NationStates

Volnotova wrote:Or... electrifiying the Sunni extremists,

They're rather electrified already, can't see them become more excited.
Unless you mean "electrifying" as in "electrocuting", which may be a nice idea. Where's a good old-fashioned lightning strike when somebody needs one so badly, o Iuppiter?

getting Iran embroiled in a sectarian conflict and

Not gonna happen. Iranians tend to be quite compact as a country.

consolidating Saudi Arabia's influence in the region.

Saudi Arabia's ALREADY the regional powerhouse. It's about time Iran rose to the challenge.

Also, some are arguing that Malik intentionally ordered the retreat in order to weaken the Kurds (as they would have to fight them).

That COULD be, but I think the Iraqi army could be trying to shorten its lines before trying a counterattack - which would be a good idea.

If true than he is really playing with fire ('Might also explain why he wanted to institute a state of emergency even though he has enough legal power to deal with the situation already, he is aiming to become a dictator).

Yeah, the overall situation isn't that nice.

Napkiraly wrote:

Volnotova wrote:
Or... electrifiying the Sunni extremists, getting Iran embroiled in a sectarian conflict and consolidating Saudi Arabia's influence in the region.

Also, some are arguing that Malik intentionally ordered the retreat in order to weaken the Kurds (as they would have to fight them).

If true than he is really playing with fire ('Might also explain why he wanted to institute a state of emergency even though he has enough legal power to deal with the situation already, he is aiming to become a dictator).

Also: Two more towns captured by ISIL

If so then he done goofed had. Because from what I've seen ISIL haven't bothered to counter the advancements the Kurds have made. Those bastards want Baghdad.

Maybe he tried to throw the Kurdish under the bus and it backfired?

Well, isn't that nice? He is either nefarious, incompetent or both.

Costa Fierro wrote:Good discussion thread with videos and pictures.

Good thread. Will be bookmarking that one.

(from the thread Costa Fierro linked)

This video shows some of the equipment they captured

EDIT: Looking through the thread it's been confirmed they captured M1A1 Abrams tanks.

I love it when they call them insurgents and they have main battle tanks. That's hilarious.

Anyways, here's to hoping that Iran squishes those Saudi-affiliated bastards and fulfills their constitutional imperative to promote world peace. That is a thing, by the way.

Greater Istanistan wrote:I love it when they call them insurgents and they have main battle tanks. That's hilarious.

Anyways, here's to hoping that Iran squishes those Saudi-affiliated bastards and fulfills their constitutional imperative to promote world peace. That is a thing, by the way.

Personally I hope ISIS become a victim of their own success and the Kurds, Iranians, Iraqis and maybe the Americans all crush them. It would be good to see some cooperation in the Middle East, even if it is unlikely.

Would it be too much to hope for a joint taskforce made up of Israeli, Iranian, American, and Kurdish troops?

Probably. But it would be fuckawesome.

UN confirms that ISIS have carried out executions of civilians in Mosul.

Here are the new "rules" that ISIS have imposed on Mosul. It's quite chilling.

Greater Istanistan wrote:Would it be too much to hope for a joint taskforce made up of Israeli, Iranian, American, and Kurdish troops?

Probably. But it would be fuckawesome.

I doubt Iranian and Israeli troops could be seen together. But since Americans and Iran are looking for something to agree on, they could cooperate somewhat. Honestly though, if we got half of those nations to work together it would awesome

Respawn wrote:UN confirms that ISIS have carried out executions of civilians in Mosul.

Here are the new "rules" that ISIS have imposed on Mosul. It's quite chilling.

Yeah it is chilling, and they've only been there a week or less.

Valaran wrote:

Greater Istanistan wrote:I love it when they call them insurgents and they have main battle tanks. That's hilarious.

Anyways, here's to hoping that Iran squishes those Saudi-affiliated bastards and fulfills their constitutional imperative to promote world peace. That is a thing, by the way.

Personally I hope ISIS become a victim of their own success and the Kurds, Iranians, Iraqis and maybe the Americans all crush them. It would be good to see some cooperation in the Middle East, even if it is unlikely.

This, I hope at some point everyone realizes how toxic these folks are and decide to collectively dogpile on them.

Respawn wrote:UN confirms that ISIS have carried out executions of civilians in Mosul.

Here are the new "rules" that ISIS have imposed on Mosul. It's quite chilling.

Mosul is actually not nearly as bad as their rule in Syria.

It seems they are more pragmatic and opportunistic at this point. For all their brutality they have shown willingness to compromise and to reward those that cooperate. (Which is one of the reasons they are still growing in strength)

If what the article is true then it is relatively mild in comparison (Though still somewhat extreme even when compared to Iran and Saudi Arabia).

In fact, I believe this whole "march on Baghdad" is just tough talk, already there are those that claim material is being send back to Syria (were perhaps those tanks would come to better use).

In some regards ISIL is better equiped than the Syrian army at this point.

And while I do believe there will be occasional incursions into Baghdad and suicide bombings, I expect them to first secure their other fronts (including securing Deir ez-Zor in eastern Syria and Kirkuk in the north).

This is a conspiracy to divide Iraq and put sections of it under the influence of neighbouring countries. The players in this are Iran, Saudi, Turkey and the Kurds. The Iranians would get the south and Baghdad, and in return they give up their nuclear project... Nouri Maliki deepened division in Iraq with his unwillingness to give up power. He is no different to Saddam.

Tasmovova wrote:This is a conspiracy to divide Iraq and put sections of it under the influence of neighbouring countries. The players in this are Iran, Saudi, Turkey and the Kurds. The Iranians would get the south and Baghdad, and in return they give up their nuclear project... Nouri Maliki deepened division in Iraq with his unwillingness to give up power. He is no different to Saddam.

No way they would give up their nuclear program.

The elites of Saudi Arabia and Iran are hell-bent on destroying each other, even if it means grinding the entire region into rubble and ashes.

The Kurdish leaders are opportunists and are actually played by Malik against ISIL with the goal of 1. Weakening the Kurds, 2. Overstretching ISIL and 3. Giving him an excuse to consolidate (more) power.

Also, ISIL has threatened Jordan: Which pretty much means they are already starting to bite the hands that feed them.

I thought that Jordan was relatively secular and moderate?

If they declared a jihad against the Saudis, that would be hand-biting.

Greater Istanistan wrote:I thought that Jordan was relatively secular and moderate?

If they declared a jihad against the Saudis, that would be hand-biting.

A jihad against Jordan (who's king btw, they intend to "slaughter") would also be hand-biting as Jordan is a close ally of Saudi Arabia.

Right now ISIL is a hot potato that is being shuffled between both sides.

The Shia forces use them to rally the West against the rebels in Syria and to consolidate their power in Iraq and elsewhere in the region.

The Sunni forces (led by Saudi Arabia) use them to undermine the Shia forces and consolidate their power in the region.

Chances are however that all sides are going to end up getting their fingers burned for letting this abomination metastasize out of control.

Yeah Jordan under the Hashemite monarchy is the most (for lack a better word) reasonable nation there.

Also thanks for the agreement Volnotova If only the actual nations could agree like that.

Tasmovova wrote:This is a conspiracy to divide Iraq and put sections of it under the influence of neighbouring countries. The players in this are Iran, Saudi, Turkey and the Kurds. The Iranians would get the south and Baghdad, and in return they give up their nuclear project... Nouri Maliki deepened division in Iraq with his unwillingness to give up power. He is no different to Saddam.

Maliki isn't great but he is not a mass murdering genocidal dictator. Also, some secret plan? Some of these nations (Saudi and Iran) can't stand each other let alone plan to divide a nation.

Valaran wrote:

Tasmovova wrote:This is a conspiracy to divide Iraq and put sections of it under the influence of neighbouring countries. The players in this are Iran, Saudi, Turkey and the Kurds. The Iranians would get the south and Baghdad, and in return they give up their nuclear project... Nouri Maliki deepened division in Iraq with his unwillingness to give up power. He is no different to Saddam.

Maliki isn't great but he is not a mass murdering genocidal dictator. Also, some secret plan? Some of these nations (Saudi and Iran) can't stand each other let alone plan to divide a nation.

Saudi Arabia and Qatar are funding Sunni Muslim sects in the region to uphold their crazy religious agenda, i don't know about Turkey, Erdogan is somewhat authoritarian but he is not capable of doing something like spreading Turkish influence. Iran intervened to protect the Shias and also to destroy anyone who denies Iraq from Shia rights because (according to my own speculation) Iran, when it sees that nothing in the region stands up against the Shia population, the Shia population may be safe so the percieved Iranian Shia influence in the region may be secured. Iranj also wants to save Assad's butt from ISIL. Each country has their own agenda, save for the US whose actions are quite pitiful these days, something tells me though that since the US is not competent enough in doing much, it is starting its end of global diplomatic influence and its decline from superpowership into mere global powership.

Volnotova wrote:Also, ISIL has threatened Jordan: Which pretty much means they are already starting to bite the hands that feed them.

Islamist Hubris, just because they had victory in Mosul, tikrit, Northeastern Syria and elsewhere doesn't mean they could start a totally different front and win. Iraq is losing simply because it is very tired of its experiences today in the Post Saddam Hussein era.

(Well in fact, if Saddam did not fall these domino effect of destabilization may had not have happened...Thank you USA!)

Benuty wrote:

Al-Qaeda Offshoot Routs US-Trained Forces And Captures Iraq's Second Largest City
Business Insider By Michael Kelley
REUTERS/Stringer

Extremists fighters from the al-Qaeda offshoot Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) have captured the capital of northern Iraq, Liz Sly and Ahmed Ramadan of The Washington Post report.

American-trained Iraqi forces reportedly fled posts in Mosul, Iraq's second largest city, and all of the city's critical facilities — including the government complex and the prisons — are now controlled by the insurgents.

“When the battle got tough in the city of Mosul, the troops dropped their weapons and abandoned their posts, making it an easy prey for the terrorists,” Iraq’s speaker of parliament Osama Nujaifi stated in Baghdad.

Sly emphasized the significance of northern Iraq falling to ISIS.

ISIS militants have captured Mosul. The US trained security forces fled. A huge day for Iraq. And the US.

ISIS has brutally reigned over the population in northern Syria after blurring the border between the.two countries last year.

Nujafi, highlighting Mosul's significance, asked for international and government help to retake the city.

“Everything is fallen. It’s a crisis,” he said. “Having these terrorist groups control a city in the heart of Iraq threatens not only Iraq but the entire region.”

The Post notes that the rapid fall of Mosul, a key commercial and trading center, " suggests the U.S.-trained Iraqi security forces are even more vulnerable than had previously been thought. "

The U.S. military focused on Mosul during its effort to stabilize Iraq after years of war. ISIS reportedly took the city's airport, and Iraq's parliament speaker said that militants obtained helicopters when they took over what was a hub for American troops and advisors.

Here's a look at what ISIS controlled as of August 2013.

(Image)
REUTERS

Source: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/al-qaeda- ... 22052.html

Opinion: Despite the comic nature of part of the title it is no laughing matter at all. I suppose even with all that training and weaponry it is no good if no morale is uniform among the troops. Anyway, what say you oh unleavened and leavened masses of NSG?

(Image)

Thanks George W. Bush and all the sheeple that voted for you

Holy Trek wrote:

Benuty wrote:

Al-Qaeda Offshoot Routs US-Trained Forces And Captures Iraq's Second Largest City
Business Insider By Michael Kelley
REUTERS/Stringer

Extremists fighters from the al-Qaeda offshoot Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) have captured the capital of northern Iraq, Liz Sly and Ahmed Ramadan of The Washington Post report.

American-trained Iraqi forces reportedly fled posts in Mosul, Iraq's second largest city, and all of the city's critical facilities — including the government complex and the prisons — are now controlled by the insurgents.

“When the battle got tough in the city of Mosul, the troops dropped their weapons and abandoned their posts, making it an easy prey for the terrorists,” Iraq’s speaker of parliament Osama Nujaifi stated in Baghdad.

Sly emphasized the significance of northern Iraq falling to ISIS.

ISIS militants have captured Mosul. The US trained security forces fled. A huge day for Iraq. And the US.

ISIS has brutally reigned over the population in northern Syria after blurring the border between the.two countries last year.

Nujafi, highlighting Mosul's significance, asked for international and government help to retake the city.

“Everything is fallen. It’s a crisis,” he said. “Having these terrorist groups control a city in the heart of Iraq threatens not only Iraq but the entire region.”

The Post notes that the rapid fall of Mosul, a key commercial and trading center, " suggests the U.S.-trained Iraqi security forces are even more vulnerable than had previously been thought. "

The U.S. military focused on Mosul during its effort to stabilize Iraq after years of war. ISIS reportedly took the city's airport, and Iraq's parliament speaker said that militants obtained helicopters when they took over what was a hub for American troops and advisors.

Here's a look at what ISIS controlled as of August 2013.

(Image)
REUTERS

Source: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/al-qaeda- ... 22052.html

Opinion: Despite the comic nature of part of the title it is no laughing matter at all. I suppose even with all that training and weaponry it is no good if no morale is uniform among the troops. Anyway, what say you oh unleavened and leavened masses of NSG?

(Image)

Thanks George W. Bush and all the sheeple that voted for you

Yes he can mess things up after leaving office.

Stabkon wrote:

Volnotova wrote:Also, ISIL has threatened Jordan: Which pretty much means they are already starting to bite the hands that feed them.

Islamist Hubris, just because they had victory in Mosul, tikrit, Northeastern Syria and elsewhere doesn't mean they could start a totally different front and win. Iraq is losing simply because it is very tired of its experiences today in the Post Saddam Hussein era.

(Well in fact, if Saddam did not fall these domino effect of destabilization may had not have happened...Thank you USA!)

They already have cells operating there ready to strike.

I am not expecting them to win, nor to neccesarily open another front. But more to startle the Jordanians, weakening and destabilising them while also showing the strength of ISIL in the region.

There are also reports of members of Saddam Hussein's old guard joining the ranks of ISIL.

Now just think if the US had actually destroyed the Syrian military with an air campaign like that fool Obama wanted.

ISIS would be occupying Damascus by this rate, and if Iraq falls they may yet try to crush Syria.

Volnotova wrote:
There are also reports of members of Saddam Hussein's old guard joining the ranks of ISIL.

After 11 years of the reign of terror the USA ushered in, after a while you'd start abandoning your secular beliefs (funny how the US hated those) and siding with what looks like a rising power.

Yet another cycle of the US creating an enemy worse than the one its military-industrial complex wanted to fight.

Someone needs to call up ARVN and get them to teach a thing or two to the Iraqis about standing their ground. Fuck sakes.