Posted on 08/08/2014 7:39:00 AM PDT by Jonah Vark
Washington (CNN) -- Two U.S. F/A-18 jet fighters bombed artillery batteries of Sunni Islamic extremists in Iraq on Friday, escalating America's military involvement more than two years after President Barack Obama brought home forces from the country.
Obama authorized "targeted airstrikes" if needed to protect U.S. personnel from fighters with the Islamic State, formerly known as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, or ISIS. The U.S. military also could use airstrikes to prevent what officials warn could be a genocide of minority groups by the Islamic State fighters.
The U.S. aircraft dropped 500-pound laser-guided bombs on a "mobile artillery piece" used by ISIS at about 6:45 a.m. ET Friday, Pentagon spokesman Rear Adm. John Kirby said. The commander of U.S. Central Command made the decision to strike under authorization granted him by Obama, Kirby said.
The Islamic State has advanced toward what officials call U.S. interests in Iraq's Kurdish region in the north this week, taking towns from the Kurdish fighting force, known as the Peshmerga. READ MORE.......
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
ISIS is the same group of “moderate Muslims” as Hillary Clinton and John Kerry called them, that were part of Arab Spring. Assad must be getting a good laugh, now that the USA is helping him fight the same rebels that it had funded.
What this Prez has allowed to happen in Iraq is just jaw dropping and heart breaking. The American people have a share in the blame as well.
The people that voted Democrat imo spit on the US Military,. The Iraqi people and Christ
I think you posted on the wrong thread, mate.
If you have access you’ll get way better coverage on both Al Jazeera America ( ch 215 on Dish) and Chicom TV ( CCTV9 ch 279 on dish). It’s amazing how much more photo coverage both give on ME events.
Did Obama make sure he warned ISIS ahead of time?
Second, I lament the attitude that Sean Hannity and other commentators have towards Bashir Assad and the leadership of Syria. If the United States had not been funding an insurgency in Syria, we would not be having to deal with the messy situation in Iraq.
just another half-measure intended to get the democrats through the election cycle. After the elections, we will most likely stop and withdraw, further emboldening the islamists..
This is what happens when a leader views foreign policy as a domestic political issue.
Wag the Dog, nothing else.
Come back after we have dropped 200 laser-guided bombs and missiles. Then I will take our actions seriously.
Where the hell is napalm when you need it?
If Bashar Assad is against terrorists using his country as a haven, by God we should support him. I don’t care if he is an SOB. If he goes away, Syria will become a mess worse than Libya.
I have nothing against using Assad’s forces to kill ISIS/Al Qaeda and other extremist terrorist groups. In fact, I encourage it. A nice way to get rich of Hezbollah soldiers, who are very good psychopaths.
However, we have to do it in a covert way, for now.
Remember, the US scored a major coup by supplying both sides of the Iran-Iraq conflict in the 1980’s though most journalists have no idea what actually happened. Ollie North and the boys pulled off a trifecta of successes, or maybe a Quadafecta.
Armed Iraq (initially) and then Iran, so that they could kill each other en masse and thus present much less a threat to Israel, Jordan, etc.
Kept Israeli lines of contact open with elements in the Iranian military (until they were wiped out by Khomeini).
Got money from Iran to send to the freedom-fighters in Nicaragua which helped stop the marxist dictatorship there from getting solidified. The open and free election ousted Ortega and his reds soon afterwards.
Sometimes you’ve got to play with the devil(s), but only do so if you’ve got him/them by the balls.
Thank you for your sane reply.
“Why is it OK for him?”
Because bombs dropped by Democrats are GOOD bombs, released with only the purest and noblest intentions, not to make money for Exxon and Halliburton like those wicked Republican war criminals!!! /SARCASM
Well, I hope it’s not all dropped on the same mobile artillery piece. (You’d think that two planes could take out more than one artillery piece.)
From out in theGulf to Irbil and back is 1100-1200 miles. Geography is not helpful.
Or as wacky little Gutfield said tonight, Obama wants to make sure the refugees on the mountain get one last meal before their execution.
Think about it... some brave and honorable pilots had had enough and did what needed to be done without authorization (and perhaps against direct orders). Their careers may be toast, but they're probably OK with that, if that's the price they had to pay to do the right thing. There was a mutiny, however small, and the after-the-fact "authorization" to conduct "limited" air strikes is Obama's attempt to cover up that fact.
Interesting thought. That might explain why Obama was caught on camera on the White House lawn today screaming and gesticulating at his Deputy National Security Advisor.
And “wagging the dog” failed, so he takes credit.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.