Posted on 06/13/2014 10:42:40 AM PDT by robowombat
Iran Deploys Quds Forces To Support Iraqi Troops, Helps Retake Most Of Tikrit By Howard Koplowitz@howardkoplowitz on June 12 2014 1:55 PM Iran Deploys Forces To Iraq, Helps Retake Tikrit An elite branch of Iran's Revolutionary Guard is in Iraq fighting alongside Iraqi troops in a battle against an al-Qaeda affiliated militant group. \
Two battalions of the Quds Forces are already making progress in their fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, the Wall Street Journal reported. The militant group took control of Saddam Hussein’s hometown of Tikrit on Wednesday, but Revolutionary Guard and Iraqi troops overtook 85 percent of the city on Thursday, Iraqi and Iranian security forces told the paper.
Iran, which is dominated by Shiites, has close ties to Iraq’s Shiite-led government. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called ISIS “an extremist, terrorist group that is acting savagely” during an appearance on state television, Al Jazeera reported. "For our part, as the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran ... we will combat violence, extremism and terrorism in the region and the world."
The Iranian military is considering shifting troops fighting in Syria, where forces are supporting Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government, to Iraq if the deployment of the Quds Forces doesn’t make any progress in the latest offensive.
The Times of London said 150 members of the Quds Forces are in Iraq, where ISIS militants seized Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city, earlier this week.
Meanwhile, ISIS continue to vow that it would soon march on Baghdad.
“'Our final destination will be Baghdad, the decisive battle will be there,' that’s what their leader kept repeating," a tribal figure near Tikrit relayed to Reuters.
The jihadists are Sunnis. Iraq’s Sunni Arabs have been marginalized by Maliki and may have decided to make common cause with the jihadists, not so much because they like them but out of anger at the Shiite-dominated government.
Well, I hope Iran has a good time flying the F-16’s which Obamadullah has promised Iraq.
Seems like Putin held off with his Ukraine move and waited for ISIS to escalate things in Iraq.. Hmmmmm..
Yeah, right.
Sunni
Nah, it’s the weekend. If he’s planning anything, it’ll be from golf course or fund raising event.
It's not the king's fault, TOTUS did too much choom last night.
Yeah Al Jazeera is right on the report
I saw whole story live on their newshour
Unified the two countries.
Watch them offer Obama the Peace Prize for it.
Just wait until he finishes his round of golf. He will be so upset that he just found out when he saw the paper.
Who did O Drama arm with weapons in Syria....the Muslim Brotherhood...they are Sunni...enough said.
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