Islamic militant insurgents captured the northern Iraqi town of Tal Afar early Monday, its mayor and residents said, striking another blow to the nation’s Shiite-led government a week after it lost a vast swath of territory in the country’s north.
The town has a population of roughly 200,000 people, mostly ethnic Shiite and Sunni Turkomen, and was taken just before dawn, Mayor Abdulal Abdoul told the Associated Press.
A Tal Afar resident reached by phone confirmed the town’s fall and said militants in pickup trucks mounted with machineguns and flying black jihadi banners were roaming the streets as gunfire rang out.
The United States said Sunday it was evacuating some staff from its embassy and beefing up security as deadly explosions rocked the Iraqi capital and militants released graphic images appearing to show its fighters massacring captured Iraqi soldiers.
The U.S. State Department said in a statement that an undisclosed number of staffers will be moved to Amman, Jordan, or U.S. consulates elsewhere in Iraq not immediately threatened by the insurgent group, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or ISIL.
Some!? Fuck it, get ’em all out, otherwise you’ll end up with Benghazi Part II.
During OIF, Iran sent terrorists, now they’re sending troops to “help”.
Iran is sending special forces to Iraq to help Baghdad halt militants advancing on the capital, the Times of London reported on Friday. The predominantly Shiite Muslim nation has reportedly sent a team of 150 elite Revolutionary Guard troops to aide Iraq’s faltering government as it struggles to form a coherent response after the Sunni militants blitzed and captured the country’s second-largest city of Mosul as well as other, smaller communities and military and police bases — often after meeting little resistance from state security forces.
……On Thursday President Hassan Rouhani warned Iran will combat the “violence and terrorism” of Sunni extremists in Iraq.
“This is an extremist, terrorist group that is acting savagely,” Rouhani said, without elaborating on what steps Tehran would take to thwart a bid by fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) to push toward Baghdad after seizing cities and towns to the north.
Let’s see, Iraq is once again in danger of becoming a totalitarian Islamic state and Iran, another totalitarian Islamic state wants to lend a hand. I can hardly wait to see the bloodshed between the Iranian turds and the ISIL thugs.
The quickly deteriorating situation in Iraq is so similar to what is happening in Syria where a strongman leader in Maliki, who has chosen to govern solely from a Shiite power base closely aligned to Iran, has actively alienated large Sunni and Kurdish populations in Iraq which is sparking this uprising. And just as in Syria, terror groups such as Al-Qaeda have sought to take advantage of the situation by jumping in.
Iran’s decision to send in troops from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard is nothing more than a pre-emptive attempt to keep another regime upright that is falling to popular discontent and preserve the string of friendly governments it is seeking to boost in the region. Iran’s mullahs recognize correctly that their precarious hold on regional power under strict Shiite control is in danger of slipping and as such have to go all in to preserve it. It’s an old recipe for them they have already practiced in Syria for two years. The irony here is the perception that the West and Iran might both be on the same side of supporting Maliki which is a dangerous assumption to make.
Just as backing other strongmen in the region has turned out poorly for the US, sticking by Maliki would also be a mistake. It should set off warning bells anytime the US and Iran find themselves on the same side of any issue
Ajax,
I agree 100% on your analysis. The problem with any country in the Middle East is that the biggest bully on the block or strongman if you will, usually rules. Maliki, like other leaders in the region, will side with those who share their tribe/religious sect. His government was supposed to be a representative parliament, and it hasn’t worked out that way. The last thing we should do is side with Iran on anything. That Maliki would find himself aligned with the likes of Iran, is not good.
As I’ve said: As we withdrew, there were serious questions about Iraq’s security and ability to remain stable. Three years later, Iraq’s armed forces forgot every bit of training they received, and Al Qaeda has reared its ugly head.
This will not end well.
SFC MAC