So is it day 267 of The Mosul Slog or is the operation wrapped up?
Yesterday, Iraq's prime minister Hayder al-Abadi again strutted around Mosul and declared that the battle was over.
This despite Bram Janssen (AP) reporting:
:
Sporadic clashes continued Tuesday in Mosul, a day after Iraq’s prime minister declared “total victory” over the Islamic State group and at least one airstrike hit the Old City neighborhood that was the scene of the fierce battle’s final days.
A plume of smoke rose into the air from the strike as IS mortar shells landed near Iraqi positions and heavy gunfire could be heard on the western edge of the Old City.
If Hayder wants to call it a win, guess it's over -- even if fighting continues.
UK EXPRESS notes:
But Lt Gen Stephen Townsend has warned the Government will have to take further steps to reach out to the Sunni population of the country to stop regional tensions causing further conflict.
He said: "If we're to keep... ISIS 2.0 from emerging, the Iraqi government is going to have to do something pretty significantly different.
"They're going to have to reach out and reconcile with the Sunni population, and make them feel like their government in Baghdad represents them."
He is correct and, sadly, nothing's been done on that for the past three years.
The US government could drop bombs on Iraq, they just couldn't urge diplomacy.
For so many, Iraqi is nothing but a political football. Witness this garbage:
Iraq confirmed that the victory in Mosul was thanks to Obama's Training programs.
THANKS OBAMA!!
Thanks Obama?
Barack Obama is a War Criminal the same as Bully Boy Bush.
(The same as Donald Trump will probably end his term being.)
"Impeach Donald Trump" is an account by an idiot who never paid attention to reality.
1) Barack overturned the 2010 elections to install Nouri al-Maliki in a second term as prime minister. There are few observers of Iraq who do not admit what a disaster that was and how it led to the rise of the Islamic State.
Forget that it sent the wrong message about democracy.
Forget that Nouri was already known to run secret prisons and torture chambers.
Yes, two years later, when Barack won re-election, he did refuse to take Nouri's phone call (fobbing it off on Vice President Joe Biden) but let's not mistake that for bravery or leadership.
2) Training?
Seriously?
Do you not know how many Iraqi troops checked out in the middle of battle? Do you not know what defeated the thousands of Islamic State members?
Total destruction of Mosul.
That was the cost that was paid in the end.
We didn't have a conversation about that ever.
We weren't allowed to question the mind-set of "to save the village, we had to burn the village."
But if you want to argue training, "Thanks Obama"?
I'm sorry Barack and Hillary were the ones who couldn't sell Iraq on training in 2011.
Or did you miss that?
Or the money wasted for training and the new police academy built that was not used or all the training facilities that the State Dept was going to be over for training that ended up being turned over to the Iraqi government?
Oh, don't know what I'm talking about?
That's because you've had your head up your ass for over a decade.
Your stupidity is not my problem.
I attended those Congressional hearings and reported on them here.
Democrat Gary Ackernman was a hero in those hearings.
It's your loss for not knowing how he pressed for answers.
But that's on you, not me.
I'm sure you can tell me what scent Hillary wore to what fundraiser and other useless s**t that fan club members know.
Amnesty says Iraq and allies violated international law in Mosul battle http://reut.rs/2u3DE7Y
And they are correct.
But rah-rah, let's rush to use Iraq as a political football again.
Who cares about the Iraqi people, right?
Who cares about their continued suffering?
Let's rush to declare it a 'win' for whichever political party we're pimping.
Some people are beyond disgusting.
If you're response to the destruction in Iraq is to cheer "yea!" for someone who inflicted the damage, you need to take a serious look at yourself.
CBS THIS MORNING reports another development regarding ISIS.
Eli Watkins and David Shoretell (CNN) report on the same story noting:
An
FBI spokesman on Monday confirmed that a SWAT team arrested a soldier
in Hawaii over the weekend and charged him with supporting ISIS.
FBI
Honolulu spokesman Arnold Laanui confirmed the agents arrested Ikaika
Erik Kang, a 34-year-old Army soldier stationed at Schofield Barracks on
Saturday.
In a release,
the FBI said it had worked closely with the Army in this case. The
statement said the investigation by the FBI and the Army had been going
on for more than a year.
The following community sites -- plus Tavis Smiley and BLACK AGENDA REPORT -- updated:
- Shame15 hours ago
- Calling QUANTICO viewers15 hours ago
- Turn it back on him15 hours ago
- That lousy Quantico15 hours ago
- Empty Wheel's on to something15 hours ago
- Hillarious Tweet16 hours ago
- The laughable challenge to Bernie Sanders16 hours ago
