more form the local police station when they ran away. But the bandits did so as well - and they have a nasty habit of taking homes from people to use as a base to take other homes and kill the pople in them that they don't like. So you reach out and help secure your neighbors, to provide more safety to your house by securing theirs, basically buying time with distance (an old military axiom).
Will your firearms and ammunition be enough to secure both their homes AND yours? No? Then the prudent thing to do would be to keep what you need for your home defense at your house, and only venture out just enough to keep a presence in your heighbors' homes - but if the bad guys come, and they decide to fight hard, you'll need to retreat back to your place once you run low on the limited ammo you have with you.
If the Army comes by and offers you heavier weapons (like RPGs and a machine gun), and a lot more ammo, would that enable you to take the fight out to bandits to protect your neighbors houses without the fear of endangering your own? Yes. THAT is why the Kurds are asking for more ammunition and heavy weapons and resupply.
#22
Old Spook, I understand the framework you've set up re Kurds and logistics, I'm still just skeptical that in the 20+ years of de facto independence (armed, vigilant, uncertain independence) Kurdistan didn't acquire a lot more in the way of medium weaponry and logistics capacity. Did not spend that much time up north, but when I was there, and also from constant interaction with MNF-I staff officers, I had the impression they had far more than just light arms.
Factual question, I may be completely wrong, but I find it baffling. In a similar vein, I find it hard to believe ISIS is "all that" militarily, notwithstanding the loot they captured in their big offensive. Even with some old Iraqi Army collaborators/Sunnis to help them.
Then again, I'm increasingly baffled by Iraq. I have expected the tribes to be much, much, much more of a problem for the crazy foreigners than they appear to have been. Then again I am seeing zero granular/reliable/meaningful info out of ISIS-stan.
#23
The Kurds DO have gear. But, as is typical with them, they don't want to risk losing any of it or using it up, in anything other than defense of their own "homeland". That's where they hide the stuff. And the 20+ years were not all free - certain elements in the US (State Dept) did not want them to accumulate heavy weaponry and any decent amount of artillery ammunition, because it becomes a threat to our "ally" (NATO) Turkey. That was certainly the case during the no-fly 90's. Syria, Iraq, Iran and Turkey all have interests in keeping the Kurds poorly armed and supplied, and have acted to do so prior to OIF. Post OIF, the Shia government has not trusted the Kurds, so they have pressured the US to limit and restrict supplies as well. So yes, they had 20 years, but the main thing they accumulated was what typical guerrilla armies accumulate: a lot of small arms, and not much else. And ISIS is operating artillery, heavy weapons, and is highly trained and well equipped. A lot of the Baathist batboys went over, as did AQI baddies who were looking for a more "hard core" element once the US kicked AQI ass.
So its not as simple as what you saw with the MNF. A lot of what you saw is what the Shia wanted you to see. And a lot of what the Kurds didn't want you to see was well tucked away. The Kurds have learned hard from history.
The other branch you seem to be missing is that the Peshmerga are not trained in offensive warfare. Think about that - they are NOT operating outside of home areas typically, and are not trained to do so. Nor did US/Wester ... "advisors/contractors" train them to do so, because it was never imagined that they would need to assume a strategic offensive posture in non-Kurdish areas.
As for ISIS - these are some of the hardest of the hard boys, and apparently a lot of Qatari money has been poured in to equip and train them before they cut loose. Pleanty of money can buy plenty of training for the cadres, and then they train up locals. Also, these ISIS are not typical Arabs - they speak Modern Standard Arabic, but are not Arab themselves. They've "imported" thousands from elsewhere. The west's leadership was self absorbed and disinterested, for the most part, and were therefore deliberately ignoring Syria in the years it took to build up to this. The "suddenness" is an artifact of US press blackout of coverage of the mess in Syria to protect Obama. For anyone watching the region carefully, this was a known group, and it was known to be strengthening rapidly from resources outside and inside the region.
#26
Wiping out anyone with a black flag is fine with me
Posted by: European Conservative ||
08/08/2014 16:50 Comments ||
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#27
Afternoon pickled news from Rooters:
STRIKE TARGETED MILITANT ARTILLERY the otherwise unidentified source in this article Kirby said the decision to strike was made by the U.S. Central Command commander under the authorization granted by Fundamental-Transformer-in-Chief Obama.
He said it occurred at 6:45 a.m. EDT, or 1:45 p.m. in Arbil (1045 GMT). According to military officials, the strike was launched from an aircraft carrier, the USS George H.W. Bush.
An allied government source familiar with intelligence reports said the main target of the first U.S. air strike was an Islamic State artillery battery comprised of U.S.-made weapons transferred stolen from the retreating Iraqi army.
Washington has indications a big column of black smoke was seen through the distant haze the artillery targeted in the strikes was destroyed, a U.S. defense official said.
Sunni fighters from the Islamic State, an al Qaeda offshoot bent on mass production and dissemination of jihadi snuff films / world domination establishing a caliphate and robbing terrorizing torturing beheading mutilating crucifying exterminating killing eradicating non-believers, have swept through northern Iraq since June. They are now encroaching on Arbil, seat of the Kurdish region's parliament and temporary home to thousands scores of refugees running for their lives who have fled other parts of Iraq.
U.S. officials said "D'oh!" it was too soon to say little, if anything was accomplished whether events of the last 24 hours have prompted them to fall back from Arbil.
While Obama has insisted on a fundamental change in the essence of the United States will not commit ground troops again, since June he has contradicted himself, while hoping none notices his lack of focus and inconsistency by ordering (hey, Reuters, hire me to proofread this stuff!)ed some 700 soldiers into Iraq to protect diplomatic personnel and facilities and to assess the state of Iraq's military, much of which melted away in the face of the bloodthirsty barbarian hordes of the Islamic State advance.
#28
The Islamic State is expanding in all directions, following paths of least resistance. Recent bolstering of Shia positions by Iran and minions temporarily took pressure off Shia areas and made the North the most vulnerable area. US bolstering of the Kurdish North will send the Islamic State in yet other directions because the Kurds should be able to hold if assisted by our air power. The jihadists have already been probing Lebanon.
#29
So the strikes were launched from the USS Bush. He can now say in total honesty the strikes are Bush's fault....
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
08/08/2014 18:22 Comments ||
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#30
FYI, strikes have gone in on ISIS armored vehicles. Apparently the Iraqi Army gave up a lot of tanks and AFVs, and the ISIS is rolling them at Irbil, in hopes of launching an armored overrun before TOW and heavy weapons get to the Kurds.
And yes, the Kurd retreater were in many places caused by facing armor with nothing more than small arms. The thing is, Irbil is home ground for them. ISIS enters, it will be a blood bath, they will fight in the rubble against the armor - think the defense of Stalingrad. Unless the US airstrikes go on, things are going to get very bloody for both sides. The ISIS deaths I welcome, my Kurdish compatriots, not. But the Kurds will exact a very dear price for ISIS if attacked on their home turf. I don't know if ISIS realizes that, or is stupid, or just doesn't care if they die in large numbers.
Posted by: Matt ||
08/08/2014 19:29 Comments ||
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#33
I agree about the competence of the Jordan army, OldSpook. However, Jordan does have a certain number of citizens with 5th column sentiments who could get excited if/when jihadists come close. I'm guessing domestic unrest would be one of their principal concerns, so Jordan should hit the Islamists hard and fast from the outset, if they come close, to avoid internal excitement.
I would expect US strikes to continue if Irbil is attacked, so the Kurds wouldn't be outgunned in my opinion.
Nah, they weren't hit at all apparently, I just made that up...
WASHINGTON -- United States military aircraft on Thursday dropped food and water to thousands of Iraqis besieged by Islamic militants on a mountaintop in northern Iraq, a senior Pentagon official said. The military made the announcement after the supplies had been delivered and the planes had left the area.
Kurdish and Iraqi officials said that airstrikes had begun Thursday night on towns in northern Iraq seized by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, but Pentagon officials denied that American forces had begun a bombing campaign. They said it was possible that allies of the United States, either the Iraqi or Turkish militaries, had conducted the bombing.
The Iraqis don't have the capability to do night-time aerial precision bombing. Possibly the Turks since they've cozied up to the Iraqi Kurds lately, but I don't think Erdogan wants to do the United States any favors. Might have been the Ruritanians...
Kurdish officials said the bombings had initially targeted ISIS fighters who had seized two towns, Gwer and Mahmour, near the main Kurdish city of Erbil.
Administration officials said that Mr. Obama was considering airstrikes on ISIS targets in northern Iraq that would be aimed at preventing the fall of Erbil, as the Islamic militants continued to press advances. Such a move would involve the United States in a significant battlefield role in Iraq for the first time since the last American combat soldier left at the end of 2011.
For the president, airstrikes would also mark an abrupt turning point in his Iraq strategy.
It would be all about him, however. He'd never admit that he turned or that he made a major mistake. He's not capable of that.
Administration officials insisted that they still had no plans to put ground troops in the country, but analysts said that any kind of military action would open the door for a far bigger American role in the conflict between the Iraqi government and the militant group.
Mr. Obama has been reluctant to order direct military action in Iraq while Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki remains in office, but in recent weeks there have been repeated pleas from the Kurdish officials for weapons and assistance as ISIS militants have swept across northwestern Iraq. The militants, an offshoot of Al Qaeda, view Iraq’s majority Shiite and minority Christians and Yazidis, a Kurdish religious group, as infidels.
Administration officials said on Thursday that the crisis on Sinjar Mountain in northern Iraq had forced their hand. Some 40 children have already died from the heat and dehydration, according to Unicef, while as many as 40,000 people have been sheltering in the bare mountains without food, water or access to supplies.
Once Mr. Obama made the decision to approve the humanitarian airdrops on Thursday, administration officials said, the decision for airstrikes became more likely. For one thing, the American C-130 planes that would be likely to drop the food and medical supplies fly low and heavy, and would release the supplies from 500 to 1,200 feet.
Forces with ISIS are not believed to have surface-to-air missiles, but they do have machine guns that could hit the planes at that altitude, according to James M. Dubik, a retired Army lieutenant general who oversaw the training of the Iraqi Army in 2007 and 2008.
“These are low and slow aircraft,” General Dubik said. At the very minimum, he said, the United States would have to be prepared for “some defensive use of air power to prevent” the militant group from attacking American planes, or going after the humanitarian supplies themselves.
Military officials have also repositioned satellites for surveillance. The risk to the American crew of the C-130 planes conducting the humanitarian mission “would be much higher if we did not have improved reconnaissance and a protective air capacity,” General Dubik said.
If ordered, the Air Force could use both drones and F-16 fighter jets that are already deployed in the region, while the Navy could use F-18 fighters as well, military officials said.
But it is one thing to use air power to defend a humanitarian operation. Offensive strikes on ISIS targets in northern Iraq would take American involvement in the conflict to a new level, demonstrating deep concern with ISIS’s offensive shift toward the Kurds.
On Thursday, one Kurdish official said in an interview that Kurdish troops had pulled back in the expectation that there would be airstrikes, perhaps by Turkey and the United States. President François Hollande of France pledged his country’s support to forces battling the militant group as well.
The Kurds are the one group that deserve our whole-hearted support. That's why I'm expecting Obama to turn his back on them.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/08/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
Reuters at 2316 yesterday: (Reuters) - President Barack Obama said on Thursday he had authorized limited U.S. airstrikes to blunt the onslaught of Islamic militants in northern Iraq and began military airdrops of humanitarian supplies to besieged religious minorities to prevent a "potential act of genocide."
Speaking after meetings with his national security team, Obama - in his most significant response to the Iraq crisis – said he approved "targeted" use of air power to protect U.S. personnel if Islamic State militants advance further toward the Kurdish capital Arbil or threaten Americans anywhere in the country.
Posted by: Paul D ||
08/08/2014 1:08 Comments ||
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#3
Mr. Obama has been reluctant to order direct military action in Iraq while Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki remains in office
Maliki [for better or worse] is a democratically elected leader. Interestingly, the regime has little bad to say about 'democratically elected' presidents Mugabe or Zuma.
#6
Don't shoot Maliki. He's not the worst person the Iraqis could have put forward. And it sets a bad precedent on how Iraqis should handle their prime ministers.
Replace him. That's what their parliament is supposed to be doing. The Shi'a need to find another guy who can lead who is acceptable to the Kurds and Sunnis. Elect that guy, retire Maliki and get on with it.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/08/2014 7:57 Comments ||
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#7
Shoot Maliki and you trade one Arab leader for another. That hasn't been working too well for us lately.
[Ynet] Citing Kurdish officials, New York Times ...which still proudly displays Walter Duranty's Pulitzer prize... claims the US has hit two targets in northern Iraq after Islamic State seized Kurdish towns; Pentagon: Reports of attack 'completely false'
What a lovely idea -- that it's real, I mean.
The US bombed "at least two targets in Iraq" Thursday night, the New York Times reported. However a spokesperson for the Pentagon said the reports were "completely false."
Citing Kurdish officials the paper said American military forces hit at least two targets in northern Iraq on Thursday night in an attempt to block Islamist snuffies who have trapped tens of thousands of religious minorities in Kurdish areas.
"Press reports that US has conducted Arclight airstrikes in Iraq completely false," Rear Admiral John Kirby said in a post on his Twitter feed. "No such action taken."
Kirby's statement came as US officials said that the B.O. regime has approved military air drops of humanitarian supplies in northern Iraq and is considering strikes against fighters from the Islamic State, an al Qaeda offshoot.
According to the paper, the bombings were reported on Kurdish television located in the city of Erbil. The paper also noted that the events came as President B.O. was preparing to make a statement in Washington.
According to the NYT report, Kurdish officials said the bombings targeted fighters from the Islamic State who had recently seized two towns, Gwer and Mahmour.
The United States has approved military air drops of humanitarian supplies in northern Iraq for religious minorities fleeing attacks by Islamist murderous Moslems and they could start at any time, a senior U.S. official said on Thursday.
Officials said President Barack Obama I am not a dictator!... was also weighing carrying out the first US Arclight airstrikes in Iraq since a 2011 pullout of troops.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the officials said the United States was considering acting amid international concern over the fate of 40,000 members of religious minorities driven out of their homes and trapped on an Iraqi mountaintop under threat from the Lion of Islams.
US government sources said the United States would be flying surveillance drones out of the Kurdish capital Erbil as part of a mission to assess the Islamic State threat and the capability of Iraqi and Kurdish forces to confront it.
White House front man Josh Earnest told news hounds earlier that Obama had met members of his national security team on Thursday. Earnest declined to say whether US military intervention in Iraq was being considered.
Any Arclight airstrikes would represent the first combat action by the United States in Iraq since it ended eight years of war in 2011. Earlier this year the United States sent in a small number of military advisers to help the Iraqi government address the threat of the Islamic Lion of Islam offensive.
Earnest said Obama had made clear in the past that any US military action would be "very limited in scope," would not involve putting troops on the ground, and should be closely tied to Iraqi political reforms, which Washington has demanded.
"We're working intensively with the government of Iraq - the Iraqi security forces and the Kurdish authorities in the immediate area to support their efforts to address the humanitarian situation in Sinjar," Earnest said.
Although he declined to directly address the issue of possible US action at Sinjar, Earnest stressed the strict limits of any US military involvement in Iraq. "There are no American military solutions to the problems in Iraq," he said.
The Islamic State's Sunni Lion of Islams, an offshoot of al Qaeda who have swept across northwestern Iraq in recent weeks, have come within a 30-minute drive of Erbil. The Islamic State views as infidels Iraq's majority Shi'ites and minorities such as Christians and Yazidis, a Kurdish ethno-religious community.
Near the White House, some 80 people protested for hours on behalf of the Yazidis, shaking US flags, chanting slogans and holding up signs condemning what they called a holocaust of Christian communities in Iraq and Syria by the Islamic State.
Some of the many thousands trapped on Sinjar mountain have been rescued in the past 24 hours, a front man for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said earlier, adding that 200,000 had fled the fighting.
Earnest said the responsibility for the humanitarian crisis in Iraq, including that on Sinjar mountain, lay with the Iraqi leaders who had failed to create a united government to address the interests of the country's Shi'ites, Sunnis and Kurds.
The Islamist fighters, who have killed many thousands and declared a caliphate in the Iraqi area they conquered, are now threatening Kurdistan, previously considered a bastion of stability in a country ravaged by conflict.
Bernadette Meehan, spokeswoman for Obama's National Security Council, told Rooters on Wednesday that any provision of US weapons to the Kurds "must be coordinated with central government authorities, in Iraq and elsewhere."
But she added that given the threat from the Islamic State, "the United States will continue to engage with Baghdad and Arbil to enhance cooperation on the security front and other issues."
The Jerusalem Post has much the same facts but a very different take on the story here. And considerably more, with a map, from the Wall Street Journal, including this particular bit:
The administration was actively considering U.S. Arclight airstrikes against the bully boy group's positions to protect U.S. military and diplomatic personnel working in the northern Iraqi city of Erbil. Pentagon officials said no U.S. strikes had begun by Thursday evening. An Iraqi military official said the Iraqi air force conducted some Arclight airstrikes Thursday.
The White House and Pentagon have said they reserve the right to use force in Iraq to protect Americans, and repeated that stance Thursday. The U.S. troops in Erbil are part of a force of planners and advisers working in joint U.S.-Iraqi centers.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
08/08/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
The administration was actively considering U.S. Arclight airstrikes against the bully boy group's positions to protect U.S. military and diplomatic personnel working in the northern Iraqi city of Erbil.
Yes, a media broadcast of the crucifixion of U.S. personnel would be most embarrassing for the Champ regime. My guess is Champ will be pulling U.S. personnel out forthwith. Targeted drone zaps of troublesome individuals by the Champ, good-to-go. America victorious against a larger Islamic threat simply cannot happen.
#3
Is ISIS being used as a proxy force from the Gulf countries versus Iran backed Iraq?
Posted by: Paul D ||
08/08/2014 1:15 Comments ||
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#4
Is it in US interests to have Iraq divided up into three large parts and each of them trying to kill each other?
Can we encourage Iraq to have three Moslem contenders? And can we set them all on one another and keep it cooking? Can we draw Iran into it bigtime? Wars cost money...their money. Bood...their blood. The US has a growing domestic supply of petroleum and gas resources...right here at home. If Iran and Iraq lose their market share due to destroyed, interdicted, or obsolete sources....who gets hurt on the international market?
Do the EUroweenies have Oil? China have "enough"? How many ways to play it?
Obama is going to bomb Iraq? Him? C'mon....look at the source of the story. The NYT? Yeah?
Posted by: Big Thromoth3646 ||
08/08/2014 7:15 Comments ||
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#5
Paul D, if IS is a proxy for anyone, at this point it has to be the Gulf Arabs. The Saudis just dropped a billion dollars plus on the Lebanese Armed Forces as they were fighting with an IS associated raiding force in Arsal, and if the reports that the Turks were the ones bombing the IS on the Kurdish front, then the idea that the IS is an Erdogan puppet seems kind of far-fetched.
On the other hand, both the Saudis and the Turks could have stood up the IS and then turned around and funded their opponents and bombed them. It's the Middle East, the left hand can often be found stabbing the right hand between the metacarpals.
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
08/08/2014 9:01 Comments ||
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#6
Is ISIS being used as a proxy force from the Gulf countries versus Iran backed Iraq?
Do some research on it, Paul. There's plenty of info.
#7
Correction to #4 - the Kurds most definitely are not out to kill the other 2 parts. They are the only demonstrably tolerant group in the bunch -- and quite western in their views of economy and religious tolerance. Get your facts straight - that would perhaps alter your argument.
#9
There are more than 30 million Kurds (in Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Syria, etc.) and yet they don't have their own country, only autonomy. Unlike the Palestinians, Kurds have a distinct ethnicity and languages. They (like Israel) are pro-US, relative to others in the region. They are completely deserving of our support.
Three rockets from Gaza hit the Ashkelon Coast Regional Council in open areas shortly after 8:00 a.m. on Friday morning, only moments after the bilateral cease-fire ended.
#2
actually, two hamas or IJ rockets hit Israel before the cease fire formally ended
Posted by: lord garth ||
08/08/2014 5:48 Comments ||
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#3
Those dang Juices. Always causing trouble, refusing to just lie down and die.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
08/08/2014 12:53 Comments ||
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#4
I can't say it strongly enough -- ARCLIGHT GAZA! Several times, if necessary. There are no civilians -- there are just warriors (of both sexes) not in uniform.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
08/08/2014 16:04 Comments ||
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Gaza City –- A senior Hamas official told supporters at a Gaza City rally on Thursday that the war with Israel won't be over until the group's demands for a lifting of the Gaza blockade are met, insisting that its fighters would never give up their arms.
"Our fingers are on the trigger and our rockets are trained at Tel Aviv," the official, Mushir al-Masri said, as Egypt struggled to broker a lasting truce between Israel and Hamas, with an Egyptian official saying that Gaza-based militants were refusing to compromise.
Hamas has demanded the lifting of an Israeli and Egyptian blockade imposed on the coastal territory after the Islamic militant group seized power in 2007. Israel has said the militants must disarm first, which al-Masri insisted was out of the question.
"The war is not over yet. Our men are still in the field, manning forward positions, our fingers are on the trigger, and our rockets are trained on Tel Aviv, and Lod and beyond," he told several thousand supporters in the first mass rally since the fighting began on July 8. "It is out of the question that the weapons of the resistance should be on the negotiating table. They have not been put on the table, and God willing, they will never be."
Al-Masri insisted fighters are "in good shape" despite the nearly monthlong war and still had tunnels extending into Israel that could be used for attacks if Hamas' demands are not met.
The Egyptian security official said the Palestinian delegation's stance had hardened after the arrival in Cairo of Hamas and Islamic Jihad leaders from the Gaza Strip. He said Azzam al-Ahmad, the leader of the delegation and the representative of Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, had threatened to withdraw from the talks if the two militant groups do not show more "flexibility," adding that the delegation, which was supposed to leave Cairo on Thursday, would stay through the weekend.
Palestinian delegates could not immediately be reached for comment.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/08/2014 00:00 ||
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#15
This time, go in and begin flooding the tunnels with sea water. See where the water begins pouring out of buildings, and destroy those buildings. Every once in a while, run a 25KW current at 700 amps through the sea water and see what crawls out of the sludge. In the meantime, start sending the Gazans to Syria or Libya by ship, one-way (alternate destination would be the northern part of Chad or Mali, or to anywhere in Somalia). Tell Moon and sKerry to go play with themselves, but please, not in the same room. Ignore O'bumble, who hasn't gotten ANYTHING right in the last six years.
Israel needs to tell Hamass that nukes are their weapon of last resort, but the ARE still on the list.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
08/08/2014 18:42 Comments ||
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[IsraelTimes] The Times of Israel is liveblogging events as they unfold through Friday, the 32nd day since the start of Operation Protective Edge. An Israeli delegation is in Cairo to discuss the terms of a long-term ceasefire with Hamas, but Hamas is uninterested in a ceasefire extension beyond Friday morning unless they get open border crossings, released prisoners, and the port Europe is so desperate to build them.
lord garth, who also submitted this story, pointed out that two Gazan rockets hit Israel a few hours before the end of the hudna.
#2
The Israelis need to begin a new operation: "Operation Destruction of Gaza". Give the residents seven days to leave, then wipe the area clean. Anyone left after seven days should be considered a combattant, regardless of age, place of birth, religous preference, or employment. Israel cannot have peace as long as Gaza and the West Bank is full of murderous thugs unrestrained by any form of legitimate government.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
08/08/2014 18:52 Comments ||
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[Ynet] The world didn't believe Israel, but it might believe foreign news hounds who were afraid to report real-time but now tell all: Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, HQ at Al-Shifa Hospital, launchers near UN facilities, threats and staged bombed scenes.
It has been said that when the cannons are heard, the muses are silent. In the case of foreign news hounds in the Gazoo Strip, their silence stemmed mostly from fear.
A day after Operation Protective Edge ended, a truer picture slowly began emerging: foreign news hounds leaving the Gazoo Strip revealed what Israel has claimed all along — that Hamas is firing out of population hubs and near UN facilities.
Why didn't they report those facts during the ongoing fighting? According to the news hounds, they feared for their lives. "We saw the Hamas men," a Spanish news hound admitted. "But had we dared point the cameras at them, they would have shot up us and killed us."
Now that they're out of the Gazoo Strip, the news hounds are revealing what Hamas tried to prevent the world from seeing. An Indian news hound, for example, documented how Hamas gunnies launched rockets from a post right outside the window of the hotel where he was staying in the Gazoo Strip, shortly before the ceasefire came into effect. The video aired only after the news hound left Gazoo. When asked about it, he replied: "There's a conspiracy of silence rooted in fear — no one want to report in real-time".
The report by Indian journalist Sreenivasan Jain for Hindi language news channel NDTV went as follows: "It began with a mysterious tent with a blue canopy that bobbed up yesterday (August 4) at 6:30 am in an open patch of land next to our window. We saw three men making a multitude of journeys in and out of the tent, sometimes with wires.
"An hour later, they emerged, dismantled the tent, changed their clothes and walked away."
The journalist stressed that it is "important to report on how Hamas places those very civilians at risk by firing rockets deep from the heart of civilian zones."
FRANCE 24 correspondent Gallagher Fenwick aired a report showing rockets being launched just 50 meters away from the hotel where foreign journalists were staying and 100 meters away from a UN facility.
"The Israeli army has repeatedly accused the Paleostinian gunnies of shooting from within densely populated civilian areas and that is precisely the type of setup we have here. Rockets set up right next to buildings with a lot of residents in them," he reported after leaving.
Italian journalist Gabriele Barbati also told the truth about Hamas once he left the Strip, no longer under their threat. In a tweet, Barbati said: "Out of #Gazoo far from #Hamasretaliation: misfired rocket killed children yday (yesterday) in Shati. Witness: gunnies rushed and cleared debris." He added: "@IDFSpokesperson said truth in communique released yesterday about Shati camp massacre. It was not #Israel behind it."
Another foreign news hound said that it is an open secret that Hamas uses Al-Shifa hospital as its command center, but that news hounds in Gazoo would not report that out of fear that it would endanger them.
However, if you can't say something nice about a person some juicy gossip will go well... not only foreign news hounds were afraid of Hamas' potential Dire Revenge™. Paleostinian news hounds also suffered threats when they attempted to criticize the terrorist organization and give truthful reports.
Reporters in Gazoo were subject not only to threats but also to Hamas' manipulations. The Washington Post's Sudarsan Raghavan detailed how the organization's men staged the IDF attack scenes: he said that he was taken to photograph a mosque that had been bombed, and discovered that someone had "prepared" the scene and placed a prayer mat and burnt Koran pages.
He later reported that it was obvious that someone had put them there to create empathy for the Paleostinian struggle.
The CBN news website said that apart from mosques, Hamas is also using church compounds to launch attacks. In his report, journalist George Thomas said that Gazoo's most prominent Christian leader, Archbishop Alexios, "took CBN News to the roof terrace outside his office to show how Islamists used the church compound to launch rockets into Israel."
The Archbishop explained that "Islam is the rule of this place and whatever Hamas says we must obey or face consequences," Thomas added.
A foreign news hound's testimony: Hamas' manipulations
Yedioth Ahronoth exclusive
Hamas' control of the foreign journalists' coverage during the days of fighting in Gazoo was not very sophisticated, but very effective.
First, Hamas determined that the organization's spokesmen could be interviewed only in the the courtyard of Al-Shifa hospital. As a result, long lines of news hounds waiting for an interview were created, and during their wait, they witnessed maimed people who arrived to receive treatment. This created the impression Hamas was seeking to convey: a state of immediate emergency and humanitarian disaster.
Secondly, Hamas has never allowed foreign news hounds access to military sites attacked by Israel, whether they are bases, rocket-launching sites or other Hamas targets. The dead and maimed of the organization were not captured on film as well, and hence from a media perspective they didn't even exist. All this served Hamas' purpose in creating an impression that all the victims were civilians.
Thirdly, it was clear that Hamas was launching rockets out of populated civilian areas, but the organization demanded that the press photographers not document that, so as to not expose their tactic, nor disclose the location of the launchers.
g(r)omgoru is right. It might show up on the world news, but none of this will penetrate the MSM screen here in the US. If it doesn't show up on NPR or the 6 o'clock news, it never happened.
[Ynet] Former Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, strong man found dead under Gazoo rubble, Paleostinian official: He was killed for collaborating with Egypt.
The body of Ayman Taha, a senior Hamas member who was also instrumental in founding the group, was found dead under the rubble in the Gazoo neighborhood of Saja'yya.
Though the area was hit hard during Israel's Gazoo operation, Paleostinian sources reported Thursday that Taha had not been killed as a result of an IDF attack, but was rather executed by Hamas after being accused of spying for Egypt.
Al Quds news reports that he was executed by Hamas via firing squad for collaboration with Israel, however other Paleostinian media said it was his ties with Egypt that led to the execution.
Paleostinian officials who spoke to Ynet said his death could have a negative influence on ceasefire talks currently being held in Egypt in a bid to extent the current ceasefire in fighting beyond its 8am Friday deadline.
Taha has held a number of roles in the organization, some of which have landed him in trouble. In a recent feature on Hamas' funds, Ynet recalled that Taha conducted financial deals on behalf of Hamas officials, who ensured that they received their dividends in cash.
In 2011, Taha himself paid $700,000 for a luxury three-floor villa in the central Gazoo Strip; a year ago, he was charged with being an agent for Egypt.
This February, AP reported that Taha was incarcerated Keep yer hands where we can see 'em, if yez please! by Hamas over suspected financial misdealings.
Ahmed Bahar, the deputy speaker of the legislative council, said at the time that Taha, who also serves as a front man, was arrested in the Gazoo Strip. A separate Hamas official said Taha was arrested over "financial issues" but did not elaborate. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the arrest with the media. It was not clear when Taha was arrested.
[Jpost] Riad Natzer is accused of funding and arming cells to carry out kidnappings, suicide kabooms and attacks on settlements.
The head of Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, in the West Bank since 2010, who was recently placed in durance vile Drop the rod and step away witcher hands up! , was indicted on Thursday in the Judea and Samaria military court for organizing possibly dozens of terrorist cells for a wave of kidnappings, suicide bus bombings and attacks on settlements.
Arrested on May 27 before Operation Brother's Keeper, Riad Natzer is accused of raising more than NIS 1.5 million for terrorist operations, buying weapons for his operatives and organizing them into cells — each trained for a different kind of terrorist activity.
The arrest and the court case were under gag order, but the order was removed on Thursday with the filing of the indictment.
As part of Natzer's alleged plans, weapons were concealed in designated spots throughout the West Bank, with instructions passed on to other operatives who would use the weapons — all in preparation for the day Natzer would activate the operatives to carry out their attacks.
Natzer had been in jail, and it was allegedly fellow prisoner Salah Aruri who brought him into his role of directing Hamas's efforts to recreate its West Bank infrastructure.
According to the allegations, Natzer was originally supposed to split the powers of running Hamas's "military operations" with another Hamas leader, one of them focusing on raising funds and one on gathering weapons. But when the other leader was arrested, Natzer allegedly took over operations completely.
Purportedly known for running Hamas's terrorist operations "with lust" for his job, Natzer recruited many operatives, and his arrest led to the arrests of dozens of those operatives.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
Jerry Lewis doppelgänger Amr Moussa
The latest victims of the Islamic State campaign of terror in Syria and Iraq have been revealed in a shocking new set of photos published online by the jihadist group's media arm. 
US President Barack Obama has authorised the US military to make targeted strikes against Islamist militants in northern Iraq, and began an emergency airdrop of water and food to members of a religious minority trapped in the mountains by advancing Islamist militants, US officials said. 
Treat yourself to 'n Keurig. 
