The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant Megathread

[grumbler]

Assad's fucked.

Said that last year.  And the year before that.

Some day, it will be true!

[mongers]

Assad's fucked.

Said that last year.  And the year before that.

Some day, it will be true!

This is Timmay reportage in a nutshell.

(says the person who called an imminent Russian invasion about 3 weeks ago now)

[Eddie Teach]

Assad's fucked.

Said that last year.  And the year before that.

Some day, it will be true!

But will Seedy live to see it?

[mongers]

Papers here are saying that MI5/the police have identified Foley's murderer as a named British-Egyptian rapper/hip-hop 'artist' .

Police under tremendous pressure, so I hope they've got the right man:

London hip-hop artist key suspect in beheading

Investigators are taking a close interest in Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary, a hip-hop artist and son of a man accused in America of bombing US embassies in Africa in 1998 (Times Newspapers )

A BRITISH hip-hop artist has emerged as a key suspect in the hunt for the killer of the US journalist James Foley.

Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary, 23, from Maida Vale, west London, is understood to have become a crucial part of investigations by counterterrorism police and MI5.

Whitehall and police officials have told The Sunday Times that MI5 is now certain of the identity of the British jihadist who appeared in the beheading video posted by Isis, also known as the Islamic State, last week.

"The MI5 investigation into the man behind James Foley's murder is ongoing but they have managed to identify the masked British jihadist who can be seen in the video holding a knife to his throat," a police intelligence source
....

rest of article here, behind a paywall:
http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/uk_news/article1450781.ece

[Martinus]

Time to purge all rap/hip-hop performers. That's the only way to be sure. 

[Martinus]

Assad's fucked. Taqba airbase has fallen and ISIS now has complete control over eastern Syria.

I love that the West's policy towards Middle East is the one from the nursery rhyme about a woman who swallowed a fly. 

[Martinus]

Assad's fucked.

Said that last year.  And the year before that.

Some day, it will be true!

But will Seedy live to see it?

Well, his reign of terror is bound to end sooner rather than later.

Not sure about Assad, though.

[Queequeg]

So Apparently Tripoli has fallen to Islamists. 

[derspiess]

That's not good.

[CountDeMoney]

So Apparently Tripoli has fallen to Islamists.

Like that's never happened before.

[Martinus]

So Apparently Tripoli has fallen to Islamists.

Wtf.

[The Brain]

So Apparently Tripoli has fallen to Islamists.

Can it get up?

[viper37]

So Apparently Tripoli has fallen to Islamists. 

Only the airport, I think.  Egypt and UAE are striking the islamists now.

[The Minsky Moment]

I wouldn't worry about it though.  It's not a big college town.

[KRonn]

Assad's fucked.

Said that last year.  And the year before that.

Some day, it will be true!

I thought he was done about a year or two ago back when some of his top officials were fleeing the country and the rebels were making a lot of gains, even threatening Damascus. Now I'm thinking that I hope he remains in power and defeats ISIS at least, as they'll become the new leadership. Also seeing where Libya has gotten to, extremist types controlling much of the country and threatening the capital Tripoli. Egypt didn't far so well with its revolution but at least had a strong military to step in and oust the extremists. If Syria falls it'll become another failed state with various powers trying for control and ISIS types would be by far the strongest, if they're still around if/when Syria's govt is toppled.