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As The Battle For Tikrit Begins, A Map Of Who Controls What

Tyler Durden's picture




 

As the world awaits to see if following his speech, Israel's PM will now proceed with launching a full on assault on Iran just to show he means business, or at least stage yet another false flag intervention to greenlight war in the middle east, several hundred kilometers to the northeast, the biggest offensive in the "war on ISIS" is now taking place after thousands of Iraqi soldiers and Shi'ite militiamen seek to retake the northern Iraqi town and birthplace of Saddam Hussein, Tikrit.

As previously reported, U.S. officials said last month that plans are afoot for a massive operation to recapture Mosul from ISIS — probably this spring — but wresting Tikrit from the militants beforehand is seen as critical given the city's strategic location. The question is whether third time will be the charm, er, offensive: Iraq's security forces have tried repeatedly — in June, again in August — to retake Tikrit but made little headway against the militants. This time may or may not be different, with a key variable being whether US air support will be granted to the local "resistance" fighters.

According to Reuters, Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani, who has helped coordinate Baghdad's counter-attacks against Islamic State since it seized much of northern Iraq in June, was overseeing at least part of the operation. In other words, the same Iran that was being vilifies in Congress is now fighting on behalf of the US-led "alliance", to eradicate the same terrorists which according to some, have seen a substantial Mossad influence in their appearance. Ironic.

As Reuters puts it, the Iranian's presence on the frontline highlights neighbouring Iran's influence over the Shi'ite fighters who have been key to containing the militants in Iraq.

In contrast, the U.S.-led air coalition which has been attacking Islamic State across Iraq and Syria has not yet played a role in Tikrit, the Pentagon said on Monday, perhaps partly because of the high-level Iranian presence.  Iraqi military officials said security forces backed by the Shi'ite militia known as Hashid Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation) were advancing gradually, their progress slowed by roadside bombs and snipers.

Adding to the confusion, on the southern flank of the offensive, army and police officials said government forces had surrounded and sealed off al-Dour, but had not yet launched an assault on the town, a source in military operations command said. To the north, they captured a village close to Tikrit, the army said.

More confusion: we now have a war against a stateless enemy that has seen Iraqi and Iranian soldiers fighting side by side:

Soleimani, head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Quds Force, was directing operations on the eastern flank from a village about 55 km (35 miles) from Tikrit called Albu Rayash, captured from Islamic State two days ago.

 

With him were two Iraqi Shi'ite paramilitary leaders: the leader of the Hashid Shaabi, Abu Mahdi al-Mohandis, and Hadi al-Amiri who leads the Badr Organisation, a powerful Shi'ite militia.

 

"(Soleimani) was standing on top of a hill pointing with his hands towards the areas where Islamic State are still operating," said a witness who was accompanying security forces near Albu Rayash.

Perhaps he is also pointing to where he hopes Iran borders will stretch in the coming years? Although before crossing that bridge, ISIS ground soliders will have to be repelled from a city which they are fiercely guarding and in which they have been strongly fortified:

The offensive is the biggest in the Salahuddin region north of Baghdad since last summer, when Islamic State killed hundreds of Iraqi army soldiers who had abandoned their base at Camp Speicher outside Tikrit.

 

Several Shi'ite Hashid Shaabi fighters have described this week's campaign - which has been given the title "Here I am, Messenger of God" - as revenge for the Speicher killings. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has urged them to protect civilians in Salahuddin, a mainly Sunni Muslim province.

And while Tikrit itself is irrelevant, the battle "will have a major impact on plans to move further north and recapture Mosul, the largest city under Islamic State rule."

If the offensive stalls, it will complicate and delay a move on Mosul. A quick victory would give Baghdad momentum, but any retribution against local Sunnis would imperil efforts to win over Mosul's mainly Sunni population.

 

To the west of Mosul, Islamic State fighters attacked Kurdish forces in the town of Sinjar on Monday, a senior peshmerga source said. Nine peshmerga and 45 militants were killed in the fighting, which began with a suicide car bomb in the Nasr quarter of the town.

 

Islamic State "want to show people they can still attack and inflict losses on the peshmerga", the source said. Kurdish forces currently control around 30 percent of the town of Sinjar, as well as the hills to the north and the mountain overlooking it.

As noted above: much confusion all around since pretty much everyone in the middle east is now somehow involved in this war on Iraqi/ISIS soil, so to provide some clarity, here is a simple map showing who controls what in this latest diversionary war designed merely to get Syria's president committed so the US has a legitimate pretext to obliterate him.

 

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Tue, 03/03/2015 - 16:53 | 5851237 TruxtonSpangler
TruxtonSpangler's picture

How many battles/wars in how many years? That place is fukd.

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 16:57 | 5851257 nuubee
nuubee's picture

Someone remind me again why the U.S. doesn't like Assad? Bonus points for not using the terms: "tyrant", "dictator", and/or "kills own people"

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 16:59 | 5851262 813kml
813kml's picture

He doesn't play ball.

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 17:04 | 5851279 readyforit
readyforit's picture

Golf?

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 17:08 | 5851296 TruxtonSpangler
TruxtonSpangler's picture

Its all part of the Russian/Iran ally smoke and mirrors. Plus he doesnt want to let us steal his country's oil and run pipelines through the place to sell to EU.

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 18:03 | 5851519 rocker
rocker's picture

It's more about who controls it.... Owns It.  We are the USJEWA.

We do as Nit A Yahoo tells us. He owns our FED and Government.

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 18:14 | 5851579 roadhazard
roadhazard's picture

Probably NOT true but if it is whoever got killed that is Their problem. Don't go there and you will not get killed.

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 21:48 | 5852320 Never One Roach
Never One Roach's picture

Even the Arab nations warned Bush NOT to invade Iraq. They told him it would leave a huge chaotic gap of anarchy.

 

 

 

Wed, 03/04/2015 - 01:13 | 5852896 Vullsain
Vullsain's picture

Dubya wasn't much for thinkin.

Wed, 03/04/2015 - 13:01 | 5854363 lipskid
lipskid's picture

Understatement of the century.

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 17:10 | 5851300 Save_America1st
Save_America1st's picture

I say we nuke 'em from orbit...it's the only way to be sure.

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 17:46 | 5851451 JuliaS
JuliaS's picture

[Persian] Gulf.

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 18:12 | 5851564 Paveway IV
Paveway IV's picture

"...Someone remind me again why the U.S. doesn't like Assad?..."

1. He doesn't obey Western gas and oil pipeline demands  2. He hates Israel - the Golan land-thieves - and will never allow their Leviathan gas to transit Syria.

In 2011, the U.S., Turkey, the Gulf states and Israel all freaked out when Iran, Iraq and Syria announced the massive Islamic Pipeline project that would feed Pars Field gas to Europe. This threatened everyeone else's gas sales and would ensure Shia-dominated states became wealthy. The U.S./Israeli plan for Iran is to keep the people impoverished and miserable as possible until their eventual slaughter and extermination, just like the Palestinians in Gaza.

The Red Pipeline shown here had to be stopped so it wouldn't interfere with the Gulf States proposed purple Qatar-Turkey pipeline or the Israeli Leviathan gas markets. Easiest way was to manufacture ISIS, whose curious choice of territory coincidentally interferes with almost the entire pipeline route.

It's not about the chemical weapons, it's about the Syrian pipeline

Called the Islamic pipeline, it is set to open in 2016; in fact, Iran, Iraq and Syria signed deals in 2011 to construct the 3,480 mile natural gas pipeline that runs from Iran’s South Pars to Europe. This Iran-Iraq-Syria pipeline is set to be the largest gas pipeline in the Middle East . It will snake through Iran, Iraq, Syria, South Lebanon and through the Mediterranean; in addition, the best refinery and infrastructure is in Damascus.

This was huge news in the Middle East. It must have been covered by all the big media outlets in the West, wasn't it??

The Islamic pipeline through Syria could cut energy power of Qatar and Turkey. To make matters worse, most Arabs view the Islamic Pipeline as a Shi’ite pipeline serving Shi’ite interests. After all, it originates in Shi’ite Iran, passes through Shi’ite Iraq, and flows into Shi’ite controlled Syria. Therefore, the Sunni-dominated Gulf nations have both an economic and to a lesser extent, a religious reason, for stopping the Islamic Pipeline from becoming a reality. So far, the Gulf nations have violently opposed Syria’s adoption of the Islamic Pipeline by arming opposition fighters within Syria in order to destabilize the nation.

Get the connection to a Sunni-based insurgency morphing into ISIS and the Gulf state funding now? See why the U.S. used Aleppo as the capital of the Syrian genocide and will never let Syria take it back?

The U.S. hates Assad because the U.S. is both Israel's and the Gulf state's BITCH. The U.S. congress are gutter whores paid to hate Assad, assassinate him and install a U.S.-puppet government that will comply with Israeli and Gulf state dictates. 

Money and gas/oil - that's why they hate Assad. And they will damn sure kill every last man, woman and child in Syria to make sure no Islamic Pipeline is ever allowed to exist.

Does that help clear it up?

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 19:07 | 5851747 Misean
Misean's picture

Nice, concise and accurate.

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 21:11 | 5852125 Paveway IV
Paveway IV's picture

There's a much more interesting twist in this three-decade humanitarian tragedy for the Iraqi people. This article's title starts out with "...As The Battle For Tikrit Begins..." and in the first paragraph "...the biggest offensive in the "war on ISIS" is now taking place after thousands of Iraqi soldiers and Shi'ite militiamen seek to retake the northern Iraqi town and birthplace of Saddam Hussein, Tikrit..."

What Tyler misses is that this is completely off-script for the Iraqis. It makes perfect sense for Iraqis to want to retake Tikrit for a number of reasons (Saddam's birthplace hardly rates) but they are going rouge by commanding their troops and militias to try to retake Tikrit now - they're not suppose to. The U.S. already planned their next 'big' battle, and that was going to be against ISIS in Mosul this spring. The U.S and Israel need the Iraqi Kurds on board for their future attacks on Iran, and sacrificing Iraqis for 'Kurdish' Mosul was that plan. 

Take a look at this simple 1975 map of the Iraqi Kurdistan Autonomous region and note the two big 'Kurdish' cities that were NOT part of Kurdistan then. Since then, Israel (very aggressively) and to a lesser extent, the U.S., have been there buying up politicians, planting spies, signing oil contracts and arming/training Kurdish troops. Here's Wikipedia's idea of the current Iraqi Kurdistan. Compare that to the expansion of Israeli-claimed land here. The Iraqi Kurdish expansion is largely for the benefit of rich Kurds and Western backers, not for the average Kurdish cannon fodder. Much of the Kurdish region 'expansion' was not into historic Kurdish lands, but lands that Kurdish oligarchs wanted - dams, oil fields and pipeline routes. They fueled much of that expansion through ethnic cleansing, kicking arabs out of 'their' territory - mostly Turkmen - that had lived there (peacefully co-existing with neghboring Kurdish towns) for centuries. The U.S. and Israel have already decided how 'big' an autonomous Kurdistan region will be, not the Iraqi people. 

So why is the U.S. worried about this Tikrit thing (which will probably fail anyway without U.S. air support)?

I get these daily Situation Report emails from Foreign Policy, which pretty much parrot the neo-con U.S. government sentiment du jour on events. Here's what THEY wrote about Tikrit today:

by David Francis with Sabine Muscat

Iraq repays DoD’s Mosul leaks with a surprise of its own. Iraqi officials were angry after the Pentagon released details on plans without Baghdad’s approval to retake Mosul. They returned the favor Monday with an unexpected offensive to retake Tikrit from the Islamic State. FP’s Kate Brannen and Lara Jakes on the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State, "which the Defense Department says is providing no support to the Tikrit operation. After conducting more than 2,000 airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Iraq and Syria, the absence of the United States from the Tikrit fight is telling and speaks to how little influence the United States may have on this complicated battlefield.” 

Complicated battlefield, indeed. The Iraqis may want to take back Mosul some day, but they sure as hell won't sit around and wait to be ordered to like dogs by the Pentagon. The U.S. is walking on eggshells in Iraq - they want Iraqis to kick out ISIS, but not be strong enough to enforce the 1975 Kurdish borders. The U.S. figured it would arm and train enough Iraqis to 'liberate' a greatly-expanded Kurdistan, who would then declare independence and take all the northern oil fields with them. The Mosul-Haifa(Israel) pipeline starts in Mosul - it needs to be part of Kurdistan. The Iraqis can't be armed too much or they might decide they don't want to die for Kurdistan's independence and land-grab.

The Iraqis are understandably pissed off. They don't get any U.S. military crap unless they 'liberate' Kurdistan from ISIS (and Iraq). The Iraqis just said "Screw you, U.S. - Iran will help us in Tikrit." If they do take Tikrit, ISIS will flee north to - among other places - Mosul. Since Mosul is being stolen from Iraq, they're probably never going to want to go there to die for Kurdistan. The U.S. can't arm the Kurds with any heavy weapons or Turkey will go ballistic - the Kurds are looking for large chunks of Turkey to beling to a greater (and independent) Kurdistan. So the incompetent Pentagon tried to dictate what battles the Iraqis would fight and assumed they would obey without question.

To sum up: the U.S. has completely fucked up the entire situation as part of a power/oil/land grab. Death, destruction, poverty, misery and war are the only thing that the U.S. brings anywhere. And the U.S. war in Iraq is still going on today - we're not done killing people there by a long shot. ISIS has gone rogue, our puppet Iraqi government has gone rogue, our Syrian opposition has gone... well, to ISIS. Damn it to HELL - nobody listens to us anymore! 

Wed, 03/04/2015 - 03:24 | 5853033 Motasaurus
Motasaurus's picture

The US and "coalition" partners may not be flying air support for the battle in Tikrit, but Iran is. It's a clever move by Iran. They have taken a play right from the NATO standard playbook by providing generals and "advisors" to both Iraq and Syria to help them in their fights against ISIS.

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 17:00 | 5851264 giovanni_f
giovanni_f's picture

He is a totalitarian oppressor.

/s

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 17:05 | 5851278 Oldballplayer
Oldballplayer's picture

Isn't he an opthamologist?  Who the fuck wants an eye doctor at their parties.  Always going around saying shit like "I SEE what you are doing there."  Fuck him.

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 17:54 | 5851490 spieslikeus
spieslikeus's picture

I got my eye on you motherfucker

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 18:24 | 5851620 mtndds
mtndds's picture

ok, I will play.  An eye for an eye, phucker!!  LOL.

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 17:05 | 5851285 pods
pods's picture

The US doesn't like Assad because we said he gassed his own people.

Turns out, it was our liver eating moderates, but hey you gotta break some eggs when you want a Quatari pipeline run.

Mixed Metaphors FTW!

pods

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 17:12 | 5851313 TruxtonSpangler
TruxtonSpangler's picture

I thought it was a run to the Haifa terminal and on to EU?

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 17:55 | 5851491 spieslikeus
spieslikeus's picture

Gassed his own folks....fify

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 18:52 | 5851701 Vullsain
Vullsain's picture

Of Course when Saddam gassed the Kurds we continued with four billion in agricultural subsidies ;)  It was sort of a different set of American ideals at the time somehow, don't you know!!

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 17:07 | 5851290 kaiserhoff
kaiserhoff's picture

I've never thought much about Assad.

Israel hates him because he funds Hezbollah,

The Saudi's and fellow travelers want to run a gas pipeline through his backyard.  Assad would probably love the pipeline idea if it didn't come with a plague of Mossad, CIA, DIA, etc spies and assassins...., which it would.  Then there is all the Arab infighting, which I don't pretend to understand.

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 17:30 | 5851391 Bioscale
Bioscale's picture

Someone put this link today into the comments on Saker's blog about energy was in ME: http://www.tomdispatch.com/blog/175961/

 

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 18:26 | 5851624 SmittyinLA
SmittyinLA's picture

Syria has an active nuke program.

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 20:03 | 5851909 knukles
knukles's picture

Why doesn't the US like Assad?  Hows about most of the conflict in Syria has been initiated by the US and Western Powers, mainly Britain and France in an attempt to over throw Bashar al-Assad because he supports Putin.  The Gulf nations (Saudi, et al) want to build a gas pipeline(s) up the coast through Israel (yes, no kidding and they welcome it, too) Syria and on to Western Europe who right now in spite of the North Sea, get most of their Natty from Russia.  Assad supports Putin (client state complete with Russian naval base on Mediterranean Sea) and says... NO!  Putin of course doesn't want any competition for his gas by the Gulf Nation's gas... and the Gulf nations flame most of it off and in waste and no revenue.
And, of course, we want the petro-dollar to remain the medium of global energy transactions which Putin wants to change to the ruble or gold. 
So, there's the reason for the war(s)
Also, same goes for the Ukraine as we overthrew the old government who supported Putin's gas transmission to Europe in favor of evil fascists who want to stop it as per the US's and Britain's intervention.  The Brits want Putin shut off, too, as they'd get to sell more of their Natty to Europe. 

All this shit going on right now traces back to Natural Gas Pipelines and maintenance of the Petro-Dollar.


Tue, 03/03/2015 - 16:58 | 5851258 cossack55
cossack55's picture

I suggest you request an answer from the BLS.

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 17:13 | 5851320 Harbanger
Harbanger's picture

Didn't the US recently have to ask Iran for help in fighting ISIL after Iraq fell apart?

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 18:01 | 5851500 booboo
booboo's picture

Man I remember working on a road crew just outside Tikrit in Dec 03 when a donkey cart pulled up with a bearded guy wearing a fedora and a steamer trunk with "CIA" stamped on it on the cart, I said, "Man, you best get outta here"

He said "Where?" and I said, "fuck man, head over to that shack, dig a hole and crawl into it, shits about to get real" He reached into the steamer trunk, pulled out a 100 bill and said thanks.

Off he went, wonder what ever happened to that old fella;)

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 16:54 | 5851242 youngman
youngman's picture

I am sure ISIS will be following the Geneva Conventions...

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 17:16 | 5851335 Bunghole
Bunghole's picture

You mean how 9mm hollow points are cruel but .50 cal armor piercing incendiary rounds are cool.

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 17:38 | 5851432 El Vaquero
El Vaquero's picture

Naw, that's one of the Hague Conventions, of which the US is not a signatory nation.  The Geneva Conventions just bans "weapons that cause superfluous injury."  You could argue that 9mm HPs are cool under that definition, though the military likes FMJs for feeding reliability. 

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 18:14 | 5851545 Bunghole
Bunghole's picture

Protocol 3 prohibits the use of incindiary weapons on civilians.

Nuttyahoo didnt get that memo

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 18:49 | 5851386 813kml
813kml's picture

ISIS coming for the pretty young white women!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_L2fazw5Y9k

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 17:33 | 5851396 Harbanger
Harbanger's picture

ISIS is Sunni, an enemy of the Shia in Iran.  Therefore it's understandable that Iran is helping the US against ISIS because of a common enemy.  But the US doesn't want Iran to have Nukes, yet Pakistan is Sunni and already has Nukes which they can give to ISIS.  What am I not understanding?

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 16:55 | 5851246 angel_of_joy
angel_of_joy's picture

Didn't we win this battle some years ago ? I'm pretty sure I heard something about that back when GWB was POTUS...

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 16:57 | 5851255 ParkAveFlasher
ParkAveFlasher's picture

We wonned it, before we lost it.

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 17:05 | 5851286 OilCaptain
OilCaptain's picture

Maybe it depends upon what your definition of 'win' is.  The days of considering these events like WW2 and uniformed force on force are gone.

Looking at this from a game theory perspective, it is better to have radicals fighting against trained US forces outside our borders and crushing said radicals than to pull out and have radicals launch from safe-havens to attack innocent folks here.  It's a zero sum game; somebody's going to die because of their blood cult.  The political victory is to carry the fight abroad and vigilantly protect the folks here.

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 17:10 | 5851302 The Shape
The Shape's picture

Winning to these guys is ensuring the war never ends.

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 17:13 | 5851312 angel_of_joy
angel_of_joy's picture

Sorry, but "crushing radicals" and fighting the same battle twice seems to be somewhat of a logical contradiction. I'm pretty sure that we "crushed" them once, so why do we have to fight them again in exactly the same place ?

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 19:17 | 5851762 amadeus39
amadeus39's picture

We're not fighting "them" again. These are new guys. Next generation and recruits from western countries. We failed to kill all the women and children like Clint would have done. We were hoping for forgiveness.

 

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 20:50 | 5852107 angel_of_joy
angel_of_joy's picture

Well, at least a few of "the new guys" will end up with their throats slashed then...

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 17:12 | 5851318 Solarman
Solarman's picture

Yup

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 18:08 | 5851428 Vullsain
Vullsain's picture

Yeah thats the ticket!! The NeoCon playbook is going great!! We will turn Iraq into a consumer driven democracy!! What the Hell could go wrong!! Everything is peachy!! Onward to the Ukraine!! Who cares about the Trillions of dollars spent anyway. Remember our great NeoCon The "DICK" Cheney said deficits do not matter. Plus rich kids like himself and Dubya don't do get slaughterd,maimed and scarred so whats the problem? Yeah everything is great!! Plus we can spend trillions on wars but it would be impossible to keep the backward hankie heads out..

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 17:40 | 5851437 El Vaquero
El Vaquero's picture

Who is going to pay for that and where are the raw materials going to come from?

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 18:36 | 5851657 dsty
dsty's picture

silly boy

don't you know who these guys are

Hint

they hate jews

so they love?????

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 20:37 | 5852045 libertysghost
libertysghost's picture

Silly boy...being critical and being anti_jewish are two different things. 

Don't you know that you can't conflate the two and dismiss anything critical you can't argue against? 

you hate people who are critical of states you worship...

So who do you love...unconditionally...it appears????

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 17:12 | 5851315 Captain Willard
Captain Willard's picture

Doesn't Tikrit also look pretty close to Baghdad?

Just sayin'.........

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 16:55 | 5851247 youngman
youngman's picture

Whats up with this Captain America banner playing every 5 seconds....and you cant turn it off...come one Tyler..enough is enough...this sucks

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 17:03 | 5851276 pods
pods's picture

Get Adblock for Chrome. It works well.

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/adblock/gighmmpiobklfepjocnamg...

I had to. I am fine with ads, Tyler's need money too. I even click them. But auto streaming and pop up ads.  Sorry. 

pods

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 17:12 | 5851309 Save_America1st
Save_America1st's picture

yep...and adblockplus add on for Fire Fox.  Works great.  So does Ghostery if you want to squash all the tracking gizmos hiding behind the scenes.

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 18:05 | 5851532 ThirdWorldDude
ThirdWorldDude's picture

Use Blur to kill trackers if you're running Chrome; also ZenMate is very useful for data traffic encryption and IP-masking...

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 20:31 | 5852019 unicorn
unicorn's picture

zenmate is cool, didnt know, thx! so finally gettin zerohedge https for free:)

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 20:02 | 5851907 Maxter
Maxter's picture

I had to install Adblock here too.  I am sorry Tylers, but I won't disable it for your website until the auto starting videos and the pop up stops.

Also, all of that is making by tablet reader crash when I try to view this website.

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 16:56 | 5851248 Max Steel
Max Steel's picture

Kurds must be expecting a separate state . They have oil rich region with them so it's highly unlikely they  will get separate state 

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 16:56 | 5851249 ParkAveFlasher
ParkAveFlasher's picture

One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fishkhabur

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 17:07 | 5851288 Kirk2NCC1701
Kirk2NCC1701's picture

Long Turkey and Fishharbor

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 17:08 | 5851293 ParkAveFlasher
ParkAveFlasher's picture

I couid use an Irbil remedy right about now.

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 19:21 | 5851783 amadeus39
amadeus39's picture

Fishkabob. Sounds tastier.

 

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 16:59 | 5851265 Ignatius
Ignatius's picture

"It's a long way to Tipperary"

Come on, sing with me boys....

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 17:01 | 5851268 RafterManFMJ
RafterManFMJ's picture

Deploy the LAPD to fight the CIA's Frankenstein monster, ISIS; they've no problem murdering unarmed Americans let's see how they do against ISIS.

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 17:05 | 5851277 Ignatius
Ignatius's picture

When they start beheading unarmed, homeless people then we'll know they're up for the fight.

"He was goin' for his head."  -- LAPD

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 17:38 | 5851411 Pure Evil
Pure Evil's picture

Which head would that be?

The one that Obama likes to choom on?

Or, the one where the pea rattles around?

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 17:24 | 5851370 Savyindallas
Savyindallas's picture

bad idea. they'd likely ally with ISIS to save their own necks  -and then return with advanced training as how to terrify and murder unarmed innocents. 

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 17:04 | 5851274 Savyindallas
Savyindallas's picture

How can we even be discussing this minor issue, when a serious crisis is at hand  --dozens of congressmen did not show up today to suck Bibi's dick. What are we going to do about them?  

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 17:48 | 5851472 Monty Burns
Monty Burns's picture

Don't worry - they're already yesterday's men.

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 18:58 | 5851720 Fun Facts
Fun Facts's picture

AIPAC is going to have Emanuel waterboard them in his Chicago Torture Center.

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 20:37 | 5852049 directaction
directaction's picture

There will be payback.

Those who didn't show up can say goodbye to any further re-election campaign funding. 

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 17:26 | 5851377 disabledvet
disabledvet's picture

Looks like then Kurds have them on three sides.

 

Bleed 'em out in Tikrit first?

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 17:28 | 5851384 plongka10
plongka10's picture

Interesting that there is NO air support from the coalition of the willing - can't have those ISIS boys taken out now, can we?

Wed, 03/04/2015 - 03:27 | 5853036 Motasaurus
Motasaurus's picture

Of course not. The US and "coalition" air forces have been flying support for ISIS, not against them.

http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13931204001534 

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 17:29 | 5851389 Fun Facts
Fun Facts's picture

Need to add a marker in Northern Israel where the ISIS flags are made.

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 17:39 | 5851434 HowdyDoody
HowdyDoody's picture

plus the IDF resupply point for ISIS and the location of the israeli hospital used to treat wounded ISIS fighters.

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 18:03 | 5851518 serotonindumptruck
serotonindumptruck's picture

Clearly, Jordan has been implicated, and they are NOT happy about the disclosure.

http://warnewsupdates.blogspot.com/2015/02/jordan-furious-over-pentagon-...

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 17:30 | 5851390 Madcow
Madcow's picture

Open 300 Cinnebons up and down that line and most of the running around chopping each others' heads off stops -

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 17:34 | 5851410 DutchBoy2015
DutchBoy2015's picture

Deutschland/Rusland uber alles.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rr7ymJwx4-Q

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 17:48 | 5851470 tommylicious
tommylicious's picture

shitkrit

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 18:08 | 5851497 Motasaurus
Motasaurus's picture

The battle for Tikrit is litterally a fight between an Iraq-Iran coalition (the supervising General is from Iran) against a Qatari-Saudi-Israel-NATO coalition. 

Recently the head of the Iraqi army accused the NATO and "coalition" (which means Australian and NZ) air forces of bombing Iraqi army regulars and dropping "aid" (which means weapons, ammunition and medical supplies) to ISIS militias.  

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 18:33 | 5851647 Quantum Nucleonics
Quantum Nucleonics's picture

A B83 airburst would do the trick.

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 19:23 | 5851790 Cityzerosix
Cityzerosix's picture

We Kurdistaned some folks

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 21:33 | 5852253 steelrules
steelrules's picture

Looks like the gate's being left open to push them into Syria.

Tue, 03/03/2015 - 22:26 | 5852458 Blano
Blano's picture

So let's just have whoever is fighting ISIS call in Iranian air support instead of ours now.  Problem solved.

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