The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant Megathread

[KRonn]

Three teenaged Somali-American girls from the Denver area got arrested in Frankfurt while on their to Syria to join ISIS.

Most of our Muslims are pretty cool; Somalis seem to be the one exception.

We've already had a few US Muslims killed while fighting for ISIL. These foolish girls. They probably have no idea of the life of third class servitude they'd be subjected to under ISIL.

[garbon]

To be polite to Beeb's here's what my brain sort of sees when I see certain posters speak about Islam. (Noting in this thread as these were yahoo comments posted on article about how ISIS/ISIL prefers donations in USD / that Obama has urged other nations not to pay ransom demands.

http://news.yahoo.com/smuggled-oil--sex-slaves--kidnappings--crime--inside-the-islamic-state-s-million-dollar-money-stream-214126980.html

Barry's and his liberal minion demon slaves' perverse prayer...Praise Allah, our beloved Islam will enslave the world!!!

And, we are close to achieving the complete destruction of America; economically, diplomatically, militarily, morally and our pièce de résistance on the road to our beloved totalitarianism, the destruction of the finest health care system in the world.

Because America, for myself and my liberal minion swine-slaves it must be destroyed, for the good and the glory of our dream; a Socialist Maoist State.

Because, just as my slave's and I don't care that innocent Americans died in my scandals of Benghazi, Fast & Furious, my IRS Inquisition, my VA's treachery towards our vets, "my failed" Arab, Iranian, Crimean, Syrian, Libyan, Mid-East peace, freeing terrorist, Open Borders, free Ebola love, et al my failed "Springs" except my spring golfing trips.

My loyal liberal gutter-trash slaves will gladly retreat to the Führerbunker to await their end with me; their Führer-God....For it has always only been about one thing...a "new and improved" National Socialist TOTALITARIAN State.

My liberal slave children, your Barry God's dream of a utopia of Soviet style gulags...Maoist style re-indoctrination camps and our Holy Eternal Führer God Adolf's death camps, must be realized; I'm just your baby-daddy thug-pimp Führer. Help me bring salvation and enslavement unto "my" earth's proletariat masses.

And as you know, every word out of my mouth is a LIE, our fellow socialist Joseph Goebbels and Saul Alinsky would be proud of me my liberal slaves.

Now my liberal minion slave children, let us all proudly chant our ritualistic motto together, "Ein Volk, ein Reich, ein Führer God Obama!" And, our beloved Allāhu Akbar!!!

And as a reply:

If only true Americans can understand the gravity of the truth you wrote, America would be on the road back to greatness.

'Murica!

[CountDeMoney]

our fellow socialist Joseph Goebbels and Saul Alinsky

Now that would be an interesting dinner party.

[Valmy]

A Socialist Nazi Maoist Islamic Slave State?

Now that is impressive.  It used to be that every President we elected was only called Hitler.

[grumbler]

A Socialist Nazi Maoist Islamic Slave State?

Now that is impressive.  It used to be that every President we elected was only called Hitler.

That guy's tongue was so firmly planted in his cheek that it almost broke the skin.

[Valmy]

A Socialist Nazi Maoist Islamic Slave State?

Now that is impressive.  It used to be that every President we elected was only called Hitler.

That guy's tongue was so firmly planted in his cheek that it almost broke the skin.

I used to have that forlorn hope as well

[Razgovory]

A Socialist Nazi Maoist Islamic Slave State?

Now that is impressive.  It used to be that every President we elected was only called Hitler.

That guy's tongue was so firmly planted in his cheek that it almost broke the skin.

Uh, I think that's a mentally ill person.

[CountDeMoney]

True to form, they beheaded Kassig this weekend.

Really wish they'd hurry up and drop a JDAM on that Brit ISIL dickhead already, but that guy doesn't deserve that quick of a fate.

NBC News terrorism analyst Evan Kohlmann of Flashpoint Global Partners said the video was also significant for what it didn't show: "Each previous beheading video has introduced a new Western hostage — and here we have none. This suggests that either the life of British national John Cantlie is perhaps now in danger, or that they are simply running out of hostages."

[OttoVonBismarck]

I've had mixed feelings about all of the Westerners beheaded by these guys. First, obviously, it sucks, shouldn't have happened, evil etc etc. But part of me feels people should take time to explain that not only is it really stupid to go into a war zone as an aid worker or a reporter, it's actually not productive. I get that their hearts are in the right place, but places which are active war zones are bad places because they are war zones. No amount of aid makes a war zone a good place to live, and honestly any effort spent on aid in those regions, particularly effort outside of well established aid channels that involve protection from international military forces, is honestly likely to do nothing and possibly even contribute to the war going on longer and longer. Warzones are bad because they are warzones, anything that isn't addressing that is not effective. A lot of conventional aid already goes to ill use and corruption and can help perpetuate the war, unconventional aid handed out by dudes running their own aid organizations is probably even less properly handled after it's handed off.

Most of the people in these countries quickly learn a lot of survival skills due to living in war zones, and one of the big ones is knowing marks like Peter Kassig and getting him to give them shit they then just turn around and sell on the black market. People with energy, dedication, and resources to do stuff like this should probably try to follow the approach of the better philanthropists--where can you efforts be most effective. Bill Gates doesn't believe in throwing money away on philanthropy and won't send aid to places where the aid cannot be deployed effectively. I'd argue a place like Syria represents a place where aid (particularly unconventional aid) is going to do little good. There are a lot of places in Africa where Kassig's time could have been better and more productively spent, hell helping with ebola would be doing a lot more good in the world than his quixotic quest in Syria.

The reporters on the other hand are a mix of people who get a thrill from this shit (and thus the threat of death was part of why they wanted to be there) and people who are simply stupid. The guy who wrote that article after being released from al-Nusra Front sounds like an absolute idiot, who lasted all of a few hours in Syria before being captured because he had no fucking clue what he was doing there or how to survive in a place like Syria.

[jimmy olsen]

Not only are there Brits going to Syria to fight for ISIS, apparently there are Brits going there to fight against ISIS as mercenaries. If only there were Western organizations where one could do that legally under the aegis of a legitimate state. Maybe some kind of armed force.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/nov/22/uk-mercenaries-fighting-islamic-state-terrorist-syria

[Darth Wagtaros]

the International Brigades perhaps. Maybe Tim could: Join the Abraham Lincoln Brigade.

[Viking]

--

they don't actually do that to help people they do it to make themselves feel smug

[Jacob]

they don't actually do that to help people they do it to make themselves feel smug

Whereas you achieve the same effect merely by posting on the internet.

[Tonitrus]

http://www.janes.com/article/46514/iranian-phantom-jet-strikes-the-islamic-state-in-iraq

Iranian Phantom jet strikes the Islamic State in Iraq



Gareth Jennings, London - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
30 November 2014
   
Footage aired by Al Jazeera shows at least one F-4 Phantom II jet striking the Islamic State in Iraq. Given the location of the incident near Iraq's eastern border, it is most likely that this is an Iranian jet. Source: Al Jazeera
An Iranian McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II jet has struck Islamic State targets in the eastern Iraqi province of Diyala, footage shot by regional media shows.

At least one F-4 is seen conducting a bombing run against ground targets in the footage shot by Al Jazeera , which erroneously identified the aircraft as an Iraqi fighter. Iran and Turkey are the only regional operators of the F-4, and the location of the incident not far from the Iranian border, and Turkey's unwillingness to get involved in the conflict militarily, indicate this to be an Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) aircraft.

While the IRIAF is known to have contributed Sukhoi Su-25 'Frogfoot' ground attack aircraft to the fight against the Islamic State in Iraq (ostensibly donated to the Iraqi Air Force, but believed to be crewed by Iranian pilots), this footage is the first visual evidence of direct IRIAF involvement in the conflict.

The Al Jazeera footage, which was shot on 30 November, shows the IRIAF F-4 supporting Iraqi forces retaking the town of Sa'adiya in what was purported to be the government's largest operation against the Islamic State since June. Its release comes weeks after IHS Jane's reported growing evidence of Iranian involvement in the war in Iraq.

Video footage and photographs shown on social media sites have increasingly been showing Iranian military hardware in the hands of Shia militias fighting in Iraq. This hardware includes the 12.7 mm AM-50 anti-materiel rifle, at least one Iranian-made Safir jeep mounted with a 107 mm multiple rocket launcher (MRL), as well as an Iranian 122 mm HM 20 MRL.

COMMENT
While the US-led effort to combat the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria has been widely publicised by the Department of Defense (DoD) and its coalition allies, Iran's involvement has been altogether more opaque.

Iran was the first country to pledge and deliver military support to Iraq when the Islamic State began its offensive earlier in the year. At the time that the first IRIAF Su-25s arrived over Baghdad in late June, there was much speculation that Iran and the United States may come together in some form of joint operation against the Islamic State. However, the recent détente between the two countries is still in its very early stages, and neither side much relished the prospect of military co-operation to such a degree.

As such, there appear to be two parallel military campaigns being waged against the Islamic State, with the United States and its allies conducting their air campaign over Iraq and Syria, and Iran pursuing its own military agenda in Iraq at the same time. So far, this dual approach does appear to be working (at least in terms of de-conflicting the two military campaigns), but should they happen to cross paths over the coming weeks and months it would no doubt muddy still further an already complicated conflict.

[jimmy olsen]

Iranian air force bombing ISIS positions in Eastern Iraq

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-30304723

EDIT: Beaten by less than a minute