Wednesday, June 11, 2014

We’ve given all that we fought for in Iraq away







◼ Al-Qaeda rebels take Tikrit, force 500,000 to flee Mosul - HotAir

Tikrit may be remembered more for being Saddam Hussein’s home town. Today it fell to radical Sunni extremists linked to al-Qaeda as western Iraq spins out of Baghdad’s control. ISIS also tightened its grip on Mosul and took aim at the Iraqi oil infrastructure, hoping to establish its own transnational state with territory it controls in Syria...

As I wrote earlier, there isn’t much we can do now. Despite the predictable return of al-Qaeda and ISIS to western Iraq, the Obama administration failed to reach an agreement with the Maliki government for a residual force to support Iraq’s security services in that eventuality. We have no footprint on the ground any longer in Iraq, and other than long-range bombing missions that would do damage to the Iraqis as well as ISIS thanks to the latter’s integration into urban areas, no immediate way to impact the fight.

◼ The Wall Street Journal puts the blame on the Obama administration for its decision to completely abandon Iraq...

So much for al Qaeda being on a path to defeat, as President Obama used to be fond of boasting. On Tuesday fighters for the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, an al Qaeda affiliate known as ISIS, seized total control of the northern city of Mosul—with nearly two million people—after four days of fighting. Thousands of civilians have fled for their lives, including the governor of Nineveh province, who spoke of the "massive collapse" of the Iraqi army. This could also describe the state of U.S. policy in Iraq.

◼ Iraq crisis: al-Qaeda forces seize Mosul and Tikrit - as it happened - Raf Sanchez, Harriet Alexander and Barney Henderson/Telegraph UK

◼ Al-Qaeda disavows any ties with radical Islamist ISIS group in Syria, Iraq - Washington Post
at Labels: , , , ,