Easy Answers
Questions are being raised as to why all of this aid and assistance is flowing into the Kurdish north of Iraq, while the south isn’t seeing the same level of help.
The reason is simple – Kurds are fighting to protect their areas and to regain areas they have been pushed out of of by ISIS. When the US attacks ISIS heavy weapons, the Kurds follow up on the ground. Refugees are flowing into the Kurdish area to escape ISIS, and they are a burden on the local government.
People, like the UN, have access to the Kurdish areas and can deliver supplies to refugees, which is not true in much of southern Iraq. The Iraqi army still isn’t capable of a competent offensive campaign.
The world helps those who are willing to help themselves.
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Additionally, ISIS has not attempted to conquer and hold Shiite areas yet, and the Shia militias seem rather uninterested in taking on ISIS in Sunni areas. So aid is going to the Kurds for the same reason Willie Sutton robbed banks — ’cause that’s where the money (the fighting) is.
A lot of people spent a lot of time and money on the Iraqi army and Maliki destroyed it before ISIS showed up. They aren’t interested in doing any more until they see some action.
I can see the Kurds pushing to the Tigris which provides a defensible border. If they can cut ISIS off from their supply lines they will be a lot easier to mop up north of the Tigris.
Of course, this is very easy to write from thousands of miles away, and not as easy to do.
The real problem Bryan, is that the Islamic State (as ISIS/ISIL now call themselves) are very smart and have real money (over $2 billion), and getting more every day. They had a plan, they accomplished their goals. And the USA is stupidly ignoring the real threat they pose. The USA is still going on about Al Qaeda, whilst many are leaving Al Qaeda and other militant groups from Afghanistan. Pakistan, Indonesia and even Yemen and Africa to join the Islamic State. Their numbers are swelling, and their backers are growing. Hell, they even publish a very slick 400+ page report that details everything, including some 9,500+ attacks they carried out last year and what they achieved including attack metrics. It’s like a corporate annual report! And they have a very effective media and social media strategy that is working. I hate to think where they will be in only 3 years from now! They have already shown their disdain of the USA by publicly beheading a US journalist! Now all the US/European journalists are self-censoring big-time! So that was quite effective. The current US air-strike strategy will prove ineffective I believe. And even if they back and arm the Kurds (and I have great respect for their courage and abilities as fighters), it’s too late. The only way the USA has a chance now is to stop all the internal bullshit, pull out of Afghanistan and prepare to deal with IS. Otherwise, IS will become a bigger and more effective force against the USA than Al Qaeda ever was. But the USA won’t do what needs to be done. Too bad. *shrug*
I should add that they are not the small militant group the US press would like everyone to believe. According to recent studies, they now number about 50,000 fighters. Due to their rapid successes and media strategy, they are now recruiting from the USA and Europe. it’s estimated that about 100 American’s joined them recently, and about 3,000 westerners so far, and those numbers are growing. The Guardian published an article that stated that it was believed that the jihadist that beheaded Foley is the British leader, from London, of a group of IS militants holding several foreigners hostage in Raqqa, Syria, as hostages and for ransom. One hostage that was released after ransom was paid (a smart move by IS), said that their were at least three British militants in charge and they seemed very well educated and determined. They plan to kidnap other higher-level westerners for ransom and joked that the CIA weren’t the only ones who could ‘rendition’. It isn’t known if all of these westerners are joining for the cause, or are disgruntled merc’s joining for the money. IS can afford them.
The US can’t do much on their own because Rumsfeld screwed everything up in the military by off-loading all of the specialties not directly related to combat to the Reserves and the National Guard. They don’t have the linguists they need after more than a decade of involvement in the area.
As long as Saudi Arabia is off limits, the money is going to flow from wealthy Saudi religious whackoes – the same people who backed al Qaeda.
All the US can do is contain them, because the locals are the only people who can actually eliminate them.