CBS and AP note:
Iraq will begin sharing "security and intelligence" information with Russia, Syria and Iran to help combat the advances of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS,) the Iraqi military announced Sunday.
A statement issued by the Iraqi Joint Operations Command said the countries will "help and cooperate in collecting information about the terrorist Daesh group," using the Arabic acronym for ISIS.
On CNN (see video on page), they argue the aspect of the goals of the US versus Russia with regards to Syria (the US government wants Syrian President Bashar al-Assad replaced -- that has been the goal since the days of Bully Boy Bush).
But another aspect is how can Iraq share intelligence with Russia?
The US is sharing intel with Iraq which Iraq will then pass on to Russia?
I have no problem with intel being shared but I'm not the person in the White House who has demonized Russia and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Barack created the 'great enemy' Putin -- as we noted in real time.
Putin was a minor player -- a fading one -- until the President of the United States repeatedly elevated him at the end of Barack's first term by verbally attacking him.
That was Barack's decision and the world lives with the consequences.
So it's worth noting now that the chain of intel will go something like this: US government shares with Iraq which then shares with Russia.
As for the status of Operation Inherent Failure itself?
Robert Burns (AP) sums it up, "A summer of stalemate in the effort to reclaim the Iraqi provincial capital of Ramadi, despite U.S.-backed Iraqi troops vastly outnumbering Islamic State fighters, calls into question not only Iraq's ability to win a test of wills over key territory but also the future direction of Washington's approach to defeating the extremist group."
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