Islamic State reportedly preparing for end of its so-called caliphate

[radcen]

Thanks, Obama! :mrgreen:

Seriously though, I think he deserves some credit here. He said it would take some time to degrade and ultimately destroy this terror group. He pushed other nations from Iraq, Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia and even Russia to get involved and commit their own troops to the fight against ISIS and they have. As a result, ISIS proper has been backed into a corner and they only way they have to fight back now is to go rouge.

These solo terrorist cells or independents like the truck drive attack in Nice, France pose serious threats because they are so spontaneous, but what the OP article illustrates is that if the world gets involved in this fight against global terror, it can be defeated. So...

Thanks, Obama! :2wave:

He waited too long to attack their oil targets, which was where they were getting most of their funding, but overall I can agree with what you say here.

 

[Objective Voice]

He waited too long to attack their oil targets, which was where they were getting most of their funding, but overall I can agree with what you say here.

Not sure I fully agree with that assessment.

Had U.S.-led coalition forces attacked oil distribution and infrastructure networks in Syria and Iraq it very likely would have grossly impacted their national economies, as well as, ISIS money supply not to mention put many innocent lives at risk. I understand how many people feel about this - if you're a so-called Syrian refugee driving oil tanker trucks for ISIS then you're not so innocent after all, in fact you're rather complicit. I get it. But unlike here in the U.S. or other more industrialized regions of the world, there doesn't seem to be many legitimate job opportunities for those individuals caught in the middle of the caliphate's quest for forming their own nation state. Just as it was in Iraq, many Syrians took money from either side just to feed their families. (Ref: "The Gamble," by Thomas E. Ricks; also this report from CBS News, "Syrian Oil Tanker Drivers Warned Before US Bombs Fell")

Since there's already been so much blowback from foreign governments (not to mention our own intelligence reports) from drone strikes killing civilians and, thus, creating more terrorist, I can understand the Obama Administration erring on the side of caution here. Still, I understand the other side of the argument which clearly believes those truck drivers picked the wrong side to work for. It's easy to think that way when you're on the outside looking in especially when you have no conformation that those men driving those trucks were, in fact, innocent men or folks who took the job because they were ISIS sympathizers. It's one of those situations where you're "damned if you do, damned if you don't".

Based on what I've read on this matter, I think Pres. Obama did the right thing here. He gave the innocent a chance to get out of harm's way no matter how few that might have been a chance. If they show back up on the battle field, kill 'em!

 

[poweRob]

Does this mean that Assad is essentially propped back up? I tend to think so, and if so, where do we as the US go from here? Do we lay off Assad as a countermeasure to try and help keep ISIS down?

I'm betting that's exactly what we'll do.

 

[radcen]

I'm betting that's exactly what we'll do.

That's my bet, also. It's not emotionally satisfying, but it's practical real-world best option.

 

[poweRob]

That's my bet, also. It's not emotionally satisfying, but it's practical real-world best option.

Some areas are so volatile that a heavy-handed dictator is about all that can maintain a semblance of calm in the region. That's what Josip Broz Tito provided for Yugoslavia area. Then we had the Bosnia issue after he died.