Anti War.....
That seems to be changing, however, with al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), an al-Qaeda affiliate in good standing, issuing a statement today urging jihadists support ISIS against the United States.
“We don’t have a willing, capable, effective partner on the ground inside Syria right now,” confirmed Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby, and other officials insisted the US wouldn’t be coordinating with any existing Syrian rebel faction.
Gen. Austin’s example was the retaking of the Mosul Dam, which happened almost two months ago, and which involved Kurdish, not Iraqi, troops. US officials have been hyping this success since mid-August.
Yet the battle seems far from over, as ISIS has repeatedly pushed the Kurdish defenses in recent weeks. Kurdish fighterscontinue to flock to Kobani as well, suggesting they don’t believe the fight is really almost over.
Al-Qaeda Endorses ISIS, Suggesting Shifting Sentiment
US Attack on Nusra Likely Pushing al-Qaeda Into ISIS Orbit
by Jason Ditz, October 17, 2014
Al-Qaeda’s positioning in Syria as a rival of ISIS has earned it a bizarre second lease on life in some peoples’ estimation, and even gave rise to the term “good al-Qaeda” referring to Jabhat al-Nusra, the official al-Qaeda wing in Syria, as opposed to ISIS, a former al-Qaeda wing turned independent faction.
That seems to be changing, however, with al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), an al-Qaeda affiliate in good standing, issuing a statement today urging jihadists support ISIS against the United States.
It’s not quite the same thing as a statement from the parent al-Qaeda, but AQAP’s assessment is a reasonable facsimile, and suggests that even if the parent organization isn’t there yet, al-Qaeda is warming up to ISIS.
Which was perhaps inevitable, as the US war in Syria was launched against ISIS, but immediately expanded to include “Khorasan,” a US-invented term for Nusra, and gave the two groups another common enemy, and one who is attacking both at the same time.
US Struggles in Hunt for Syrian Allies
Pentagon: We Have No Capable Partners in Syria
by Jason Ditz, October 17, 2014
The Obama Administration has made its war in Iraq and Syria extremely Syria-centric in recent days, but while insisting on the importance of allies on the ground, there is a total lack of any inside Syria.
“We don’t have a willing, capable, effective partner on the ground inside Syria right now,” confirmed Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby, and other officials insisted the US wouldn’t be coordinating with any existing Syrian rebel faction.
The interest in finding a group to coordinate with has led the State Department to meet with Kurdish militias, even though they are known affiliates of terrorist organizations, as a way to fill the void.
While former Ambassador Robert Ford continues to tout the existing rebel factions as “proven reliable,” the links between them and al-Qaeda has many uncomfortable, and perhaps more importantly, they constantly lose in battle with ISIS.
Though the US imagines in the long run it can create some rebel faction more to their liking, in the meantime they will continue to cite their absence of allies as the reason for their failing war in Syria.
Gen. Austin Claims Iraq Taking Back Lost Ground
Losses Mounting Much Faster, However
by Jason Ditz, October 17, 2014
In his first news conference today on the new US conflict, Centcom chief General Lloyd Austin claimed Iraq is “incrementally recapturing” territory it lost to ISIS, saying it showed the US strikes are having an impact on the ground.
Gen. Austin’s example was the retaking of the Mosul Dam, which happened almost two months ago, and which involved Kurdish, not Iraqi, troops. US officials have been hyping this success since mid-August.
Absent from Austin’s assessment of the “recaptured” ground is that since retaking that dam, the Iraqi government has lost numerous towns to ISIS advances, particularly in the Anbar Province, where they’ve also lost several forward operating bases.
The value of the Mosul Dam is undeniable, but the Pentagon is playing fast and loose with the facts to claim that the retaking of that two months ago is vindication for their current war strategy, or that it suggests a momentum shift in the conflict.
ISIS ‘Retreats’ From Kobani, But US Says Town May Yet Fall
Kurds Claim Victory, But Fighting Continues on Outskirts
by Jason Ditz, October 17, 2014
Kurdish officials presented the battle for Kobani, a border town between Syria and Turkey, as going entirely in their favor tonight, claiming that ISIS has completely retreated from the town itself, and that the only fighting now is on the outskirts.
Yet the battle seems far from over, as ISIS has repeatedly pushed the Kurdish defenses in recent weeks. Kurdish fighterscontinue to flock to Kobani as well, suggesting they don’t believe the fight is really almost over.
And even the current optimism isn’t changing the US assessment, with Gen. Lloyd Austin saying it is still “highly possible” that ISIS will take the town, despite the US focusing virtually all of its warplanes on the area.
ISIS, as usual, is adapting, with Austin reporting ISIS fighters have stopped traveling in large, easy to target convoys and are avoiding radio communications in the hopes of making it more difficult for the US to strike them.
Tweets for 10/19....
WTF-Ette
@juliamacfarlane did u see the final report she broadcast before her death? http://youtu.be/lgXPW2q7v9M
Bill King
More from our "NATO ally": Daesh able to kidnap FSA commander in #Turkey: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/11173013/Isil-presence-in-Turkey-targeting-Syrian-rebels.html … #wtf
INTERVIEW: Media activist: civilians consider coalition, IS, regime "all criminals" http://syriadirect.org/main/36-interviews/1619-media-activist-civilians-consider-coalition-is-regime-all-criminals …
Some think "these strikes aren't intended to save them, but rather to destroy what's left of [Syria's] infrastructure." -Activist in DeZ
#Kirkuk Supplies Electricity to Areas Under IS Control - #BasNews - http://www.basnews.com/en/News/Details/Kirkuk-Supplies-Electricity-to-Areas-Under-IS-Control/38467 …
New Iraqi Defense Minister Warns #Kurds - #BasNews - http://www.basnews.com/en/News/Details/New-Iraqi-Defense-Minister-Warns-Kurds/38439 …
More than 1,300 Jordanians are fighting alongside #ISIS in #Iraq, says Marouf al-Bakhit, former Prime Minister of... http://fb.me/1Cv1l1LvQ
#Lebanon Blocks Syrian Refugees From Entering: United Nations http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/18/us-mideast-crisis-lebanon-refugees-idUSKCN0I70BH20141018 …
#EU Sanctions on #Syria May Target Oil, Weapons Suppliers http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-10-17/eu-sanctions-on-syria-may-target-oil-weapons-suppliers.html …?
Tweets for 10/18 .....
RT @Gorran_Change: #Kobane the city that resists, the battlefield that is bleeding #ISIS #ISIL #twitterkurds
#BreakingNews: Turkish forces on alert after the fall of mortar shells on its soil from Kobane
Barzani Urges the World to Cut Off Islamic State’s Finances - #BasNews - http://www.basnews.com/en/News/Details/Barzani-Urges-the-World-to-Cut-Off-Islamic-State-s-Finances/38379 …
#Lebanese Army detains 11 in raids after arms cache found http://shar.es/1mz5WU
Jenan Moussa retweeted
Jenan Moussa retweeted
IS views Kurds Syria as US-allies who'll conquer IS-areas after airstrikes. #IS wants to destroy these "local boots on ground" at any cost
'Frontlines static. ISIS East &South #Kobane. We push them one street back but no major breakthrough' Kobane Defense chief tells me.
Senior #AKP deputy slams #Erdoğan, his party over latest moves in Kurdish peace bid: Report
http://bit.ly/Zzq0Wz
#news #not wrote abt this 1 week ago http://www.moonofalabama.org/2014/10/war-on-syria-spills-into-neighbor-countries-lebanon-now-in-serious-danger.html … RT @thomas_wiegold: Lebanon pulled into war with Islamic State group - AP
#EU Sanctions on #Syria May Target Oil, Weapons Suppliers http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-10-17/eu-sanctions-on-syria-may-target-oil-weapons-suppliers.html …?
Some 1,000 people fleeing #ISIS in #Kobani, remain stranded in a no-man’s-land at the Turkish-Syrian border http://blogs.wsj.com/middleeast/2014/10/17/hundreds-wait-for-kobani-fighting-to-end-risking-lives-at-border/ … via @wsj
US confirms its "ditching" the "Free Syrian Army" [which hasn't organisationally existed on the ground for c.18mnths] http://www.stripes.com/news/middle-east
Kobani refugees are now based in Gawilan camp. They fled to #Turkey, then Barzani allowed them to come to #Kurdistan region #iraq
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