Intelligence; 20,000 foreign fighters flocked to Islamic State
The Associated Press reports that US intelligence agencies have estimated that at least twenty thousand foreign fighters have gathered inside the Islamic State. They have come from 90 nations, thirty four hundred from Western nations and about 150 from the US;
Nick Rasmussen, chief of the National Counterterrorism Center, said the rate of foreign fighter travel to Syria is without precedent, far exceeding the rate of foreigners who went to wage jihad in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Yemen or Somalia at any other point in the past 20 years.
U.S. officials fear that some of the foreign fighters, who come from 90 countries, will return undetected to their homes in Europe or the U.S. to mount terrorist attacks.
If they survive. It sounds like a target-rich environment to me.
Meanwhile, Congress and the President are preparing the political environment surrounding the battlefield. The request from the White House to Congress begins by ending the 2002 authorization for the use of military force in Iraq and seriously restricts the use of troops in this current war in Iraq as well as hamstrings the next president, according to Bloomberg;
The president’s AUMF for the fight against Islamic State would restrict the use of ground troops through a prohibition on “enduring offensive ground operations,” but provide several exemptions. First, all existing ground troops, including the 3,000 U.S. military personnel now on the ground in Iraq, would be explicitly excluded from the restrictions. After that, the president would be allowed to deploy new military personnel in several specific roles: advisers, special operations forces, Joint Terminal Attack Controllers to assist U.S. air strikes and Combat Search and Rescue personnel.
[…]
The new statute would authorize military action against Islamic State and its associated forces, which are defined in the text as organizations fighting alongside the jihadists and engaged in active hostilities. This means the president would be free to attack groups such as the al-Nusra Front or Iraqi Baathist elements who have partnered with the Islamic terrorists in Syria or Iraq. There are no geographic limitations, so the administration would be free to expand the war to other countries.
There is no provision to expand time on this authorization beyond 2018 meaning the next President would have to go back to Congress and get a new authorization for the use of military force – that’s how Obama plans to preserve his legacy, I suppose, leaving it to the next President to take the blame for this newest Iraq War.
Category: Politics
” twenty thousand foreign fighters have gathered inside the Islamic State” – We know where they are, shame this administration doesn’t know how to act on this information…
We pay a great many people a great deal of money to learn what’s happening in shitholes such as Syria. Why? We aren’t going to act on what we learn, not so long as Puss n Boots is in office.
Because of the muslim communist in the black house doesn’t want to hurt his lil buddies the evil mooslimes!
“It sounds like a target-rich environment to me.”
How convenient to have them all in one place, right? May as well take advantage of the opportunity!
To paraphrase “The Last Centurion:” the cluster bombs are just sitting there!
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/chapel-hill-shooting-three-young-muslims-gunned-down-in-north-carolina-at-their-family-home-10037734.html
This is a bit off topic but I must comment on it.
I am an Atheist. I am moreover Anti Theist. There are no words that could convey my disgust for this action. I have no idea what motivated this individual to commit these murders but because he claimed to be an Atheist I am obligated to respond.
I am equally sure that every Atheist I know will condemn this action publicly. It is an outrage to the secular community. I know of no person involved with Atheism that supports the murder of anyone based on their beliefs.
I realize how lucky I am to be part of a group of people where I can voice my condemnation of this act without fear of death threats or rejection by them for doing so. We are the fastest growing segment of the population and our voice needs to be heard on this.
Any person who believes they can murder anyone because of their beliefs is not sane. My most heartfelt condolences go out to the friends and family of these victims.
Dave, this killing had nothing to do with religion. The perp was a White Supremist, and no matter what he spouted off about, it was a thrill-kill…all about the power of taking a human life. He’s nothing but white trash, and the worst kind of craven coward.
Agreed. Thankx for the post.
I can’t see how this is a Muslim or an Atheist thing. I read that it was about a parking spot dispute. I think the headline in ref to Muslim killings is sensationalism and that they found from his Facebook that he was an Atheist was just fishing for more sensationalism.
I agree with you. Sadly, not everyone has the capacity to think for themselves. The News is already full of Atheist kills Muslim headlines. I harshly criticize people when they do not speak out against acts committed in connection to their faith. Muslims are at the top of my list when it comes to that.
If he was Atheist or not, the claim was made and will be used. This is my public statement condemning his actions. I can not sit silent and condemn others for doing that very thing.
Thankx for your post.
Dave:
Your belief system is your business. Your actions matter if they conflict with me.
If a murderer says that he did it and he justifies his action as a conflict between belief systems then I might have an opinion – or I might not. Suppose that I created a conflict between us and tried to justify that conflict by saying that our beliefs were incompatible – that was the source of the conflict. Even saying it doesn’t make it so, could be I was just a jerk.
Assuming that the judicial system finds him guilty then he is a murderer and I don’t care if he is a purple people eater, it is the murder that matters. It is the murder that earns him the punishment, it does not matter whether he believes or does not believe in God. That is our system and I think that it is a good system.
So, you’re good, drive on.
too bad your final destination is somewhere you also don’t believe in…..BUT YOU WILL!
Sing along if you know the words
Here we go again
Same old shit again
Sad that we now have “leadership” who apparently have forgotten the lessons of Vietnam. Politicians should stay in politics, let the military handle the war.
Y’know, it is a liberal fundamental tenet that had we not gone into Iraq there would be no terrorists. Here we have a civil war fought between Muslims, and seems like the cockroaches are coming out of the woodwork in droves. Kinda hard to reconcile that, isn’t it?
Pot meet kettle.
bodaprez has never accepted blame for anything in his life, has he?
Well, no surprise here, then.
“at least twenty thousand foreign fighters have gathered inside the Islamic State”
Fuckin’ A! Now they’re all in one place! Kill ’em all before they move out or breed. But then again Obama would rather give two Muslims a blow job, three of them hand jobs and bend over his desk for another half dozen because…HE LOVES THEM. Obama IS a MUSLIM. In his heart and probably in private practice. He’ll never declare all out war on these murderers who have literally been begging for us to come get ’em. Because he’s first a Muslim lover and a Muslim himself, a Muslim apologist and he’ll let Americans die without count before he stops these animals.
I just hope there are JTAC guys on the ground saying, “Not yet… I see a few more jihadis on their way in… Okay… hold on, a few more just crested the hill… wait…”
Why order 1,440,000 virgins when you can wait a little while and order 2,880,000?
Yeah, I know… I live in a dream world.
I’ve noticed a few things about them.
They want to be identified, so they flaunt that black flag a lot.
They like parades, especially in stolen vehicles, because their flags flutter better.
They won’t show their faces, which means they aren’t nearly as brave and fierce as they pretend to be.
They do go in bunches a lot more now than they used to do.
20,000 is a good number if you want to start a real war. I have to get cat food – Mikey has his needs – so I might stop at the OTB office and see if there are any odds on a JFC takedown of these pond scumbags.
@Sparks:
Imo, the cockroaches ain’t all gathered up, yet.
I guess I’m the oddball here, but I’m glad the Present of the US has dragged his feet on engaging the jihadiscum.
We need to give them more time to gather up their peeps and dig that hole deeper.
Wait until that boil on humanity’s ass comes to a full head, then lance and drain that thing.
Grimmy…Roger That!
This fuckwad hates this country. He hates it with the same fervor that many of us here feel in support of her.
He will do everything he can think of to destroy the reputation, institutions and even the people of America.
His lack of a moral compass knows no bounds…
I am wondering, there is also an article in usa today that states that alot of trained fighters are going to the Kurds because they want to help. Maybe just maybe they are combining the numbers?
Apparently, there is a gearing-up going on for a major war.
According to reports on the mid-day news (no, not THOSE networks), the US, British and French embassies in Yemen are closed or closing and Brit citizens are being told to get the hell out of Yemen. US vehicles left at the airport have been seized, and the Sunnis would not let the Marines take their weapons with them.
http://news.yahoo.com/british-embassy-yemen-closes-evacuates-staff-amid-chaos-052139800.html
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/02/11/officials-us-closing-embassy-in-yemen-due-to-unrest/
There is an ambiguous clause in that war powers authority request that is supposed to appease both sides of the political fence. I have not yet seen a copy of it, but if someone decides the troops have to be on the ground but can’t shoot back, they should not be sent there, in my unhumble opinion (and I’m rather opinionated).