Posted on 06/16/2014 5:00:10 AM PDT by sunmars
The USS Mesa Verde with 550 Marines on board entered the Gulf on Monday to support possible U.S. action to help Iraq's Shi'ite-led government combat a Sunni Islamist insurgency that has overtaken large areas of the country's north, CNN reported. The USS Mesa Verde joins the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush, which the Pentagon ordered on Saturday to move into the Gulf. President Barack Obama has said he is considering military action, short of putting U.S. troops in Iraq, to aid that government's efforts to stop the insurgency.
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
Do not worry though, we have the most talented team money can buy running Washington.
....to those 550 young marines, I’m sure their angst is running about the same as their Normandy ancestors.
Prayers up for our Marines and Sailors. May they be safe and successful in their rescue missions.
SAS officers were on their way to Iraq this weekend to prepare the ground for possible air strikes.
Senior defence sources confirmed that military personnel were part of a joint British and American counter-terrorist team ordered in on Friday by William Hague, the foreign secretary, and John Kerry, the US secretary of state.
The team is understood to include MI6 operatives as well as high-ranking special forces officers.
Better late than never. I have been holding my breath over that embassy for the last day or two.
Thanks to Cripplecreek, we have this real time radar scan of any non combat planes which might be approaching the Baghdad airport.
http://www.flightradar24.com/33.67,44.21/9
The time I’m posting this a plane, 14:54, IAW942 is coming from NEN in what appears to be an approach to the airport.
Also, you can set the play back time to 14:30 and watch a smaller plane try to come in from WSS and veer off. Last night they were trying to come in from the ESE landing pattern and would veer off.
“The question is how many people can fit in a helicopter, how long does it take round-trip, and how many people are on the ground waiting to be rescued.”
Not that many. I think a Chinook can fit about 50. It would be much better to bring in 747’s to Bagdad Int and have the marines escort them to the planes and fly them out. There are about 3000 people to evacuate from the Embassy according to what I’m reading.
So does ISIS plan to turn our $750,000,000 embassy into “Jihad World” theme park?
IAW942 is coming from NEN in what appears to be an approach to the airport. This Iraqi Airline 747-446 apparently land at the Baghdad International air port.
Set the play back clock to 15:00 and watch the plane veer quickly and appear to land at the Airport at 15:10.
http://www.flightradar24.com/33.67,44.21/9
Evasive action due to the likelihood of Sunni MANPADs in the vicinity?
Neither. Obama is a Godless socialist and fascist.
Well I’m just guessing but I don’t think 550 marines are going to make much difference in this conflict as far as beefing up the Iraqi forces so I would guess one of two things. Either they are there to escort our people out to the airport or ferry them to a ship or both.
Or the 550 marines are likely including a lot of snipers who will be fitted out with the laser guiders and if they set up at the airport and around the Green Zone they can probably guide the carrier’s assets to demolish anything in a 25 mile radius around that Embassy. So they may just be there to beef up the security.
I’m sorry, but the only word that comes to mind is: Saigon.
5.56mm
That ought to set the world on fire.
It also will allow Israel to rebuild the temple...
Reuters: U.S. army says it has initiated investigation into disappearance of Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl in Afghanistan in 2009
Yeah. And Nixon saved Israel when he pulled out all the stops to re supply them. I had a guy in my squadron who flew one of the ferry missions to Israel delivering F4 Phantoms. He told me they were told to rendezvous with an IAF fighter who would guide them in and do EXACTLY what he said. They flew in, did not see a base, the Israeli said “ 90 deg L turn to base prepare to land”, still nothing. At the last second my buddy said you could make out the runways and revetments. The camouflage was THAT GOOD....
Yeah, I remember “Vietnamization” very well-—and how well it worked. Nixon forgot the south part and it turned out to be commie vietnamization, which by all accounts, is driving the Chicoms nuts.
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