ISIS – WHEN THE CATS ARE AWAY, THE MICE WILL PLAY. ISIS seized three border crossings into Syria and Jordan, and some nearby towns, giving it control over much of the countrys western frontier – the Turaibil crossing with Jordan and the Walid crossing with Syria after Assad’s forces had pulled out; also Al-Qaim, Rawah, Anah, and Rutba in the Sunni-dominated Anbar province; and Falluja and parts of Ramadi. Rutba is on the main highway from Baghdad to the two border crossings and its capture cut the Iraqi capitals main land-route to Jordan. The gains also bring the crisis in Iraq to the doorstep of Jordan, a key ally of the US. ISIS could add large swaths of the Iraqi border to the 300km stretch of land it controls along the Euphrates River – from Mosul in the north to Tikrit – which gives the group a launching pad for potential attacks on strategic sites, including the lifeblood of Iraqs electricity; the Haditha dam. The latest ISIS offensive came as Iraqs polarised political blocs faced intense lobbying to form an inclusive government that could unite the fractured country. In Baghdad, there was no consensus on a new government. Iraqs armed forces are outgunned and ill-prepared to deal with ISIS. The US secretary of state is on a tour of the Middle East and Europe to try and win support for the creation of a new government in Iraq capable of bridging the sectarian tensions that threaten to tear the country apart – and the Gulf countries for possible US military action against ISIS. Iran has eclipsed the US as Iraqs main power-broker and has warned it against sending fighter-jets into the region. Obama warned that ISIS could spread into neighbouring states and pose a medium-and-long-term threat to the US – too late, Obama; it has already spread. Ali Khamenei said Iran is heavily invested and involved in Iraq; an Iranian general is in Baghdad to coordinate the citys defences. Obama denied that indecision and inaction in Syria and Iraq had allowed the crisis to escalate. He added that America cannot play whack-a-mole by sending US troops to various countries whenever and wherever these organisations pop up. It must adopt a more focused and targeted strategy and train local law-enforcement and military to do it. He said he would dispatch 300 special forces to help train Iraqs army, but they would not have a direct combat role – WHY NOW BROWN COW? Why didn’t he leave them there in the first place? And why did he withdraw all US troops from Iraq? What is the job of the CIA, if not to know or at least anticipate? The Democrat chairwoman of the senate intelligence committee defended Obama, but admitted that the intelligence community had failed to anticipate the Islamic extremists breakthroughs.
Posted on: Tue, 24 Jun 2014 05:28:55 +0000
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