Decimated al Qaeda Captures Mosul & Tikrit Iraq

[idb]

ISIS Declares New Islamist Caliphate
The Sunni Islamist militant group whose three-week blitz through northern Iraq has nearly upended the country's fragile unity announced itself as a new Islamist "caliphate" on Sunday, unilaterally declaring statehood and demanding allegiance from other Islamist groups.

The announcement, recited in Arabic on the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan by spokesman Abu Mohammed Al Adnani into an audio file, effectively renames the group the Islamic State, canceling its previous title of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, or ISIS.

"We have had all the requirements of the Islamic state like fundraising, almsgiving, penalties, and prayers and still have only one thing which is the caliphate," said Mr. Adnani in the recording. "The legality of all emirates, groups, states, and organizations, becomes null by the expansion of the caliph's authority and arrival of its troops to their areas."

The spokesman also declares the group's leader, Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi, as the new Islamic State's caliph. The recorded message was recorded on an Mp3 audio file and distributed through the group's expansive social media presence.

The announcement revives the idea of an Islamic caliphate that hasn't existed as a recognized political entity since it was abolished 90 years ago by Kemal Atatürk, the first president of modern Turkey.

Militant Group Declares Statehood, Demands Allegiance From Other Organizations

ISIS Declares New Islamist Caliphate - WSJ

 

[kirkuki]

Iraq Shia, IS and South Kurdistan (KRG)

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

Ain't aq, boys. Need a quick study chart to know the players.

And how many troops do we have there?

And how many dead and wounded Americans?

Not al Qaeda, who might it be then?

ISIS
They're so extreme that Al Qaeda won't have anything to do with them.

Al-Qaeda disavows any ties with radical Islamist ISIS group in Syria, Iraq - The Washington Post

Al Qaeda is just jealous.

 

[georgephillip]

Iraq Shia, IS and South Kurdistan (KRG)

Can the Kurds fight on flat ground?

"Peshmerga forces also were caught in the crossfire between Shiite militiamen and the Sunni fighters outside the village of Bashir south of Kirkuk on Sunday, in which two Kurdish soldiers and 14 of the militiamen were wounded."

http://rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/290620141

 

[rdean]

Yup. al Qaeda has been decimated. And they just captured another Iraqi city.

By Ghazwan Hassan


TIKRIT Iraq (Reuters) - Sunni rebels from an al Qaeda splinter group overran the Iraqi city of Tikrit on Wednesday and closed in on the biggest oil refinery in the country, making further gains in their rapid military advance against the Shi'ite-led government in Baghdad.

The threat to the Baiji refinery comes after militants from the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) seized the northern city of Mosul, advancing their aim of creating a Sunni Caliphate straddling the border between Iraq and Syria.

The fall of Mosul, Iraq's second biggest city, is a blow to Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's attempts to defeat the militants, who have seized territory in Iraq over the past year following the withdrawal of U.S. forces.

About 500,000 Iraqis have fled Mosul, home to 2 million people, and the surrounding province, many seeking safety in the autonomous Kurdistan region.

Having also taken two small towns north of Baghdad, Dhiluiya and Yathrib, the insurgents are in control of between 10 and 15 pct of Iraqi territory, excluding Kurdistan, and have led many Iraqis to fear they have the capital, Baghdad, in their sights.

Security sources said ISIL militants on Wednesday drove more than 60 vehicles into Tikrit, the home town of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, which lies about 100 miles (160 km) north of Baghdad.

The militants occupied the provincial government headquarters and raised the black flag of ISIL.​

Iraq insurgents take Saddam's home town in lightning advance

I wonder how much was organized by Bin Laden after Republicans let him go. He had years and years of freedom to plan. Maybe that was the GOP plan? Maybe they are the "Manchurian Party".

 

[georgephillip]

"While the world panics over the conquests of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), Saudi Arabia, oddly enough, has reason to be thankful.

"Even though ISIS advocates the Al Saud family’s overthrow and has pushed Baghdad toward closer relations with Iran, the crisis in Iraq has reinforced Saudi Arabia’s commanding position in the global oil market.

"And in so doing, this development unfortunately spells bad news for American interests.

Since 2012, Iraq has been the second highest producer of crude oil in the OPEC cartel.

"In the short term at least, gains by ISIS in Iraq threaten sharp cuts into global spare production levels that are already low by historical standards.

"President Obama recently acknowledged the risk Iraqi oil disruptions could pose to global oil markets, making clear that one of America’s objectives in this crisis should be to ensure that 'some of the other producers in the Gulf are able to pick up the slack.'

"Yet as the Christian Science Monitor subsequently noted, 'essentially ‘other producers in the Gulf’ really means Saudi Arabia,' since it is the only nation with the capacity to swiftly make up for shortfalls elsewhere.'"

King Crude: How Iraq's ISIS Crisis Restores Saudi Influence - Forbes

Would it be ironic if the next "New Pearl Harbor" that hits the US homeland was financed by ISIS rolling back OIL?