A new US report on ISIS which seems remarkably similar to comments from Russia’s own intelligence chief is cautioning that the group’s Afghan affiliate is growing much bigger, and more dangerous.
The intelligence report cites unclassified intelligence suggesting the ISIS affiliate, also known as ISIS-K, has an estimated 5,000 fighters. This is roughly a five-fold increase from the estimates last year.
The new report suggests ISIS-K is active in Kabul, Nangarhar, Kunar Province, and some other areas along the northern border. Russia’s report similarly claimed large ISIS presences on the northern border.
A five-fold increase is huge, but not necessarily unlikely. Russia’s report suggested a lot of ISIS fighters that are now in ISIS-K territory had come from Syria, so it may be that progress in Syria has simply moved more into Afghanistan.
We keep on believing in myths. This must be our new religion. ISIS just “moves” anywhere where there is a danger of peace breaking out. Right, Magic Carpet airlines, and their intragalactic currency, with arms factories in secret locations, secret workforce, food coming from Heavens without the need to work the land. Water in deserts, computers, telecom.
Riiight! SOMEBODY IS KEEPING ISIS BRAND ALIVE, and retailing terorist groups for rent on a local basis. The security-for-proft pie must grow at all costs, never mind the inventions, lies, media circus.
For as long as stupid stay stupid, and accept the war profiteering as normal, watching everything around them crumble. From schools to roads, from health to housing — who cares. Facebook will keep us happy andvengaged in trivia. Happy days.
Nice, tho I would replace “myth” with “ribald lie”
I used to call it lies. But it does not fit our reality. Many good people implicitly believe in all the frantic media reports and shameless lies coming out of politicians mouths, media scribes, paid “experts”. How is it possible? This can only be explained by metaphysics. Myth or a religion creates implicit belief, and since all media reinforces the same premise thousands of times daily, it becomes truth. A most progressive teacher in one if those Virginia schools cannot connect the dots — classes of over 40 students, supposedly treated as individuals, with many of them not soeaking English. Some if thise kuds are born just accross the river from the White House, in communities where Spanish is spoken, and kids must go to “dual language” schools so they can keep up with studies. Nobody in the rarified educational environment recognizes the link between burgeoning “security” pie, and the shortage of money. And even less between the IMF loan peddling to countries that could not afford them, and the collapse of thise countries with populace scattering across the globe. Our share of the misery comes from the South, European from Africa and Asiia.
Our good people are myth believers. Perhaps it is for the best. If there is nothing one can do — accept the myth.
The problem is our system is driven by elites, who get shiocked when their blind elitism produces populism. And the more the willful blindness continues — the more rabbid will populism grow.
It is not the action of rational people that causes change. Any progress will depend on the power of irrational.
The importance of “myth” in society cannot be understated. We can turn on the TV anytime to catch a reenactment, or analysis of Utah Beach. It is the root of US militancy mythology. Yet, to declare an area they intend to rubble, “rife with ISIS”, or announce that every US bomb has a terrorist under it, is just plain a lie.