Posted on 03/04/2015 10:30:06 AM PST by mojito
The Iraqi Security Forces, supported by several Iranian-backed Shiite militias and Sunni tribal fighters, have launched an offensive to retake Tikrit from the Islamic State, which has held the central Iraqi city since June 2014. Massive columns of Shiite militas, including some groups that are listed by the US as Foreign Terrorist Organizations, have been leading the fight in Tikrit.
The operation, which involves more than thirty thousand Iraqi security personnel and militia forces, started on the morning of March 2. According to Al Jazeera, Iraqi forces and allied militias attacked the city from three sides while Iraqi aviation launched an aerial bombardment.
As of yet, the US has not launched any airstrikes in support of the operation. The US has refused to support the Tikrit offensive because Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) elements are actively supporting the operation, anonymous US officials have told The Wall Street Journal.
Although the US military has refused to provide air support for the offensive due to Iran’s involvement, General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that Iran’s involvement could be “a positive thing...."
Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Qods Force, the external operations wing of the IRGC, has been spotted near Tikrit. Soleimani’s forces are tasked with supporting the Iraqi military and Shiite militias....
(Excerpt) Read more at longwarjournal.org ...
The article has lots of interesting details.
Kids place your bets and pop your popcorn.
My bets on the Iranians/Shia.
My bets on the Iranians will soon control most of Iraq and their Oil Fields ,then sending Obama a Very Big Bonus
There is no way possible that Iranian involvement in Iraq is a surprise to 0bama.
I’ll bet his “Daily Briefing” has been littered with this intelligence for a number of months.
All while Zero is negotiating with Iran over nukes ?
You think the newly established Iranian backed government in Iraq will attempt to block Israeli jets from reaching their targets in Iran?
This is going from bad to worse to a complete ClusterF88K.
God help us.
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