Killing ISIS...

[paulitician]

Interesting Mini-Doc.

 

[paulitician]

"The people we're fighting today, we funded 20yrs ago." - Hillary Clinton

Possibly the only time Hillary Clinton has been caught telling the truth.

 

[Luddly Neddite]

You do know, don't you, that you can delete all those other threads?

 

[waltky]

Granny says, "Dat's right - kill `em all, let God sort `em out...

US steps up war on Isis with secret kill squad
Thursday Sep 3, 2015 - CIA escalates role in battle against terrorists in Syria.

The CIA and US special operations forces have launched a secret campaign to hunt terrorism suspects in Syria as part of a targeted killing programme that is run separately from the broader US military offensive against Isis (Islamic State). The CIA and the Joint Special Operations Command are both flying armed drones over Syria in a collaboration responsible for several recent strikes against senior Isis operatives, according to US officials. Among those killed was a British militant believed to be an architect of the group's effort to use social media to incite attacks in the US.

The clandestine programme represents a significant escalation of the CIA's involvement in the war in Syria, enlisting the agency's powerful Counterterrorism Centre. But while the centre has been given an expanded role in identifying and locating senior Isis figures, US officials said the strikes were carried out exclusively by the special operations command. They said the programme was aimed at terrorism suspects deemed "high value targets". "These people are being identified and targeted through a separate effort," said a senior US official, referring to the British militant, Junaid Hussain, and others killed in recent weeks.

The ancient city of Palmyra, Syria.

The decision to enlist the CIA and special operations command reflects rising anxiety among US counterterrorism officials about the danger Isis poses, as well as frustration with the failure so far of conventional strikes to degrade its strength. Syria is a new front in a spreading campaign of secret operations and drone strikes that already encompasses Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia and parts of North Africa. Officials said the co-operation between the CIA and special operations command in Syria was increasingly seen as a model that could be employed in future conflicts. The programme has accounted for only a handful of strikes so far, a tiny fraction of the more than 2450 conducted in Iraq and Syria in the past year. That broader US-led assault has relied on conventional bombs to dislodge Isis from territory it has seized.

The joint programme is aimed primarily at leadership figures in Isis as well as operatives suspected of being involved in efforts to build a terror network beyond the borders of its declared caliphate. Al-Qaeda militants are also approved targets. Hussain, the 21-year-old British militant killed last month, was moved towards the top of the target list after being linked to one of two gunmen killed in Garland, Texas, this year after opening fire at a cartoon contest that invited participants to draw pictures of the Prophet Mohammed. Hussain is not known to have been involved in Isis' gruesome beheadings. The decision to kill him makes clear that even militants only involved in Isis' media efforts are regarded as legitimate US targets.

World heritage sites in danger

 

[waltky]

Granny says, "Dat's right - sic the Green Berets an' Navy Seals on `em...

CIA, Special Operations Cooperate to Kill Extremists in Syria, Iraq
Sep 28, 2015 | WASHINGTON -- With no regular American presence in the war theater, the U.S. has struggled to answer basic intelligence questions about the situation in Syria and Iraq, including the Islamic State group's fighting strength. And the overall U.S.-led bombing campaign has failed to dislodge the group from its self-declared caliphate across both countries.

But one element is seen as a growing intelligence and military success: The combined effort by the CIA and the military's Joint Special Operations Command to find and kill "high value" targets from both al-Qaida and IS. The drone strikes -- separate from the large air campaign run by U.S. Central Command -- have significantly diminished the threat from the Khorasan Group, an al-Qaida cell in Syria that had planned attacks on American aviation, officials say. The group's leader, Muhsin al-Fadhli, and its top bomb-maker, David Drugeon, were killed this summer. Other targeted strikes have taken out senior Islamic State group figures, including its second in command, known as Hajji Mutazz.

CIA's Liberty Crossing Intelligence Campus in McLean, Va.

In an effort that ramped up over the last year, intelligence analysts and special operators have harnessed an array of satellites, sensors, drones and other technology to find and kill elusive militants across a vast, rugged area of Syria and Iraq, despite the lack of a ground presence and steps taken by U.S. targets to disguise their use of electronic devices. The strikes won't defeat the Islamic State, but they are keeping its leadership off balance, a senior defense official involved in planning them said. "They are constantly having to adjust, which means they don't have a lot of time to sit there and plan large and effective attacks," the official said.

Like others interviewed for this story, the official was not authorized to discuss intelligence matters publicly and would not be quoted by name. As in Pakistan and Yemen, missiles fired from unmanned drones have been the weapons of choice to kill high-value targets in Syria and Iraq. But unlike in Pakistan and Yemen, JSOC, not the CIA, has been pulling the trigger in Syria and Iraq, officials say. JSOC's armed drones operate separately from, but in concert with, a conventional bombing campaign run by U.S. Central Command, which has overall responsibility for the war.

More CIA, Special Operations Cooperate to Kill Extremists in Syria, Iraq | Military.com

 

[paulitician]

The U.S. created ISIS. Now it's killing them. Makes perfect sense. What a disastrous foreign policy. The best we can hope for now, is for Russia and Iran to clean up our awful mess in Syria.

 

[waltky]

Russian Navy Launches Cruise Missiles Against ‘ISIS...

From 1,000 Miles Away, Russian Navy Launches Cruise Missiles Against ‘ISIS Targets’
October 7, 2015 | Russia’s military campaign in Syria took a new turn Wednesday when four warships fired 26 cruise missiles at what the defense ministry said were Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS/ISIL) targets including three training camps in northern Syria.

The development came amid continuing allegations that the majority of targets hit during Russia’s week-old airstrike campaign are associated with rebels groups other than ISIS. NATO commented Tuesday on an increase of Russian naval assets in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, but when the Russian Navy entered the campaign it did so from the south-western part of the landlocked Caspian Sea, some 1,000 miles to the north-east. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu reported to President Vladimir Putin that all 11 “ISIS targets” had been destroyed, and that no civilian facilities had been hit, according to a transcript released by the Kremlin.

The Dagestan missile ship and other vessels from the Russian Navy’s Caspian Flotilla.​

Putin said, “The fact that these strikes were carried out using high-precision weapons launched from the Caspian Sea’s waters, around 1,500 kilometers away, and all of the planned targets were destroyed is evidence of our defense industry’s good preparation and the service personnel’s good professional skills.” Briefing reporters, Colonel General Andrei Kartapolov of the Russian armed forces general staff said the decision to use long-range cruise missiles was made after reconnaissance identified important targets. He said they included terrorist training camps in the Aleppo, Idlib and Raqqa regions, as well as command posts and ammunition manufacturing and storage sites. Each target had been carefully analyzed, based on aerial and satellite reconnaissance, communications intercepts and data collected by Syria, Iran and Iraq.

(Russia, Iran, Iraq and the Assad regime recently established an intelligence-sharing center in Baghdad.) Kartapolov said Russia’s “partners” had given the go-ahead in advance for the use of the weaponry. He did not elaborate, but missiles traveling from the south-western Caspian Sea to Syria would overfly Iran and Iraq. The ministry said the missiles launched from the four Caspian Flotilla vessels – Dagestan, Grad Sviyazhsk, Uglich and Veliky Ustyug – were Kalibr NK cruise missiles, accurate to within nine feet of their target. They fly at low altitudes, about 160 feet, following the terrain.

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See also:

Putin: Assad and Free Syrian Army Joining Forces ‘An Interesting Idea’
October 8, 2015 | Russia’s foreign ministry said Wednesday it was exploring the possibility of the opposition Free Syrian Army (FSA) teaming up with the Assad regime’s armed forces against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS/ISIL) and other terrorist groups.

Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that, acting on President Vladimir Putin’s instructions, the ministry was seeking to establish contacts with the FSA to discuss the proposal. Earlier in the day, Putin said the idea had originated from French President Francois Hollande. Putin said that when he met with Hollande in Paris last Friday, the French leader “suggested an interesting idea – to try and join the efforts of President Assad’s forces and the so-called Free Syrian Army.” “Admittedly, we still don’t know who leads them or who they even are,” Putin added in reference to the FSA. “But if it is a military wing of the so-called moderate part of the opposition, then it could be useful to join efforts against a common enemy, such as ISIL, Jabhat al-Nusra and other terrorist groups.”

Free Syrian Army rebels attend a weapons training session outside Idlib​

But in a speech to the European Parliament in Strasbourg Wednesday, Hollande sounded skeptical of the notion that the Western-backed FSA could work together with the Assad regime. “It will not be possible to reunite the opposition – I am talking about the moderate opposition, the democratic opposition – with the executioner of the Syrian people,” the Associated Press quoted him as saying. European nations and the U.S. have long called for Assad’s departure, although in recent weeks there has been a shift in language – an apparent acceptance that Assad could play a role in a transitional period.

Wherever the proposal originated, Moscow appears to be exploring it. “The Russian foreign ministry, authorized by President Putin, informs our partners in the countries which have contacts with the Free Army about Russia’s readiness to hold contacts with leaders of this structure to discuss possibility of engaging it the work to prepare conditions for launching the necessary political settlement process in Syria through talks between the Syrian government and the national opposition,” Zakharova said in a statement. Whether the Assad regime would agree to such a proposal remains to be seen. The state-run SANA news agency reported the news from the Russian foreign ministry without comment.

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[waltky]

Granny says, "Dat's right - boots back onna ground in Iraq if needs be...

U.S. to intensify fight against Islamic State militants: Pentagon chief
Tue Oct 27, 2015 - The U.S. military will intensify air strikes and may carry out more direct ground attacks as it steps up efforts against Islamic State militants following a failed bid to train Syrian rebels, Defense Secretary Ash Carter told lawmakers on Tuesday.

Speaking to the Senate Armed Services Committee just days after a U.S. soldier was killed participating in a Kurdish-led mission to rescue Islamic State hostages, Carter indicated that similar missions were likely in the future as U.S. forces adapt to the fight in Syria and Iraq. "We won't hold back from supporting capable partners in opportunistic attacks against ISIL or conducting such missions directly, whether by strikes from the air or direct action on the ground," said Carter, using an acronym for the militant group. The Pentagon chief, who faced withering criticism over the administration's handling of the Islamic State crisis, said while the Iraq mission was to train, advise and assist Iraqi forces, "where we have actionable intelligence and a capable partner force, we want to support our partners and we will."

A pair of U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles fly over northern Iraq after conducting airstrikes in Syria​

As Carter briefed the Armed Services Committee on the U.S. strategy against the militants, Secretary of State John Kerry spoke with members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee behind closed doors on the same issue, just days before heading to Vienna for multilateral talks on Syria. An official in the region told Reuters that Iran had been invited to the Vienna talks by the United States and Russia, and Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian would attend, while the presence of Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was still under discussion. "Friday obviously will be an important day," said Senator Bob Corker, the Republican chairman of the foreign relations panel. The Obama administration "are putting a lot of stock in Friday's meetings," he said.

Carter told the Senate Armed Services Committee that going forward the U.S.-led coalition would support local forces as they put pressure on Islamic State in the group's Syrian stronghold of Raqqa and in the captured Iraqi city of Ramadi. He said the United States was now supporting Syrian Arab forces already inside the country fighting Islamic State rather than trying to train completely new moderate Syrian fighters outside the country, an effort that cost millions of dollars and produced few trained troops. Marine Corp General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the panel he would consider recommending putting more U.S. advisers with Iraqi troops to support the Islamic State fight if it improved chances of defeating the militants. "If it had operational or strategic impact and we could reinforce success, that would be the basic framework within which I'd make a recommendation for additional forces to be co-located with Iraqi units," Dunford said.

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[paulitician]

Granny says, "Dat's right - boots back onna ground in Iraq if needs be...

U.S. to intensify fight against Islamic State militants: Pentagon chief
Tue Oct 27, 2015 - The U.S. military will intensify air strikes and may carry out more direct ground attacks as it steps up efforts against Islamic State militants following a failed bid to train Syrian rebels, Defense Secretary Ash Carter told lawmakers on Tuesday.

Speaking to the Senate Armed Services Committee just days after a U.S. soldier was killed participating in a Kurdish-led mission to rescue Islamic State hostages, Carter indicated that similar missions were likely in the future as U.S. forces adapt to the fight in Syria and Iraq. "We won't hold back from supporting capable partners in opportunistic attacks against ISIL or conducting such missions directly, whether by strikes from the air or direct action on the ground," said Carter, using an acronym for the militant group. The Pentagon chief, who faced withering criticism over the administration's handling of the Islamic State crisis, said while the Iraq mission was to train, advise and assist Iraqi forces, "where we have actionable intelligence and a capable partner force, we want to support our partners and we will."

A pair of U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles fly over northern Iraq after conducting airstrikes in Syria​

As Carter briefed the Armed Services Committee on the U.S. strategy against the militants, Secretary of State John Kerry spoke with members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee behind closed doors on the same issue, just days before heading to Vienna for multilateral talks on Syria. An official in the region told Reuters that Iran had been invited to the Vienna talks by the United States and Russia, and Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian would attend, while the presence of Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was still under discussion. "Friday obviously will be an important day," said Senator Bob Corker, the Republican chairman of the foreign relations panel. The Obama administration "are putting a lot of stock in Friday's meetings," he said.

Carter told the Senate Armed Services Committee that going forward the U.S.-led coalition would support local forces as they put pressure on Islamic State in the group's Syrian stronghold of Raqqa and in the captured Iraqi city of Ramadi. He said the United States was now supporting Syrian Arab forces already inside the country fighting Islamic State rather than trying to train completely new moderate Syrian fighters outside the country, an effort that cost millions of dollars and produced few trained troops. Marine Corp General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the panel he would consider recommending putting more U.S. advisers with Iraqi troops to support the Islamic State fight if it improved chances of defeating the militants. "If it had operational or strategic impact and we could reinforce success, that would be the basic framework within which I'd make a recommendation for additional forces to be co-located with Iraqi units," Dunford said.

MORE

I thought we left Iraq? Oh right, we're back to kill the ISIS Boogeyman we created. What a mess. Let's just allow Russia and Iran to clean it up. We've done enough damage over there. Let's come home.

 

[PaintMyHouse]

Interesting Mini-Doc.

ISIS cannot be be killed. It is an idea buried deep within Islam.

 

[waltky]

Obama still wants to wait till they come here...

Obama rules out U.S. troops on ground to fight Islamic State
Mon Nov 16, 2015 - President Barack Obama ruled out a shift in strategy in the fight against Islamic State on Monday despite the deadly attacks in Paris, saying putting more U.S. troops on the ground as sought by his political critics "would be a mistake."

Speaking after a G20 summit in Turkey, Obama described the attacks in France that killed 129 people as "a terrible and sickening setback" and vowed to redouble efforts to destroy Islamic State, even as the group threatened to strike Washington. Mindful of the difficulties that the United States had in controlling Iraq after its invasion in 2003, Obama is very reluctant to commit American ground forces to Middle East conflict zones. "We are going to continue the strategy that has the best chance of working," he told a news conference, adding that there would be "an intensification" of the effort against Islamic State.

Obama has been criticized for his administration's handling of the current turmoil in Syria and Iraq, with some Republicans calling for a more aggressive approach that would include more U.S. troops on the ground in the region. Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush called on Monday for more U.S. troops in leadership positions and as advisers to Iraqi and Kurdish units. He also sought a no-fly zone in Syria, a move Obama has resisted, in part because Islamic State has no air force. Billionaire businessman Donald Trump, another Republican White House contender, supported sending as many as 10,000 U.S. troops in the region, while South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham spoke of creating a ground force of U.S., French and other NATO forces to fight Islamic State.

Obama pushed back against the Republicans and said some were only recommending what the administration had already done against Islamic State while others seemed to think if he were "just more bellicose ... that would make a difference." "This is not a traditional military opponent. We can retake territory and as long as we keep our troops there we can hold it. But that does not solve the underlying problem of eliminating the dynamics that are producing these kinds of violent, extremist groups," Obama said. A majority of Americans want the United States to intensify its assault on Islamic State following the Paris attacks, but most remain opposed to sending troops to Iraq or Syria, where the militant group is based, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found.

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Republican Senators Call for US-Led Ground War against ISIS
Nov 16, 2015 | Republican Sen. John McCain and GOP presidential candidate Sen. Lindsey Graham made a renewed push for committing thousands of U.S. ground forces to fight extremists from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria in the wake of the Paris attacks.

The U.S. military needs to lead a large-scale ground campaign made up of regional armies from Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey to defeat ISIS forces occupying large portions of Iraq, McCain and Graham said on CNN. The response came Monday after terrorist linked to ISIS carried out a series of coordinated attacks Friday on innocent civilians in Paris. The attacks left 129 dead and hundreds more injured. To protect Americans at home, "I'm looking for an away game when it comes to ISIL, not a home game. I want to fight them in their backyard," Graham said, using another term for ISIS. "I have a plan to destroy ISIS," he added. "Use the armies in the region which are large and professional; integrate our forces among those armies with the French and other NATO nations."

U.S. ground forces would make up about 10 percent of the entire ground campaign of 80,000 to 100,000 troops, Graham said. "Go in on the ground and destroy these people before they hit us here at home and continue to do damage," he said. "There is no other way to defeat this enemy." President Obama today described the Paris attacks as a "terrible" setback in the campaign to defeat the Islamic State, but reiterated his opposition to committing U.S. ground troops in Iraq. "This is not conventional warfare," Obama said at a meeting of the Group of 20 in Turkey. "We play into the ISIL narrative when we act as if they are a state and we use routine military tactics that are designed to fight a state that is attacking another state; that is not what is going on here."

Obama said he has no doubt U.S. military forces could defeat ISIS forces in Iraq and Syria, but such a move would require a long-term occupation to ensure they do not return. "Let's assume we were to send 50,000 troops into Syria; what happens if there is a terrorist attack generated from Yemen?" Obama said. "Do we then send more troops in there or Libya perhaps? Or what if there is a terrorist network that is operating anywhere else in North Africa or in Southeast Asia? A strategy has to be one that can be sustained. "And the strategy that we are pursuing goes after targets limiting wherever possible the capabilities of ISIL on the ground, systematically going after their leadership, their infrastructure ... cutting off their boarders and squeezing the space in which they operate until ultimately, we are able to defeat them. That is the strategy we are going to pursue."

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