Islamic State Crisis Megathread (ISIS/ISIL/IS)

[The Serbian Empire]

ISIS isn't skilled enough to hold on even with regional paramilitaries like the Peshmerga.

Wait, you're Serbian right? Why can't you handle Crazy Abe?

I'm Serbian only in ancestry and only a trace at that. The French Canadian is more obvious even to the point of making my last name.

[Greed and Death]

Confirmed ISIL is purchasing heavy equipment from the Russians.

[Salus Maior]

Confirmed ISIL is purchasing heavy equipment from the Russians.

Good old Russians, staying classy.

[Novia Soviet Socialist Republic]

Confirmed ISIL is purchasing heavy equipment from the Russians.

What's with the Russians these days?

[Salus Maior]

Confirmed ISIL is purchasing heavy equipment from the Russians.

What's with the Russians these days?

Enemy of my enemy is my friend.

[The Volkstaat Republic]

Confirmed ISIL is purchasing heavy equipment from the Russians.

Where's this information coming from? If this is true it wouldn't make sense since Russia supports Suria who is currently battling against ISIL.

[Vamtrl]

ISIS is trying to piss off every significant power in the Middle East it seems.

It looks like they are just one massive group of trolls poking everyone in the eye by destroying holy sites and last I heard destroying Mosques as well.

[The Serbian Empire]

Confirmed ISIL is purchasing heavy equipment from the Russians.

Russians will even sell weapons to American civilians if Obama didn't put restrictions on what Russia can sell here. Russia only cares about profits.

[Unified Corea]

I'm fairly confident the Peshmerga can regroup and push the fundies out. Given the casualty figures listed in the OP, I think its clear who the better fighters are. ISIS may have an advantage in terms of raw numbers, but the Kurds have the advantage of strength and experience.

[Salus Maior]

I'm fairly confident the Peshmerga can regroup and push the fundies out. Given the casualty figures listed in the OP, I think its clear who the better fighters are. ISIS may have an advantage in terms of raw numbers, but the Kurds have the advantage of strength and experience.

That is, if the Peshmerga are being honest about the casualties.

[Unified Corea]

Confirmed ISIL is purchasing heavy equipment from the Russians.

Confirmed by who? Last I checked, Russia was sending Iraq fighter jets and helicopter gunships to fight ISIL.

[Unified Corea]

I'm fairly confident the Peshmerga can regroup and push the fundies out. Given the casualty figures listed in the OP, I think its clear who the better fighters are. ISIS may have an advantage in terms of raw numbers, but the Kurds have the advantage of strength and experience.

That is, if the Peshmerga are being honest about the casualties.

I see no reason to doubt their casualty figures. The Peshmerga are among the toughest fighters around to date in the Middle East, if not the world. Unlike the Iraqi Army, they are a real professional fighting force. They've stood up against much tougher foes than ISIL and been doing it for a long time.

Most of ISIL's success has to do with the incompetence of Iraq's armed forces; this is actually one of the first times they have directly engaged the Kurds. I suspect they will be pushed out of Kurdish territory with great force, and if they know what's smart for them they will simply stay within the Sunni heartland of the soon-to-be former state of Iraq.

[Risottia]

"There is US pressure on the Kurdish administration encouraging them to fight the terrorists," Kurdish commentator Aref Qarbani said.

"In return, the US administration would give them guarantees to equip peshmerga forces and acknowledge the new Kurdish reality on the ground," he said.

Good.
What do the EU, Russia and Iran wait for to do the same? It's high time to kick the caliphate back into the dark ages whence it came.

[Viritica]

Confirmed ISIL is purchasing heavy equipment from the Russians.

What's with the Russians these days?

Every third world army buys weapons from Russia.

[Viritica]

Peshmerga literally means "those who confront death".

I hope they return and kick some fucking ass.

[Unified Corea]

What's with the Russians these days?

Every third world army buys weapons from Russia.

There's no source for greed and death's claim. But Russia is supplying the Iraqi Army.

[Unified Corea]

Peshmerga literally means "those who confront death".

I hope they return and kick some fucking ass.

Sounds like they are already on it:

Peshmerga To Attack ISIS In Sinjar On Four Fronts

[The Serbian Empire]

Peshmerga literally means "those who confront death".

I hope they return and kick some fucking ass.

They want to.

[Salus Maior]

That is, if the Peshmerga are being honest about the casualties.

I see no reason to doubt their casualty figures. The Peshmerga are one of the toughest fighting forces around to date in the Middle East, if not the world. Unlike the Iraqi Army, they are a real professional fighting force. They've stood up against much tougher foes than ISIL and been doing it for a long time.

Most of ISIL's success has to do with the incompetence of Iraq's armed forces; this is actually one of the first times they have directly engaged the Kurds. I suspect they will be pushed out of Kurdish territory with great force, and if they know what's smart for them they will simply stay within the Sunni heartland of the soon-to-be former state of Iraq.

Still, the question must be raised as to why the Kurds withdrew when they were apparently so successful, and why their casualty numbers for the ISIS are strangely vague.

It could very well be that the Peshmerga are being completely honest, but I'm going to be cynical for the time being.

[Shnercropolis]

You know, I never thought I would say this, but...
I want Saddam Hussein back.

[Herrebrugh]

Every third world army buys weapons from Russia.

There's no source for greed and death's claim. But Russia is supplying the Iraqi Army.

Greed and death highly probably isn't being serious.

[Unified Corea]

There's no source for greed and death's claim. But Russia is supplying the Iraqi Army.

Greed and death highly probably isn't being serious.

Perhaps not, but other people in the thread seem to be taking them at their word.

[Salus Maior]

You know, I never thought I would say this, but...
I want Saddam Hussein back.

No, no you don't.

Unless you're ok with the Kurdish genocide? People seem to forget that a lot.

[Murkwood]

You know, I never thought I would say this, but...
I want Saddam Hussein back.

Yeah, because I want an insane mass-murder who indiscriminately hangs Jews, uses WMDs against civilians (Iran-Iraq war, not the famous supposed Iraq War ones), and kills a genocidal amount of Kurds back too!

[Herrebrugh]

Greed and death highly probably isn't being serious.

Perhaps not, but other people in the thread seem to be taking them at their word.

Maybe that's the point. Or there is no point. In any case, they (the people who reacted) are making clowns of themselves a bit.