Northern Iraq is in turmoil with the Islamist militant group ISIS capturing
another city on Monday. Soldiers who had been defending Tal-Afar have reportedly fled, leaving their
weapons behind.
More graphic footage has emerged, purporting to show Iraqi prisoners being interrogated by their militant captors before one is shot dead.
It appears that ISIS is very well organized and has oil money and endless supplies and weapons available to them. They are moving through Iraq like a professional army with strategy and a definite goal. Another indication of their organization is the fact that they have cameras at the ready to record everything they do. They are using the videos as propaganda to terrorize Iraqis, as a rallying call to other insurgent groups to and show the world their power.
Is it time for the US and allies to put 'boots to the ground'? It is a hard call, but do we still have some responsibility to the Iraqi people? Did the US pull out too soon? Should we leave them to sort out their own problems which are basically sectarian ? Or are we partly responsible for the present massacre and/or capture of Iraqi peoples ? When we interfere in the affairs of another country we should be prepared for the fallout.
The ongoing vicious conflict in Iraq is often characterized as a battle between the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) and the Iraqi government. Many think of it as simply being a proxy war between Iraq's Sunni Muslim minority and Shia majority.
But it's much more complicated than that. There are Sunnis on both sides of the conflict, and some who are neutral. There are multiple insurgent groups that aren't ISIS. And the Kurds— non-Arab Sunni Muslims who have a semi-autonomous state in northeast Iraq — have a totally unique role in the ongoing fighting, and may actually be benefitting from it. These are tribal, sectarian peoples and their mentality/mind set reflects it and is more circumscribed. They do not regard their country as a unified whole ( that is our way of thinking ) just their own group/tribe's place in it. Is it complex? Oh, yes. Mr Obama is in a difficult position.
More graphic footage has emerged, purporting to show Iraqi prisoners being interrogated by their militant captors before one is shot dead.
It appears that ISIS is very well organized and has oil money and endless supplies and weapons available to them. They are moving through Iraq like a professional army with strategy and a definite goal. Another indication of their organization is the fact that they have cameras at the ready to record everything they do. They are using the videos as propaganda to terrorize Iraqis, as a rallying call to other insurgent groups to and show the world their power.
Is it time for the US and allies to put 'boots to the ground'? It is a hard call, but do we still have some responsibility to the Iraqi people? Did the US pull out too soon? Should we leave them to sort out their own problems which are basically sectarian ? Or are we partly responsible for the present massacre and/or capture of Iraqi peoples ? When we interfere in the affairs of another country we should be prepared for the fallout.
The ongoing vicious conflict in Iraq is often characterized as a battle between the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) and the Iraqi government. Many think of it as simply being a proxy war between Iraq's Sunni Muslim minority and Shia majority.
But it's much more complicated than that. There are Sunnis on both sides of the conflict, and some who are neutral. There are multiple insurgent groups that aren't ISIS. And the Kurds— non-Arab Sunni Muslims who have a semi-autonomous state in northeast Iraq — have a totally unique role in the ongoing fighting, and may actually be benefitting from it. These are tribal, sectarian peoples and their mentality/mind set reflects it and is more circumscribed. They do not regard their country as a unified whole ( that is our way of thinking ) just their own group/tribe's place in it. Is it complex? Oh, yes. Mr Obama is in a difficult position.
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