The situation in Iraq is going from bad to worse at an alarming rate, with two key provincial capitals falling in as many days. Yesterday, it was the oil rich northern city of Mosul, and today the al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) fighters have seized Tikrit, capital of Salaheddin Province.
Tikrit itself isn’t of huge importance, but lies south of Mosul along Highway One, which links the city to the capital of Baghdad, and links them up with other territory they’ve contested in and around Salaheddin.
They’re not stopping there, either, as other AQI forces have moved into the Kirkuk Province with an eye on taking that northern city. The loss of Kirkuk would effectively split Iraqi Kurdistan away from the remaining possessions of the central government, with only a small corridor near Sulaymaniyeh remaining.
AQI is making the most of their capture of Mosul as well, looting the Central Bank today and seizing an estimated $429 million in cash, as well as a large quantity of gold bullion, making it likely the richest terrorist group on the planet.
They also attacked the Turkish consulate in Mosul, kidnapping the consular mission head and dozens of other staff. Mosul civilians have been fleeing, but withe the loss of Tikrit they’re mostly headed east, into Kurdistan.
Though Iraqi officials remained confident they would retake Mosul in time, they said the same thing about Fallujah in January and don’t seem to have put a dent in AQI’s control of it or the surrounding area. Ultimately, AQI seems to have momentum in both Syria and Iraq and is carving out a nation of its own, one which will be large, oil-rich, and extremely belligerent.
Why do you say Al Queda?
They are Sunnis, and a mixture of tribal leaders, collaborating against Shiites.
Terrible! You sound like Bush Obama.
Neoconservatives have used the threat of a revived Muslim Caliphate to drum up support for the War on Terror, so it seems particularly ironic that neocon policies in Iraq and Syria have now led to a situation where a revived Caliphate looks like a very real possibility, but maybe all is not as it seems. A revived Caliphate of extreme fundamentalist Muslims would be just what's needed to justify another US invasion. And is it simply coincidence that the territory now in AQI / ISIL hands is all part of "Greater Israel?" http://www.globalresearch.ca/greater-israel-the-z…
Dick Cheney: “If you took down Saddam Hussein government, then what are you going to put in its place? That’s a very a volatile part of the world, and if you take down the centra government of Iraq, you could very easily end up seeing pieces of Iraq fly off: part of it.” Was this deliberate by our corrupt politicians in Washington, so as to give Israel a sense of security? Iran, Iraq, and Syria is standing in the way (obstacle) for a greater Israel….your move Obama.
Don't doubt for one minute that Israel is behind this latest bit of sectarian madness. These Takfiris Criminals and Cannibals after all are CIA trained and Israel supported. Perhaps the sole aim is pure distraction if Hezbollah takes the bait and shift focus from the Israels borders to Iraq? Not likely to happen.
However if they couldn't rout Assad out of Syria how do they expect without a huge Army, which they don't have, can they hold onto these territories inside Iraq?
Coming on the back of withdrawal from Afghanistan. perhaps it's a ploy by the little Satan to further weaken the US in never ending wars but Obama is not having a bit of it. If Israel wants to take them on let them
ISIS the "richest terrorist group on the planet"? Aren't you overlooking the USG and armed forces? Where is Ukraine's gold?