Islamic State Terror Group Targets Hit by Airstrikes in Iraq

[Still_Small_Voice]

Airstrikes on Iraqi towns held by the Islamic State terror group commenced Thursday night, the New York Times reported.  A senior Iraqi military official added to CNN that the Iraqi air force had carried out attacks against suspected Islamic State targets.

 

The report came as President Barack Obama was set to make a statement Thursday evening after meeting with his national security team earlier in the day.  The Pentagon, however, strongly denied any involvement in the reported bombings.

 

Multiple media outlets reported that the U.S. military had begun humanitarian air drops for the thousands of displaced Iraqis trapped in the mountains.

 

Read the rest of the article here:

 

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/08/07/report-u-s-military-bombs-isis-targets-in-iraq-pentagon-denies/

[bytor2112]

Bout time...

[Traveler]

I do not intend to rain on anyone's parade but we live in an era of such media bias that I am not sure we are getting the story in a responsible manner.  I would suggest some foreign new agencies to check sources but I wonder if such actions would be flagged and end someone on a watch list by our own government????  But we shall see what kind of pushback we get from Isis.

[Palerider]

Bout time...

Agreed

[Still_Small_Voice]

I read these Christians who are being driven out have had a community there in Iraq for about 2,000 years.  Very sad how they were driven out as their ancestors had lived there so long.  They are being persecuted and attacked for their religion.

[Miami]

The US better do a thorough job at exterminating this organization because ISIS has begun to behead little Christian children (Graphic Pics): http://www.catholic.org/news/international/middle_east/story.php?id=56481

 

 

MODERATOR NOTE:  THESE IMAGES ARE EXTREMELY GRAPHIC AND MAY NOT BE FOR EVERYONE.

[Still_Small_Voice]

Miami, the pictures you posted made we weep.  I pray these horrific murders stop and we do something about this.  That is nothing but pure evil and murder.

[Just_A_Guy]

If preventing genocide wasn't sufficient reason to stay in Iraq, then it will be interesting to see the President argue that it's now a good reason to go back in.

This is what "America shouldn't be the world's policeman" looks like. It doesn't make isolationism wrong, necessarily; but those of us who accept a variant of isolationism (myself included) need to understand the real-world implications of our position even if we still feel it is an ultimately necessary form of realpolitik.

This is one of them. We allow bad guys to act unchecked on the other side of the world, so that--when the time comes--we will have the resources to effectively deal with the walking sacks of trash who would perpetrate the same type of evil in our own backyard.

[Mahone]

The US better do a thorough job at exterminating this organization because ISIS has begun to behead little Christian children (Graphic Pics): http://www.catholic.org/news/international/middle_east/story.php?id=56481

 

Not that this makes the images any better, but certain the ones of the beheaded girl are from Syria, and are posted in news sources are far back as October 2013 - nothing at all to do with Iraq. There are also many suggestions that it wasn't an execution per se, but a result of a bomb going off near her.

 

I've also found images of the supposed woman having her throat slit as far back as 2008 on the web, using a well known reverse image search engine. I also strongly suspect this has been photoshopped, and was probably an animal in the original photo, not a woman.

 

I didn't bother checking the rest, but I bet most of them aren't entirely what they seem.

 

I despise ISIS, but I would rather see accurate information from known reputable news sources (there really aren't that many of them) than stuff that's been cobbled together from various different events in history in entirely different places by entirely different people in order to rile everyone's emotions. Until then, we can't possibly know what is really going on and form valid opinions of our own on the subject.

 

Just my 2p.

[yjacket]

This is what "America shouldn't be the world's policeman" looks like. It doesn't make isolationism wrong, necessarily; but those of us who accept a variant of isolationism (myself included) need to understand the real-world implications of our position even if we still feel it is an ultimately necessary form of realpolitik.

 

Severely disagree, ISIS sprung up specifically because the US was involved in the Middle East.  ISIS wouldn't have a prayer in Iraq if Saddam was still around.  ISIS wouldn't be around had the US not tried to overthrow the government in Syria.

 

Classic big government . . . create a problem while attempting to solve a problem and then claim that more government is needed to solve the 2nd problem caused by getting involved in the 1st problem.

 

This isn't non-intervention, this is what happens when your intervention goes awry.  

[carlimac]

I don't understand the politics of this at all, but I Listened to an interesting statement tonight made by the director of LDS Charities.   She said that they had just released 100K to assist in feeding and providing basic supplies to the Christian Iraquis who have been run out of town, everything of value stolen from them and now are refugees in churches. There is one set of senior missionaries in the country who called her (Sharon Eubanks- the director) for assistance for these people. Apparently more money will be released soon. The biggest problem is getting someone to deliver the supplies. 

 

She also said that assistance from the LDS church is being sent to Gaza. I found this to be so interesting. I'm glad it's happening but wonder if it appears as an affront to Israel. 

 

Now I wish I could find out if the Church is sending help to the illegal immigrant compounds. I've looked but can't find any indication of that. 

[Just_A_Guy]

Severely disagree, ISIS sprung up specifically because the US was involved in the Middle East.  ISIS wouldn't have a prayer in Iraq if Saddam was still around.  ISIS wouldn't be around had the US not tried to overthrow the government in Syria.

 

Classic big government . . . create a problem while attempting to solve a problem and then claim that more government is needed to solve the 2nd problem caused by getting involved in the 1st problem.

 

This isn't non-intervention, this is what happens when your intervention goes awry.  

 

I see where you're going, and partially agree; but I think it's worth noting that Saddam did the same thing to other people--lots of them, including children--that ISIS is doing now.  There just wasn't an internet then. 

 

Bad people are going to do evil and horrifying things even where there are no American troops around to blame for igniting the tinderbox (Nigeria, Sudan, Rwanda, . . . ad nauseum); and those of us who nevertheless advocate isolationism need to understand--particularly in this media saturated age--that we must learn to grapple with and resist the graphic photographs of gut-wrenching atrocities in conjunction with the perpetual plea that America Do Something™.

[mordorbund]

I don't understand the politics of this at all, but I Listened to an interesting statement tonight made by the director of LDS Charities.   She said that they had just released 100K to assist in feeding and providing basic supplies to the Christian Iraquis who have been run out of town, everything of value stolen from them and now are refugees in churches. There is one set of senior missionaries in the country who called her (Sharon Eubanks- the director) for assistance for these people. Apparently more money will be released soon. The biggest problem is getting someone to deliver the supplies. 

 

She also said that assistance from the LDS church is being sent to Gaza. I found this to be so interesting. I'm glad it's happening but wonder if it appears as an affront to Israel. 

 

Now I wish I could find out if the Church is sending help to the illegal immigrant compounds. I've looked but can't find any indication of that. 

 

$100K?????!!!! With more on the way????!!!! The LD$ church could have used that money to feed  - oh.... nevermind. This one's not very contraversial. Please bookmark the references for the next time I start shouting on how the Church should spend it's money.

[Still_Small_Voice]

It appears there are more airstrikes against ISIS terrorists in Iraq.  It looks like some Iraqi people are volunteer militia trying to fight against ISIS.  Read more here:

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2718918/Thousands-Christians-flee-Islamic-militants-pulling-church-crosses-Iraq-biggest-town-overrun-ISIS.html

[yjacket]

 

....that we must learn to grapple with and resist the graphic photographs of gut-wrenching atrocities in conjunction with the perpetual plea that America Do Something™.

 

It doesn't just happen in international affairs.  Playing on the heartstrings is almost always how government programs start out.  We've got to do something about xyz, 100 years ago it was providing for those poor unfortunate souls who have nothing for retirement, 6 years ago it was those poor unfortunate souls who don't have health insurance, 50 years from now it's those poor unfortunate souls who don't have a car or a house, etc.

 

Unfortunately, and what most individuals can not see is that the government causes more problems than it solves.  In international affairs, where exactly do the weapons come from?  They come from either the US or Russia, beyond a few pieces of home made equipment, none of these small countries have the manpower, technological resources or money to produce the weaponry they have.

 

Anytime the government interferes in the free market it sets up conditions that are not normal.  Take the gas crisis of the 70s, everyone will have gas @ low prices . . .well then everyone will just have to wait.

 

The free market does a wonderful job of allocating scare resources and when the government messes it up, whether in health care, retirement, or whatever else we will eventually get less of the thing desired.  

 

If we wanted more peace in the world, we should not intervene.  Unfortunately, most people are too short-sighted to see this and go for the immediate "quick fix".