Yazata
Valued Senior Member
Yesterday, June 10 2014, Islamist militants from al-Qaida spin-off ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) entered into Mosul, Iraq's third largest city, and the Iraqi army simply fled.
Today, June 11, ISIL is consolidating their hold on Mosul and reportedly have seized the Turkish consulate there, capturing its diplomats and military guards. ISIL holds Mosul's international airport and have taken over a number of Iraqi military bases, containing abundant small arms, explosives, aircraft and armor (much of it American made).
When word came today that ISIL militants were gathering outside Kirkuk, a major oil refining city on the edge of the semi-autonomous Kurdish region, the Iraqi army again turned tail and fled. In this case, Kurdish forces quickly entered Kirkuk and took over the Iraqi positions and appropriated the weapons they left behind, apparently intending to defend the city against ISIL. (The Kurds have always wanted the city and it was a major item of contention between them and the Arabs, so they probably don't intend to hand it back.)
Word came today that ISIL has entered and taken control of Tikrit, a smaller provincial capital and Saddam Hussein's home town, about 100 miles north of Baghdad.
Reports are coming in that ISIL has shown up outside what is described as Iraq's largest oil refinery at Basiji. At last word, they haven't seized it yet.
Besides the treasure-trove of military equipment, they have also seized upwards of $400 million in cash estimated to have been in Mosul banks.
And the United Nations are reporting that some 500,000 local civilians have fled Mosul to escape ISIL (about 1/3 of the city's population apparently) creating a sudden and growing humanitarian disaster.
So, in a space of merely two days ISIL, the former al-Quaida in Iraq, has seized control of pretty much all of the Sunni Arab areas north of Baghdad (historical Assyria).
They've certainly hit the jackpot.
President al-Maliki and his Shi'ite-dominated Iraqi government are talking defiant and tough, but if the Iraqi military won't fight for him, it's hard to see how the national government can effectively respond to this.
And predictably Shi'ite leaders are talking tough too, apparently bringing their own armed militias (like the Mahdi Army) that were supposedly disbanded years ago back out into the light.
Turkey is warning ISIL not to hurt its captured diplomats, but it isn't clear if Turkey wants to intervene militarily. Iran is obviously watching events with interest as well.
And there's Washington DC... This is certainly a nice new steaming piece of unexpected and unwanted foreign shit on Barack Obama's Oval Office plate. The US will almost certainly talk a tough game, but I don't see Obama sending US troops back in.
This is shaping up to be a major crisis, getting very ugly, very fast.
Today, June 11, ISIL is consolidating their hold on Mosul and reportedly have seized the Turkish consulate there, capturing its diplomats and military guards. ISIL holds Mosul's international airport and have taken over a number of Iraqi military bases, containing abundant small arms, explosives, aircraft and armor (much of it American made).
When word came today that ISIL militants were gathering outside Kirkuk, a major oil refining city on the edge of the semi-autonomous Kurdish region, the Iraqi army again turned tail and fled. In this case, Kurdish forces quickly entered Kirkuk and took over the Iraqi positions and appropriated the weapons they left behind, apparently intending to defend the city against ISIL. (The Kurds have always wanted the city and it was a major item of contention between them and the Arabs, so they probably don't intend to hand it back.)
Word came today that ISIL has entered and taken control of Tikrit, a smaller provincial capital and Saddam Hussein's home town, about 100 miles north of Baghdad.
Reports are coming in that ISIL has shown up outside what is described as Iraq's largest oil refinery at Basiji. At last word, they haven't seized it yet.
Besides the treasure-trove of military equipment, they have also seized upwards of $400 million in cash estimated to have been in Mosul banks.
And the United Nations are reporting that some 500,000 local civilians have fled Mosul to escape ISIL (about 1/3 of the city's population apparently) creating a sudden and growing humanitarian disaster.
So, in a space of merely two days ISIL, the former al-Quaida in Iraq, has seized control of pretty much all of the Sunni Arab areas north of Baghdad (historical Assyria).
They've certainly hit the jackpot.
President al-Maliki and his Shi'ite-dominated Iraqi government are talking defiant and tough, but if the Iraqi military won't fight for him, it's hard to see how the national government can effectively respond to this.
And predictably Shi'ite leaders are talking tough too, apparently bringing their own armed militias (like the Mahdi Army) that were supposedly disbanded years ago back out into the light.
Turkey is warning ISIL not to hurt its captured diplomats, but it isn't clear if Turkey wants to intervene militarily. Iran is obviously watching events with interest as well.
And there's Washington DC... This is certainly a nice new steaming piece of unexpected and unwanted foreign shit on Barack Obama's Oval Office plate. The US will almost certainly talk a tough game, but I don't see Obama sending US troops back in.
This is shaping up to be a major crisis, getting very ugly, very fast.
