ISIS fighters have swept further south in the Anbar Province of Iraq, seizing two more significant border crossings, including the only border post along the Iraq-Jordan border.
This is the first border crossing into Jordan that ISIS controls, and could suggest further expansion of their territorial acquisitions into that country as well. A foothold in Jordan’s far northeast could give them more access to Syrian territory as well.
The second crossing seized was the Tanf crossing into Syria, the southernmost Iraq-Syria border crossing, and one which goes through a Palestinian refugee camp.
Though not as big a crossing as Qaim, which ISIS captured yesterday, Tanf gives ISIS effective control over the whole Iraq-Syria border, except for a single crossing in the far north which is under Kurdish control.
This is now how US foreign policy works: creating Failed States (N. Chomsky).
Instead of fighting some "evil empire" with Manpower, the Pentacon learned from Great Britain how to subdue a Country with divide and conquer. When after merciless bombing and ousting Saddam Hussein the then governor Bremner still wanted to hold Saddam's Sunnit Party responsible, Rumsfeld found it better to arm the slightly less powerful Party (Sunnits) so that the two Groups are more equal in fighting each other. That has nothing to do with such a uncomfortable terms as Moral or Credibility. Ist only targeting the destruction of that Country and making its resources easier to exploit. Without the greenbacks and US weapons the ISIS would be powerless.
I seriously doubt that the FedGov planned on ISIS destabilizing Jordan, which is about as good and compliant an auxiliary as anyone could get. On the other hand, I wouldn't be a bit surprised if Nuttyyahoo and company were to take advantage of that to seize control of the Jordan River. They have been coveting sole possession for quite awhile.
Ja, sehe ich auch so,
Jordanien ist schon lange ein Bollwerk der USA
und wenn das kippen wuerde, und das ist sehr leicht moeglich,
waere es schwer die macht dort aufrecht zu erhalten.
W
I'm sure King Abdullah is OK with ISIS taking control of one of his border crossing…I guess being the (claimed) 43rd-generation direct descendant of the Prophet doesn't mean much anymore.