snoopdoggydog
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Compton_effect
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Now being the horrible little devious sod I am. I'd tag a cache of assault rifles, 'accidentally' drop them where ISIS can find them first. And then track where they end up... (You'll be surprised. A case of HK XM5 assault rifles was once discovered in East Timor - no one could understand how they ended up there as the rifles were still in testing.)
LazyLion
King of de Jungle
THREE US TEENAGE GIRLS CAUGHT IN FRANKFURT AIRPORT, SENT HOME
Three US girls were detained in Frankfurt and sent home, amid speculation they were travelling to join Islamic State militants in the Middle East.
They were sent back to their families in Denver, Colorado at the weekend, a spokeswoman for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said Tuesday in Washington.
Two of the girls were sisters of Somali descent aged 15 and 17, and the third was a 16-year-old from another family with Sudanese origins, the Denver Post reported.
A spokesman for the Somali family told the Post that the girls apparently bought their own tickets, but did not answer media speculation that they planned to travel through Turkey to join Islamic State fighters in northern Syria.
One of the Somali sisters told German authorities they were heading to Turkey to study, according to a Voice of America report at the weekend. Turkey is seen by anti-terrorism experts as a transit point for people joining jihadist groups in the Middle East.
The girls were declared missing after they skipped school on Friday.
The Sudanese girl's father was alerted by a call from her school, and the other family told police their passports and 2,000 dollars were missing.
They were detained by German authorities at the weekend in Frankfurt, and were back with their families in Denver on Monday, the Post reported.
Asked by the sheriff's deputy why they had gone to Germany, the Somali girls just said "family" without elaborating, the Denver Post wrote, citing the deputy's report.
Source : Sapa-dpa /gf
Date : 22 Oct 2014 05:40
Three US girls were detained in Frankfurt and sent home, amid speculation they were travelling to join Islamic State militants in the Middle East.
They were sent back to their families in Denver, Colorado at the weekend, a spokeswoman for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said Tuesday in Washington.
Two of the girls were sisters of Somali descent aged 15 and 17, and the third was a 16-year-old from another family with Sudanese origins, the Denver Post reported.
A spokesman for the Somali family told the Post that the girls apparently bought their own tickets, but did not answer media speculation that they planned to travel through Turkey to join Islamic State fighters in northern Syria.
One of the Somali sisters told German authorities they were heading to Turkey to study, according to a Voice of America report at the weekend. Turkey is seen by anti-terrorism experts as a transit point for people joining jihadist groups in the Middle East.
The girls were declared missing after they skipped school on Friday.
The Sudanese girl's father was alerted by a call from her school, and the other family told police their passports and 2,000 dollars were missing.
They were detained by German authorities at the weekend in Frankfurt, and were back with their families in Denver on Monday, the Post reported.
Asked by the sheriff's deputy why they had gone to Germany, the Somali girls just said "family" without elaborating, the Denver Post wrote, citing the deputy's report.
Source : Sapa-dpa /gf
Date : 22 Oct 2014 05:40
LazyLion
King of de Jungle
SYRIA KURDS WEATHER IS ASSAULT AND AWAIT REINFORCEMENTS
by Fulya Ozerkan with Mohamad Ali Harissi in Beirut
Kurdish defenders of the strategic Syrian border town of Kobane awaited reinforcements Wednesday after weathering another onslaught by Islamic State jihadists.
Fighting appeared to have diminished after a fierce attack begun by IS fighters almost 48 hours earlier, including suicide bombers, witnesses and monitors said.
IS jihadists in east Kobane were exchanging fire with Kurdish militia in the west and there were reports of an explosion, probably a car bomb, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said.
A total of 30 jihadists and 11 Kurdish fighters were killed in 24 hours, the Britain-based Observatory said late Tuesday, adding that IS was bringing in reinforcements "as a result of the daily losses in Kobane".
The town has become a crucial battleground in the war against IS, which is fighting to extend areas under its control in Iraq and Syria where it has declared an Islamic "caliphate".
The lull came as the UN accused the Islamic State of "attempted genocide" against Iraq's Yazidi minority and said atrocities committed by jihadists may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.
"The evidence strongly indicates attempt to commit genocide," UN Assistant Secretary General Ivan Simonovic said after meeting with officials and displaced people in Arbil, Baghdad and Dohuk during a week-long visit.
Tens of thousands of Yazidis have fled, fearing for their lives after being targeted for their religious beliefs.
Against a backdrop of continued fighting, there has been feverish diplomatic efforts with Turkey announcing Monday that it would help Kurdish forces from Iraq to relieve Kobane's beleaguered defenders, in a major shift of policy that was swiftly welcomed by Washington.
Iraqi Kurdish officials have said they will provide the training, although any forces sent will be Syrian Kurds.
A local Kurdish official, Idris Nassen, told AFP on Tuesday that no reinforcements had yet arrived and they did not have "any idea" when they would.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu confirmed Kurdish fighters had yet to cross from Turkey to Kobane, explaining that "the issue is still being discussed".
The US administration has stepped up its commitment to Kobane in recent days, with Secretary of State John Kerry saying it would be "irresponsible" and "morally very difficult" not to help.
Three C-130 cargo aircraft carried out what the US military called successful drops of supplies early on Monday, including arms provided by Kurdish authorities in Iraq.
A US-led coalition has carried out more than 140 air strikes against IS targets around Kobane, but it was the first time it had delivered arms to the town's defenders.
US Central Command said one of the 27 bundles had gone astray but that American warplanes bombed it to prevent it being snatched by IS.
It also said American warplanes carried out four strikes near Kobane on Monday and Tuesday, while coalition aircraft conducted another three in Iraq.
Despite the Kobane operation, US commanders said the top priority remains Iraq, where IS swept through much of the Sunni Arab heartland north and west of Baghdad in June, with both government and Kurdish forces under pressure.
The jihadists attacked the Kurdish-controlled town of Qara Tapah on Monday, killing at least 10 people and prompting half of its 9,000 residents to flee.
"We are afraid IS will encircle us and turn this town into a second Amerli," said one resident, referring to a mainly Shiite Turkmen town further north besieged by IS for two months over the summer.
Since last week, Baghdad also seen a rise in the number of bombings, several of which have been claimed by IS.
Two car bombs exploded Tuesday in a Shiite area of the capital, killing at least 12.
The violence has raised fears IS will attack large gatherings of Shiite worshippers during the upcoming Ashura commemorations, the target of devastating bombings in past years.
Meanwhile, Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi, in Iran for talks with his Shiite ally, described IS as "a threat to the entire region".
IS holds towns just a few miles (kilometres) from the Iranian border, and Tehran has been a key backer of Baghdad's efforts to hold them back.
According to a senior Iraqi Kurdish official, Iran has deployed troops on the Iraqi side of the border in the Khanaqin area northeast of Baghdad.
Iranian forces also played a role in breaking the siege of Amerli, another senior Kurdish official said.
But Abadi has ruled out any foreign ground intervention to assist government forces in retaking territory lost to jihadists.
After meeting Abadi, Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said he believed Iraq and its government "have the capacity to overcome the terrorists and establish security. There is no need for foreign presence".
In Syria, IS posted a video on YouTube appearing to show a Syrian man taking part in stoning his daughter to death for alleged adultery.
The Observatory said the execution took place in August or September in an IS-controlled rural area in the east of the central province of Hama.
Elsewhere in Syria, regime air raids killed at least 15 people Wednesday in rebel-held Nassib, on the Jordanian border, the Observatory said.
Meanwhile it was announced on Wednesday that the father of John Cantlie, a British hostage being held by Islamic State, had died.
Eighty-year-old Paul Cantlie passed away after "complications following pneumonia".
Source : Sapa-AFP /gf
Date : 22 Oct 2014 04:50
by Fulya Ozerkan with Mohamad Ali Harissi in Beirut
Kurdish defenders of the strategic Syrian border town of Kobane awaited reinforcements Wednesday after weathering another onslaught by Islamic State jihadists.
Fighting appeared to have diminished after a fierce attack begun by IS fighters almost 48 hours earlier, including suicide bombers, witnesses and monitors said.
IS jihadists in east Kobane were exchanging fire with Kurdish militia in the west and there were reports of an explosion, probably a car bomb, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said.
A total of 30 jihadists and 11 Kurdish fighters were killed in 24 hours, the Britain-based Observatory said late Tuesday, adding that IS was bringing in reinforcements "as a result of the daily losses in Kobane".
The town has become a crucial battleground in the war against IS, which is fighting to extend areas under its control in Iraq and Syria where it has declared an Islamic "caliphate".
The lull came as the UN accused the Islamic State of "attempted genocide" against Iraq's Yazidi minority and said atrocities committed by jihadists may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.
"The evidence strongly indicates attempt to commit genocide," UN Assistant Secretary General Ivan Simonovic said after meeting with officials and displaced people in Arbil, Baghdad and Dohuk during a week-long visit.
Tens of thousands of Yazidis have fled, fearing for their lives after being targeted for their religious beliefs.
Against a backdrop of continued fighting, there has been feverish diplomatic efforts with Turkey announcing Monday that it would help Kurdish forces from Iraq to relieve Kobane's beleaguered defenders, in a major shift of policy that was swiftly welcomed by Washington.
Iraqi Kurdish officials have said they will provide the training, although any forces sent will be Syrian Kurds.
A local Kurdish official, Idris Nassen, told AFP on Tuesday that no reinforcements had yet arrived and they did not have "any idea" when they would.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu confirmed Kurdish fighters had yet to cross from Turkey to Kobane, explaining that "the issue is still being discussed".
The US administration has stepped up its commitment to Kobane in recent days, with Secretary of State John Kerry saying it would be "irresponsible" and "morally very difficult" not to help.
Three C-130 cargo aircraft carried out what the US military called successful drops of supplies early on Monday, including arms provided by Kurdish authorities in Iraq.
A US-led coalition has carried out more than 140 air strikes against IS targets around Kobane, but it was the first time it had delivered arms to the town's defenders.
US Central Command said one of the 27 bundles had gone astray but that American warplanes bombed it to prevent it being snatched by IS.
It also said American warplanes carried out four strikes near Kobane on Monday and Tuesday, while coalition aircraft conducted another three in Iraq.
Despite the Kobane operation, US commanders said the top priority remains Iraq, where IS swept through much of the Sunni Arab heartland north and west of Baghdad in June, with both government and Kurdish forces under pressure.
The jihadists attacked the Kurdish-controlled town of Qara Tapah on Monday, killing at least 10 people and prompting half of its 9,000 residents to flee.
"We are afraid IS will encircle us and turn this town into a second Amerli," said one resident, referring to a mainly Shiite Turkmen town further north besieged by IS for two months over the summer.
Since last week, Baghdad also seen a rise in the number of bombings, several of which have been claimed by IS.
Two car bombs exploded Tuesday in a Shiite area of the capital, killing at least 12.
The violence has raised fears IS will attack large gatherings of Shiite worshippers during the upcoming Ashura commemorations, the target of devastating bombings in past years.
Meanwhile, Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi, in Iran for talks with his Shiite ally, described IS as "a threat to the entire region".
IS holds towns just a few miles (kilometres) from the Iranian border, and Tehran has been a key backer of Baghdad's efforts to hold them back.
According to a senior Iraqi Kurdish official, Iran has deployed troops on the Iraqi side of the border in the Khanaqin area northeast of Baghdad.
Iranian forces also played a role in breaking the siege of Amerli, another senior Kurdish official said.
But Abadi has ruled out any foreign ground intervention to assist government forces in retaking territory lost to jihadists.
After meeting Abadi, Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said he believed Iraq and its government "have the capacity to overcome the terrorists and establish security. There is no need for foreign presence".
In Syria, IS posted a video on YouTube appearing to show a Syrian man taking part in stoning his daughter to death for alleged adultery.
The Observatory said the execution took place in August or September in an IS-controlled rural area in the east of the central province of Hama.
Elsewhere in Syria, regime air raids killed at least 15 people Wednesday in rebel-held Nassib, on the Jordanian border, the Observatory said.
Meanwhile it was announced on Wednesday that the father of John Cantlie, a British hostage being held by Islamic State, had died.
Eighty-year-old Paul Cantlie passed away after "complications following pneumonia".
Source : Sapa-AFP /gf
Date : 22 Oct 2014 04:50
LazyLion
King of de Jungle
US ARMS AIRDROP FALLS INTO JIHADIST HANDS IN SYRIA: MONITOR
A US military airdrop of weapons meant for Kurdish fighters fell into the hands of their jihadist foes near the Syrian battleground town of Kobane, a monitor said Tuesday.
The American military could not confirm the account but said it was examining a video posted online that shows a masked gunman with what appears to be crates attached to a parachute.
US aircraft parachuted crates of weapons, ammunition and medical supplies on Sunday night to resupply Kurds defending the Syrian town of Kobane from the Islamic State group (IS) jihadists.
"One load was taken by IS and there are contradictory reports about a second" which was also reported to have gone astray, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Some sources said two consignments had landed in the hands of IS, but others said that warplanes from a US-led coalition destroyed one of them once the error was detected.
US Central Command, which oversees American forces in the Middle East, said Monday that only one of 27 bundles had gone astray and that American warplanes bombed it to prevent the supplies being snatched by IS.
In a video posted on the Internet, titled "Arms and ammunition dropped by US planes in an IS-held area of Kobane", a masked gunman shows off what appears to be one such bundle attached to a parachute.
"This is the American aid thrown to the infidels," he says, opening wooden boxes filled with rockets and grenades, as aircraft could be heard circling overhead.
"Praise be to God, this is booty for the mujahedeen (Islamic warriors)."
In Washington, Rear Admiral John Kirby could not confirm whether more than one bundle had drifted off course or if the bundle purportedly shown in the video was later bombed by American warplanes.
But he said analysts at Central Command and at the Pentagon were studying the video.
"We're still taking a look at it and assessing the validity of it," he told reporters.
"I do want to add, though, that we are very confident that the vast majority of the bundles did end up in the right hands."
The US military was highly skilled at conducting air drops and the method was an effective way to ferry supplies to forces on the ground, he added.
Source : Sapa-AFP /mm
Date : 21 Oct 2014 23:36
A US military airdrop of weapons meant for Kurdish fighters fell into the hands of their jihadist foes near the Syrian battleground town of Kobane, a monitor said Tuesday.
The American military could not confirm the account but said it was examining a video posted online that shows a masked gunman with what appears to be crates attached to a parachute.
US aircraft parachuted crates of weapons, ammunition and medical supplies on Sunday night to resupply Kurds defending the Syrian town of Kobane from the Islamic State group (IS) jihadists.
"One load was taken by IS and there are contradictory reports about a second" which was also reported to have gone astray, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Some sources said two consignments had landed in the hands of IS, but others said that warplanes from a US-led coalition destroyed one of them once the error was detected.
US Central Command, which oversees American forces in the Middle East, said Monday that only one of 27 bundles had gone astray and that American warplanes bombed it to prevent the supplies being snatched by IS.
In a video posted on the Internet, titled "Arms and ammunition dropped by US planes in an IS-held area of Kobane", a masked gunman shows off what appears to be one such bundle attached to a parachute.
"This is the American aid thrown to the infidels," he says, opening wooden boxes filled with rockets and grenades, as aircraft could be heard circling overhead.
"Praise be to God, this is booty for the mujahedeen (Islamic warriors)."
In Washington, Rear Admiral John Kirby could not confirm whether more than one bundle had drifted off course or if the bundle purportedly shown in the video was later bombed by American warplanes.
But he said analysts at Central Command and at the Pentagon were studying the video.
"We're still taking a look at it and assessing the validity of it," he told reporters.
"I do want to add, though, that we are very confident that the vast majority of the bundles did end up in the right hands."
The US military was highly skilled at conducting air drops and the method was an effective way to ferry supplies to forces on the ground, he added.
Source : Sapa-AFP /mm
Date : 21 Oct 2014 23:36
LazyLion
King of de Jungle
AIRSTRIKES TARGET OIL FIELD IN EASTERN SYRIA
Activists say the U.S.-led coalition has launched airstrikes on an oil field in Syria's eastern province of Deir el-Zour that borders Iraq.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the coalition launched four airstrikes on oil wells in the Jafra field late Wednesday.
The Local Coordination Committees, an activist group, also reported the airstrikes on Thursday.
The U.S.-led coalition has aggressively targeted IS-held oil facilities in Syria, which provide a key source of income for the militants. But such strikes also endanger civilians, which could undermine long-term efforts to destroy the militant group.
The Observatory, which relies on a network of activists around the country, said that since the airstrikes on Syria began a month ago, 553 people have been killed including 32 civilians. The rest were mostly jihadis.
Source : Sapa-AP /mjs
Date : 23 Oct 2014 11:09
Activists say the U.S.-led coalition has launched airstrikes on an oil field in Syria's eastern province of Deir el-Zour that borders Iraq.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the coalition launched four airstrikes on oil wells in the Jafra field late Wednesday.
The Local Coordination Committees, an activist group, also reported the airstrikes on Thursday.
The U.S.-led coalition has aggressively targeted IS-held oil facilities in Syria, which provide a key source of income for the militants. But such strikes also endanger civilians, which could undermine long-term efforts to destroy the militant group.
The Observatory, which relies on a network of activists around the country, said that since the airstrikes on Syria began a month ago, 553 people have been killed including 32 civilians. The rest were mostly jihadis.
Source : Sapa-AP /mjs
Date : 23 Oct 2014 11:09
Pitbull
Verboten
There goes the oil price... Anyone knows which company is being fuelled by those oil fields? Should maybe short some shares for that company
LazyLion
King of de Jungle
MORE THAN 1,700 BOMBS DROPPED IN US-LED AIR WAR ON IS
by Daniel DE LUCE
US and allied aircraft have flown nearly 6,600 sorties in the air war against the Islamic State group and dropped more than 1,700 bombs, the American military said Thursday.
The flights for "Operation Inherent Resolve" include thousands of mid-air fueling runs, surveillance sorties and 632 air strikes in Iraq and Syria, according to US Central Command.
The latest tally was released one month since the US-led coalition extended its air campaign from Iraq into Syria, in a bid to counter the advance of the Islamic State jihadists.
The effect of the open-ended air campaign remains the subject of debate, with the White House saying the militants have been damaged by the strikes and critics pointing to the group's battlefield successes despite the raids.
Coalition aircraft have targeted Islamic State militants with more than 1,700 bombs and missiles since August 8 in both Iraq and Syria, Central Command said in a statement.
Washington often stresses that a broad coalition is fighting the Islamic State militants, but US aircraft have conducted the overwhelming majority of the strikes so far.
Out of 632 bombing raids, non-US coalition members -- including four Arab states -- carried out only 79 of the strikes, Central Command said.
In Iraq, aircraft from Australia, Belgium, Britain, and the Netherlands have taken part in the strikes along with the United States.
And in Syria, the Americans have been joined by combat aircraft from Bahrain, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, it said.
The Central Command statement did not cite Qatar as conducting air strikes, but officials say the country has "supported" the operation with other assistance.
Details about the flights and missions undertaken by Arab allies have been kept secret for the most part, with the Gulf countries reluctant to publicly discuss their role.
In its daily press releases on the air campaign, Central Command this week said it would stop providing details of which Arab states participated in the latest air strikes, without offering an explanation for the move.
A little more than half the strikes -- 346 -- have taken place in Iraq, while 286 were conducted in Syria, it said.
The American warplanes flying bombing missions have included Reaper drones, F-15, F-16, F/A-18 and F-22 fighter jets, B-1B bombers, Harrier strike aircraft and AC-130 gunships, which are modified cargo planes outfitted with powerful guns.
In addition, AH-64 Apache attack helicopters have carried out at least two strikes in Iraq on October 4 and 5, it said.
Most of the aircraft fly from bases in the region, including airfields in Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. But Washington and its Arab allies have declined to discuss which bases are being used and which planes are flying of out of them.
Source : Sapa-AFP /gf
Date : 24 Oct 2014 04:38
by Daniel DE LUCE
US and allied aircraft have flown nearly 6,600 sorties in the air war against the Islamic State group and dropped more than 1,700 bombs, the American military said Thursday.
The flights for "Operation Inherent Resolve" include thousands of mid-air fueling runs, surveillance sorties and 632 air strikes in Iraq and Syria, according to US Central Command.
The latest tally was released one month since the US-led coalition extended its air campaign from Iraq into Syria, in a bid to counter the advance of the Islamic State jihadists.
The effect of the open-ended air campaign remains the subject of debate, with the White House saying the militants have been damaged by the strikes and critics pointing to the group's battlefield successes despite the raids.
Coalition aircraft have targeted Islamic State militants with more than 1,700 bombs and missiles since August 8 in both Iraq and Syria, Central Command said in a statement.
Washington often stresses that a broad coalition is fighting the Islamic State militants, but US aircraft have conducted the overwhelming majority of the strikes so far.
Out of 632 bombing raids, non-US coalition members -- including four Arab states -- carried out only 79 of the strikes, Central Command said.
In Iraq, aircraft from Australia, Belgium, Britain, and the Netherlands have taken part in the strikes along with the United States.
And in Syria, the Americans have been joined by combat aircraft from Bahrain, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, it said.
The Central Command statement did not cite Qatar as conducting air strikes, but officials say the country has "supported" the operation with other assistance.
Details about the flights and missions undertaken by Arab allies have been kept secret for the most part, with the Gulf countries reluctant to publicly discuss their role.
In its daily press releases on the air campaign, Central Command this week said it would stop providing details of which Arab states participated in the latest air strikes, without offering an explanation for the move.
A little more than half the strikes -- 346 -- have taken place in Iraq, while 286 were conducted in Syria, it said.
The American warplanes flying bombing missions have included Reaper drones, F-15, F-16, F/A-18 and F-22 fighter jets, B-1B bombers, Harrier strike aircraft and AC-130 gunships, which are modified cargo planes outfitted with powerful guns.
In addition, AH-64 Apache attack helicopters have carried out at least two strikes in Iraq on October 4 and 5, it said.
Most of the aircraft fly from bases in the region, including airfields in Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. But Washington and its Arab allies have declined to discuss which bases are being used and which planes are flying of out of them.
Source : Sapa-AFP /gf
Date : 24 Oct 2014 04:38
LazyLion
King of de Jungle
US OFFICIALS: IRAQI ARMY REGROUPING SLOWLY
By ROBERT BURNS
Iraq's fractured army has begun to regroup and stage modest, localized attacks on the Islamic State militants who routed them last spring and summer, but they are unlikely to be ready to launch a major counteroffensive for many months, senior U.S. military officials said Thursday.
"We've seen them start to act like an army," one official said in a lengthy exchange with a group of Washington reporters who were invited to U.S. Central Command headquarters for the command's most extensive briefings on operations in Iraq and Syria.
The Iraqi security forces, trained for years by the U.S. prior to its departure from Iraq in 2011, have suffered sectarian divisions, a breakdown in leadership and a loss of confidence. To compound the problem, they surrendered tanks, armored personnel carriers and other U.S.-supplied equipment several months ago when IS fighters overtook Mosul.
The officials, who were not authorized to be quoted by name in discussing details of the U.S. military strategy in Iraq and Syria, made it clear that no large Iraqi counteroffensive was imminent or even feasible for the time being. Their remarks coincided with a Pentagon statement that said Iraq's new defense chief, Khaled al-Obeidi, told Defense Minister Chuck Hagel in a telephone call that Baghdad was committed to regaining the initiative.
"The minister was quite clear on more than one occasion ... that he has every intention of going on the offensive," the Pentagon press secretary, Rear Adm. John Kirby, said in Washington. He said Hagel encouraged al-Obeidi to rebuild the army in a manner that "engenders trust and confidence" not only among soldiers but also among the Iraqi people.
The Iraqi government is blamed by U.S. officials for having sown the sectarian seeds of this year's collapse in much of northern and western Iraq. Yet Baghdad is the key to President Barack Obama's approach to rolling back IS gains in Iraq.
Obama has ruled out re-engaging U.S. troops in a ground war there; instead he has told the Iraqis they must regroup and unite against IS, with American and certain partner countries like France and Britain assisting. Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in September that he would recommend to Obama that he authorize a more aggressive use of U.S. military advisers in Iraq if the situation called for it. So far those advisers are not operating in the field with Iraqi troops but rather are working in higher headquarters at military offices in Baghdad and the Kurdish capital of Irbil.
Hagel told reporters Thursday that Dempsey has not recommended that U.S. troops take a more direct hand in assisting Iraqis, such as calling in airstrikes from the battlefield. Hagel said he has had no discussion of this with senior military officers.
"They feel confident that what we're doing is working," Hagel said.
Other officials, however, have said that U.S. advisers may be needed on the battlefield when the Iraqi army attempts to dislodge IS fighters from an urban area like Mosul.
The Central Command officials who briefed reporters said the U.S. was encouraged that the Iraqi army was taking early, albeit modest, steps toward reclaiming lost territory. They pointed to an ongoing Iraqi army attack toward Bayji, home of the country's largest oil refinery. The officials declined to discuss certain details but said the Iraqis were clearing large number of roadside bombs planted by IS fighters along the highway north of Tikrit.
In Washington, Kirby said the Iraqi move toward Bayji has been slowed also by poor weather conditions. The U.S. has sought to help the Iraqis by providing periodic airstrikes. Central Command said one airstrike overnight Thursday destroyed an IS fighting position south of Bayji.
One Central Command official said it could be as long as a year before the Iraqi army is ready to take back the northern city of Mosul. Iraqi troops abandoned their posts when IS fighters swept into Mosul in the spring.
The official said the Iraqi army needs a lot of help in basic things like properly maintaining its equipment, sufficiently planning combat operations and using battlefield intelligence, in order to restore its combat power. He called this a "months-long kind of thing."
On Syria, the officials said a prospective U.S. effort to train and arm moderate Syrian opposition forces was at its earliest stages of recruiting and vetting candidates for a force of perhaps 5,000 fighters. They said the fighters initially would be expected to simply defend their own villages inside Syria, with a longer-term goal of "getting them to the point where they can take on ISIL."
The official said the U.S. envisions training these opposition fighters in units of 100 to 300 men. The training is to take place in Saudi Arabia and perhaps other Arab countries in the region.
---
Associated Press writer Lolita C. Baldor in Washington contributed to this report.
Source : Sapa-AP /gf
Date : 24 Oct 2014 02:50
By ROBERT BURNS
Iraq's fractured army has begun to regroup and stage modest, localized attacks on the Islamic State militants who routed them last spring and summer, but they are unlikely to be ready to launch a major counteroffensive for many months, senior U.S. military officials said Thursday.
"We've seen them start to act like an army," one official said in a lengthy exchange with a group of Washington reporters who were invited to U.S. Central Command headquarters for the command's most extensive briefings on operations in Iraq and Syria.
The Iraqi security forces, trained for years by the U.S. prior to its departure from Iraq in 2011, have suffered sectarian divisions, a breakdown in leadership and a loss of confidence. To compound the problem, they surrendered tanks, armored personnel carriers and other U.S.-supplied equipment several months ago when IS fighters overtook Mosul.
The officials, who were not authorized to be quoted by name in discussing details of the U.S. military strategy in Iraq and Syria, made it clear that no large Iraqi counteroffensive was imminent or even feasible for the time being. Their remarks coincided with a Pentagon statement that said Iraq's new defense chief, Khaled al-Obeidi, told Defense Minister Chuck Hagel in a telephone call that Baghdad was committed to regaining the initiative.
"The minister was quite clear on more than one occasion ... that he has every intention of going on the offensive," the Pentagon press secretary, Rear Adm. John Kirby, said in Washington. He said Hagel encouraged al-Obeidi to rebuild the army in a manner that "engenders trust and confidence" not only among soldiers but also among the Iraqi people.
The Iraqi government is blamed by U.S. officials for having sown the sectarian seeds of this year's collapse in much of northern and western Iraq. Yet Baghdad is the key to President Barack Obama's approach to rolling back IS gains in Iraq.
Obama has ruled out re-engaging U.S. troops in a ground war there; instead he has told the Iraqis they must regroup and unite against IS, with American and certain partner countries like France and Britain assisting. Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in September that he would recommend to Obama that he authorize a more aggressive use of U.S. military advisers in Iraq if the situation called for it. So far those advisers are not operating in the field with Iraqi troops but rather are working in higher headquarters at military offices in Baghdad and the Kurdish capital of Irbil.
Hagel told reporters Thursday that Dempsey has not recommended that U.S. troops take a more direct hand in assisting Iraqis, such as calling in airstrikes from the battlefield. Hagel said he has had no discussion of this with senior military officers.
"They feel confident that what we're doing is working," Hagel said.
Other officials, however, have said that U.S. advisers may be needed on the battlefield when the Iraqi army attempts to dislodge IS fighters from an urban area like Mosul.
The Central Command officials who briefed reporters said the U.S. was encouraged that the Iraqi army was taking early, albeit modest, steps toward reclaiming lost territory. They pointed to an ongoing Iraqi army attack toward Bayji, home of the country's largest oil refinery. The officials declined to discuss certain details but said the Iraqis were clearing large number of roadside bombs planted by IS fighters along the highway north of Tikrit.
In Washington, Kirby said the Iraqi move toward Bayji has been slowed also by poor weather conditions. The U.S. has sought to help the Iraqis by providing periodic airstrikes. Central Command said one airstrike overnight Thursday destroyed an IS fighting position south of Bayji.
One Central Command official said it could be as long as a year before the Iraqi army is ready to take back the northern city of Mosul. Iraqi troops abandoned their posts when IS fighters swept into Mosul in the spring.
The official said the Iraqi army needs a lot of help in basic things like properly maintaining its equipment, sufficiently planning combat operations and using battlefield intelligence, in order to restore its combat power. He called this a "months-long kind of thing."
On Syria, the officials said a prospective U.S. effort to train and arm moderate Syrian opposition forces was at its earliest stages of recruiting and vetting candidates for a force of perhaps 5,000 fighters. They said the fighters initially would be expected to simply defend their own villages inside Syria, with a longer-term goal of "getting them to the point where they can take on ISIL."
The official said the U.S. envisions training these opposition fighters in units of 100 to 300 men. The training is to take place in Saudi Arabia and perhaps other Arab countries in the region.
---
Associated Press writer Lolita C. Baldor in Washington contributed to this report.
Source : Sapa-AP /gf
Date : 24 Oct 2014 02:50
LazyLion
King of de Jungle
OVERNIGHT FRENCH RAID DESTROYS IS ARMS CENTER
France's military chief says an overnight air raid has destroyed an arms depot for the Islamic State group in Iraq.
Gen. Pierre de Villiers told Europe 1 radio that two French fighter jets dropped a total of 70 bombs, destroying a dozen buildings used for arms production and storage.
"We destroyed buildings in which Daesh produced their arms, their bombs to attack Iraqi forces. Seventy bombs were dropped," de Villiers said Friday, using an acronym for the Islamic State militants. He did not specify the location of the air raid.
Separately, France's military announced airstrikes around Fallujah and Mount Sinjar, where militants had trapped thousands of fleeing Yazidis.
Source : Sapa-AP /nsm
Date : 24 Oct 2014 10:53
France's military chief says an overnight air raid has destroyed an arms depot for the Islamic State group in Iraq.
Gen. Pierre de Villiers told Europe 1 radio that two French fighter jets dropped a total of 70 bombs, destroying a dozen buildings used for arms production and storage.
"We destroyed buildings in which Daesh produced their arms, their bombs to attack Iraqi forces. Seventy bombs were dropped," de Villiers said Friday, using an acronym for the Islamic State militants. He did not specify the location of the air raid.
Separately, France's military announced airstrikes around Fallujah and Mount Sinjar, where militants had trapped thousands of fleeing Yazidis.
Source : Sapa-AP /nsm
Date : 24 Oct 2014 10:53
LazyLion
King of de Jungle
WARNING! GRAPHIC VIDEO!
Life in Raqaa under ISIS... heads on spikes line the street....
http://edition.cnn.com/video/data/2...kg-walsh-raqqa-syria-life-under-isis.cnn.html
Life in Raqaa under ISIS... heads on spikes line the street....
http://edition.cnn.com/video/data/2...kg-walsh-raqqa-syria-life-under-isis.cnn.html
Kornhub
Blackburn Fan
jeez man this world
marine1
Honorary Master
That air drop was probably planned by the obama administration Bloody idiots
marine1
Honorary Master
Coming to a city near you soon
OrbitalDawn
Ulysses Everett McGill
lol.
marine1
Honorary Master
Yeah well with satellite live imagery how do they cock this up? Sorry but everything the obama administration do is a mess. Either by accident or planned.
How this guy is still president is a joke
OrbitalDawn
Ulysses Everett McGill
lol, sure.
marine1
Honorary Master
Yes sure.
The choice of the American people. Twice. It is the America that you have been a cheerleader for in mybb whilst souring at other nations and people. Any other America only lives in your imagination.
Just a friendly reminder, I am sorry it is a bit of flaming, don't take it that way.