It ain’t half hot here, mum [Syria, Iraq]

The Economisit ^ | 30 August 2014

[Lorianne]

It ain’t half hot here, mum : Why and how Westerners go to fight in Syria and Iraq ___ THE two young men in the bus from Antakya, in south-eastern Turkey, to Reyhanli, nearer the border with Syria, sported long beards, calf-length trousers and toted small drawstring bags with their minimal belongings. They spoke in broken Arabic to the bus driver (local Turks usually have a smattering of the language) but to each other in a regional British accent. They were just two out of hundreds of Muslims from Europe, setting off to Syria to join the battle. That was two years ago. Since then, several thousand may have signed up—and the rate may be increasing. What do they do when they get there? And what might they do when they go home?

The effect of the swelling influx is apparent as the Islamic State (IS), a brutal extremist group in Syria and Iraq that has attracted most foreign fighters, stakes a claim to a swathe of territory that is the size of Jordan and embraces a similar population—6m or so. Boastful combatants post well-scripted videos to attract their foreign peers, promising heaven for those who leave their lives of Western decadence to become “martyrs”. They tweet “selfies” holding the severed heads of their enemies after photos of the luxuries, such as Red Bull, an energy drink, that are available to the fighters. And they issue threats to the West while using emoticons—smiling faces, for instance, formed by punctuation marks—and internet acronyms such as LOL.

[Lorianne]

[gaijin]

Let them ALL go fight and die there...! Solves many problems.

So nice of them.

[TurboZamboni]

Hello Mudda,
Hello Fadda,
Here I am for
Intifada.

[Boogieman]

That spiderweb map of “IS Control” is a little misleading. A lot of the area between the web is barren desert that nobody cares about. Technically, you could say that IS doesn’t control it, because they don’t have much air power to patrol it, or columns of armor to push through it. Still, if they control all the major roads and towns surrounding those areas, then they are effectively under their control.

[1010RD]

Yep, we need to smooth the way there and make certain the trip ends at the morgue.

[bert]

The practical reality is they control the territory. It’s like saying Utah and Arizona don’t control all the deserts off the rivers and roads

Syria and Iraq are partitioned.

[SoConPubbie]

That spiderweb map of “IS Control” is a little misleading. A lot of the area between the web is barren desert that nobody cares about. Technically, you could say that IS doesn’t control it, because they don’t have much air power to patrol it, or columns of armor to push through it. Still, if they control all the major roads and towns surrounding those areas, then they are effectively under their control.

Which means their "control" is tenuous at best and can be broken easily by a committed, well-armed force.

[jimpick]

When they mass for an attack they should be easy targets for drone strikes. But O’Dumby does not want that so he is again dragging his feet on committing.

[The_Media_never_lie]

What do they do when they get there? And what might they do when they go home?

They should not be allowed to return.

[RedMDer]

FReepers, Let's go!
Everyone needs to donate!


September is almost here.
Please contribute today!