MOSUL doesn’t look too bad.
I mean, I’m always up for a campaign against a bunch of murderous death cultists. Although I suppose Netflix toned down the human sacrifices and whatnot that ISIS was fond of. After all, kids might be watching.
Moe Lane
PS: Indeed, it might suck. But it might not?
Local media outlet Rudaw reported Sunday that witnesses had pointed out one of the graves to officials the day before. The witnesses told them the grave, near the Sinjar Technical Institute, contained the remains of 78 women between the ages of 40 and 80 years old.
The gruesome discovery was followed by the finding of another grave Sunday 10 miles west of Sinjar believed to contain the bodies of about 50 men. Both graves have yet to be excavated.
Continue reading Kurds retake town of Sinjar from Islamic State, find mass graves.
Basically, the situation is as follows: the Kurds are advancing into Islamic State territory, now that the USAF has resumed its customary role of ‘stand-in for Old Testament angels*.’ Kurdish forces have just retaken a strategic mountain that gives them an excellent position to strike at Mosul. And what is Mosul?
Mosul is a mainly Sunni city which Kurdish forces say they do not intend to recapture on their own.
‘Intend.’ Useful word, that. Because it’s also a city that the Kurds more or less still considers ‘theirs.’
Moe Lane
*Refresh your memory on that. As many people have noted, there’s a reason why the first words out of an angel’s mouth have traditionally been Fear not.
I think that the bolded part (and bolding mine) is probably the most significant takeaway from this story:
Using a “mix of fighter, bomber, attack and remotely piloted aircraft,” the U.S. conducted 14 strikes against ISIS targets near the Mosul dam in northern Iraq.
The Sunday strikes were the first reported use of land-based bombers in the campaign. Previously, most of the strikes had been conducted by a mix of fighter jets and drones.
The strikes represented an uptick in the air campaign, which was initially authorized to help alleviate the humanitarian suffering by Yazidis stuck on Mt. Sinjar and protect U.S. personnel and property in Erbil.
…because that implies a decision to make strategic decisions involving combating ISIS. Bombing jihadis at the Mosul Dam is an excellent idea; it’s also, as Time magazine notes, an expansion of the administration’s self-imposed mission for Iraq. Continue reading US ratchets up bombing campaign in Iraq; Kurds retaking parts of Mosul Dam.
Barbarians (if the story is true, of course):
A top UN official in Iraq has said the Sunni Islamist group Isis controlling the city of Mosul is seeking to impose female genital mutilation.
All females aged 11 and 46 in the northern city must undergo the procedure, according to an Isis edict, UN official Jacqueline Badcock said.
She said the unprecedented decree was of grave concern.
I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m pretty much at the point where I want our government to go tell the Kurds that they can simply keep whatever territory they take back from ISIS. As I recall, Mosul is traditional Kurdish territory, and clearly it could use a change in ownership. And that’s even if this particular story turns out to be false: we already know that ISIS is committing war crimes. I see no reason why they should have free rein to commit any more.
Via Hot Air.
Moe Lane (crosspost)
PS: You would think that the Western feminist movement would be the first in line to slam the butt of a rifle into the face of radical Islamist terrorism.
