Germany sending those assault rifles appears confusing to me. Will not help supply and logistics for KRG. Everyone else is sending AKs, Germany couldn't do the same?
Germany sending those assault rifles appears confusing to me. Will not help supply and logistics for KRG. Everyone else is sending AKs, Germany couldn't do the same?
Here's my latest article analyzing car bombs in Iraq in 2012 to track the rebirth of the Islamic State. 2011 was the nadir for the group with much of its leadership dead or in prison. Estimates were that it could only carry out one major attack every 4-6 weeks. CIA estimated only 1,000 fighters left and many were speculating that it would devolve into a criminal gang. U.S. withdrawal relieved military pressure on group and Syria allowed a new battlefield for it to expand and rebuild in. Its rebirth shown in car bomb attacks throughout 2012. Jan and Feb had one day each of multiple car bombs across several provinces likely for propaganda purposes to show that it was still around after Americans left. By summer 2012 able to launch 2-4 car bomb waves a month and announced its Breaking Walls Campaign to restart the sectarian war marking the group's return as a fully reformed militant organization in Iraq. Here's a link to the article. Here are charts I put together for all the car bombs in Iraq in 2012, date, location, targets, casualties. Jan-March 2012. Apr-June 2012. Jul-Sep 2012. Oct-Dec 2012.
I'm not aware of the specifics of what they're sending, but is it possible that there are still East German AK variants in storage?Originally Posted by JWing
No they're sending German G35 Assault Rifles
I just interviewed Governor Dulaimi of Anbar. We discussed talks with Baghdad and the security situation in his province. Here's a link.
My latest piece on the Islamic State's systematic campaign to destroy the Yazidi community of Ninewa. Early August IS swept into Sinjar area of northern Ninewa. When entering towns would divide men from women and girls. Men were executed and women taken to several locations across province. Documentation of massacres in at least four villages. Other men have been taken prisoner. Some have been forced to convert to Islam. Women have been raped, forced to marry IS fighters, unconfirmed stories that some have been sold into slavery. No other group has gone through this experience under IS. Islamic State sees Yazidis as devil worshipers likely cause of treatment. Here's a link.
ISIS has killed the top leaders of Ahrar a-Sham in a car bomb in #Idlib, including the movement's leader Abu...
http://fb.me/1mVoFt1IK
The leader of the Ahrar ash-Sham was Hassan Aboud, and yes, it appears he was killed in this bombing.
Though, meanwhile, it's anything but sure this was an attack by the ISIS.
The meeting was held in an underground 'bunker'. AFAIK, it might be hard to kill anybody inside an underground facility with help of a car bomb.
On the contrary, there are reports that the bomb was planted inside that bunker before the meeting.
Rumours (and there are always plenty of these in Syria, no doubt) have it that the leadership of Ahrar ash-Sham met to decide whether to officially side with the revamped FSyA, in exchange for 'US support' (or whatever of this is provided), possibly in reaction to reports that the (official) Saudi support for insurgency is slackening. But, majority of insurgents in that group - and many other of Syrian insurgents - are meanwhile so fed up of Americans, that they opposed this and would have seen this as treachery.
Overall, this version sounds at least 'logic', and if it's true, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Ahrar - or at least large parts of it - defecting from the IF and siding with the ISIS as next...
...and should that happen, it would be a major 'PR victory' for the ISIS.
Now, Ahrar is important as a relatively big, well-organized and -supplied organization of Syrian Salafists, that's sure. But, overall, it's not even 10% of the IF in total (and the IF totals something like 50% of all the insurgency).
Nevertheless, if even a chunk of the Ahrar would defect to it, the ISIS could claim it is including Syrians, and then Syrian Salafists too - which so far was simply not the case (Syrian Salafists and Wahhabists of all sorts, but especially such idiots like the ISIS are at odds with each other).
In total, this might be another tragic consequence of absurd and sadistic US policy towards Syrian insurgency...
(BTW, this is actually all Syria-related, i.e. going off topic in regards of Iraq.)
Last edited by davidbfpo; 09-09-2014 at 11:36 PM. Reason: Copied to the Syria thread
AQI attacked them as well in the period from 2005 thru 2008 via car bombs and targeted assassinations.
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