ISIS

[Rip]

And when the Kurds attack Turkey in an attempt to break away and the Turks invoke Article 5?

The Parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America...

Oh, wait, the Turks aren't technically European. I guess that gives us an out.

We would respond as required.

What makes you think the Kurds would do this? It wouldn't matter how much weapons we give them they are no match for Turkey. That would be like us getting worried about Canada because they got some weapons from Russia. Non-threat no matter how well armed they are.

[GreenGoo]

And when the Kurds attack Turkey in an attempt to break away and the Turks invoke Article 5?

The Parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America...

Oh, wait, the Turks aren't technically European. I guess that gives us an out.

We would respond as required.

What makes you think the Kurds would do this? It wouldn't matter how much weapons we give them they are no match for Turkey. That would be like us getting worried about Canada because they got some weapons from Russia. Non-threat no matter how well armed they are.

If we decided to start strapping bombs to our chests combined with an infinitely long border, things start getting more interesting.

No one said it would have to be a conventional war.

[Alefroth]

The Afghan mujahideen were committed to fighting Russia, too. Arming fighters who want to break away from a NATO ally is complicated at best, stupid at worst.

The Kurds didn't "break away" from Turkey. They have always been there as much as Turkey and Iraq have tried to make them disappear. Where it not for our interference previously they might very well already be controlling the area.

Is that an argument against interference?

[Rip]

The Afghan mujahideen were committed to fighting Russia, too. Arming fighters who want to break away from a NATO ally is complicated at best, stupid at worst.

The Kurds didn't "break away" from Turkey. They have always been there as much as Turkey and Iraq have tried to make them disappear. Where it not for our interference previously they might very well already be controlling the area.

Is that an argument against interference?

No, it is an argument for being selective about who you aid and what aid you give.

We are worried about arming the Kurds while throwing weapons at some of the most untrustworthy, unseemly, and uncommitted parties. The Iraqis in particular have been about as untrustworthy, incompetent, and arrogant as you can get. Not to mention rather cowardly even when holding a military advantage.

We should be treating the Kurds the way we treat the Iraqis and vice versa.

[Moliere]

Islamic State's Top Leader in Afghanistan and Pakistan Killed in Airstrike

Hafiz Saeed, the leader of the so-called Islamic State's "Khurasan province" in Pakistan and Afghanistan, was killed along with 30 other fighters in an airstrike in Jalalabad province on Friday night, Afghan intelligence confirmed to VICE News.

Saeed's death was the latest blow inflicted in a string of attacks carried out by Afghan and US-led coalition forces targeting high-profile Islamic State (IS) operatives in the eastern Jalalabad province, where IS has been recruiting fighters since last year. Saeed, who has been erroneously reported as killed in the past, was the highest ranking of three leaders killed this week.

Sounds like it's time to roll out the Mission Accomplished banner again and head home.

[theohall]

Islamic State's Top Leader in Afghanistan and Pakistan Killed in Airstrike

Hafiz Saeed, the leader of the so-called Islamic State's "Khurasan province" in Pakistan and Afghanistan, was killed along with 30 other fighters in an airstrike in Jalalabad province on Friday night, Afghan intelligence confirmed to VICE News.

Saeed's death was the latest blow inflicted in a string of attacks carried out by Afghan and US-led coalition forces targeting high-profile Islamic State (IS) operatives in the eastern Jalalabad province, where IS has been recruiting fighters since last year. Saeed, who has been erroneously reported as killed in the past, was the highest ranking of three leaders killed this week.

Sounds like it's time to roll out the Mission Accomplished banner again and head home.

That's funny. Let me know when they have stopped crucifying and beheading people in Iraq and Syria for not fasting during Ramadan. Heck, maybe we should institute the same rules for Christians during Lent. No fish on Friday - first offense - crucifixion. If you survive and repeat the offense - beheading. Just put it on reality TV so no one gives a damn.

[Combustible Lemur]

Islamic State's Top Leader in Afghanistan and Pakistan Killed in Airstrike

Hafiz Saeed, the leader of the so-called Islamic State's "Khurasan province" in Pakistan and Afghanistan, was killed along with 30 other fighters in an airstrike in Jalalabad province on Friday night, Afghan intelligence confirmed to VICE News.

Saeed's death was the latest blow inflicted in a string of attacks carried out by Afghan and US-led coalition forces targeting high-profile Islamic State (IS) operatives in the eastern Jalalabad province, where IS has been recruiting fighters since last year. Saeed, who has been erroneously reported as killed in the past, was the highest ranking of three leaders killed this week.

Sounds like it's time to roll out the Mission Accomplished banner again and head home.

That's funny. Let me know when they have stopped crucifying and beheading people in Iraq and Syria for not fasting during Ramadan. Heck, maybe we should institute the same rules for Christians during Lent. No fish on Friday - first offense - crucifixion. If you survive and repeat the offense - beheading. Just put it on reality TV so no one gives a damn.

So what do you suggest is the solution?

[raydude]

Islamic State's Top Leader in Afghanistan and Pakistan Killed in Airstrike

Hafiz Saeed, the leader of the so-called Islamic State's "Khurasan province" in Pakistan and Afghanistan, was killed along with 30 other fighters in an airstrike in Jalalabad province on Friday night, Afghan intelligence confirmed to VICE News.

Saeed's death was the latest blow inflicted in a string of attacks carried out by Afghan and US-led coalition forces targeting high-profile Islamic State (IS) operatives in the eastern Jalalabad province, where IS has been recruiting fighters since last year. Saeed, who has been erroneously reported as killed in the past, was the highest ranking of three leaders killed this week.

Sounds like it's time to roll out the Mission Accomplished banner again and head home.

That's funny. Let me know when they have stopped crucifying and beheading people in Iraq and Syria for not fasting during Ramadan. Heck, maybe we should institute the same rules for Christians during Lent. No fish on Friday - first offense - crucifixion. If you survive and repeat the offense - beheading. Just put it on reality TV so no one gives a damn.

So what do you suggest is the solution?

War! Huh! Good God, y'all.

[Isgrimnur]

Red line?

The Islamic State in Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) has been using chemical weapons against Kurdish forces and civilians, according to an investigation in Iraq and Syria, including three known cases in the last month.

On three occasions in the last month, ISIS used chemical munitions to fight the Kurds, adapting suicide bombs and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) to include chlorine and other chemicals, CNN reported according to research by two independent U.K.-based groups, Conflict Armament Research (CAR) and Sahan Research.
...
ISIS forces, for example, has fired munitions at Kurdish positions in northern Syria that had caused loss of focus, temporary paralysis, loss of consciousness and other problems, according to the investigators. At the scenes of one attack, investigators found dark yellow, powerful-smelling liquid leaking from a spent mortar, causing headaches and nausea among the team.

ISIS has been known to use chemical weapons in the past, and with access to weaponized chemical agents, its likely ISIS will continue to use the weapons, according to investigators.

[Isgrimnur]

Now entering the ring.... TURRRRRRRRR-KEYYYYYYYYYYYY!

For almost two years, Turkish troops sat idly on the country’s shared border with Syria as Islamic militants increased their territory and fought on the frontier. The Turkish parliament voted in October to allow its military to join the fight against the Islamic State or Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) but little happened. Then, early Friday morning, a squad of Turkish F-16s struck ISIS positions inside Syria. It was a quick and significant change in the country’s actions toward the militants.
...
Turkey, a member of NATO, was already a signed ally in the fight against ISIS, but has done little to combat the militants or even restrict their access to Syria through Turkey. Cagoptay says this “open door policy” was meant to allow all fighters who want to oust President Bashar al-Assad into Syria. The Islamist-leaning government in Ankara maintains that Assad is enemy number one in Syria, not his opponents but the U.S.-led coalition has attacked ISIS and al-Qaida-linked groups in Syria but not the Assad regime.

“ The Turkish government thinks only fighting ISIS is just dealing with the symptom and not the cause,” says Hakan Altinay, a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institute. Turkey sees the rise of ISIS as a result of Sunni discontent with Assad’s Alawite regime.

The bombing in the Turkish town of Suruc on Monday, which left 32 dead and the death of a Turkish soldier by ISIS fire from Syria on Thursday has made ISIS a immediate threat for the Turkish government. U.S. officials also said on Thursday the Turks have allowed American warplanes to use Turkish bases to attack ISIS.

Altinay says that the recent violence was only a trigger, ISIS’s strengthened position on the shared border and sustained pressure from the U.S. were also factors. “I think that there was one too many reasons to get into action,” says Altinay.

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said the operations against ISIS were not a one-off, but part of a broader strategy. Government forces also arrested more than 200 people in security sweeps across the country.
...
Some of the 200 people arrested in in these security sweeps were actually Turkish Kurds who were not suspected of being part of ISIS.

Some analysts speculated that Turkey might prefer ISIS to an independent Syrian Kurdish state on its border, worried it could further motivate Turkish Kurds to reignite their violent campaign for Kurdish sovereignty on Turkish territory. Just this week Kurdish militants claimed an attack that killed two Turkish troops.

[$iljanus]

Turkey has decided to go in blazing and bomb the Kurdish faction operating in the area, ending a cease fire between the two groups. Probably in retaliation for that militant attack referenced in the post above.

[Drazzil]

The Egyptian President, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, aptly addressed the dangers involved with radical interpretations of sacred Islamic texts during his speech on New Year’s Day, 2015:

Among other things, Sisi said that the “corpus of [Islamic] texts and ideas that we have sacralized over the centuries” are “antagonizing the entire world”; that it is not “possible that 1.6 billion people [reference to the world’s Muslims] should want to kill the rest of the world’s inhabitants—that is 7 billion—so that they themselves may live”; and that Egypt (or the Islamic world in its entirety) “is being torn, it is being destroyed, it is being lost—and it is being lost by our own hands.”

The relevant excerpt from Sisi’s speech follows (translation by Michele Antaki):

I am referring here to the religious clerics. We have to think hard about what we are facing—and I have, in fact, addressed this topic a couple of times before. It’s inconceivable that the thinking that we hold most sacred should cause the entire umma [Islamic world] to be a source of anxiety, danger, killing and destruction for the rest of the world. Impossible!

That thinking—I am not saying “religion” but “thinking”—that corpus of texts and ideas that we have sacralized over the centuries, to the point that departing from them has become almost impossible, is antagonizing the entire world. It’s antagonizing the entire world!

Is it possible that 1.6 billion people [Muslims] should want to kill the rest of the world’s inhabitants—that is 7 billion—so that they themselves may live? Impossible!

I am saying these words here at Al Azhar, before this assembly of scholars and ulema—Allah Almighty be witness to your truth on Judgment Day concerning that which I’m talking about now.

All this that I am telling you, you cannot feel it if you remain trapped within this mindset. You need to step outside of yourselves to be able to observe it and reflect on it from a more enlightened perspective.

I say and repeat again that we are in need of a religious revolution. You, imams, are responsible before Allah. The entire world, I say it again, the entire world is waiting for your next move… because this umma is being torn, it is being destroyed, it is being lost—and it is being lost by our own hands.

I like what this guy is saying.

[Kraken]

Turkey has decided to go in blazing and bomb the Kurdish faction operating in the area, ending a cease fire between the two groups. Probably in retaliation for that militant attack referenced in the post above.

Turkey fears (with good reason) that it will lose some of its territory to Kurdistan when this all finally settles out. Allying with Kurds is problematic for Turks.

[Max Peck]

Retaliating against the PKK is understandable if the PKK is going to violate the truce, but hitting the non-PKK Kurdish forces in Syria and Iraq would be counter-productive.


From this BBC article.

[geezer]

Islamic State's Top Leader in Afghanistan and Pakistan Killed in Airstrike

Hafiz Saeed, the leader of the so-called Islamic State's "Khurasan province" in Pakistan and Afghanistan, was killed along with 30 other fighters in an airstrike in Jalalabad province on Friday night, Afghan intelligence confirmed to VICE News.

Saeed's death was the latest blow inflicted in a string of attacks carried out by Afghan and US-led coalition forces targeting high-profile Islamic State (IS) operatives in the eastern Jalalabad province, where IS has been recruiting fighters since last year. Saeed, who has been erroneously reported as killed in the past, was the highest ranking of three leaders killed this week.

Sounds like it's time to roll out the Mission Accomplished banner again and head home.

That's funny. Let me know when they have stopped crucifying and beheading people in Iraq and Syria for not fasting during Ramadan. Heck, maybe we should institute the same rules for Christians during Lent. No fish on Friday - first offense - crucifixion. If you survive and repeat the offense - beheading. Just put it on reality TV so no one gives a damn.

So what do you suggest is the solution?

War! Huh! Good God, y'all.

I about as anti-war as one can get, and yet, in a vacuum (meaning 9/11, Iraq and Afghanistan had never happened) the atrocities that ISIS is commiting rise to the level of a threat that needs to be addressed and frankly, destroyed. I wouldn't have volunteered for Afghanistan, and I would have actively resisted Iraq to the point of going to jail. But I can't say that I wouldn't volunteer for an anti ISIS action.

[Combustible Lemur]

Islamic State's Top Leader in Afghanistan and Pakistan Killed in Airstrike

Hafiz Saeed, the leader of the so-called Islamic State's "Khurasan province" in Pakistan and Afghanistan, was killed along with 30 other fighters in an airstrike in Jalalabad province on Friday night, Afghan intelligence confirmed to VICE News.

Saeed's death was the latest blow inflicted in a string of attacks carried out by Afghan and US-led coalition forces targeting high-profile Islamic State (IS) operatives in the eastern Jalalabad province, where IS has been recruiting fighters since last year. Saeed, who has been erroneously reported as killed in the past, was the highest ranking of three leaders killed this week.

Sounds like it's time to roll out the Mission Accomplished banner again and head home.

That's funny. Let me know when they have stopped crucifying and beheading people in Iraq and Syria for not fasting during Ramadan. Heck, maybe we should institute the same rules for Christians during Lent. No fish on Friday - first offense - crucifixion. If you survive and repeat the offense - beheading. Just put it on reality TV so no one gives a damn.

So what do you suggest is the solution?

War! Huh! Good God, y'all.

I about as anti-war as one can get, and yet, in a vacuum (meaning 9/11, Iraq and Afghanistan had never happened) the atrocities that ISIS is commiting rise to the level of a threat that needs to be addressed and frankly, destroyed. I wouldn't have volunteered for Afghanistan, and I would have actively resisted Iraq to the point of going to jail. But I can't say that I wouldn't volunteer for an anti ISIS action.

Without being an historian in any way, are they particularly worse than, Hussein, Korea, Somalia, The South American revolutions, etc? They are aweful no doubt, and I don't have any real opposition to us using force (in an intelligent fashion). But it seems like if they weren't Arab Muslims in our currently highlighted sandbox, We wouldn't even give a shit (as a nation).

[Kraken]

Without being an historian in any way, are they particularly worse than, Hussein, Korea, Somalia, The South American revolutions, etc? They are aweful no doubt, and I don't have any real opposition to us using force (in an intelligent fashion). But it seems like if they weren't Arab Muslims in our currently highlighted sandbox, We wouldn't even give a shit (as a nation).

The examples you gave have very little in common...perhaps by design...and ISIS differs from all of those in being religiously based. To me, unshakable fervor and expansionist ideology makes them more dangerous.

[Combustible Lemur]

Without being an historian in any way, are they particularly worse than, Hussein, Korea, Somalia, The South American revolutions, etc? They are aweful no doubt, and I don't have any real opposition to us using force (in an intelligent fashion). But it seems like if they weren't Arab Muslims in our currently highlighted sandbox, We wouldn't even give a shit (as a nation).

The examples you gave have very little in common...perhaps by design...and ISIS differs from all of those in being religiously based. To me, unshakable fervor and expansionist ideology makes them more dangerous.

Maybe, most genocides are a product of religious or social fervor. The expansionist is problematic, but if this was happening in central Africa or south America or some region between china and Russia, would we be as involved or interested as we are? It took almost losing England and getting directly atracked by a main national force to get into ww2. But then we were willing to fight Vietnam and Korea as just proxy wars with Russia. Is Isis more Germany or Soviet Union.

I don't have near enough knowledge to put forth a hard opinion, but I read enough history to be highly skeptical of any government telling me a freedom war is either necessary or productive.

[noxiousdog]

Without being an historian in any way, are they particularly worse than, Hussein, Korea, Somalia, The South American revolutions, etc? They are aweful no doubt, and I don't have any real opposition to us using force (in an intelligent fashion). But it seems like if they weren't Arab Muslims in our currently highlighted sandbox, We wouldn't even give a shit (as a nation).

The examples you gave have very little in common...perhaps by design...and ISIS differs from all of those in being religiously based. To me, unshakable fervor and expansionist ideology makes them more dangerous.

Maybe, most genocides are a product of religious or social fervor. The expansionist is problematic, but if this was happening in central Africa or south America or some region between china and Russia, would we be as involved or interested as we are? It took almost losing England and getting directly atracked by a main national force to get into ww2. But then we were willing to fight Vietnam and Korea as just proxy wars with Russia. Is Isis more Germany or Soviet Union.

I don't have near enough knowledge to put forth a hard opinion, but I read enough history to be highly skeptical of any government telling me a freedom war is either necessary or productive.

When stuff is internal we tend to look past it. When it starts spilling over borders and could invite other nations into the fray, we tend to get involved.

[Combustible Lemur]

Without being an historian in any way, are they particularly worse than, Hussein, Korea, Somalia, The South American revolutions, etc? They are aweful no doubt, and I don't have any real opposition to us using force (in an intelligent fashion). But it seems like if they weren't Arab Muslims in our currently highlighted sandbox, We wouldn't even give a shit (as a nation).

The examples you gave have very little in common...perhaps by design...and ISIS differs from all of those in being religiously based. To me, unshakable fervor and expansionist ideology makes them more dangerous.

Maybe, most genocides are a product of religious or social fervor. The expansionist is problematic, but if this was happening in central Africa or south America or some region between china and Russia, would we be as involved or interested as we are? It took almost losing England and getting directly atracked by a main national force to get into ww2. But then we were willing to fight Vietnam and Korea as just proxy wars with Russia. Is Isis more Germany or Soviet Union.

I don't have near enough knowledge to put forth a hard opinion, but I read enough history to be highly skeptical of any government telling me a freedom war is either necessary or productive.

When stuff is internal we tend to look past it. When it starts spilling over borders and could invite other nations into the fray, we tend to get involved.

Like Ukraine and Georgia?

[noxiousdog]

Without being an historian in any way, are they particularly worse than, Hussein, Korea, Somalia, The South American revolutions, etc? They are aweful no doubt, and I don't have any real opposition to us using force (in an intelligent fashion). But it seems like if they weren't Arab Muslims in our currently highlighted sandbox, We wouldn't even give a shit (as a nation).

The examples you gave have very little in common...perhaps by design...and ISIS differs from all of those in being religiously based. To me, unshakable fervor and expansionist ideology makes them more dangerous.

Maybe, most genocides are a product of religious or social fervor. The expansionist is problematic, but if this was happening in central Africa or south America or some region between china and Russia, would we be as involved or interested as we are? It took almost losing England and getting directly atracked by a main national force to get into ww2. But then we were willing to fight Vietnam and Korea as just proxy wars with Russia. Is Isis more Germany or Soviet Union.

I don't have near enough knowledge to put forth a hard opinion, but I read enough history to be highly skeptical of any government telling me a freedom war is either necessary or productive.

When stuff is internal we tend to look past it. When it starts spilling over borders and could invite other nations into the fray, we tend to get involved.

Like Ukraine and Georgia?

I'm pretty sure the Russians were involved, no?

[Moliere]

Women Screw Islamic State out of Thousands of Dollars by Posing as Potential Brides

Three young Chechen women are in trouble after being caught scamming Islamic State (IS) fighters out of thousands of dollars by posing as wannabe jihadi brides, according to reports in Russia.

The women are reportedly now being held by Russian authorities on charges of suspected fraud.

Cheating ISIS fighters shouldn't be illegal.

[raydude]

Islamic State's Top Leader in Afghanistan and Pakistan Killed in Airstrike

Hafiz Saeed, the leader of the so-called Islamic State's "Khurasan province" in Pakistan and Afghanistan, was killed along with 30 other fighters in an airstrike in Jalalabad province on Friday night, Afghan intelligence confirmed to VICE News.

Saeed's death was the latest blow inflicted in a string of attacks carried out by Afghan and US-led coalition forces targeting high-profile Islamic State (IS) operatives in the eastern Jalalabad province, where IS has been recruiting fighters since last year. Saeed, who has been erroneously reported as killed in the past, was the highest ranking of three leaders killed this week.

Sounds like it's time to roll out the Mission Accomplished banner again and head home.

That's funny. Let me know when they have stopped crucifying and beheading people in Iraq and Syria for not fasting during Ramadan. Heck, maybe we should institute the same rules for Christians during Lent. No fish on Friday - first offense - crucifixion. If you survive and repeat the offense - beheading. Just put it on reality TV so no one gives a damn.

So what do you suggest is the solution?

War! Huh! Good God, y'all.

I about as anti-war as one can get, and yet, in a vacuum (meaning 9/11, Iraq and Afghanistan had never happened) the atrocities that ISIS is commiting rise to the level of a threat that needs to be addressed and frankly, destroyed. I wouldn't have volunteered for Afghanistan, and I would have actively resisted Iraq to the point of going to jail. But I can't say that I wouldn't volunteer for an anti ISIS action.

Granted. But I would want our country to think long and hard about what it will take in terms of blood and treasure to do this, what the success criteria would be, and most importantly, what our exit strategy should be if things go south. From my point of view we'd only be going in because we think the folks in the region can't get it done quickly. And that's not a good enough reason for me. I think the folks there can get it done, they just need time and/or motivation. I'm looking at you - Iraq defense force.

[Defiant]

Turkey's links with ISIS are now "undeniable"

[Rip]

Turkey's links with ISIS are now "undeniable"

The truth begins to leak out.....

[Moliere]

The U.S. Quietly Expands Its Mission in Syria

Starting with then-Secretary of Defense Hagel back in September: “We haven’t really done anything but come up with a concept.” Then, Secretary of State John Kerry in February: “Defending those who are engaged in the fight of ISIL, it seems to me, is an important part of defeating ISIL. But that’s a debate as to how that’s implemented that is taking place in the administration.” More recently, Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter passed when asked again: “We have an obligation. … We’re going to have to decide exactly under what conditions and what way we’ll make that tactical decision when we introduce them.”

These non-answers are essential to keep in mind given Adam Entous’s reporting in Sunday’s Wall Street Journal. Weeks after the first small group of Pentagon-trained rebels were deployed back into northern Syria, the Obama administration has chosen to defend them against absolutely any force that attacks them. An unnamed senior military official is quoted as saying: “For offensive operations, it’s ISIS-only. But if attacked, we’ll defend them against anyone who’s attacking them. We’re not looking to engage the regime, but we’ve made a commitment to help defend these people.” This truly significant decision, which more deeply commits U.S. credibility and military power to the outcome of the Syrian civil war, comes not from behind a White House or Pentagon podium, but rather from an anonymous official speaking to a reporter. This should have been declared publicly by President Obama or Secretary Carter, who should have then been willing to answer some of the clarifying questions that administration officials have refused to address in congressional hearings.

So, are we at war? It's all rather confusing.

[Pyperkub]

Turkey's links with ISIS are now "undeniable"

The truth begins to leak out.....

And they are using the fight against ISIS as cover to round up the Kurds (at an 8-1 ratio):

Ankara's recent anti-terror sweep — which has resulted in the arrest of more than 800 suspected PKK members, compared with just over 100 suspected ISIS sympathizers — and the intensity of its bombing campaign in northern Iraq has made it clear that Turkey's main goal is not to prevent the consolidation of ISIS, but to halt the creation of an autonomous Kurdish state along its southern border.

And blowback — most recently in the form of attacks of security forces and the US consulate in Istanbul — is becoming increasingly likely.

Way to drive the Kurds into ISIS Turkey(s)!

[Rip]

Yep, exactly what I was worried about.

The Kurds have been honest with us and very helpful in fighting Islamic extremists. It disgusts me that we will stand by and allow our "ally" to attack them.

[raydude]

Yep, exactly what I was worried about.

The Kurds have been honest with us and very helpful in fighting Islamic extremists. It disgusts me that we will stand by and allow our "ally" to attack them.

If only there was a way to show our displeasure with them that wasn't just "using meaningless words"....

War! Huh! Whaaat is it good for?

[Moliere]

When the Taliban calls you brutal and horrific...

In the latest example of the ongoing battle for supremacy between the insurgent groups, the Taliban issued a strongly-worded response on Tuesday denouncing the IS propaganda video, which appeared on jihadi social media forums on Sunday.

"A horrific video was released yesterday showing kidnappers who associate themselves with Daesh [IS] brutally martyring several white-bearded tribal elders and villagers with explosives," said a statement posted on the Taliban's website and translated by Reuters.

The Taliban, which has itself been accused of brutality in its attacks, said the prisoners — who were accused by IS as being "apostates" — should not have been treated in such a way.

"This offence and other such brutal actions by a few irresponsible ignorant individuals under the guise of Islam and Muslims are intolerable," it said.

[El Guapo]

Turkey's links with ISIS are now "undeniable"

The truth begins to leak out.....

And they are using the fight against ISIS as cover to round up the Kurds (at an 8-1 ratio):

Ankara's recent anti-terror sweep — which has resulted in the arrest of more than 800 suspected PKK members, compared with just over 100 suspected ISIS sympathizers — and the intensity of its bombing campaign in northern Iraq has made it clear that Turkey's main goal is not to prevent the consolidation of ISIS, but to halt the creation of an autonomous Kurdish state along its southern border.

And blowback — most recently in the form of attacks of security forces and the US consulate in Istanbul — is becoming increasingly likely.

Way to drive the Kurds into ISIS Turkey(s)!

It makes sense. The Kurds are far more of a threat to Turkey's territory than ISIS is. ISIS is nowhere near having the capacity to take on Turkey's military directly in an all-out war. Even if ISIS could get to that capacity (which would take decades) Turkey could reasonably count on NATO's support in fighting a defensive war against them.

However, if Turkey's Kurds declare an independent state in southeast Turkey, it's far less likely that Turkey would have international support for fighting that.

[Rip]

Turkey's links with ISIS are now "undeniable"

The truth begins to leak out.....

And they are using the fight against ISIS as cover to round up the Kurds (at an 8-1 ratio):

Ankara's recent anti-terror sweep — which has resulted in the arrest of more than 800 suspected PKK members, compared with just over 100 suspected ISIS sympathizers — and the intensity of its bombing campaign in northern Iraq has made it clear that Turkey's main goal is not to prevent the consolidation of ISIS, but to halt the creation of an autonomous Kurdish state along its southern border.

And blowback — most recently in the form of attacks of security forces and the US consulate in Istanbul — is becoming increasingly likely.

Way to drive the Kurds into ISIS Turkey(s)!

It makes sense. The Kurds are far more of a threat to Turkey's territory than ISIS is. ISIS is nowhere near having the capacity to take on Turkey's military directly in an all-out war. Even if ISIS could get to that capacity (which would take decades) Turkey could reasonably count on NATO's support in fighting a defensive war against them.

However, if Turkey's Kurds declare an independent state in southeast Turkey, it's far less likely that Turkey would have international support for fighting that.

There is no reason Turkey shouldn't be able to get along with a Kurdish state in northern Iraq. They may find that they could reduce the tension with the Kurds in Turkey if there was and they could interact with it like an adult.

We force Israel's hand at how they deal with neighbors who they aren't fond of, no reason we should accept less from Turkey.

[El Guapo]

Turkey's links with ISIS are now "undeniable"

The truth begins to leak out.....

And they are using the fight against ISIS as cover to round up the Kurds (at an 8-1 ratio):

Ankara's recent anti-terror sweep — which has resulted in the arrest of more than 800 suspected PKK members, compared with just over 100 suspected ISIS sympathizers — and the intensity of its bombing campaign in northern Iraq has made it clear that Turkey's main goal is not to prevent the consolidation of ISIS, but to halt the creation of an autonomous Kurdish state along its southern border.

And blowback — most recently in the form of attacks of security forces and the US consulate in Istanbul — is becoming increasingly likely.

Way to drive the Kurds into ISIS Turkey(s)!

It makes sense. The Kurds are far more of a threat to Turkey's territory than ISIS is. ISIS is nowhere near having the capacity to take on Turkey's military directly in an all-out war. Even if ISIS could get to that capacity (which would take decades) Turkey could reasonably count on NATO's support in fighting a defensive war against them.

However, if Turkey's Kurds declare an independent state in southeast Turkey, it's far less likely that Turkey would have international support for fighting that.

There is no reason Turkey shouldn't be able to get along with a Kurdish state in northern Iraq. They may find that they could reduce the tension with the Kurds in Turkey if there was and they could interact with it like an adult.

We force Israel's hand at how they deal with neighbors who they aren't fond of, no reason we should accept less from Turkey.

Turkey could get along ok with a Kurdish state in Northern Iraq. The danger for Turkey is that the Turkish Kurds would see that and get all agitated about how come they don't get that too. An independent Kurdistan in Northern Iraq would also face enormous internal pressure to support the Turkish Kurds as well, so they'd be more likely to (over time) supply them with money, arms, internal havens, etc.

If Turkey were inclined to behave like an adult, what they should do is allow the Kurds to break away and form their own state. But they are not inclined to do that.

And yes, we should pressure Turkey to treat the Kurds better. However, it is difficult to simultaneously ask for Turkey's assistance against ISIS and at the same time pressure them on the Kurds. The more we pressure Turkey on the Kurds, the less inclined Turkey will be to actively fight ISIS. To some extent we need to choose between the two.

[Rip]

Turkey's links with ISIS are now "undeniable"

The truth begins to leak out.....

And they are using the fight against ISIS as cover to round up the Kurds (at an 8-1 ratio):

Ankara's recent anti-terror sweep — which has resulted in the arrest of more than 800 suspected PKK members, compared with just over 100 suspected ISIS sympathizers — and the intensity of its bombing campaign in northern Iraq has made it clear that Turkey's main goal is not to prevent the consolidation of ISIS, but to halt the creation of an autonomous Kurdish state along its southern border.

And blowback — most recently in the form of attacks of security forces and the US consulate in Istanbul — is becoming increasingly likely.

Way to drive the Kurds into ISIS Turkey(s)!

It makes sense. The Kurds are far more of a threat to Turkey's territory than ISIS is. ISIS is nowhere near having the capacity to take on Turkey's military directly in an all-out war. Even if ISIS could get to that capacity (which would take decades) Turkey could reasonably count on NATO's support in fighting a defensive war against them.

However, if Turkey's Kurds declare an independent state in southeast Turkey, it's far less likely that Turkey would have international support for fighting that.

There is no reason Turkey shouldn't be able to get along with a Kurdish state in northern Iraq. They may find that they could reduce the tension with the Kurds in Turkey if there was and they could interact with it like an adult.

We force Israel's hand at how they deal with neighbors who they aren't fond of, no reason we should accept less from Turkey.

Turkey could get along ok with a Kurdish state in Northern Iraq. The danger for Turkey is that the Turkish Kurds would see that and get all agitated about how come they don't get that too. An independent Kurdistan in Northern Iraq would also face enormous internal pressure to support the Turkish Kurds as well, so they'd be more likely to (over time) supply them with money, arms, internal havens, etc.

If Turkey were inclined to behave like an adult, what they should do is allow the Kurds to break away and form their own state. But they are not inclined to do that.

And yes, we should pressure Turkey to treat the Kurds better. However, it is difficult to simultaneously ask for Turkey's assistance against ISIS and at the same time pressure them on the Kurds. The more we pressure Turkey on the Kurds, the less inclined Turkey will be to actively fight ISIS. To some extent we need to choose between the two.

It is also difficult to ask for the Kurds assistance (which we have been actually getting unlike assistance from Turkey) against ISIS and at the same time ignore the transgression by the Turks.

We don't need to choose between the two, any more than we need to choose between Israel and the Arabs/Persians.

We need to make it clear to both that we have expectations of conduct else we are likely to kick them both in the teach and to help neither.

[El Guapo]

Turkey's links with ISIS are now "undeniable"

The truth begins to leak out.....

And they are using the fight against ISIS as cover to round up the Kurds (at an 8-1 ratio):

Ankara's recent anti-terror sweep — which has resulted in the arrest of more than 800 suspected PKK members, compared with just over 100 suspected ISIS sympathizers — and the intensity of its bombing campaign in northern Iraq has made it clear that Turkey's main goal is not to prevent the consolidation of ISIS, but to halt the creation of an autonomous Kurdish state along its southern border.

And blowback — most recently in the form of attacks of security forces and the US consulate in Istanbul — is becoming increasingly likely.

Way to drive the Kurds into ISIS Turkey(s)!

It makes sense. The Kurds are far more of a threat to Turkey's territory than ISIS is. ISIS is nowhere near having the capacity to take on Turkey's military directly in an all-out war. Even if ISIS could get to that capacity (which would take decades) Turkey could reasonably count on NATO's support in fighting a defensive war against them.

However, if Turkey's Kurds declare an independent state in southeast Turkey, it's far less likely that Turkey would have international support for fighting that.

There is no reason Turkey shouldn't be able to get along with a Kurdish state in northern Iraq. They may find that they could reduce the tension with the Kurds in Turkey if there was and they could interact with it like an adult.

We force Israel's hand at how they deal with neighbors who they aren't fond of, no reason we should accept less from Turkey.

Turkey could get along ok with a Kurdish state in Northern Iraq. The danger for Turkey is that the Turkish Kurds would see that and get all agitated about how come they don't get that too. An independent Kurdistan in Northern Iraq would also face enormous internal pressure to support the Turkish Kurds as well, so they'd be more likely to (over time) supply them with money, arms, internal havens, etc.

If Turkey were inclined to behave like an adult, what they should do is allow the Kurds to break away and form their own state. But they are not inclined to do that.

And yes, we should pressure Turkey to treat the Kurds better. However, it is difficult to simultaneously ask for Turkey's assistance against ISIS and at the same time pressure them on the Kurds. The more we pressure Turkey on the Kurds, the less inclined Turkey will be to actively fight ISIS. To some extent we need to choose between the two.

It is also difficult to ask for the Kurds assistance (which we have been actually getting unlike assistance from Turkey) against ISIS and at the same time ignore the transgression by the Turks.

We don't need to choose between the two, any more than we need to choose between Israel and the Arabs/Persians.

We need to make it clear to both that we have expectations of conduct else we are likely to kick them both in the teach and to help neither.

Sure, of course. If we refuse to do anything about the Turkish attacks on the Kurds then I imagine that would make our relations with the Kurds difficult. Though of course, the Kurds (unlike the Turks) don't really have the option of not fighting ISIS, since ISIS is attacking them.

Ultimately we should try to work with both and reconcile them, but they have fundamental differences that are not based on misunderstanding, so that may not in the end be possible. One possible outcome is that we restrain the Turkish attacks on the Kurds somewhat but not entirely.

Like, if we do what you say and "make it clear to both that we have expectations of conduct else we are likely to kick them both in the teach and to help neither." then (aside from figuring out where "the teach" is) Turkey may well just go ahead and ignore our expectations and keep on bombing the Kurds. If we then help neither, that's fine with Turkey (since they're mostly happy with letting ISIS be while bombing the Kurds anyway) but not at all fine with the Kurds (since Turkey is, you know, bombing them). So is that materially different than siding with Turkey?

And it's not really comparable to Israel / Arabs. We don't need to choose between Israel and the Arab states over time, but to some degree we do need to choose between the competing interests of Israel and an Arab state(s) when those parties are actively at war.

[Moliere]

ISIS Enshrines a Theology of Rape

The systematic rape of women and girls from the Yazidi religious minority has become deeply enmeshed in the organization and the radical theology of the Islamic State in the year since the group announced it was reviving slavery as an institution. Interviews with 21 women and girls who recently escaped the Islamic State, as well as an examination of the group’s official communications, illuminate how the practice has been enshrined in the group’s core tenets.

The trade in Yazidi women and girls has created a persistent infrastructure, with a network of warehouses where the victims are held, viewing rooms where they are inspected and marketed, and a dedicated fleet of buses used to transport them.

A total of 5,270 Yazidis were abducted last year, and at least 3,144 are still being held, according to community leaders. To handle them, the Islamic State has developed a detailed bureaucracy of sex slavery, including sales contracts notarized by the ISIS-run Islamic courts. And the practice has become an established recruiting tool to lure men from deeply conservative Muslim societies, where casual sex is taboo and dating is forbidden.

[Moliere]

ISIS leader repeatedly raped American hostage

American hostage Kayla Mueller was repeatedly forced to have sex with Abu Bakr Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), U.S. intelligence officials told her family in June.

"They told us that he married her, and we all understand what that means," Carl Mueller, Kayla's father, told The Associated Press on Friday, which would have been his daughter's 27th birthday. Her death was reported in February.

Her mother, Marsha Mueller, added, "Kayla did not marry this man. He took her to his room and he abused her and she came back crying."

The news is but the latest in a litany of horrors perpetrated by ISIS, which has beheaded, burned and crucified male captives while passing around women as sex slaves.

[hepcat]

Speaking purely out of concern for the parents, was it really necessary that the details of her captivity be made so public?

[Freyland]

Speaking purely out of concern for the parents, was it really necessary that the details of her captivity be made so public?

Bluntly speaking, the powers that be recognize there is not yet enough American outrage to give them a green light for whatever future commitment they may have in mind.

[Smoove_B]

Yup. From a WaPo article:

The disclosure that Mueller was raped by Baghdadi adds to the grim evidence that the exploitation and abuse of women has been sanctioned at the highest levels of the Islamic State. The sexual enslavement of even teenage girls is seen as religiously endorsed by the group and regarded as a recruiting tool.

It helps demonstrate that it's coming from the top and not a behavior or tactic being utilized by fringe elements. It's also an absolutely horrific revelation and I cannot even begin to imagine what her parents must have been dealing with over the last 6 months.