Iraqi commanders have announced on Friday that they are deploying Shi’ite militia forces to the border with neighboring Syria, aiming to shore up defenses for border forces who have been under fire from ISIS.
After the loss of virtually all of their towns, ISIS forces dispersed into the desert of Syria’s Deir Ezzor Province. The long Iraq-Syria border is mostly empty desert, and that makes it easy for them to target guards in remote areas.
Officials say that technically, the border region is supposed to be outside of the area of operations for the militias, but that they are making a special case because of the growing amount of cross-border fire.
ISIS has forces both in Deir Ezzor and in the desert areas in neighboring Iraq’s Anbar Province, and while they don’t control any real locations of value, they are spread around the area, and eager to carry out surprise attacks whenever the opportunity presents itself.
After letting so many ISIS retreat East from offensives I suppose this was inevitable. Syria gets to fight them as well now that they are loose .
Yet, in the desert, smack in the middle of US controlled airspace in Syria — ISIS is well supplied, armed, fed, telecom sored better then mine, repurposed, rebranded and renamed — lives on. All US has to do is remove air cover — and they will be gone. But as Haley said, we are jnvesting here, so for a purpose.
The beginning of the end. Iraq and Syrian forces will move on ISIS and US forces East of the Euphrates. Its coming.
Shia militia. I guess with over 60% Shia population it cannot be helped. And if one subtracts Kurish militia, then percentage of Shia in Non-Kurd Iraqi population is much higher. So, how is it news that they are Shia? Or how do we know that they are exclusively Shia? We do not. We are without realising mimicking mainstream deliberate campaign to isolate and demonize anything Shia. The only reason for the formation of militias was the utter collapse of presumably trained and armed Iraqi army at the first encounter with ISIS. Many Iraqi commanders blamed US for that, and as Iraqi army continued to take directions from US generals in preventing ISIS spread — with disasterous consequences — moved into forming separate forces. That was with the knowledge of Iraqi army, and with weapons supplied by army. But they were not subject to US war planning and execution, the way Iraqi forces were. Militias success agains ISIS clearly irritated SOMEBODY so Shia militia were blamed for anything. But after the Iraqi Army assault on Falujah, a move US generals disapproved, the menace if ISIS was removed from Baghdad gates. Now, Trump who never in his campaign claimed that Shia are the terrorists, now is singing to the Zionist tune. Yes, Shia is a large segment of population of the Arab Middle East, and mire formidable obstacle to Israel plans for expansion. But the way “Shia” is always noted, as if some alien force, tells how we all are vulnerable to the incessant drumbeat of ever louder Zionist agenda. Now we have a fake news of Hezbollah drugs smuggling. Just a way to make anti-Shia Zionist fervor relevant to Americans. And posiy worse — a fourth attempt of Israel
Occupation small and vulnerable Lebanon. Last time in 2006, Hezbollah had a star role if repelling attempt at ground invasion. Never forgiven. So, back to spending more American money on fantasy driven agenda. Why not, we are stupid enough to participate. Not their fault.