The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant Megathread

[HisMajestyBOB]

The US has conducted regular air strikes in support of the Kurdish factions, which have made pretty significant gains. There's enough cooperation to get the time from the initial call for support to bomb on target down to ~40 minutes - supposedly not too shabby.

So over/under on how long before the first major ISIS attack on Russia's base and on how many casualties/captives?

[Martim Silva]

 

http://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-middle-east-34404438

'Russian strikes on five towns'

Syria's opposition activist network, the Local Co-ordination Committees (LCC), has accused Russian war planes of being behind air strikes on five towns north of Homs - Zafaraneh, Rastan, Talbiseh, Makarmia and Ghanto - resulting in the deaths of 36 people, including five children.

(...)

The LCC says local people noted increases in the intensity of the explosions. Rebel fighters monitoring radio communications heard Russian being spoken by pilots.

Activists stated that none of the areas targeted were controlled by Islamic State and that there were dozens of civilian casualties.

Syrian opposition 'condemns' Russian action

Khaled Khoja, president of the opposition Syrian National Coalition, said he condemns "Russia's military aggression in Syria":

"Russia is not fighting Isil (IS). It is using its military force to support the Assad regime's war against civilians. It risks implicating itself in war crimes. The international community should condemn Russia and take urgent action to protect Syrian civilians through the enforcement of a ban on aerial bombardment."

Barbara Plett ✔ @BBCBarbaraPlett
US Defense Official: #Russia asked US to avoid #Syria airspace during its new anti #ISIS flights but US won't alter ops in any way

Kerry 'complains to Lavrov' over strikes

The US appears to be unhappy with Russia's decision to launch air strikes. One official told the AFP news agency that Secretary of State John Kerry has complained to his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, saying the move "runs counter to their stated efforts of deconfliction and is not helpful to that effort".

[citizen k]

McCain is taking the Administration to the woodshed right now on the senate floor.

[alfred russel]

McCain is taking the Administration to the woodshed right now on the senate floor.

He must be livid that a western(ish) country is dropping bombs in the middle east and we aren't participating.

[crazy canuck]

The US has conducted regular air strikes in support of the Kurdish factions, which have made pretty significant gains. There's enough cooperation to get the time from the initial call for support to bomb on target down to ~40 minutes - supposedly not too shabby.

So over/under on how long before the first major ISIS attack on Russia's base and on how many casualties/captives?

The Russians are attacking the Syrian rebels and not ISIS - at least for now.

[Tamas]

The US has conducted regular air strikes in support of the Kurdish factions, which have made pretty significant gains. There's enough cooperation to get the time from the initial call for support to bomb on target down to ~40 minutes - supposedly not too shabby.

So over/under on how long before the first major ISIS attack on Russia's base and on how many casualties/captives?

The Russians are attacking the Syrian rebels and not ISIS - at least for now.

It seems they are helping eliminate a rebel holdout deep in Assad territory right? I guess it makes perfect sense to start there if the ultimate goal is to help Assad win the whole thing.

[crazy canuck]

The US has conducted regular air strikes in support of the Kurdish factions, which have made pretty significant gains. There's enough cooperation to get the time from the initial call for support to bomb on target down to ~40 minutes - supposedly not too shabby.

So over/under on how long before the first major ISIS attack on Russia's base and on how many casualties/captives?

The Russians are attacking the Syrian rebels and not ISIS - at least for now.

It seems they are helping eliminate a rebel holdout deep in Assad territory right? I guess it makes perfect sense to start there if the ultimate goal is to help Assad win the whole thing.

Sure.  The point is, in this multisided war, ISIS may be quite happy to have someone else kill off one of their opponents - for now.

[KRonn]

I think it's obvious that Russia's goals are quite longer term and well outside of just keeping Assad in power or going after ISIS. What Russia may do, given that rooting out ISIS is a long, drawn out task that their regional allies may not be up to, this is one overall scenario that I look at. Russia could solidify Assad's position in Syria, in itself a difficult process since there are tens of thousands of fighters against him, not counting ISIS. That in itself may be a hugely difficult process given the enmity and barbarity that Assad has created. But perhaps doable with a lot of Russkie and Iranian help.

I tend to think that going after ISIS in total isn't necessarily a long term goal of Russia. Russia's main goal is to regain influence in the region, having been shut out for decades, as the US probably worked hard to keep them out, some of which may now be going by the wayside. Putin will shore up Russia's place in Iraq by providing weapons, equipment and advisers, and assisting them in retaking some of their territory in conjunction with Iran. Putin will be working to assist Iran in becoming/remaining a significant factor in Iraqi politics and/or an alliance. In any event Russia is an ally of Iran, so Russia will have Iran, Iraq, Syria, and any other Mid East nation he can broker deals with to at least be on cordial terms. A big change from before.  He's already talking with several other nations, such as working with Egypt, has advisers in there, etc.

Perhaps at some point, once he gets his first goals of at least Syria, Iran, Iraq he could, cynically, back off with ISIS, as I'm assuming that fight will become quite costly in dollars and blood. He may know this now going in and will plan on the contingency of making some sort of agreement with them later on (allowing them to keep the territory that's become too costly and bloody to retake), as long as ISIS doesn't meddle around in Russia and its allies.

[citizen k]

McCain is taking the Administration to the woodshed right now on the senate floor.

He must be livid that a western(ish) country is dropping bombs in the middle east and we aren't participating.

Won't someone think of the defense contractors? 

[Syt]

http://www.rt.com/politics/317045-war-on-terror-is-sacred/

'War on terror is sacred': Orthodox Church praises Putin decision on Syria airstrikes

A senior cleric of the Russian Orthodox Church has said his church fully supports Moscow's plan to render military aid to the Syrian government. He added representatives of other major religions would throw their weight behind the anti-terrorist effort.

"We have an inter-religious council in Russia and I can say with confidence – the coming statement of this body that unites Orthodox Christians, Muslims, Jews and Buddhists will support our state's decision. The decision with which our state again assumes a special role in the Middle East and in particular in Syria," Vsevolod Chaplin told reporters on Wednesday.

He also noted the decision not only fully complied with the norms of international law, but also mirrored the views of most Russian people.

READ MORE: Russian parliament unanimously approves use of military in Syria to fight ISIS

"The active position of our country has always been connected with protection of the weak and oppressed, like the Middle East Christians who are now experiencing a real genocide. Russia's role has always been in protecting peace and justice for all Mideast peoples."

He stressed the main objective behind the operation in Syria was not in fulfilling some political or economic ambitions but in protecting the weak. "Terrorism is immoral and we need to protect those who are being driven from their lands by war," Chaplin noted.

He also emphasized that terrorism was the most significant threat humanity is currently facing. "Whatever they are trying to justify terrorism with, it cannot be justified. Thus, any fight against terrorism is moral, we can even call it a holy fight," Chaplin told reporters.

READ MORE: 'West's main target in Syria is Assad, not ISIS' - Kadyrov

Earlier on Wednesday, Russia's upper house unanimously voted to fulfill President Putin's request to use the nation's military in Syria to fight terrorism. As the head of the presidential administration, Sergey Ivanov announced the news to the mass media, emphasizing Russia would not be involved in any ground operation - aid would only be in the form of airstrikes.

Ivanov also noted the president's request for the use of military forces abroad had been prompted by the fact that a relatively large number of Russian citizens had joined the terrorist groups in Syria, and these people could potentially pose a threat to Russia's national security.

President Putin called the operation in Syria "preemptive strikes against terrorists." He explained that radicals from many countries of the world, including Russia, have flocked to Iraq and Syria to join the Islamic State terrorists. The president said they must all be defeated there and not allowed to return to their home countries.

READ MORE: Preemptive strike is how you fight terrorism – Putin on Syrian engagement

Putin also added that Moscow was interested in other nations joining its counterterrorism effort in Syria, in particular by working with the intelligence sharing center in Baghdad, which Russia, Syria, Iraq and Iran established in the run-up to the operation.

[mongers]

Sadly an American soldier and several Kurdish pershmerga special forces troops were killed in an operation in Hawija, Kirkurk province to rescue hostages held by Islamic state and whom it was feared faced imminent execution.

Most of the seventy people rescued were Iraqi civilians, some 20 or so were Iraqi military. 


edit:
Found a report:
http://uk.reuters.com/video/2015/10/22/us-serviceman-killed-in-iraq-hostage-res?videoId=366042456&videoChannel=75

ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION) One member of a U.S. special operations team was killed during an operation to rescue hostages held by Islamic State militants in northern Iraq, the first American killed in ground combat with the militant group, Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said on Thursday (October 22). "Approximately 70 hostages were rescued, including more than 20 members of the Iraqi security forces," Cook said. "Five ISIL terrorists were detained by the Iraqis and a number of ISIL terrorists were killed as well." U.S. special operations forces were assisting Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga forces in rescuing hostages held at an Islamic State prison near Hawija, in northern Iraq, in a mission requested by the Kurdistan Regional Government, Cook said. The U.S. serviceman was shot during the mission and taken back to Erbil, where he died, the U.S. defense official said. He was the first U.S. serviceman killed in ground combat operations against Islamic State, which has been the target of daily air strikes in Iraq and Syria by a U.S.-led coalition for more than a year.

[Tonitrus]

ISIS improvises condoms into a type of explosive barrage-balloon bombs in attempt to counter Russian airstrikes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRrnYUqZfFQ

[Admiral Yi]

ISIS improvises condoms into a type of explosive barrage-balloon bombs in attempt to counter Russian airstrikes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRrnYUqZfFQ

The soundtrack to this video sounds like an Arabic version of Christian rock.

I only watched about 5 seconds of it, but if ISIS is devoting attention to countering Russian airstrikes that somewhat belays the official US narrative that Russia is not fighting ISIS.

[Tonitrus]

Well, it should be said that the source of that video is rather Russia-biased.

[Admiral Yi]

Eh, have much of it do I have to watch to get that?