OK, we have Islamic State in Iraq and
Syria (ISIS) wreaking havoc in Iraq. It is quite surprising, and very
dangerous. Keep in mind that, at this point, we are still in the
fog-of-war. We do not know all the facts, and should not pass
judgment just yet. I should say that all of this is downright
nonsensical.
What we have is an apparently
invincible force. This obscure group has blitzkrieged its way through
Iraq in a way that would make the Nazi Army proud. They have rapidly
and easily captured city after city heading south towards Baghdad.
They now posses American military hardware, not to mention $100s
millions of captured moola. They are ruthless and bloodthirsty,
executing “enemies” left and right in cold-blood. 4
American-trained divisions (I have also heard that 2 divisions) of
the Iraqi Army simply melted away: they threw down their uniforms and
guns and hardware, and simply ran. Civilians are fleeing in their
wake, creating a huge refugee problem for neighboring countries,
especially Kurdistan in the northeast.
On the other hand, the videos I have
seen show what seems to be gang-bangers, not an organized force of
seasoned, regular military. They are riding around in the backs of
pickup trucks waving rifles and flying the black flag. This might a
case of the civil war in Syria spilling over into Iraq, but they
crossed the border from Turkey (Sunni). They seem to be Sunnis
(shades of Saudi Arabia Wahhabism), heading for the Samarra Dome, a
cherished symbol of Shia, so this might be the start of the
penultimate Shia-Sunni war. ICYW, Saddam was a Sunni (from northwest
Iraq) suppressing a mostly Shia Iraq; the US installed a Shia
government (al-Maliki). Qudz, the Iranian security force, seems to be
in Baghdad to shore up municipal defenses. I have heard the chair of
the House Armed Services Committee state that the reason ISIS is
advancing unchecked is that the Iraqi Army does not have US air
cover, meaning that ISIS can operate in the open, during daylight,
with impunity. Perhaps.
Something is not right about this
picture, but I cannot quite put my finger on it. To misquote The
Bard, something's rotten in the state of Denmark. Stay tuned, folks:
microwave another bag of popcorn, and open a fresh brewskie. This is
gonna be a long one.
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