The mess in the Middle East

[robert99]

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/02/w...le-of-the-fog-of-secret-war-douglas-laux.html
"Mr. Laux said he was struck by how little the military seemed to know about Afghanistan after so many years in the country, and that many C.I.A. officers had developed little more insight. Soldiers and spies served short tours of duty — with much of that time spent just becoming familiar with their surroundings — and then turned their jobs over to new arrivals forced to make the same mistakes as their predecessors."
"By 2011, Mr. Laux said it became a common refrain among Americans in Afghanistan that the United States had not been in the country for 10 years. “It had been in Afghanistan one year, 10 times,” he said."
Nothing new eh?
Apocalypse Now: Redux script by John Milius and Francis Ford Coppola
"Commitment and Counterinsurgency"
by Walter E. Kurtz. "As long as
our officers and troops perform
tours of duty limited to one year,
they will remain dilettantes in
war, and tourists in Vietnam. As
long as cold beer, hot food, rock
'n' roll, and all the other
amenities remain expected norm,
our conduct of the war will only
gain impotence. We need fewer
men, and better. If they were
committed, this war could be won
with a fourth of our present force."

Also - ISIS attacked Brussels? The US created ISIS? Therefore?
Land Destroyer: America's Fake War on ISIS Grinds On
The birth of IS and it's subsequent expansion into surronding countries is a missing topic in the media. Also want does the US and it's allies really want in Syria? The removal of Assad or what? The "moderates" in Syria seem to have become IS, like the Mujahideen became the Taliban in Afghanistan. And what are the Israelis up to in Syria? Nothing? Seems unlikely.
(see Containing ISIS, keeping Assad weak )
And why are all the "Muslim extremists" behind the terror attacks in Europe all criminals known to the Police before they became suicide bombers?

 

[robert99]

Syrian Alawites distance themselves from Assad - BBC News
Syrian Alawites distance themselves from Assad
In a deeply unusual move, leaders of President Bashar al-Assad's Alawite sect in Syria have released a document, obtained by the BBC, that distances themselves from his regime and outlines what kind of future they wish for the country after five years of civil war.

The community and religious leaders say they hope to "shine a light" on the Alawites after a long period of secrecy, at what they call "an important moment" in their history.

In the eight-page document, termed a "declaration of identity reform", the Alawites say they represent a third model "of and within Islam".

Those behind the text say Alawites are not members of a branch of Shia Islam - as they have been described in the past by Shia clerics - and that they are committed to "the fight against sectarian strife".

They also make clear that they adhere to "the values of equality, liberty and citizenship", and call for secularism to be the future of Syria, and a system of governance in which Islam, Christianity and all other religions are equal.

And despite Alawites having dominated Syria's government and security services under Mr Assad and his late father Hafez for more than four decades, they stress that the legitimacy of his regime "can only be considered according to the criteria of democracy and fundamental rights".

Same story in Angolan press (just to post something from Angola!)
Syrian Alawites distance themselves from Assad

"Those behind the declaration, which was reportedly smuggled out of Syria in high secrecy, chose to conceal their names out of fears for their safety. It remained unclear to what extent it was supported by the wider Alawite population in Syria."
Threat to Assad as Alawites distance themselves from regime's crimes
Could be a fake then as Assad's Alawite buddies would lose a lot of "influence" if he goes.

 

[robert99]

"an aspiring suicide bomber"- do you need to pass a test or something?!
"Thousands of apparent Isis registration documents were published by a Syrian opposition site in January and then more leaked in March to the German daily Süddeutsche Zeitung."
Süddeutsche Zeitung seems to be "Leaks Central" at the moment.
Thirteen Australians in Islamic State leaks, says counter-terrorism analysis

 

[robert99]

... meanwhile in liberated Baghdad,
"Security forces in the Iraqi capital Baghdad have warned journalists to stay away from the Green Zone following threats by protesters to attack it, a Rudaw reporter in Baghdad said on Tuesday.

“We have been told that the protesters may attack the Green Zone and warned journalists to protect themselves by leaving the area,” Mustafa Goran, the Rudaw reporter in Baghdad said.

The Iraqi Army deployed heavy weapons to Baghdad’s Green Zone on Tuesday. All of the capitals government institutions are closed due to these tensions Goran said.

Earlier on Tuesday Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi was prevented from speaking in parliament as large demonstrations in Baghdad demanded urgent reforms and a reshuffle of the government cabinet.

Rudaw video footage from inside the house showed MPs screaming and calling on Abadi to leave the chamber. Ammera Zangana, a Kurdish MP in the Iraqi parliament, told Rudaw that 171 MPs attended Tuesday’s session in the 328 seat parliament.

Abadi was in parliament as hundreds of angry protesters took to the streets of Baghdad as part of a march they claim to be made-up of a million demonstrators.

These demonstrators warned that parliament must vote on the creation of a technocratic government on Tuesday. "

http://rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/260420164
see also Iraq replaces 6 ministers in contested cabinet reshuffle -
PressTV-Iraq replaces 6 ministers in reshuffle

 

[robert99]

Yep, as Syria grabs the headlines, Iraq is falling apart and descending into sectarian strife -
http://rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/290420162
Anti-corruption protesters gathered in Tahrir Square in the Iraqi capital on Friday demanded reforms and vowed to destroy the walls of Green Zone, Rudaw's correspondent reported.
Rudaw's Bahman Hassan said that the number of protesters is rising and they say that if government does not institute reforms, they will destroy the walls of the Green Zone.
"The Green Zone is guarded by dozens of security forces, equipped with heavy weapons, situated inside the Green Zone on order of Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi," Hassan reported.
Baghdad’s Green Zone is a heavily fortified 10 square kilometer area of the city where government and international institutions and bodies are located.
see also http://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2016/04/26/462644/Iraq-Sadr-rally-reforms
and Renewed protests in Baghdad over stalled reforms

 

[robert99]

... as it was expected (by me anyway!) - Iraqi Shia protesters storm Baghdad parliament - BBC News
Iraqi Shia activists have stormed parliament in protest against ongoing deadlock in approving a new cabinet.

Hundreds of supporters of Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr broke through gates of the protected Green Zone after MPs again failed to convene for a vote.

The protesters are reported to have begun ransacking parliament buildings.

Mr Sadr wants Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to press ahead with a plan to replace ministers with non-partisan technocrats.

Powerful parties in parliament have refused to approve the change for several weeks.

A protest outside the Green Zone escalated after parliament again failed to reach a quorum on Saturday, AFP news agency reports.

It said the protesters stopped lawmakers attempting to flee the building chanting, "the cowards ran away!"
(This can only end in bloodshed )
more at PressTV-Reform protests escalate in Baghdad
more at (video too!) http://rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/300420165

 

[robert99]

"US: We have 'full confidence' in Iraqi security to protect diplomatic mission"- which means they don't!
http://rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/300420169

 

[ledboots]

"US: We have 'full confidence' in Iraqi security to protect diplomatic mission"- which means they don't!
http://rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/300420169

And have no real way of evacuating them, I suspect.

 

[robert99]

Well, they won't be eating poultry in Iraq as a massive outbreak of bird-flu H541 has resulted in over 700,000 birds being killed (see Massive bird flu outbreak in Iraq ) I feel a Marie Antoinette type comment coming on. "Let them eat chocolate" seems fitting - Angry Iraqi protester: lawmakers ‘eating chocolates’ as people starve- http://rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/300420166

 

[robert99]

http://rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/02052016
Mission accomplished or just the beginning?
"Sources said that protesters were ordered to leave by Sadr, whose loyalists stormed the parliament building on Saturday. They said Sadr was facing some domestic and international pressure demanding he get protesters off the streets and resolve issues through dialogue.

Sources added that Sadr and the committee responsible for organizing the demonstration in Baghdad had called on Iraqis across the country, except the autonomous northern Kurdistan Region, to stage demonstrations in support of the Baghdad protests."

 

[robert99]

http://english.alarabiya.net/en/New...appings-of-Westerners-for-prisoner-swaps.html
Al-Qaeda are still going?
Al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri has appeared in an audio interview calling on fighters to take Western hostages and exchange them for jailed extremists, the monitoring service SITE Intelligence Group said on Sunday.

In recording posted online, al-Zawahiri called on the global militant network to kidnap Westerners “until they liberate the last Muslim male prisoner and last Muslim female prisoner in the prisons of the Crusaders, apostates, and enemies of Islam,” according to SITE.

Reuters could not verify the authenticity of the recording. Zawahiri is believed to be seeking refuge in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border area that is the Taliban’s base.

 

[Second Summer]

http://english.alarabiya.net/en/New...appings-of-Westerners-for-prisoner-swaps.html
Al-Qaeda are still going?
Al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri has appeared in an audio interview calling on fighters to take Western hostages and exchange them for jailed extremists, the monitoring service SITE Intelligence Group said on Sunday.

In recording posted online, al-Zawahiri called on the global militant network to kidnap Westerners “until they liberate the last Muslim male prisoner and last Muslim female prisoner in the prisons of the Crusaders, apostates, and enemies of Islam,” according to SITE.

I'm holding 3 Qu'rans hostage in my basement. I'd like to exchange them for 2 Bibles and 1 Veda book.

(Disclaimer: That was a joke. I live in a typical English house, so can only dream of a basement.)

 

[robert99]

PressTV-Nusra rename won’t alter its nature: Iran
Syrian Nusra Front announces split from al-Qaeda - BBC News
Syrian jihadist group Jabhat al-Nusra, also known as the Nusra Front, has announced it has split from al-Qaeda.

Leader Abu Mohammed al-Julani, in his first recorded message, said its new name would be Jabhat Fateh al-Sham [Front for the Conquest of Syria/the Levant].

Analysts say the Nusra Front decided to rebrand itself after the US and Russia stepped up their military efforts against the group. It is understood the group hopes to form closer alliances with other Islamist groups fighting in Syria.

 

[robert99]

Now the Sunnis and Christians, like the Kurds, want some independence from Baghdad-
http://rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/290720162
The biggest political entity in Mosul has set out plans for after the liberation of Nineveh province from Islamic State (ISIS), declaring the province must become an autonomous region with six to eight smaller provinces.

“We are with changing the structure of Nineveh province, making it an [autonomous] region with six to eight provinces,” said Atheel Nojaifi, former Mosul governor and head of the Al Hadba party, adding that “this way, all the groups in the region can enjoy a self-administration system since they can no longer trust any other promises for their protection.”

Christians who were evicted by ISIS when the group took over their lands in the Nineveh plains are also calling for the formation of a Christian province in the region because they are afraid of the post-ISIS era.

 

[robert99]

The al-Qaeda playbook has lessons for the US in the war against Islamic State
Osama bin Laden thought it was a really bad idea for a bunch of terrorists to try to set up their own state, or, more ambitious yet, a caliphate.

The group now known as Islamic State or Daesh was among his followers and they sought his advice as the pre-eminent jihadi of his time.

No Islamic government founded by jihadists would be able to endure as long as the US "continues to possess the ability to topple any state we establish", he wrote to his followers in 2006.

"We have to remember that the enemy toppled the Taliban and Saddam's regime."

 

[robert99]

Isis has not radicalised Muslims, it has infantilised them
I was even more amazed by the remark of a French judge this year, who noticed that the mother of a suspected jihadi was bringing him, during court breaks, the food he liked to eat when he was a schoolchild. The judge remarked on the juvenile nature of this behaviour. Yes, mummy was bringing his favourite school ice-cream to him.

And there is, is there not, a faint connection between this and the pathetic email messages from teenagers already in Syria as they reassure future jihadis of equal immaturity that they can buy their favourite food in Raqqa. Armed Isis men have appeared on videos to extol their much-loved chocolate hazelnut spread, their enthusiasm for kittens and their hatred for Star Wars (too violent, naturally).

All this suggests that the “television terrorists” of Isis have not been radicalised at all, as our terror experts and Scotland Yard claim. They have been infantilised. Isis has broken down the precious wall which separates childhood from adulthood, innocence from guilt. This – far more than mass murder – is their final dark achievement.
...
Bin Laden’s legacy in the Middle East has turned into something even he might not recognise today. Nihilism has begat infantilisation, where the schoolchild and the murderer have become one, as innocent and guilty as the other.

 

[robert99]

Following up on the previous post - London schoolgirl who ran away to join Isis
London schoolgirl who ran away to join Isis ‘killed in air strike in Syria’
Ms Sultana, 17, left Britain to travel to Syria in February 2015 with fellow teenagers Shamima Begum and Amira Abase.

The Bethnal Green schoolgirls were among more than 800 Britons believed to have left the UK to join Isis or other militant groups in Syria and Iraq, ITV News said. It is thought that at least 250 have since returned.

Some have faced prosecution, with others allowed to re-enter society under the watch of security services.

 

[robert99]

Further on children used by IS - ISIS using underage suicide bombers, says Peshmerga official - Iraqi News
“ISIS militants are now using suicide bombers and car bombs as the last resort, after suffering heavy losses at the hand of the Kurdish Peshmerga forces,” said a source in Erbil quoting Omid Walati, a Peshmerga official.

“On the second day of the major operation against ISIS, the militant outfit is using underage fighters to carry out suicide attacks and car bomb offensives and this is done only to buy more time for escaping,” further said the source quoting the official.

 

[robert99]

http://rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/210820165
A boy suicide bomber in his early teens was arrested by Kurdish security forces in Kirkuk on Sunday night before detonating his explosives belt, after two other suicide attacks on the same day in the Kurdish city.

The young bomber, aged between 12 and 13, was captured by security forces in Kirkuk’s Huzairan neighborhood, according to a Rudaw reporter on the scene.

 

[robert99]

http://rudaw.net/english/opinion/30082016
ISIS called them the Lion Cubs, and they were seen as the future generation for the Caliphate. Trained to follow orders, they were supposed to be the most loyal part of the new Islamic state.

That ISIS uses them now, shows the desperation of the leadership, that sees the state crumble and is looking for ways to stem the haemorrhaging.

They are trying to use them for propaganda, trying to scare us with this cruel young generation, for instance with the more recent video of five kids shooting and executing five prisoners.

Which makes the boys with the suicide vests in Kirkuk not only perpetrators, but just as much victims. Driven by fear and controlled by their peers, they simply had no choice. It was kill, or be killed.