Sunday, August 31, 2014

Siege.

This is coolbert:

Siege has been lifted. Amerli now relieved. ISIL combatants have fled.

"Iraqi Town Liberated From Two-Month ISIS Siege After U.S. Aid Drops"

"Iraqi security forces and Shiite militiamen liberated the town of Amirli Sunday following a two-month siege by ISIS militants, officials told NBC News. The news comes hours after the Pentagon announced the U.S. military was conducting airstrikes and dropping humanitarian aid to the city at the request of the Iraqi government"

Iraqi national army forces accompanied by Shia milita receiving close air support from American warplanes. Day has been saved. Turkmen rescued. I hope everyone is grateful. Somehow I doubt it.

coolbert.


Euro.

This is coolbert:

"British generals, Canadian troops, American technology, conquer the world" - - W. S. Churchill.

Specifically in this case an ad hoc European only military force in reaction to the Ukraine Crisis.

From Freeper:

1. "Seven NATO allies to create new rapid reaction force-report"

"Aug 29 (Reuters) - Seven NATO allies plan to create a new rapid reaction force of at least 10,000 soldiers as part of plans to boost NATO defences in response to Russia's intervention in Ukraine, the Financial Times reported on Friday."

From Reuters:

2. "Seven NATO allies to create new rapid reaction force-report"

"The aim is to create a division-sized joint expeditionary force for rapid deployment and regular exercises. The British-led force would include air and naval units as well as ground troops, the newspaper said."

"Countries involved include Denmark, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Norway and the Netherlands. Canada has also expressed an interest in taking part"

A strictly European venture, NO Americans. NO Germans or Frenchmen either.

A divisional sized force normally consisting of three regiments.

I might thing one regiment of troops from Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania combined. [one battalion each]

Another regiment from those combined troops of Denmark, Norway and Holland. [one battalion each]

That third regiment solely British/Canadian, one battalion each of Royal Marine Commando, parachute troops and Canadians.

England of course having a nuclear capacity. AND HOW DOES NATO FIT INTO THIS? It doesn't?

coolbert.

Atlanta.

This is coolbert:

From the Chicago Tribune today:

That continuing series: "THE CIVIL WAR 150 YEARS LATER"

Thanks to Stephan Benzkofer as usual.

"The fall of Atlanta and the 'peace sneaks'"

Those headlines from one hundred fifty years ago in the Chicago Tribune:

"NEWS BY TELEGRAPH."

"A NUT FOR PEACE SNEAKS."

"Gen. Sherman Has Taken Atlanta."

"OUR ARMY OCCUPIED THE CITY YESTERDAY."

"THE REBELS PREVIOUSLY DEFEATED WITH HEAVY LOSS."

"Sherman Wins a Splendid Victory - - The Rebel General Hardee Killed."

Peace-sneaks those Confederate sympathizers in the north, also called "Copperheads". Referred to by the Tribune as "Union-haters", "dishonorable", "lick-spittle".

coolbert.

Saturday, August 30, 2014

Air Force.

This is coolbert:

ISIL now has an air force?

That Battle of Tabqa having gone to the favor of ISIL, a large number of Syrian prisoners executed, numbers of warplanes and other impedimenta also captured intact?

"This Is How ISIS Is Building An Airforce"

"The Islamic State is nothing if not ambitious. Despite no record of current 'airplane' assets in their annual reports, ISIS has begun detaining and forcing Syrian pilots to train militant fighters to fly stolen aircraft. According to CNN Arabic, the pilots (and their planes and helicopters) were abducted [captured] when the terrorist group gained control of Tabqa military base."

Forget about subjecting ISIL combatants to air strikes, rather you are likely to come under aerial bombardment!!

coolbert.

April Uprising.

This is coolbert:

From that previous blog entry:

"The atrocity story! Lurid details of mass murder, rape, arson, pillage, as historically published by the 'yellow' press or tabloid journalism."

From, a much earlier time we another atrocity story:
 
The Bulgarian April Uprising. Bulgarian nationalists seeking independence from the Ottoman Empire. A rebellion suppressed and atrocity as committed and reported by that news media of the time, journalists on the scene using telegraph to file a story.

Details LURID and grotesque, much anger and hate directed toward the Ottoman.

"The April Uprising . . . was an insurrection organised by the Bulgarians in the Ottoman Empire from April to May 1876, which indirectly resulted in the re-establishment of Bulgaria in 1878. Тhe regular Ottoman Army and irregular bashi-bazouk units brutally suppressed the rebels"

"But let me tell you what we saw at Batak ... The number of children killed in these massacres is something enormous. They were often spitted on bayonets, and we have several stories from eye-witnesses who saw the little babes carried about the streets, both here and at Olluk-Kni, on the points of bayonets. The reason is simple. When a Mohammedan has killed a certain number of infidels he is sure of Paradise, no matter what his sins may be ... It was a heap of skulls, intermingled with bones from all parts of the human body, skeletons nearly entire and rotting, clothing, human hair and putrid flesh lying there in one foul heap, around which the grass was growing luxuriantly. It emitted a sickening odor, like that of a dead horse, and it was here that the dogs had been seeking a hasty repast when our untimely approach interrupted them ... The ground is covered here with skeletons, to which are clinging articles of clothing and bits of putrid flesh. The air was heavy, with a faint, sickening odor, that grows stronger as we advance. It is beginning to be horrible. —Eyewitness account of J. A. MacGahan"

Bashi-bazook those Turkish irregulars, persons released from prison with the sole intent of waging war against the Bulgarian, atrocity an integral part of the military campaign. Those bashi-bazook I might think too paid by whatever spoils they were able to obtain, murder, rape, arson, pillage not only tolerated but encouraged.

coolbert.

Friday, August 29, 2014

Fast Track.

This is coolbert:

From the Sheldon Adelson news letter "Israel Hayom" we have a description of the:

 T O P S E C R E T Israeli high school:

"Israel's top-secret high school"

"The Atid high school at the Dimona nuclear reactor trains select students in professions needed in Israel's industrial sector. They can't divulge any details about their studies, but say it's worth it to be fast-tracked into in-demand professions."

"The parents of students at the technological high school at Israel's Nuclear Research Center-Negev in Dimona have never seen where their children study. The parents aren't allowed to visit, and the kids aren't allowed to tell them anything. Every morning, the children check their cellular phones on their way to another day at Israel's top-secret high school."

Negev, Dimona, Israel.

Opacity but not necessarily ambiguity. OH PLEASE!

When speaking of "in-demand" and "industrial sector" we are speaking of those processes involved with atomic munitions. Without question?

Subjects taught to include I am sure physics [atomic bomb related], fabrication of materials [atomic bomb related], chemical processes [atomic bomb related], electronics design [atomic bomb related]. Etc.

Anyone disagree with this? To be honest I am actually amazed such an article was allowed to be published. I understand Sheldon is the sixth richest man in the world but for even a person such as Mr. Adelson the Israeli normally iron-clad policy of opacity with ambiguity applies 100 %!

coolbert.

Troy Kastigar.

This is coolbert:

The White Moor!!

Troy Kastigar! One more young American man a casualty of jihad. And a good friend, reputedly so, of Mr. McCain. That McCain killed just a few days ago in Syria.

As was reported by Minnesota Public Radio from 2009:

"Sixth Minn. man reportedly dies in Somalia"

"A sixth Minnesota man is feared dead in Somalia after joining an Islamic extremist group there. But Troy Kastigar stood out from his fellow recruits, because the Minneapolis man was not Somali.
Kastigar, 28, was a Muslim convert who apparently had no personal ties to the lawless east African country."

Troy a convert to Islam and a recruit to jihad, evidently also part of the Minnesota connection! Known to his Al-Shabaah compatriots and fellow jihadists as Mohammad al-Amriki. Mohammad the American.

AND was until his death in 2008 a good friend of the recently deceased Mr. McCain.

 
Troy here in native dress. The man needed some serious dental work.

 
Troy once more showing the need for some serious dental work. Appears to be happy. Swims for some time now with the fishes. Honestly, I cannot think of a man more out of place than a young white American living among and fighting with the Somali.


 
Troy did have a minor criminal record and had done some time in jail. It is there where he became a convert and was recruited for jihad? I can only surmise. Troy perhaps also having an American Indian heritage?
 
Without going further into details, Troy can best be described as a "whigger". A young white American in love with all aspects of black life, black culture, black manner of behaving. I suspect it was so.

coolbert.

Shujaiya.

This is coolbert:

That latest Israeli ground assault into Gaza producing apocalyptic results in at least one instance, the proverbial "sledgehammer used to smash the eggshell".

Those Israeli Defense Force combat units entering the Shujaiya neighborhood of Gaza meeting unexpected heavy resistance. That response:

Massive and overwhelming firepower used in a profligate manner, prodigious destruction the result.

"Why Israel’s Bombardment of Gaza Neighborhood Left US Officers ‘stunned’"

"Analysis: Military sources say Pentagon’s assessment of Shujaiya shelling alarmed even Secretary of State John Kerry."

"11 Israeli artillery battalions — a minimum of 258 artillery pieces, according to the officer’s estimate — pumped at least 7,000 high explosive shells into the Gaza neighborhood, which included a barrage of some 4,800 shells during a seven-hour period at the height of the operation."

"The three Israeli units assaulting Shujaiya were never in danger of being defeated, but the losses the IDF suffered in the four-day house-to-house battle embarrassed IDF commanders. By the afternoon of July 19, even before Israel had suffered most of its casualties, the scale of resistance prompted Israeli battlefield commanders to blanket Shujaiya with high-explosive artillery rounds"

Such an overwhelming use of force however, creating difficulties within the context of urban warfare:

* You will never kill all the enemy combatants. Some will  survive to fight another day.

* You will kill a lot of civilians and get a lot of bad press in the process.

* You create an urban landscape that is disadvantageous to further offensive operations but very advantageous to defensive operations.

I am wondering too if this all a result of the Hannibal protocol? I am not sure. Kill the Hamas combatants and Israeli as taken prisoner.

coolbert.







Thursday, August 28, 2014

Aftermath.

This is coolbert:

Those Syrian military personnel defending the Tabqa air base, their position overrun and survivors either killed while trying to escape and many others captured, the fate grim for all!!

"ISIL executes dozens of soldiers in Syria army"

"Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) fighters have executed dozens of members of the Syrian army they captured after seizing an air base in the northeast of the country, a group monitoring the violence said on Thursday."

"ISIL, a radical offshoot of al-Qaeda, stormed Tabqa air base on Sunday after days of clashes with the army and said it had captured and killed soldiers and officers in one of the fiercest confrontations yet"

. . . .

"A video posted online by ISIL supporters on Thursday appeared to show members of the group making scores of Syrian army captives walk and run through the desert in their underwear."

Humiliation, degradation, execution. Those Syrians presumably Alawites and nominally Shia, abhorrent to ISIL and subjected to elimination with decisive finality.

coolbert.



Funding.

This is coolbert:

Funding!!

"ISIS: Surprisingly Sophisticated, Extremely Well-Funded ($2 billion in the bank) "

"In a very interesting infographic on Medium, Matter Magazine offers us a paint by numbers assessment of the ISIS threat.""

"Among other things, the Islamic State has a shocking amount of money — $2 BILLION dollars — four times as much as the Taliban. And their wealth is growing, with $3 million dollars a day in oil and gas revenue from captured facilities. (If you’re wondering who is buying, it’s all black market.)"

THAT IS $2 BILLION IN THE BANK BUT ALSO WITH A CONSTANT AND CONTINUING INCOME STREAM.

 
Sale of stolen antiquities a smaller portion than what I had imagined. Ancient artifacts from Mesopotamia not having intrinsic value to the jihadi but a cash source in the furtherance of warfare when sold to western collectors. Otherwise considered to ISIL as products of jahiliyyah, a time of ignorance.

"The statistics go on, and they’re surprising. 80,000 fighters control 470,000 square miles and 6,000,000 people."

First it was only 3,000 combatants. Then many thousands, then 15,000, and NOW 80,000. Those figures are outrageous and unsubstantiated estimates without foundation?

That area of Iraq and Syria under ISIL control for comparison sake about half the size of the United States east of the Mississippi river!

coolbert.

Why!

This is coolbert:

Here with explanation as to why ISIL has been so successful. NOT merely to blame is the relative ineptitude of the Iraqi national army.

ISIL not consisting strictly of amateurs but having at the higher echelons of command [?] experienced and trained military men.

"Military skill and terrorist technique fuel success of ISIS"

"BAGHDAD: As fighters for the Islamic State continue to seize territory, the group has quietly built an effective management structure of mostly middle-aged Iraqis, including many military officers under Saddam Hussein, overseeing departments of finance, arms, local governance, military operations and recruitment."

"At the top the organization is the self-declared leader of all Muslims, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, a radical chief executive officer of sorts, who handpicked many of his deputies from among the men he met while a prisoner in US custody at the Camp Bucca detention center."

"He had a preference for military men, and so his leadership team includes many officers from Saddam's long-disbanded military."

"The pedigree of its leadership, outlined by an Iraqi expert and US intelligence officials who have seen documents seized from Islamic State by the Iraqi military, helps explain its battlefield successes: [the] Islamic State is in effect a hybrid of terrorists and an army."

That staying power of ISIL will be rather prodigious and don't underestimate the Caliph and his minions. Support, overt or tacit among the Sunni Arab Iraqi might actually be quite strong?

coolbert.



Idealistic!

This is coolbert:

Those two Americans recently killed in Syria while fighting with ISIL merely the proverbial tip of the iceberg?

"Intel believes 300 Americans fighting with Islamic State, posing threat to U.S."

"The U.S. government is tracking and gathering intelligence on as many as 300 Americans who are fighting side by side with the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria and are poised to become a major threat to the homeland, according to senior U.S. officials."

STEVEN SIMON DESCRIBING THE FOREIGN FIGHTERS SERVING IN COMBAT WITH ISIL AS YOUNG MEN VERY HIGHLY MOTIVATED AND ALSO VERY IDEALISTIC.

 
Very nice image, a portrayal of the Battle of the Trench from the days of Mohammad. The Salafist combatants of ISIL seem themselves in the same manner, idealistic fighters for Islam. That might actually be Mohammad holding the sword in his right hand. Since the face is not shown, this image of Mohammad is acceptable to the Muslim?

ISIL if and when they consolidate power will dispatch these "motivated and idealistic" young men on terrorist missions far afield. To America for instance?

This is the fear!!

coolbert.



Abdirahmaan Muhumed.

This is coolbert:

The Somali connection!

Yet one more American and ISIL combatant killed in action! So it is reported.

"Sources say second American killed fighting with ISIS in Syria identified as Abdirahmaan Muhumed"

"A second American reportedly killed fighting with the Islamic State group in Syria has been identified as Abdirahmaan Muhumed, of Minneapolis, two sources told Fox News late Wednesday.
KMSP-TV in Minneapolis reported that Muhumed was killed in the same battle as Douglas McAuthur McCain, who grew up outside Minneapolis in the town of New Hope and most recently lived in San Diego."

. . . .

"A profile of Muhumed by Minnesota Public Radio this past June described him as a 29-year-old Somali-American who had been married more than once and was a father of nine children. MPR reported, citing the FBI, that at least 15 young men from the Twin Citites' Somali-American community had traveled to Syria to join Islamic State"

Abdirahmann apparently killed in the same battle as McCain.

That Minneapolis/St. Paul region, Minnesota, USA, having a very large Somali population. Persons natural-born American citizens, naturalized, or legal resident aliens.

Somali that "most tempestuous people".

coolbert.




Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Atrocity!

This is coolbert:

The atrocity story! Lurid details of mass murder, rape, arson, pillage, as historically published by the "yellow" press or tabloid journalism.

THAT MODERN MEDIA VERSION PROMULGATED IN NEAR REAL TIME BY THE INTERNET AND SOCIAL MEDIA!

The most recent beheading of the American Mr. Foley done for maximum propaganda purposes, those leaders of ISIL very savvy in this regard.

This too!!

 "UN Condemns ISIS for Raping Teenage Boys"

"Two senior United Nations officials today condemned in the strongest terms the 'barbaric acts' of sexual violence and 'savage rapes' the armed group Islamic State (IS) has perpetrated on minorities in areas under its control.

Rape also as is normal in warfare done not for purposes of satisfying sexual lust but rather as an instrument of power. Humiliation and degradation of the worst possible sort perpetrated on a massive and habitual basis.

Rape as a weapon of war in the modern context to include Nanking, Darfur, Bosnia, and NOW ISIL!

Sadly so the beat goes on!

coolbert.

Amerli

This is coolbert:

That siege of the Turkmen town of Amerli nearing a climax?

 Overland relief now a possible?

Shia militia and Iraqi national army [?] forces massing?

"Iraq forces mass in bid to break jihadist siege of Turkmen town"

"Kirkuk (Iraq) (AFP) - Iraq was massing forces Wednesday for an operation to break a two-month jihadist siege of the Shiite Turkmen town of Amerli, amid growing fears for residents short of food and water."

"The imminent counter-offensive comes amid reports that US President Barack Obama is weighing a decision to authorise air strikes and aid drops in the area to assist around 12,000 residents trapped in the northern town."

"According to a civilian volunteer commander, thousands of Shiite militiamen from groups including Asaib Ahl al-Haq and the Badr Organisation are gathering in the Tuz Khurmatu area of Salaheddin province, just north of Amerli, in preparation for a battle to break the siege."

Overland relief the proven and historical method by which siege can be lifted.

These Turkmen in grave peril. And militia is the sole answer?

coolbert.

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Douglas McAuthur McCain.

This is coolbert:

Even Americans!

Foreign fighters an integral part of the ISIL combatant force.

"American Douglas McAuthur McCain Killed Fighting for ISIS in Syria"

"Douglas McAuthur McCain, 33, of San Diego California was killed over the weekend in fighting between the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) and a Syrian opposition group, according to the Free Syrian Army."

 
Mr. McCain flashing gang signs and having what is apparently a gang tattoo on the neck.
 
"After the battle, McCain, along with his American passport and the bodies of three other foreign jihadis were found."

"McCain, who referred to himself as 'Duale ThaslaveofAllah' on Facebook made his allegiance to Islam apparent on his social media pages."

McAuthur misspelled? Was originally McArthur and then changed to MacArthur. The name of the famous American general.

P.S.: Read the entire write up about Mr. McCain at JihadWatch. Mr. McCain seemed to lead a relatively normal life until recently. He did work in Somali restaurant and perhaps that is where he made contact with jihadists?

coolbert.

Shabak.

This is coolbert:

Yet one more Iraqi ethnic group threatened by the onslaught of ISIL.

The Shabak people. Until only today, had never heard of them. You the devoted reader to the blog also?

"IS threatens Iraq's minority Shabak community"

"The Shabak people are an ethnoreligious group who live mainly in the villages of . . . Nineveh Province in northern Iraq. They speak Shabaki, a Northwestern Iranian language . . . About 70 percent of Shabaks are Shi'a and the rest are Sunni"

"Shabak religious beliefs contain elements from Islam and Christianity. There is a close affinity between the Shabak and the Yazidis; for example, Shabaks perform pilgrimage to Yazidi shrines.
Shabaks combine elements of Sufism with their own interpretation of divine reality, which according to them, is more advanced than the literal interpretation of Qur'an known as Sharia".

Shabak predominantly Shia AND have an affinity for and collegiality with the Yazidi people! Thus doubly damned by ISIL.

coolbert.



Poison.

This is coolbert:

Ghouta that Syrian chemical munitions attack. More on ISIL chemical warfare capability.

"One Year After Ghouta, Could ISIS Emerge as a New Chemical Threat? "

"The Sunni militant group has taken radioactive isotopes from Mosul University, and controls a small amount of Saddam Hussein's leftover chemical material in al-Muthanna."

. . . .

According to the expert De Bretton Gordon:

"De Bretton Gordon: ISIS is currently in control of a stockpile in two bunkers at the old Iraqi army barracks at al-Muthanna, about 45 miles from Baghdad. It contains remnants of Saddam Hussein's stock – a couple thousand tons of chemical weapons. The only nerve agent there would be useless by now, but there's a mustard gas that would still be viable. They have yet to break the bunkers open. They've also stolen radioactive isotopes from Mosul University in the last few weeks, and while they couldn't make a chemical agent out of them, they could certainly use them to make dirty bombs."

Chemical munitions even when in a relatively inert and decaying state still containing hazardous chemicals very toxic.

The mere mention of chemical or radiological weaponry enough to cause panic, chaos, terror. "The purpose of terror is to terrorize!" - - V. I. Lenin.

coolbert.

Cao Dai & Binh Xuyen.

This is coolbert:

From the Isegoria web site some extracts with commentary.

Militia elements, irregular troops during the First Indo-China war, fighting not necessarily with the French but rather against the Viet Minh. AND SUCCESSFUL IN A MANNER THE FRENCH NEVER WERE!

1. "Mass mysticism, moving with modern arms"

Cao Dai.

"As Hilaire du Berrier explains in Background to Betrayal, Vietnam had a number of factions vying for power, not just Communists and anti-Communists. The Cao Dai sect stands out "

2. "A Vietnamese Robin Hood"

Binh Xuyen.

"After Japan’s defeat at the end of World War II, France tried to reassert its dominance over Vietnam, while Ho Chi Minh‘s Communist forces fought for independence from the imperialist colonialists, but — as Hilaire du Berrier explains in Background to Betrayal — it wasn’t really that simple. There were many other factions. One of the more interesting factions was the Binh Xuyen"

Cao Dai and Binh Xuyen ruthless in the extreme. Using means and methods cruel and harsh but undeniably effective. Cao Dai and Binh Xuyen can even be seen as models for the Phoenix Program of the Second Indo-China War?

coolbert.


Monday, August 25, 2014

Canada North.

This is coolbert:

Canadians are generally described as being such nice people. And in my experience they most certainly are.

Canadians also able to express themselves, "this is ours!!".

"‘Use it or lose it’ — Harper’s Arctic strategy more than just a political gambit"

"CAMBRIDGE BAY, Nunavut — Of all the sovereignty-boosting, patriotism-inducing, national myth-building projects this prime minister has taken on over the past eight years — and there have been a few of them now — Stephen Harper’s quixotic quest to find the lost ships of the doomed 19th-century English explorer John Franklin may appear the most vainglorious. The same applies, at first glance, to the Conservatives’ entire Arctic strategy."

"Canada, a northern power to rival newly aggressive Russia? Pshaw. Canada, asserting property rights over a body of water, the Northwest Passage, that even the United States politely insists is international? Silly. And yet, it isn’t."

NO, NOT SILLY!! Sovereignty must be established and maintained. The Canadian running sovereignty patrols [SOV PATS] on a regular basis, the irregular Canadian Rangers at the forefront of efforts to maintain Canadian ownership to that part of the far north within the traditionally and internationally recognized boundaries and domain that constitutes CANADA!

"The Canadian Rangers . . . a sub-component of the Canadian Forces reserve, which provide a military presence in Canada's sparsely settled northern, coastal, and isolated areas . . . the primary role of this part-time force is to conduct surveillance or sovereignty patrols (SOV PATS) as required. Some Canadian Rangers also conduct inspections of the North Warning System (NWS) sites and act as guides and scouts when southern forces are in their Area of Operations"

Land and territory for which the Canadian government has legitimate concerns, territorial claims and disputes in the far arctic a "growth business".

CANADA DOES NOT WANT TO BE LEFT BEHIND! NOR TREATED AS A SECOND-CLASS CITIZEN AMONG THE VARIOUS WORLD POWERS!

coolbert.



M-60.

This is coolbert:

Iraqi forces in concert with Kurdish peshmerga a very good sign.

Iranian M-60 tanks too also have crossed the border into Iraq?

"Iran Sends Tanks Into Iraq to Fight Islamists (US M-60s)"

"As American jets flew top cover, in mid-August Kurdish Peshmerga militia and Iraqi special forces troops recaptured the strategic Mosul Dam from Islamic State militants. Meanwhile Iraqi Golden Brigade commandos liberated parts of Tikrit from the Islamists."

"But the militants counterattacked—and that drew Iran into the fighting. In a move that could have far-reaching consequences, Tehran has sent tanks [M-60] into northern Iraq."

That village of Turkmen Shia currently besieged by ISIL very close to the Iranian border.

That American M-60 a venerable but reliable design, as sold to the Iranian during the time of the Shah.

coolbert.



Naval Infantry.

This is coolbert:

An American success story!

Naval infantry. NOT to be confused with Marines. From Strategy Page:

"Morale: Sailors Serving As Soldiers Has Changed The Navy"

"Since September 11, 2001 over 78,000 U.S. Navy sailors have served as 'IAs,' (individual augmentees), overseas, mainly with the U.S. Army, in combat areas. Most (69 percent) served between 2001 and 2006, the periods of most intensive combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. While most IAs are glad to get back to their navy jobs many have grown nostalgic for what amounted to the most exciting, and often scary, time they have spent in uniform. Some had to stand guard duty on the perimeter of bases that were attacked from time to time. Others volunteered to do that, or the even riskier job of convoy security. While IAs served as support personnel, and had a much lower casualty rate than combat troops (like marines or army infantry) there was no mistaking that they were in a combat zone."

The American sailor picking up a rifle and going ashore to fight as infantry if called upon. In these particular cases performing guard duty or convoy protection. NOT necessarily combat arms personnel but pretty close.

Sailor in olden times [days of sail] expected at an instant to be able to repel boarders, fight at close-quarters-combat, fists, boots, cutlass, pistol, etc.

Those days gone for quite a while, that modern sailor seen as an artificer, a technician, a heavy machine operator.

Personnel [the IA] I might think too highly motivated individuals with some guts and a willingness to perform yeoman work regardless of the task. Even dangerous tasks. Good for them.

coolbert.



Frenchman.

This is coolbert:

Here with one more iconic image from that era of the Second World War.

THE CRYING FRENCHMAN!

Persons such as myself also having seen the picture before and not understood the true context.

Thought to have been and reported as a Frenchman witnessing the triumphant victory march of the German in Paris, 1940! But this is not so?

 
Note the woman in black to the right of the Frenchman is applauding. This is NOT a group of French citizens witnessing the march of the German through Paris?
 
As found on the Internet, various alternative explanations exist. Those persons in the image actually witnessing:

* French troops in Toulon boarding ships en route to Algeria, 1940.
* French battle flags being carried onto ships in Toulon en route to Algeria, 1940.
* French troops with battle flags boarding ships in Toulon en route to Algeria, 1940.

Take your pick!!

coolbert.

Tabqa Base.

This is coolbert:

Evidently the Syrian Tabqa air base has fallen to the combatants of ISIL. This is a significant victory for the insurgents, enormous military stores also captured [?], casualties heavy on both sides.

1. "Hundreds dead as Islamic State seizes Syrian air base: monitor"

"Islamic State militants stormed an air base in northeast Syria on Sunday, capturing it from government forces after days of fighting that cost more than 500 lives, a monitoring group said."

"The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 346 Islamic State fighters were killed and more than 170 members of government forces had died since Tuesday in the fight over Tabqa base"

2. "Islamic State Captures Major Air Base in Syria From Government"

"The Base Was the Last Government-Held Outpost in a Province Dominated by Islamic State"

"The extremist group Islamic State captured a major air base in northeastern Syria, marking another strategic gain and an end to any presence of Syrian regime forces in the province of Raqqa."

3. "Islamic State militants capture key Syrian air base - giving them open road to the sea"

"Islamic State militants capture key Syrian air base - giving them open road to the sea and massive store of weapons and ammunition."

ISIL now has an air force? What else?

coolbert.

Sunday, August 24, 2014

T-15.

This is coolbert:

Torpedo los!!

"'King-torpedo' and plan Sakharov. ( Сold war)"

"At the height of the Cold War, August 12, 1953 have been produced successfully tested the new Soviet weapons of terrible destructive force - a thermonuclear bomb. One of the creators of the bomb, the newly elected member of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, the 32-year-old Andrei Dmitrievich Sakharov suggested as a 'means of delivery' to use the developed nuclear submarines of project 627, equipping each of them a giant torpedo under the 100-megaton thermonuclear charge (approximately 6000 times more powerful than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima). As conceived by the young academician exploding the U.S. coast ocean, these torpedoes were to cause a tsunami of unprecedented power, the height of 300 meters [one thousand feet], which would be simply washed off American cities, causing irreparable damage to the United States ...Began planning the development, 'King-torpedo' received code T-15 . . . the torpedo T-15 came as a preliminary design (1953), and in the technical design of 627 (1954). According to the draft, a huge torpedo weighed 40 tons, had a length of 23.55 meters and a [diameter of] 1550 mm [ one and one-half meters] gauge. [five feet]"

Type 627 a Soviet November class nuclear submarine.

"The Project 627 . . . NATO – November) class submarine was the Soviet Union's first class of nuclear-powered submarines."

One great detonation and the entire eastern sea-board of the United States washed away by a single tsunami of extraordinary proportions!

The megalopolis of the eastern United States stretching from Washington D.C. to Boston populated by about 100 million persons. All gone in the proverbial twinkling of an eye.

Conventional modern submarines having torpedo tubes of 533 mm diameter. A T-15 would be three times the diameter.

coolbert.


Turkmen.

This is coolbert:

Yet one more Iraqi ethnic group under siege.

The Turkmen. Sometimes spelled Turkomen. The Turkmen Shia? If so, in mortal danger.

"U.N.: 'Unspeakable' suffering in Iraqi town besieged by ISIS fighters"

"Baghdad, Iraq (CNN) -- As violence CONTINUES to wrack Iraq, the United Nations warned Saturday of another ethnic slaughter in the making by Sunni extremists from ISIS."

"ISIS fighters have besieged the ethnic Turkmen Shiite town of Amerli in the north for two months, and its fewer than 20,000 residents are without power and running out of food, water and medical supplies."

Just when it might have been perceived that the ISIL forward advance was perhaps stalled, we have this. Well, this is a siege and has proceeded for TWO MONTHS NOW!! Surrender too is not an option!

coolbert.



Cropped & Edited.

This is coolbert:

For a fact I have seen this picture too and did believe what was purported to be shown.

Czechoslovakian woman in despair, forced to give the fascist salute to marching German troops during the occupation of the Sudetenland, 1938. But we need to know the rest of the story. And I am sure the controversy regarding this matter will no go away easily.


"The tragedy of this Sudeten woman, unable to conceal her misery as she dutifully salutes the triumphant Hitler, is the tragedy of the silent millions who have been `won over' to Hitlerism by the `everlasting use' of ruthless force." - - Caption from the American National Archives
 


 
"The 'sad woman' was cut and edited out of context so that you wouldn't see the whole picture. Evidently the more sensitive type, she is crying TEARS OF JOY!"

That woman crying evidently an ethnic Sudetenland German. She and the other women not forced or coerced in any manner. The woman seen as distraught actually quite happy with the situation.

One picture worth ten thousand words? When juxtaposed these two images not worth merely twenty thousand words but much more than that.

Anyone have a trouble with the analysis? Let me hear from you.

coolbert.

Saturday, August 23, 2014

John Churchill.

This is coolbert:

Does this surprise anyone. That most successful and greatest of all English soldiers John Churchill. Captain-General better known by his noble title of Duke of Marlborough.

Attributes of Churchill as a military commander to include:

1. "On the grand strategic level Marlborough had a rare grasp of the broad issues involved [able to see a] conflict in its entirety."

2. "As a commander Marlborough preferred battle over slow moving siege warfare. . . . a master at assessing his enemy's characteristics in battle. Marlborough was more likely to manoeuvre than his opponents, and was better at maintaining operational tempo at critical times"

3. "As an administrator Marlborough was also without peer; his attention to detail meant his troops rarely went short of supply – when his army arrived at its destination it was intact and in a fit state to fight."

Churchill too in the custom of being given broad discretionary powers appropriate for his rank and station beyond normal. The man was trusted to make the right decisions. Churchill allowed to function in his command role almost as a Caesar?

Among the Great Captains Churchill not normally listed as such by the military historians. This is in remiss, an inexcusable error?

coolbert.


Freedmen.

This is coolbert:

From a comment to the blog with reply:

 Bert said...

"'Karma is a bitch'. That entire American Civil War can be seen as karma coming back to bite you and big time."

"About 600,000 black African slaves over a period of 200 years were transported from Africa to what became the United States."

"During that period of the American Civil War about 700,000 soldiers died, both sides combined, that war from the perspective of most the central issue was slavery."

"Bill paid in full? I am sure others will disagree."


Union casualties the remains of which are policed from the battlefield of Cold Harbor by freedmen. Men born as slaves now freed and employed in the task of collecting and burying Yankee dead. That frontal assault at Cold Harbor across open ground resulting in 10,000 Federal dead and wounded within a period of ten minutes!! One can suggest the task of the freedmen can be deemed most ironic?

One picture worth ten thousand words! I am sure!

coolbert.

Escape!

This is coolbert:

Cowra!

From the Daily Mail Online we have an interesting article regarding the World War Two mass prison escape, Cowra, Australia.

As has been the subject of several previous blog entries here and here.

Those Japanese POW [prisoner of war] not only desiring escape but also wanting to DIE IN THE PROCESS! Expiate and atone for their guilt at being captured by dying a honorable death according to the rules and beliefs of bushido! Way of warrior.

"The Japanese soldiers who risked death to break out of prison: Historic photos capture the biggest prisoner escape attempt during WWII at a regional Australian war camp"

• "More than 1,000 Japanese men stormed barbed wire fences at Cowra prisoner of war camp in central NSW on August 5, 1944"
• "Infamous breakout sparked a 10-day manhunt after 359 prisoners escaped"
• "The death toll reached 231 in the days following the escape attempt"
• "A Japanese man who took part in the breakout returned to NSW for the 70th anniversary held in Cowra earlier this month"

American style baseball bats and baseball gloves, evidently home-made, an integral element of the escape attempt. See for yourself.

coolbert.








Tularemia.

This is coolbert:

An extract with some comment from the Isegoria Internet web site:

 "War in the East"

"The books generally say that biological warfare is ineffective"

"There is reason to think it has worked, and it may have made a difference."

That one [?] instance during that German advance in 1942 from Kharkov to Stalingrad. German troops suffering from poor health as may be attributed to tularemia.

. . . .

". . . Ken Alibek was a bioweapons scientist back in the USSR. In his book, Biohazard, he tells how, as a student, he was given the assignment of explaining a mysterious pattern of tularemia epidemics back in the war. To him, it looked artificial . . . Antony Beevor mentions the mysteriously poor health of German troops at Stalingrad — well before being surrounded. Third, the fact that there were large tularemia epidemics in the Soviet Union during the war — particularly in the ‘oblasts temporarily occupied by the Fascist invaders’, described in History and Incidence of Tularemia in the Soviet Union"

* Ken Alibek previously going by the name of Ken Alibekov. Ken a defector and scientist who worked in the Soviet/Russian military bioweapons program.

* Tularemia from a bio-warfare standpoint advantageous. NOT so absolutely lethal but rather incapacitating, also the diagnosis not so easy: "it has comparatively low lethality, which is useful where enemy soldiers are in proximity to noncombatants, e.g. civilians".

* The Japanese during the Second World War without question [?] having dropped plague on the Chinese population. Perhaps even not a mere single usage but repeated attempts to infect the Chinese citizenry. THE SOVIET TOO DID THE SAME WITH TULAREMIA? THAT VICTORY AT STALINGRAD NOT MERELY DUE TO SOVIET COURAGE AND STEADFASTNESS?

coolbert.

Friday, August 22, 2014

Effectives.

This is coolbert:

Yet more good news! ISIL when confronted with determined opposition can be defeated! So is the reporting.

"Iraqi forces make gains against ISIS, official says"

"(CNN) -- Kurdish and Iraqi armed forces made gains against ISIS fighters in northeastern Iraq on Friday, taking back several villages as they surrounded the large ISIS-held town of Jalawla, a spokesman for Kurdish forces said."

Within this context consider the amazing assertions of Mr. Steven Simon as made on the News Hour last night.

According to Mr. Simon:

* That Iraqi national army numbers about 900,000 personnel!

* Of which as deemed by the Pentagon 300,000 Iraqi troops "workable". Workable best defined as EFFECTIVES!

That figure of 900,000 I would have to suggest includes everyone, active duty military and reservists, militia, etc.

ALSO ACCORDING TO MR. SIMON THAT ISIL COMBAT FORCE CAPTURING MOSUL NUMBERING ABOUT 3,000 FIGHTERS TOTAL!!

Hard to figure the loss of Mosul and the relative ineffectiveness of the Iraqi national army. There is A TOTAL LACK OF WILL!!

coolbert.



Thursday, August 21, 2014

Aid & Comfort.

This is coolbert:

More aid on the way to the Kurds. All the NATO partners now lend a hand. Consultations at the highest level of government I might assume ongoing

"Italy to Arm Peshmerga with Anti-Tank Weapons"

"Italian Defense Minister announced that besides machine guns formerly used by Italy’s military, their government has decided to give anti-tank weapons to Peshmerga forces of the Kurdistan Region."

. . . .

"Italy’s decision falls in line with a number of other countries who have also sent dozens of tons of humanitarian aid to the refugees in the Kurdistan Region. Germany, France, Britain and the US’ help is hoping to weaken the IS insurgents’ stronghold of northern Iraqi towns."

Let us not forget Canada.

coolbert.






Son Tay.

This is coolbert:

Mr. Foley in most cruel manner having been murdered a previous attempt at rescue not successful!!

Those American special operations units and troops participating good for them next time will be better!! Even in failure you can hold your head high. TRY!!

"America's FAILED raid to rescue James Foley"

"America's FAILED raid to rescue James Foley: White House reveals how US special forces stormed ISIS camp just a month ago - only to find hostages weren't there..."

"Several dozen special-operations forces attempted to rescue Americans held hostage by ISIS in Syria earlier this summer but failed . . . The mission was carried out earlier this summer but failed because the hostages had been moved by the time U.S. forces arrived for the rescue"

. . . .

"the mission was carried out by two dozen special-ops members, who were dropped off in Syria in early July and were met with gunfire."

Normally these sort of missions enjoy only about a 50 % success rate!!

The Son Tay raid from the era of the Vietnam War just one example. Prisoners having been moved to another location prior to the mission.

Rescue of this type during the Vietnam War called Bright Light. NEVER ONE ABLE TO RELEASE AND REPATRIATE AN AMERICAN BUT DID FIND AND LIBERATE MANY HUNDREDS OF SOUTH VIETNAMESE ALLIES HELD PRISONER!!

TRY!!

coolbert.




Wednesday, August 20, 2014

The Poster.

This is coolbert:

"The Poster on the Wall".

So great among the Norwegian people was the sense of betrayal in the aftermath of World War Two that special directives, protocols, affirmations of duty were promulgated, all as a response to the activities of persons such as Vidkun Quisling.

"Directives for Military Officers and Ministry Officials upon an Attack of Norway"

"The Directives for Commissioned- and Non-commissioned officers and Military Commanders upon an Attack on Norway . . . The poster on the wall is a directive which sets out the duties for all Norwegian commanding officers and Ministry Officials during any attack on Norway"

The directives to include:

* "Take up arms and fight courageously against each and every enemy who attempts to invade and conquer Norway."

* "Know that once a mobilization order has been issued, it can not be recalled before each and every individual musters at his point of mobilization."

* "Know that all orders, even those issued in the King’s name or the ministry’s name, which countermand the mobilization are phony and shall not be complied with."

* "Recognize it is every man’s duty to resist, even though all may appear lost and others give up.
Resistance shall be continued both at home and abroad."

* "In the event of a partially successful or successful invasion, engage in both espionage and sabotage."

* "In the event of capture, provide no information to the enemy while a prisoner of war."

The Directive prominently displayed and understood by all. Keep up the fight no matter what, RESISTANCE IS NOT FUTILE!

coolbert.



Procedure.

This is coolbert:

Israeli very controversial protocol referred to as "Hannibal" at work in Gaza. An option available to the combat commander evidently having been institutionalized at least for the last thirty years or more.

"Israel criticised over army’s ‘Hannibal procedure’ in event of soldier kidnap: Tactic involves overwhelming fire that killed over 100 Palestinians in Gaza war"

• "Army used tactic for overwhelming fire dubbed 'Hannibal Procedure'"
• "Put in place when it is feared militants have captured an officer"
• "Alleged to have been used after the capture of Lieutenant Hadar Goldin"
• "Subsequent shelling killed over 100 Palestinians in southern town of Rafah"
• "Civil rights group is now calling for the procedure to be scrapped"

I think not merely an officer but any Israeli soldier period. That protocol the use of "overwhelming fire" the object to obliterate an area of terrain, killing kidnappers and captured  Israeli troop both.

TO PREVENT SOLDIERS FROM BEING HELD HOSTAGE AND SUBSEQUENTLY TRADED FOR PERSONS SERVING LONG ISRAELI PRISON SENTENCES.

Soldiers too as it was in the previous Israeli Gaza incursion [2008], also told not to surrender and not allow themselves to be taken prisoner. WHEN IN A PRECARIOUS SITUATION GO DOWN FIGHTING!!

NOT THE SAME ALSO AS COMMITTING SUICIDE!

coolbert.






Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Quisling.

This is coolbert:

Vidkun Quisling from that era of the Second World War [WW2] I was aware of. A man whose degree of treachery is legend, the word "Quisling" signifying traitor.

Collaborationist Norwegian politician, defense minister at the time of WW2 BUT IN CONTACT WITH THE GERMAN AND ENGAGING IN MACHINATIONS TO THE DETRIMENT OF HIS OWN NATION, PRIOR TO THE GERMAN INVASION OF NORWAY, 1940.

"The diaries: Quisling sealed Denmark's WWII fate"

"The decision to occupy Denmark was taken at a meeting in Berlin on December 17, 1939 – three and a half months after World War II broke out and almost four months before German troops invaded the country on April 9, 1940. A series of personal meetings between Norway’s Fascist politician Vidkun Quisling and Adolf Hitler led to the decision."

"Quisling was adamant that Hitler should deny Britain access to the northern Norwegian town of Narvik, and thus be able to control a Norway rich in raw materials. Quisling himself planned to lead a political coup and open Norway up for German naval bases."

So great was the hate and anger directed at Quisling in the aftermath of the war, the Norwegian executing Vidkun and some of his followers for collaboration and treason, THE FIRST EXECUTIONS IN NORWAY IN ONE HUNDRED FORTY YEARS!

coolbert.



GLCM..

This is coolbert:

Over six years after having been tested for the first time [?] the United States is finally protesting the development of this weapons system. AN OUTLAWED BY TREATY CRUISE MISSILE!

The Russian R-500 / Iskander-K GLCM.

Russian ground-launched-cruise-missile [GLCM] of intermediate range, PROHIBITED BY BILATERAL TREATY!!

"R-500 / Iskander-K President Barack Obama informed Russian President Vladimir Putin in a letter on 28 July 2014 of the United States' determination that Russia violated the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. The US said Russia tested a new ground-launched cruise missile, breaking the INF treaty that President Ronald Reagan signed with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev."

GLCM of certain range NOT TO BE TESTED, OR POSSESSED!

"the treaty’s obligations “not to possess, produce or flight-test a ground-launched cruise missile with a range capability of 500 kilometers to 5,500 kilometers or to possess or produce launchers of such missiles...."

AND ONLY NOW PRESUMABLY IN RESPONSE TO THE UKRAINE CRISIS THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION IS MAKING THIS PUBLIC?

From a forum and as posted over six years ago a discussion of the R-500 AND with a series of sources from the time [2007]:

"22nd December 2007,   Well its all about the title. This system was tested back on the 29th May this year [2007] . . . The question that thus has to be asked is what on earth is so special about this and why has it just appeared on the radar in such a high profile way as far as official Russian interest is concerned?"

And the question can be legitimately asked what took so long to discover this test and development of an outlawed and banned weapon and protest same?

coolbert.


Monday, August 18, 2014

Ladakh.

This is coolbert:

Yet one more crisis? Confrontation and agitation.

Again in the high Himalaya. That border not properly defined and agreed upon.

For over fifty years now the Chinese and Indian have faced off and no solution or settlement having been reached.

OH, so much to talk about. Ukraine, Iraq and ISIL, etc. This too?

"Chinese troops enter 25 km deep into Indian territory in Ladakh"

"Chinese troops are reported to have entered 25 to 30 km deep into Indian territory in Burtse area in Ladakh where they had pitched their tents last year that had led to a tense three-week standoff. Official sources said on Monday a patrol of Indian troops noticed the People's Liberation Army (PLA) personnel on Sunday while moving from their base towards the higher 'New Patrol base' post in Burtse area of North Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir. The area is at an altitude of 17,000 feet."

THAT ALTITUDE WELL INTO THE DEAD ZONE. SUSTAINED HUMAN EXISTENCE NOT POSSIBLE FOR A PROLONGED PERIOD AT THAT HEIGHT. MORE DEATHS AND INJURIES FROM THE ALTITUDE THAN FROM COMBAT WITH THE ENEMY!!

Those borders too established by the British colonial administration of the Raj undetermined, recognized only a vague way by the adversaries.

coolbert.

Ready & Willing.

This is coolbert:

From a prior blog entry this question was asked:

"And ISIL very quickly will learn how to fire, maintain, aim, hit the target, etc. Employ effectively. This remains to be seen."

Those dozens of American M198 heavy artillery captured by ISIL. ISIL able to employ in an effective manner? Rank amateurs without proper training using sophisticated equipment?

Here from Strategy Page we have the answer:

"Artillery: The Guns Of August In Iraq"

"In June ISIL captured about fifty of those M198 155mm towed howitzers and began looking for someone to operate this stuff. That was not difficult. This was because Sunni Arabs got most of the leadership (officer, senior NCO) and technical (like operating artillery) jobs during the decades of Saddam’s rule. ISIL has a large pool of experienced users of artillery. While most Iraqi artillery was Russian, they also had over a hundred Western 155mm models, like the South African GHN-45. This weapon was not only similar to the M198 but superior in some ways (like longer range). The main reason the U.S. disbanded the Iraqi armed forces after 2003 was the fact that nearly all the key personnel were Sunni Arabs, who had just lost power and access to most of the oil income. That loss of power and privilege made most Sunni Arabs very angry and that’s why to this day most Islamic terrorists in Iraq are Iraqi Sunni Arabs. Thus ISIL knew it had a waiting supply of qualified soldiers who knew how to operate an M198 and many were willing to do it without too much prompting."

"Give us this day our daily artillery round. And many more besides that!"

The "Guns of August" of course the title of the famous book by Barbara Tuchman. Please forgive us Barbara.

coolbert.

Sunday, August 17, 2014

Raqqa!

This is coolbert:

Syrian air force now also in action against ISIL?

"Syrian air raids ‘kill 31 jihadists in Raqqa’"

"At least 31 Islamic State militants and eight civilians died in Syrian air force raids on Sunday in the northern province of Raqqa, a stronghold of the jihadist fighters, a monitoring group said."

"The air force carried out 16 raids on the city of Raqqa and several more on the town of Tabqa in Raqqa province, killing at least 31 jihadists and eight civilians, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights."

Those civilians I fear hostages. ISIL can severely mitigate an air offensive by mixing in hostages among their combatants. HUMAN SHIELDS.



coolbert.



Success!

This is coolbert:

Success!!

That Mosul dam back in friendly hands. AND WITHOUT IT SEEMS A CATASTROPHIC RELEASE OF WATER OR DEMOLITION BY ISIL INSURGENTS.

WE ALSO HOPE AND PRAY THIS REPORT NOT PREMATURE.

"Iraqi Kurds retake country's main dam from jihadists: officials"

"AL-QOSH, Iraq: Iraqi Kurdish forces backed by US air strikes on Sunday retook the country's largest dam from jihadist militants who seized it the previous week, officials said.

"A peshmerga officer and two political party officials told AFP that Kurdish forces had retaken Mosul Dam..."

coolbert.


Americans & Yazidi.

This is coolbert:

Until just about a month ago, no one other than devoted readers to the blog had heard of the Yazidi people. NOW everyone has.

American LAND BASED WARPLANES IN ADDITION TO NAVAL AVIATION NOW IN ACTION.

1. "New US strikes in Iraq include land-based bombers"

"WASHINGTON (AP) - The latest round of U.S. airstrikes in Iraq against the Islamic State extremist group includes the first reported use of land-based bombers in the military campaign."

...

"The U.S. military says U.S. forces conducted 14 airstrikes on Sunday — after nine strikes on Saturday."

"The U.S. says Sunday’s strikes damaged or destroyed 10 armed vehicles, seven Humvees, two armored personnel carriers and one checkpoint."

YES, even the Yazidi fight back. ISIL now subjected to multiple attacks from multiple directions!!

2. "Yazidi Militia Group Kills 24 IS Militants Near Sinjar"

"A Yazidi Militia group has clashed with Islamic State (IS) Militants near Sinjar in Northern Iraq and has killed 24 Jihadi militants."

"Yazidi gunmen have attacked IS insurgents near Sinjar resulting in the deaths of scores of extremist insurgents."

The plot thickens, the game is afoot!

coolbert.

Russians & Rooks.

This is coolbert:

What the reporter means to say is that Iranian combat aircraft as piloted by Russians attack ISIL combat units.

"Russia and Iran attack ISIS Jihadists"

To defeat ISIL those Kurds and Iraqi national army units will require a lot of CAS [close-air-support]. That CAS perhaps coming from a surprising source.

"My contacts in Kurdistan are now saying that many of these attacks are being launched by the Iraqi air force. The only problem is that the US government has not sold airplanes to Iraq, but Russia has armed them with SU-25s. These are Russian jets bearing an Iraq insignia and are piloted by Russian pilots since Iraq does not have trained aviators to handle the jets."

"Kurdish leaders have also said that the greatest assistance being received in Erbil on the ground is from Israel, not the United States."

Su-25 Russian ground attack aircraft. Called a "Frogfoot" by NATO and a "Rook" by the Russian.

Combat warplanes as supplied to the Iraqi by the Iranian and flown by Russians. Also personnel on the ground to maintain, arm, fuel, etc.

See previous blog entries regarding the "Rooks":

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2014/07/rooks.html

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2014/08/su-25-rook.html

coolbert.



Mosul/Ramadi/Anbar.

This is coolbert:

Iraq fights back!! We hope so!!

1. "Iraq: Kurdish forces retake parts of largest dam"

IRBIL, Iraq — An Iraqi security official says Kurdish forces have taken over parts of the country’s largest dam, which was captured by the Islamic State extremist group earlier this month.

. . . .

"the Kurdish forces at the dam . . . now control the eastern part of the dam and that fighting is still underway.


2. "Iraqi Forces Take Back Ramadi"

"The deputy chief of Anbar’s Provincial Council said Iraqi forces are in control of Ramadi and most foreign fighters have retreated from their positions."

 “'According to information we have obtained, all non-Iraqi ISIS members that were fighting the Iraqi security forces have withdrawn from their bases, and have left Iraq through the Syrian border.'”

“'The city of Ramadi is under the control of the security forces and the situation is safe and calm.'”


3. "Iraq Sunni Tribes Take Up Arms against Jihadists"

"Members of more than 25 prominent Sunni tribes took up arms against jihadists and their allies west of the Iraqi capital on Friday, a tribal leader and officers said."

. . . .

"Anbar was the birthplace of a 2006 U.S.-backed uprising against extremist militants that helped bring about a sharp reduction in violence."

"The current effort could potentially be a major turning point in Iraq's two-month conflict against an IS-led offensive."

A MAJOR TURNING POINT? We wait with anticipation.

coolbert.

Saturday, August 16, 2014

Canada.

 This is coolbert:

OH Canada!!

If the U.S. cannot, maybe Canada can!

"Canada to deliver weapons to Kurdish forces in Iraq trying to fend off ISIS"

"OTTAWA — Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced Friday he will deploy about 30 soldiers and two cargo planes to help deliver weapons and other military supplies to Kurdish forces in Iraq."

A CC-130j Hercules and a CC-177 Globemaster will transport weapons from the U.S. and its allies to the Kurdish Peshmerga who are trying to fend off  'the murderous rampage' of the terrorist group ISIS, Harper said in a statement released Friday.

"'Canada will not stand idly by while (ISIS) continues its murder of innocent civilians and religious minorities,' Harper said."

"The two planes are stationed in Cyprus and a senior government source said Canada is waiting for the go-ahead from the U.S. to begin the airlifts."

"None of the weapons will be paid for or will come from Canada, an official said."

Correct! American weapons paid for by American dollars but not delivered direct by American hands to the Kurds. Franklin Roosevelt was good at this sort of thing.

Anybody have a problem with this?

coolbert.


Imperative!

This is coolbert:

The Mosul Dam as having been captured by the ISIL insurgents, it being imperative, almost an absolute MUST that the dam be restored to friendly hands. AND PRONTO!

"Report: U.S. airstrikes carried out as part of Iraqi effort to retake Mosul Dam"

"U.S. warplanes carried out airstrikes in northern Iraq near ISIS-controlled Mosul Dam early Saturday morning" [16 August]

"CNN confirmed that a U.S. and Iraqi military operation aimed at retaking the country's largest hydroelectric dam from the so-called Islamic State was scheduled to begin early Saturday morning [16 August] (Friday at 6 p.m. ET)."

"The operation was to begin with U.S. and Iraqi airstrikes against ISIS positions, with Iraqi and Kurdish Peshmerga forces following up on the ground."

"U.S. fighter jets began carrying out the strikes early Saturday morning local time" [16 August]

This can and MUST go well. Imperative!

coolbert.



Armaments.

This is coolbert:

It has been pointed out that American arms being supplied directly to the Kurds without the express permission of the central government in Iraq is contrary to American law.

It might also be suggested that extraordinary circumstances require extraordinary solutions. As reported by DEBKAfile:

1. "US arms Kurds from Jordan & Israel. Al Qaeda targets US Negev bases"

"11 August. The Kurdish Peshmerga fight against Islamic State broadened out Monday, Aug. 11, with the US arms airlift to the semiautonomous Iraqi Kurdish capital, Irbil, of large quantities of military hardware from the Mafraq King Hussein Air Base in Jordan and US emergency stores in the Israeli Negev. The US will soon run out of air strikes targets, without fielding special forces on the ground to mark them with laser designators."

Also this item from 11 August: "DEBKAfile reveals: Al Qaeda in Sinai reinforced by IS fired rockets at US and Israeli Negev bases in support of Hamas' war on Israel."

Al Qaeda in the Sinai in support of Hamas firing rockets at Israeli AND American military bases. That latter more than likely stores of pre-positioned armaments, vehicles, etc. Hatzerim air force base rings a bell!

In addition, weaponry, supplies, armaments of all types as delivered to the Kurds not necessarily confined to American sources. The British, French, Germans all might consider such aid and assistance and presumably are doing so. England, France, Germany need not be "confined" by legal restrictions as the American administration.

2. "France to supply arms to Iraq's Kurds 'in coming hours'"

"13 August. French President Francois Hollande announced Wednesday that France would supply Iraqi Kurds with arms in the coming hours, in response to the urgent need expressed by the regional authorities in Kurdistan against the Islamist forces advancing on Irbil. The decision was approved by Baghdad."

That litigious nature of American society and what some deem as excessive legalism giving way to "extraordinary circumstances require extraordinary solutions"?

coolbert.

Friday, August 15, 2014

Jihad Jane.

This is coolbert:

1,001 Arabian Nights!

From the article by Dr. Phyllis:

"Western Sex Slaves for ISIS: The Twisted Psychology of Jihad Brides"

"There is a 'marriage bureau' in the northern Syrian town of Al Bab for Western women in a marrying state of mind."

 
An image with outstanding artistic flair.

"Today, young Western girls and women are being lured by Internet ads posted by ISIS/ISIL pimps, both male and female, which appeal to their desire to be part of something larger than themselves; something important and possibly dangerous. However, what may be attracting them at a deeper level is, paradoxically, the promise of non-freedom. For many Westerners, too many choices function as a burden and accepting a role in which one’s duties are fixed may seem preferable."

NOT necessarily sex slaves in the Islamic definition of the term. Wives of jihadists to procreate the next generation of combatants.

ISIL a movement and must be appreciated as such. AND TO MANY PERSONS HAVING AN APPEAL WITHOUT QUESTION!!

coolbert.

Hellfire Iraq.

This is coolbert:

Re-enforcing failure!

"US to Ship Unprecedented Number of Hellfire Missiles to Iraq"

"According to a report in the Washington Post, the Pentagon signaled on Tuesday that it is considering to send its largest ever shipment of Hellfire missiles to Iraq as the government there hunkers down for a prolonged battle against radical Islamic terrorists who have asserted control over hundreds of square miles of territory across western and northern parts of the country. Pentagon officials disclosed that the State Department has approved the possible sale of 5,000 AGM-114K/N/R missiles and related parts and training." Parts and training.

AND the Iraqi possess drones? OR do the Iraqi possess Apache? That AC-208 exists in insufficient numbers. Normally Hellfire would be sold as part of a total package. Weapons system and missiles. We are missing something here?

coolbert.




Nasrallah.

This is coolbert:

Some will suggest that this is an instance of the pot calling the kettle black. Old American saying.

"Hizbullah leader sees Islamic State as growing ‘monster’"

"The leader of Lebanese Shia group Hizbullah described the radical Islamist movement that has seized territory in Iraq and Syria as a growing 'monster' that could threaten Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and other Gulf states."

"Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, whose group has been helping Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad fight a Sunni Islamist-dominated insurgency, said Islamic State could easily recruit in other areas where its hard line ideology exists."

ISIL already and for some time finding recruits among "outsiders". Those persons Sunni Muslim but NOT from the Middle East region as native-born. Abu Omar for instance. ISIL the appearance of an INTERNATIONAL movement!

Hezbollah and the leader Nasrallah Shia I am sure outraged, ISIL in a most determined manner having extreme animosity toward the Shia, no-holds-barred type of warfare the result.

coolbert.



Thursday, August 14, 2014

Karbala, 1802.

This is coolbert:

Until just a short time ago this event not known to me.

Thanks to the Ballandalus web site and the tip from Freeper a description of events as they transpired over two hundred years ago so similar to what is occurring today:

"The Wahhabi Sack of Karbala (1802 A.D.)"

"Among the most atrocious acts committed in modern Islamic history has been the sack of Karbala in 1802. Unfortunately, this remains a little known fact to most Muslims. However, at a time when the cultural and religious heritage of the Muslim world is once against under severe threat, when shrines and mosques are bulldozed by the self-styled holy warriors and caliphs of our time, it remains more essential than ever to familiarize ourselves with these historical events. It is crucial to note that the Wahhabis—not unlike modern-day militants—were inspired by a mix of religious zeal and a desire for wealth."

"That day came at last…12,000 Wahhabis suddenly attacked the mosque of Imam Husayn; after seizing more spoils than they had ever seized after their greatest victories, they put everything to fire and sword…The elderly, women, and children—everybody died by the barbarians’ sword. Besides, it is said that whenever they saw a pregnant woman, they disemboweled her and left the fetus on the mother’s bleeding corpse. Their cruelty could not be satisfied, they did not cease their murders and blood flowed like water. As a result of the bloody catastrophe, more than 4000 people perished. The Wahhabis carried off their plunder on the backs of 4000 camels. After the plunder and murders they destroyed the Imam’s shrine and converted it into a trench of abomination and blood."

KARBALA THAT MOST HOLY SITE TO THE SHIA. ISIL MAKING A SCENE OF DEMOLISHING SHIA SHRINE AND EXECUTING SHIA PRISONERS.

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As it was previously in Iraq as it is now.

Al Anbar province again critical to the fight.

"Governor of Iraq Sunni heartland says U.S. to help against militants"

"The governor of Iraq's Sunni heartland province of Anbar said he has secured a promise of U.S. support in a battle against the Islamic State, reviving an alliance that helped thwart an earlier Sunni militant threat, from al Qaeda."

"Ahmed Khalaf al-Dulaimi told Reuters his request, made in meetings with U.S. diplomats and a senior military officer, included air support against the militants who have a tight grip on large parts of his desert province and northwestern Iraq."

As goes al-Anbar so will go the rest of Iraq? We shall see.

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