No win situation here, if you kill one fanatical group off, another will rise in it's place.
Sadly that's the world we live in, and although it pains me to see the innocent civilians dying for no reason, what can the other nations of the world do to stop what's been going on in the Middle East for hundreds if years.
Only option is to just continually bomb the shit out of them so they never become a worldwide powerhouse, which is what ISIS is slowly becoming if we don't handle it quickly.... Then rinse and repeat for the next thousand years for every other group that pops up
Sadly that's the world we live in, and although it pains me to see the innocent civilians dying for no reason, what can the other nations of the world do to stop what's been going on in the Middle East for hundreds if years.
Only option is to just continually bomb the shit out of them so they never become a worldwide powerhouse, which is what ISIS is slowly becoming if we don't handle it quickly.... Then rinse and repeat for the next thousand years for every other group that pops up
Duh, because this administration looks at every thing from a political perspective with total disregard to the intelligence that is provided. Bottom line - it takes intelligence to interpret intelligence, that means this adminstration does not have a clue even when they are presented with them.
ISIS an 'Incredible' Fighting Force, US Special Ops Sources Say
By JAMES GORDON MEEK 22 minutes ago
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ISIS an 'Incredible' Fighting Force, US Special Ops Sources Say (ABC News)
With the Obama White House left reeling from the "savage" slaughter of an American journalist held hostage by ISIS terrorists, military options are being considered against an adversary who officials say is growing in strength and is much more capable than the one faced when the group was called "al Qaeda-Iraq" during the U.S. war from 2003-2011.
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By JAMES GORDON MEEK 22 minutes ago 0 shares
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ISIS an 'Incredible' Fighting Force, US Special Ops Sources Say (ABC News)
With the Obama White House left reeling from the "savage" slaughter of an American journalist held hostage by ISIS terrorists, military options are being considered against an adversary who officials say is growing in strength and is much more capable than the one faced when the group was called "al Qaeda-Iraq" during the U.S. war from 2003-2011.
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- ISIS, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, has been making a "tactical withdrawal" in recent days in the face of withering U.S. airstrikes from areas around Erbil in northern Iraq and from the major dam just north of Mosul it controlled for two nail-biting weeks, according to military officials monitoring their movements.
"These guys aren't just bugging out, they're tactically withdrawing. Very professional, well trained, motivated and equipped. They operate like a state with a military," said one official who tracks ISIS closely. "These aren't the same guys we fought in OIF (Operation Iraqi Freedom) who would just scatter when you dropped a bomb near them."
ABC News Deep Dive: Who Is ISIS?
Why Control of a Terrifying Dam in Iraq Is Life or Death for Half Million People
Mission to Rescue US Hostages ‘Flawless,’ Except for Rescue
ISIS appeared to have a sophisticated and well thought-out plan for establishing its "Islamic Caliphate" from northern Syria across the western and northern deserts of Iraq, many experts and officials have said, and support from hostage-taking, robbery and sympathetic donations to fund it. They use drones to gather overhead intel on targets and effectively commandeer captured military vehicles – including American Humvees -- and munitions.
"They tried to push out as far as they thought they could and were fully prepared to pull back a little bit when we beat them back with airstrikes around Erbil. And they were fine with that, and ready to hold all of the ground they have now," a second official told ABC News.
ISIS didn't necessarily count on holding Mosul Dam, officials said, but scored a major propaganda victory on social media when they hoisted the black flag of the group over the facility that provides electricity and water to a large swath of Iraq, or could drown millions if breached.
CLICK HERE to return to the ABC News Investigative Unit homepage.
U.S. special operations forces under the Joint Special Operations Command and U.S. Special Operations Command keep close tabs on the military evolution of ISIS and both its combat and terrorism -- called "asymmetric" -- capabilities, officials told ABC News. A primary reason is in anticipation of possibly fighting them, which a full squadron of special mission unit operators did in the Independence Day raid on an ISIS camp in Raqqah, Syria.
"They're incredible fighters. ISIS teams in many places use special operations TTPs," said the second official, who has considerable combat experience, using the military term for "tactics, techniques and procedures."
In sobering press conference Friday, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel said ISIS has shown that it is “as sophisticated and well-funded as any group that we have seen.”
“They’re beyond just a terrorist group. They marry ideology, a sophistication of strategic and tactical military prowess. They are tremendously well-funded,” he said. “This is beyond anything that we’ve seen.”
Prior ISIS’s recent public successes, the former chairman of the 9/11 Commission, which just released a tenth anniversary report on the threat of terrorism currently facing the homeland, said he was shocked at how little seems to be known inside the U.S. intelligence community about the Islamist army brutalizing Iraq as it has Syria.
“I was appalled at the ignorance,” former New Jersey Governor Tom Kean, who led the 9/11 Commission, told ABC News last week.
Kean, a Republican, who with vice chairman Lee Hamilton, a Democrat, recently met with about 20 top intelligence officials in preparation of the commission’s latest threat report, said many officials seemed both blind-sided and alarmed by the group's rise, growth and competency.
“One official told me ‘I am more scared than at any time since 9/11,’” Kean recounted in a recent interview.
A spokesperson for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence defended the intelligence community’s tracking of ISIS, saying officials had “expressed concern” about the threat as far back as last year.
“The will to fight is inherently difficult to assess. Analysts must make assessments based on perceptions of command and control, leadership abilities, quality of experience, and discipline under fire -- none of which can be understood with certainty until the first shots are fired,” ODNI spokesperson Brian Hale said.
Where did ISIS learn such sophisticated military methods, shown clearly after the first shots were fired?
"Probably the Chechens," the one of the U.S. officials said.
A Chechen commander named Abu Omar al-Shishani -- who officials say may have been killed in fighting near Mosul -- is well known for commanding an international brigade within ISIS. Other Chechens have appeared within propaganda videos including one commander who was killed on video by an artillery burst near his SUV in Syria.
Earlier this year, ABC News reported on the secret history of U.S. special operations forces' experiences battling highly capable Chechen fighters along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border since 2001. In addition, for decades Chechen separatists have waged asymmetric warfare against Russian forces for control of the Northern Caucasus.
The Secret Battles Between US Forces and Chechen Terrorists
In the battle against ISIS, many within American "SOF," a term that comprises operators from all branches of the military and intelligence, are frustrated at being relegated by the President only to enabling U.S. airstrikes in Iraq. They are eager to fight ISIS more directly in combat operations -- even if untethered, meaning unofficially and with little if any U.S. government support, according to some with close ties to the community.
"ISIS and their kind must be destroyed," said a senior counterterrorism official after journalist James Foley was beheaded on high-definition ISIS video, echoing strong-worded statements of high-level U.S. officials including Secretary of State John Kerry.
But asked when the Obama administration would attempt to confront ISIS, the official declined to answer.
Ben Rhodes, the President’s Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications, told reporters Friday that Obama is currently focused on protecting American lives, “containing” ISIS where they are and supporting advances by Iraqi and Kurdish forces.
“Our military objectives in Iraq right now are limited to protecting our personnel and facilities and address the humanitarian crisis,” Rhodes said. The “ultimate goal,” Rhodes said however, was to “defeat” ISIS.
“We have to be clear that this is a deeply-rooted organization… It is going to take time, a long time, to fully evict them from the communities where they operate,” he said. “In the long term, we’ll be working with our partners to defeat this organization.”
CLICK HERE to return to the ABC News Investigative Unit homepage.
LMFAO
[h=1]The Obama administration must put boots on the ground to stop the Islamic State[/h]
AFTER YEARS of downplaying the gathering threat from Islamist extremists in Syria and Iraq, the Obama administration seems to be swinging toward a view that the self-styled Islamic State must be stopped. This new appreciation is welcome, if it is shared by President Obama and accompanied by a seriousness of purpose.
Earlier this year, Mr. Obama was dismissing al-Qaeda offshoots as the junior varsity of terrorism and promising Americans that the tide of war was receding
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opini...c6f-11e4-9b98-848790384093_story.html?hpid=z4
[h=1]The Obama administration must put boots on the ground to stop the Islamic State[/h]
AFTER YEARS of downplaying the gathering threat from Islamist extremists in Syria and Iraq, the Obama administration seems to be swinging toward a view that the self-styled Islamic State must be stopped. This new appreciation is welcome, if it is shared by President Obama and accompanied by a seriousness of purpose.
Earlier this year, Mr. Obama was dismissing al-Qaeda offshoots as the junior varsity of terrorism and promising Americans that the tide of war was receding
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opini...c6f-11e4-9b98-848790384093_story.html?hpid=z4
Word has leaked out of DC that the plan to rescue James Foley and other hostages in Syria sat on Obama’s desk for a month before it was approved by the WH. Duh. A day late and a dollar short sums up Obama’s term in office. By the time he decides to go along with a plan that went off without a hitch on a technical level they had already moved the hostages. Does Benghazi make more sense now. Obama and his administration took 30 days to ok a plan that would have worked when it was presented. Benghazi was something that demanded an immediate response in order to save those that were needlessly killed. An immediate response is beyond the ability level of this administration which is clearly now worthy of the label of being JV.
Obama did not even send any representatives to the memorial service for James Foley but did for Michael Brown. He can’t even get his priorities straight. Yet he managed to play 9 rounds of golf while on vacation one of which came minutes after speaking to the Foley beheading.
I have said for a few years now that Obama has been walking around with his zipper down and people are just now beginning to notice. Sadly he keeps his zipper down on purpose refuses to zip up (except maybe when he plays golf).
The world has figured Obama out yet his apologists refuse to. Look how he dragged his feet on killing bin Laden who had been holed up like a sitting pigeon for a long period of time. It is all about politics. That is why the Michael Brown tragedy was his focus over the James Foley beheading.
First they delayed the “rescue” mission which he postponed because of possible political ramifications (but only if it failed). That is why they did not tell anyone until after the Foley beheading and then only in an attempt to cover their ass. Now that word has been leaked that they waited to long to do it they are once again left holding the bag.
As I said, Benghazi makes more sense than ever now. We see how this administration rolls. When you have no policies there are consequences to pay. One thing is for sure none of this had affected Obama playing golf. He is going to play golf come hell or high water. If you throw in the Bergdahl hostage trade the pattern just gets broader and brighter. It is there for all to see. This administration is incapable of making timely decisions much less looking at the long term. The ISIS rise in on him and as it turns out it is his administration that is JV not ISIS.
When your goal is to reduce our military the rest of the world gets it. China is flexing, Putin is taking advantage also, and ISIS rose to power right in front of Obama’s eyes. Referring to them as the JV sums up his ability to assess much less to handle vital situations. His whole term can be summed up as a Mulligan. Sad but true.
Obama did not even send any representatives to the memorial service for James Foley but did for Michael Brown. He can’t even get his priorities straight. Yet he managed to play 9 rounds of golf while on vacation one of which came minutes after speaking to the Foley beheading.
I have said for a few years now that Obama has been walking around with his zipper down and people are just now beginning to notice. Sadly he keeps his zipper down on purpose refuses to zip up (except maybe when he plays golf).
The world has figured Obama out yet his apologists refuse to. Look how he dragged his feet on killing bin Laden who had been holed up like a sitting pigeon for a long period of time. It is all about politics. That is why the Michael Brown tragedy was his focus over the James Foley beheading.
First they delayed the “rescue” mission which he postponed because of possible political ramifications (but only if it failed). That is why they did not tell anyone until after the Foley beheading and then only in an attempt to cover their ass. Now that word has been leaked that they waited to long to do it they are once again left holding the bag.
As I said, Benghazi makes more sense than ever now. We see how this administration rolls. When you have no policies there are consequences to pay. One thing is for sure none of this had affected Obama playing golf. He is going to play golf come hell or high water. If you throw in the Bergdahl hostage trade the pattern just gets broader and brighter. It is there for all to see. This administration is incapable of making timely decisions much less looking at the long term. The ISIS rise in on him and as it turns out it is his administration that is JV not ISIS.
When your goal is to reduce our military the rest of the world gets it. China is flexing, Putin is taking advantage also, and ISIS rose to power right in front of Obama’s eyes. Referring to them as the JV sums up his ability to assess much less to handle vital situations. His whole term can be summed up as a Mulligan. Sad but true.
Par for the course and hopefully it haunts Hillary when she runs. The Consulate in Libya notified the State Department that the Islamic militia Ansar al Sharia had moved next door to the Benghazi compound less than a year before the attack, and the State Department’s response was, “and your point is?”
And when the Ambassador responded with a request for sandbags and weapons to protect themselves the response was, “no, that might upset the neighbors” (aka TERRORISTS.) Wish I were kidding. So do the families of the four Americans murdered there.
This is more of that amazing “smart diplomacy” we were promised in 2008. The Obama brain trust were totally going to show up the Bushies with their “smart power.” I've always felt as if our own State Dept acted (I should say "inacted" as they never do much) as if it were from another planet. President Duncecap and his "the wars are over because I say they are" idiocies notwithstanding, the State Dept's inept policies predate him. If you've ever listened to a State Dept rep, say Jen Psaki for instance speak, then you know who the real JV team is.
Scott L: I think the WH is getting good intelligence. They simply do not react to it properly and in a timely manner. They build a nest with no eggs. They sit there like they are hatching a plan and next thing you know even the nest is gone. An owl sits in the tree and says "who". This administration sits in the tree and says "huh". The word JV sums up this administration, and those words were applied to someone else who proved them wrong. What's new.....but it is getting old.
It is interesting to compare the warning of 9/11 to the warning from Isis. The article I am attaching refers to pre-911:
Bush Warned Before 911 Of Bin
Laden Plot To Hijack Planes
[SIZE=+1]By Eli J. Lake
UPI State Department Correspondent
From the International Desk
5-15-2
[/SIZE]
Bush Warned Before 911 Of Bin
Laden Plot To Hijack Planes
[SIZE=+1]By Eli J. Lake
UPI State Department Correspondent
From the International Desk
5-15-2
[/SIZE]
| [SIZE=+1]WASHINGTON[/SIZE][SIZE=+1] (AP) - President Bush was told by U.S. intelligence in advance of the Sept. 11 attacks that Usama bin Laden's terrorist network might hijack American airplanes, the White House acknowledged Wednesday night.[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1][/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]But officials said the president and his advisers had no way of knowing that suicide hijackers would use the planes as missiles, as they did against the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1][/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]"There has been long-standing speculation, shared with the president, about the potential of hijackings in the traditional sense," White House press secretary Ari Fleischer said. "We had general threats involving Usama bin Laden around the world and including in the United States."[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1][/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]He said the administration, acting on the information received last summer, notified the "appropriate agencies" that hijackings "in the traditional sense" were possible.[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1][/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]The development, first reported by CBS News, comes as congressional investigators intensify their study of whether the government failed to adequately respond to warnings of a suicide hijackings before Sept. 11. It is the first direct link between Bush and intelligence gathered before Sept. 11 about the attacks.[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1][/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]Fleischer would not discuss when or how the information was given to Bush, but a senior administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the president was made aware of the potential for hijackings of U.S. planes during one or more routine intelligence briefings last summer.[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1][/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]The CIA would not confirm what it told Bush, but the agency said the issue of bin Laden's attempting an airline hijacking was among a number of terrorist methods raised to U.S. government officials at the time.[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1][/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]But there was no information that suggested hijackers would crash planes into American landmarks and there was no mention of a date, a CIA official said.[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1][/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]The information was based on intelligence obtained by the U.S. government, the official said, without specifying.[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1][/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]"I will tell you there was, of course, a general awareness of Usama bin Laden and threats around the world, including the United States; and if you recall, last summer we publicly alerted and gave a warning about potential threats on the Arabian peninsula," Fleischer said.[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1][/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]But he said Bush had never been told about the potential for suicide hijackers steering the planes toward U.S targets.[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1][/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]Still, acting on the information the government did have, the administration "notified the appropriate agencies. I think that's one of the reasons that we saw the people who committed the 9-11 attacks used box cutters and plastic knives to get around America's system of protecting against hijackers," he said.[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1][/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]The Associated Press reported earlier this month that FBI headquarters did not act on a memo last July from its Arizona office warning there were a large number of Arabs seeking pilot, security and airport operations training at at least one U.S. flight school and which urged a check of all flight schools to identify more possible Middle Eastern students.[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1][/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]A section of that classified memo also makes a passing reference to Usama bin Laden, speculating that Al Qaeda and other such groups could organize such flight training, officials said. The officials said, however, that the memo offered no evidence bin Laden was behind the students that raised the concern.[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1][/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]Sen. Bob Graham, D-Fla., the Senate Intelligence Committee chairman, said through a spokesman Wednesday that the revelations in the memos marked an important discovery in Congress' investigation into why the FBI, CIA and other U.S. agencies failed to learn of and prevent the Sept. 11 plot.[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1][/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]"It represents a failure to connect the dots," said Graham spokesman Paul Anderson. "This was dismissed rather lightly at FBI headquarters."[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1][/SIZE] [SIZE=+1][/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]The FBI also has faced tough questioning about whether it failed to act aggressively enough after arresting Zacarias Moussaoui, a Frenchman of Moroccan descent, in August after he raised concerns by seeking flight training at a Minnesota flight school.[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1][/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]Moussaoui has emerged as the lone defendant charged in the aftermath of the attacks, which killed more than 3,000 people in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania. He is charged with conspiring with bin Laden and the 19 suicide hijackers to attack Americans.[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1][/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]Mueller repeatedly has said he wished the FBI had acted more aggressively in addressing the Arizona and Minnesota leads but said nothing the FBI possessed before Sept. 11 pointed to the multiple-airliner hijacking plot.[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1][/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,52910,00.html[/SIZE] |
^^^^^"It represents a failure to connect the dots,"
My comments: So Bush's administration was warned of possible hijackings but no one connected the dots to using the planes as missiles on American targets. In the case of ISIS they connected the dots for us and even pointed directly at the WH as a desirable target. So what have we learned from 9-11. Bush never referred to bin Laden and Al-Qaeda as JV's that is for sure. So if we have learned anything it is not to under estimate your enemy and ISIS has declared us as an enemy. Unfortunately Obama and his administration have not learned it. Even with the warnings we had little or no idea that something that had never happened before would happen on US soil. But now we have that knowledge and experience to work with. In this case ISIS has connected the dots for us. We are in a position to take military action to at least postpone the ISIS threats. What in the hell are we waiting for other than for Obama to stop golfing and start doing his job.
My comments: So Bush's administration was warned of possible hijackings but no one connected the dots to using the planes as missiles on American targets. In the case of ISIS they connected the dots for us and even pointed directly at the WH as a desirable target. So what have we learned from 9-11. Bush never referred to bin Laden and Al-Qaeda as JV's that is for sure. So if we have learned anything it is not to under estimate your enemy and ISIS has declared us as an enemy. Unfortunately Obama and his administration have not learned it. Even with the warnings we had little or no idea that something that had never happened before would happen on US soil. But now we have that knowledge and experience to work with. In this case ISIS has connected the dots for us. We are in a position to take military action to at least postpone the ISIS threats. What in the hell are we waiting for other than for Obama to stop golfing and start doing his job.
Well right now the JV's are beating the varsity. My fears grow as we are only 13 days away from 9/11/14. Will ISIS send us another message on our own soil. Our intelligence machine has been warning this administration about ISIS and it's growth potential and more importantly it's intentions for years. I am assuming Obama is being briefed on the golf course because he does not even know where the Situation Room is located in his own WH lol. We have had many reports in the past about him passing on daily intelligence reports. Hello. This is on Obama........period.
Pulling troops out of Iraq was obviously a mistake but announcing it in advance was a major mistake. Incompetency rules right now and unfortunately it is ruling this country. Mr Executive Orders is stuck in neutral at the exact same time that we need leadership. Now he is bypassing Congress when we need them involved the most. His false accusations demeaning their role in the government relieves them of the blame he now bears on his own shoulders. ISIS is on Obama. He can't blame Congress, he can only blame himself. Benghazi stands out again as it is obvious this administration cannot make decisions no matter what the time frame is for counter action. He makes everything about politics and now it has come back to haunt him. He has taken our military down so many notches that we may or may not be able to meet oncoming threats. Minnesota has been a hotbed of muslim activism for quite some time now and guess what two Minnesota natives were killed fighting for ISIS. Yes, open borders makes more sense now than ever I guess LOL. If you are an Obama apologist at the very least jump on board in this fight to take out ISIS. This is a bigger threat than Al Qaeda. Bin Laden is laughing from his ocean grave. Sadly at a time when we need a president with George Washington qualities we have one that is more concerned with Berghdal than he is the security of this once great nation. If we put boots on the ground Bergdahl should be one of them. I am sick of the vacations, the golf, and the fund raisers. Can the guy in the WH climb down off of his self made pedestal and get something done for once. Where is the outrage.
Pulling troops out of Iraq was obviously a mistake but announcing it in advance was a major mistake. Incompetency rules right now and unfortunately it is ruling this country. Mr Executive Orders is stuck in neutral at the exact same time that we need leadership. Now he is bypassing Congress when we need them involved the most. His false accusations demeaning their role in the government relieves them of the blame he now bears on his own shoulders. ISIS is on Obama. He can't blame Congress, he can only blame himself. Benghazi stands out again as it is obvious this administration cannot make decisions no matter what the time frame is for counter action. He makes everything about politics and now it has come back to haunt him. He has taken our military down so many notches that we may or may not be able to meet oncoming threats. Minnesota has been a hotbed of muslim activism for quite some time now and guess what two Minnesota natives were killed fighting for ISIS. Yes, open borders makes more sense now than ever I guess LOL. If you are an Obama apologist at the very least jump on board in this fight to take out ISIS. This is a bigger threat than Al Qaeda. Bin Laden is laughing from his ocean grave. Sadly at a time when we need a president with George Washington qualities we have one that is more concerned with Berghdal than he is the security of this once great nation. If we put boots on the ground Bergdahl should be one of them. I am sick of the vacations, the golf, and the fund raisers. Can the guy in the WH climb down off of his self made pedestal and get something done for once. Where is the outrage.
It's all Obama's fault will reign supreme across the board not just on ISIS. The lefties have disappeared because this is obviously all on Obama. The intelligence was provided that could have prevented all this but there is not enough intelligence on the WH's part to separate politics from reality. Killing bin Laden ( a sitting pigeon) was the end of terrorism in their collective minds but it all goes on Obama, this is his legacy. Calling ISIS a JV team is the stupidist thing that may have ever come out of the WH and the consequences for their inaction may be catastrophic. Calling them JV in private is one thing but Obama was stupid enough to reinforce it in an interview before this all came down. This all started with announcing our withdrawal from Iraq. We need a boot up Obama's ass not just boots on the ground. Keep those borders open and let them come on down. Let Minnesota be the staging ground for ISIS volunteer soldiers. The theme for Obama's legacy - "Let it be, let it be". Anything he does from this point on simply contradicts every fiber of his being. He can't even find the cave much less the light at the end of the tunnel.
