The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant Megathread

[CountDeMoney]

Well now that you mention it, to balance things out militia groups in the US ought to wear misspelled ISIS gear.

SISI? 

[derspiess]

Well now that you mention it, to balance things out militia groups in the US ought to wear misspelled ISIS gear.

SISI? 

Los Zetas would probably wear those.

[The Brain]

Finns are sissis.

[Siege]

Can't imagine him being that accurate.

Number 1: That aint a M2 .50cal. It looks roughly like a russian made Kord machine gun, which weights 56 lbs as compared to 83 lbs for the M2.

Number 2: Assuming this one has not been modified for a lower caliber, there is no way he can aim this thing effectively while firing bursts of 12.7X108mm (the M2 fires 12.7x99mm).

Number 3: In the picture he is not using a sling to carry this weapon system, which makes me suspect that he just dismounted it from a vehicle for the photo oportunity. He is not walking around with that weapon without a sling, let alone shooting it. Zero chance of that.

Number 4: What is his reload drill? He is going to burn through that little belt pretty quickly with a weapon system whos rate of fire is between 650 and 750 rounds per minute on cyclic. Even if he is firing in a sustained rate of fire with about 6 to 9 rounds per burst and about 8 to 10 seconds between bursts, he will still be out in a blink. But I know from experience that arabs do not have the patience for sustained rates of fire. They will fire everything they got, burn the barrel, and then break contact.


Worrying thing is, that if I'm right and that's a Kord, then they got the latest russian made shit. Also, the dude in the far left is holding an AK that looks suspiciously like a AK 74, firing 5.45x39mm, instead of the commonly found older AK 47 at 7.62x39mm. Are these the latest weapons captured in Syria?

[derspiess]

Worrying thing is, that if I'm right and that's a Kord, then they got the latest russian made shit. Also, the dude in the far left is holding an AK that looks suspiciously like a AK 74, firing 5.45x39mm, instead of the commonly found older AK 47 at 7.62x39mm. Are these the latest weapons captured in Syria?

Definitely sounds plausible.  Why is it worrying?

[Siege]

Worrying thing is, that if I'm right and that's a Kord, then they got the latest russian made shit. Also, the dude in the far left is holding an AK that looks suspiciously like a AK 74, firing 5.45x39mm, instead of the commonly found older AK 47 at 7.62x39mm. Are these the latest weapons captured in Syria?

Definitely sounds plausible.  Why is it worrying?

Nah, you are right. It is not worrying.
Just a few slightly better armed muslims to kill when the time comes.
It doesnt really change their combat value.

[The Brain]

It's already at 11.

[Siege]

What? The News?
Everybody knows that.

[Josquius]

Real life super villains

[Ed Anger]

I have placed my airstrike boner at DefCon 2.

[jimmy olsen]

I have placed my airstrike boner at DefCon 2.

Are Syrian airstrikes enough to satisfy you?

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2014/06/syrian-war-planes-strike-isis-targets-in-iraq-us-says/

Syrian War Planes Strike ISIS Targets in Iraq, US Says

Military aircraft that conducted air strikes against ISIS military targets in western Iraq are believed to have been from Syria's air force, a U.S. official told ABC News.

Such air strikes would be a regional escalation of the conflict inside Iraq where the Islamic militants have taken over cities in northern and western Iraq and threatened the stability of the Iraqi government.

It would also make Syria the second country that has been hostile to the U.S. apparently helping Iraq. There have been reports of Iranian troops intervening on behalf of the beleaguered Iraqi government.

ISIS fighters operate on both sides of the Syrian and Iraqi border. Syrian airstrikes would indicate that the government of Syrian President Bashar al Assad finds it advantageous in supporting the beleaguered government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki.

Terrorists Team Up in Syria to Build Next Generation of Bombs

Iraqi Military Out of Hellfires in Battle Against ISIS

According to the U.S. official, the United States has "pretty good information that the Syrians are behind the fighter aircraft bombing in western Al Anbar," a province in Iraq that includes the Syrian border.  The official said the United States is still trying to gather more information that Syria was behind the strikes.

It's not clear where the jets attacked, but over the weekend ISIS fighters took control of al Qaim and Rutba, both cities located near the Iraq-Syrian border.

A U.S. official also said it was not clear whether the Iraqi government requested or authorized Syrian air strikes in Iraqi territory.

Reports from Iraqi news outlets said U.S. air strikes had hit ISIS fighters, prompting the Pentagon to deny that it had launched air strikes.  "Press reports that U.S. drones struck ISIL [ISIS] targets in Iraq today are false.  No such action has been taken," said Pentagon Press Secretary Rear Admiral John Kirby.

Since the escalation of the fighting in Iraq the United States military has been flying manned and unmanned surveillance flights over Iraq to share information about ISIS targets with the Iraqi government.   A Pentagon spokesman said today that the U.S. is now flying between 30 and 35 surveillance flights daily over Iraq.

The Obama administration considered airstrikes inside Iraq to stop the momentum of ISIS advances in northern Iraq, but so far has opted not to do so because it would appear that it was taking sides in the conflict. ISIS is an Sunni Muslim force augmented by the Sunni tribes in northern and western Iraq, while the Iraqi government and its army is overwhelmingly composed of Shiite Muslims.

Instead President Obama announced last week that he had authorized sending up to 300 military advisers to Iraq to assist the Iraqi military in its fight with ISIS.

Kirby announced today that 90 advisers had arrived in Baghdad to establish a Joint Operations Center in Baghdad. They will join two initial teams crafted from 40 military personnel working at the U.S. embassy in Baghdad. In coming days an additional four teams of 50 people will flow into Iraq from elsewhere in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.

Kirby stressed that the first mission for the teams would be to conduct assessments to help determine what advisory assistance they will provide in the next phase of their mission.  They won't be providing those assessments to their chain of command for another two to three weeks.   Kirby said the assessments include assessing the cohesiveness and readiness of Iraqi Security Forces, the state of situation on the ground and ISIS activities, and providing recommendations about the advisory mission.

A U.S. intelligence official provided an assessment that there are between 3,000 and 5,000 ISIS fighters. Their numbers have swelled in recent weeks following the release of almost 1,500 prisoners from a prison in Mosul.

A senior intelligence official said there are approximately 10,000 ISIS fighters — roughly 7,000 in Syria and 3,000 in Iraq. There are between 3,000 and 5,000 foreign fighters who have been incorporated into ISIS ranks, making up part of that 10,000.

It is difficult to assess how many of the roughly 3,000 in Iraq are foreign fighters.
SHOWS: World News

[Ed Anger]

Blow it out your ass

[Siege]

[KRonn]

Heh, since the terrorist training bases and supply routes are in Syria, maybe the US should now also be working with Syria on airstrikes!

[jimmy olsen]

The news just gets worse and worse

http://www.chathamhouse.org/expert/comment/14959#sthash.bHa2eT2P.w6Bh1SnZ.dpuf

Syria's essential services are on the brink of collapse under the burden of continuous assault on critical water infrastructure. The stranglehold of extremist group Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), neglect by the regime, and an eighth summer of drought may combine to create a water and food crisis which would escalate fatalities and migration rates in the country's ongoing three-year conflict.

The capability of state agencies to respond to water, food and shelter crises is diminishing. The warning signs are clear for what could result in a far worse refugee crisis than the conflict has produced to date. The UN, neighbouring countries and the wider international community have a responsibility to collaborate in the next few months, in order to limit the extent of human suffering.

Water as a weapon

The deliberate targeting of water supply networks and related structures is now a daily occurrence in the conflict. The water pumping station in Al-Khafsah, Aleppo stopped working on 10 May, cutting off water supply to half of the city. It is unclear who was responsible; both the regime and opposition forces blame each other, but unsurprisingly in a city home to almost three million people the incident caused panic and chaos. Some people even resorted to drinking from puddles in the streets.

Attacks and counter-attacks have destroyed several waste water treatment and sewage facilities in the country. Damage to the sewage system in Aleppo, for example, has resulted in the contamination of drinking water. Warnings to citizens to boil all tap water were issued in the city this month. But, with the rising prices of black-market fuel, boiled water is itself a luxury that most of the besieged population cannot afford. Disinfection of the water supply system now needs a two-day fresh water flush, during which time the water supply would be inaccessible –  making it a an unpalatable action, given the current water shortage.

The effects of the diversion and destruction of key water infrastructure, including dams, water pipes and waste treatment plants − compounded by the loss of skilled workers − is felt acutely in the country's largest cities. Hama and Homs have lost water supplies over several consecutive weeks, due to attacks on the water treatment plant on the banks of the Orontes River and on the water pipeline conveying treated water to the two cities. Waterborne disease cases, including typhoid, are on the rise in the Euphrates region, where it has been difficult to supply disinfection chemicals.

ISIS-controlled water resources

ISIS now has control of the Euphrates' major water structures within Syria. This includes Al-Raqqa Dam, one of the biggest dams in the Middle East, which controls the river flow for most of the irrigated lands downstream of Al-Raqqa and supplies 19 per cent of the country's electrical power.

The Euphrates River, which provides 65 per cent of the country's water needs, is also experiencing a dangerous decrease in its flow rates. This is likely to be due to a combination of factors: decades of poor water management, current neglect of water infrastructure on the Euphrates, and the absence of any coordination between Syria and upstream Turkey regarding the river flow. As a result, in late May, the river dried up downstream of Al-Raqqa city, depriving many downstream towns of water. The water level of Al-Assad Lake – Syria's largest reservoir, which provides irrigation for some 500 square miles of agricultural land and all of Aleppo's drinking water − has dropped by six meters since ISIS took control in January. If the lake loses one more metre the water system will stop working. This will leave more than four million inhabitants without access to safe water. This could result in a humanitarian catastrophe that would overwhelm agencies on the ground.

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