War Against ISIL

[GostHacked]

Also in terms of social media, why haven't the Twitter and Facebook accounts of these terrorist groups been taken down? Why not take out one of their means of spreading their ideology? That would have a good impact as to how they communicate and recruit people.

[Solidarity]

We've been discussing that for the past couple years. Based on the synopsis of that paper, they seem to be confused as to it being a civil war. It is not a civil war. Never was. Remember that Turkey allowed the FSA to operate in Syria from a safe haven in Turkey. That automatically puts Turkey on one side of this civil war. Same with Jordan and the rebels being trained and equipped by the US military.

Again, this was NEVER a civil war. Afghanistan was not a civil war when they were fighting off the Soviets. Syria is in the same category.

Even if it is true that some of the rebels are not Syrian, then I wonder how it can be called a civil war. Once Obama, Harper and others took the sides of the rebels and started putting money and funds and bases of operations into their hands, it instantly stopped being a civil war.

This seems like semantics. Many 'civil wars' in history have had outside interference. Yes the Syrian conflict is obviously a 'proxy war' in many respects however the clear lines between shia/alawite, sunni, and kurdish factions and the neighborhood against neighborhood level of fighting make this a 'civil war' in many respects. I don't think that these definitions are mutually exclusive.

Also in terms of social media, why haven't the Twitter and Facebook accounts of these terrorist groups been taken down? Why not take out one of their means of spreading their ideology? That would have a good impact as to how they communicate and recruit people.

I believe this is being done, but new accounts pop up. Logistically this may also be a struggle due to the fact a lot of these accounts are in Arabic, where algorithms and human monitoring are likely less effective due to the language barrier.

I don't disagree with the points (I think) you are hinting at though. The west and our allies have been anything from complicit to directly involved in allowing the conflict in Syria to reach the stage it is at. The current actions being taken need to be viewed closely and with skepticism. What are the actual goals of the 'coalition'? To degrade and destroy ISIS, or simply to further West and Western allies interests in the region (ie protect KRG and its oil, but let Rojava get massacred by ISIS, and allow ISIS to continue operating against Assad and the Shia block, but not to spread to Turkey or KRG). Is the Western led effort kabuki theater or is there a long term plan with noble goals? I am extremely cynical at this point.

[Big Guy]

Coalition planes are dropping bombs around Kobane (or Kobani) as Isis moves into the suburbs and towards town centre. Difficult to say if the bombings are having a major effect or not but we should know soon. I find it bizarre that we see video of hundreds of people on a mountain on the Kurdish side on the edge of Kobane cheering and booing as the bombs drop and the tanks fire away just on the other side of a wire fence which is the Syrian border.

A new wrinkle has been proposed;

The US and UK have said they are willing to examine the possibility of creating a "buffer zone" between Syria and Turkey as ISIL continues its assault on the border town of Kobane. I wonder on what side of the border that buffer zone would be but I suspect that Kobane would be that buffer zone. Interesting idea. This might give Turkey the excuse of ground troops crossing into Syria and annexing Kobane. Then the members of the coalition (like maybe Canada if Harper fell for this trap) could sit in there keeping ISIS and Turkey and Syria apart in this neutral buffer zone. That would be fun!

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/10/coalition-considers-buffer-zone-syria-2014108173358371784.html

As to the immediate future of Kobane, “Air strikes alone are not going to do this, not going to fix this, not going to save the town of Kobane,” Kirby (spokesman for the US defence department), said, adding: "We do not have a willing, capable, effective partner on the ground inside Syria right now. It's just a fact."

And the killing continues.

[Rue]

You would have to elaborate. Foreign intervention, mercenaries and intelligence games don't take away from the fact Syria fractured, and fought along ethno-religious lines.

Took the words out of my mouth. Yech. But right on.

Edited October 10, 2014 by Rue

[Rue]

This seems like semantics. Many 'civil wars' in history have had outside interference. Yes the Syrian conflict is obviously a 'proxy war' in many respects however the clear lines between shia/alawite, sunni, and kurdish factions and the neighborhood against neighborhood level of fighting make this a 'civil war' in many respects. I don't think that these definitions are mutually exclusive.

I believe this is being done, but new accounts pop up. Logistically this may also be a struggle due to the fact a lot of these accounts are in Arabic, where algorithms and human monitoring are likely less effective due to the language barrier.

I don't disagree with the points (I think) you are hinting at though. The west and our allies have been anything from complicit to directly involved in allowing the conflict in Syria to reach the stage it is at. The current actions being taken need to be viewed closely and with skepticism. What are the actual goals of the 'coalition'? To degrade and destroy ISIS, or simply to further West and Western allies interests in the region (ie protect KRG and its oil, but let Rojava get massacred by ISIS, and allow ISIS to continue operating against Assad and the Shia block, but not to spread to Turkey or KRG). Is the Western led effort kabuki theater or is there a long term plan with noble goals? I am extremely cynical at this point.

I must agree exactly with your words as stated.

[Big Guy]

Kabuki theatre, tap dancing and personal agendas.

This current battle for Kobani (a Kurdish city on the Syrian side of the Syria/Turkey) border is a good example of the complexity of the problems in this region. ISIS is slowly taking over the city.

At the moment, the Turkish army is sitting on the Turkish side of the border watching the fighting taking place about a mile away. If Turkey was get involved and attack ISIS, it would allow the Kurds to win, strengthen the Kurds who want independence from Turkey and strengthen Assad in Syria. Both conditions are detrimental to Turkey. So Turkey stands watching hoping that the Kurds and ISIS wipe each other out. In fact, the best condition would be that ISIS wins, goes south after Assad in Damascus and kills Assad and his leaders. Then the coalition comes in to take out ISIS. That way, Assad is out, Kurdish independence is out. Turkey does not have to worry about separatist Kurds or archenemy Assad. For that reason Turkey has declared that they will get involved only if the USA declares a “no fly” zone over Syria and assists in going into Damascus after ISIS has been subdued.

The USA is sceptical and another problem is NATO. If one country in NATO is at war then all other countries are also supposed to be. There are countries who are members of NATO but not members of this coalition. They want no part of Turkey getting involved.

So that is as close as I can get to the bizarre situation in Northern Syria. Now in Eastern Iraq and other sections each section has its own unique problems and repercussions depending on who beats up on who.

I hope we can get out of this mess without getting entangled in this local civil, sectarian, religious, cultural and ethnic war.

[Big Guy]

I have just located an excellent summary of the make-up and participation of the coalition as well as an up-to-date account of the progress of the war. The graphs and map are interactive and appear to be impartial and accurate;

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/interactive/2014/10/isil-us-syria-airstrike-coalition-uae-saudi-2014101142731382476.html

This is the closest thing that I have found to an ongoing account of what is happening on the ground. It appears that there are no journalists imbedded with any of the combatants so information is difficult to retrieve.

[eyeball]

Remember the shock and awe back in the day? It seems the lustre of that pagan ethos is missing from this coalition. Their hearts just don't seem to be into it.

[PIK]

I have just located an excellent summary of the make-up and participation of the coalition as well as an up-to-date account of the progress of the war. The graphs and map are interactive and appear to be impartial and accurate;

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/interactive/2014/10/isil-us-syria-airstrike-coalition-uae-saudi-2014101142731382476.html

This is the closest thing that I have found to an ongoing account of what is happening on the ground. It appears that there are no journalists imbedded with any of the combatants so information is difficult to retrieve.

Read matthew fisher if you want to really know what is going on ,since he is in Iraq.

[Rue]

Read matthew fisher if you want to really know what is going on ,since he is in Iraq.

Lol should not surprise you I enjoy reading him. One of my fave journalists. Ah but what do I know, I love Rex Murphy and Gwynne Dyer too.

Gosh I hope ig guy is not upset if you and moi donn't rely on our gospel from Al Braziere .

Edited October 11, 2014 by Rue

[Big Guy]

Read matthew fisher if you want to really know what is going on ,since he is in Iraq.

Thanks for the reference. I will look at his work with the National Post. I may be wrong but I would assume that any journalist from the West would tend to look at the situation from a Western perspective.

I am looking more for reports as to what is happening daily on the ground and information that is factual.

There are many opinions available but they seem to depend on the politics of the columnist. I am looking for objectivity.

Is there anything in the reference that I suggested to you that is either not objective or incorrect?

[bush_cheney2004]

F-18E Super Bug refuels before delivering the mail to ISIL last Saturday:

[On Guard for Thee]

B_C, always providing the most "uplifting" of trolls.

[Guest]

Sure, it's not a Spitfire, but then, what else is?

[marcus]

F-18E Super Bug refuels before delivering the mail to ISIL last Saturday:

It might be good for the military industrial complex and good porn material for you, but it's not going to do much to stop what the U.S. helped to create.

[bush_cheney2004]

It might be good for the military industrial complex and good porn material for you, but it's not going to do much to stop what the U.S. helped to create.

That's OK...because whatever you do isn't going to stop it either. How are those blankets coming ?

[marcus]

That's OK...because whatever you do isn't going to stop it either. How are those blankets coming ?

?

[jbg]

That's OK...because whatever you do isn't going to stop it either. How are those blankets coming ?

?

The blanket supply effort that didn't go over so well in Somalia in 1993, The Black Hawk Down episode and incidents like it affecting the Canadian Forces.

[Rue]

JBG no matter how much you try help he won't get rid of his Tehran accent.

You boys South of the border also need to understand one thing. When we send Celine Dion over there to sing

the Titanic Song over and over and over on one of this minarets, its game over. we are holding back on our biggest

weapon. Also I think we should send Justin Trudeau over on a field trip to discuss the root cause of ISIS and A Quaeda with them directly.

[jbg]

Also I think we should send Justin Trudeau over on a field trip to discuss the root cause of ISIS and A Quaeda with them directly.

How much does JT charge for a social work/pop psychology session? Express in U.S. and Canadian dollars please.

[waldo]

B_C, always providing the most "uplifting" of trolls.

what could the guy offer up... other than military porn?

[On Guard for Thee]

That's OK...because whatever you do isn't going to stop it either. How are those blankets coming ?

We have those blankets now, just open your mouth...

[bush_cheney2004]

Humanitarian aid is the way to win the war....all ISIL wants is some good Canadian blankets.

[overthere]

Blankets are very good for wrapping up sawn off heads

[Big Guy]

Looks like suicide bombers are as (if not more) effective than air attacks;

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/10/triple-suicide-attack-hits-kurds-iraq-2014101295710614574.html

If three fanatical suicide bombers can kill 30 and injure about 100 of their enemy Kurds then things are not looking good on the ground. There is really very little that one can do to defend against someone who is planning to die while taking out as many of his/her enemies as possible. The fact that most firepower is coming only from the air makes it almost impossible.

This air attack does not seem to be doing much harm to ISIS.