The recent (and predictable) surge of radical Islamic activity in Iraq seems to indicate President Obama made a mistake when he pulled all American troops out of that country in 2011. Many people, including me, predicted that Al Qaeda, or an offshoot of Al Qaeda, would wait for the United States to withdraw and then undo everything our troops had accomplished. Obama's top military leaders told him he should leave some boots on the ground as advisers and peacekeeping forces. Otherwise, they said, the terrorists would begin to move aggressively and take control. And that's exactly what is happening today.
Since the withdraw of American forces, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), an offshoot of Al Qaeda, has been on the move throughout the region. Stretching from parts of Syria through Northern Iraq, ISIS is systematically taking over major Iraqi cities and butchering any and all who resist their implementation of Sharia law. These guys are so brutal that the original Al Qaeda has denounced them.
ISIS has so far taken control of Mosul and Tikrit, and is moving toward Baghdad. Iran has sent its Revolutionary Guard to help protect the Iraqi citizens. The existing Iraqi government has repeatedly asked President Obama for assistance in the form of air strikes on the insurgents' strongholds but as yet the President has refused to do anything. Due to recent media coverage of the brutalities committed by ISIS it seems President Obama is at least talking about it now.
We learned yesterday that an American air base left in place, where Iraqi soldiers were being trained, was recently evacuated before it was taken over by ISIS and now the terrorists have American made humvees and other equipment left behind.
What's truly sad is that anyone with any military experience, or anyone who was paying attention to the terrorists and how they operate, knew this was going to happen. But President Obama, pandering to his left-wing political base, declared we were leaving Iraq and bailed on the very people we had liberated - at a cost of over 4,000 American lives.
President Obama might be forced by world opinion to act against ISIS. If he doesn't and they are successful in conquering Iraq they will have the first caliphate in the world since 1924, when a caliphate held by Ottoman Turkish sultans was abolished. A caliphate is defined as "an Islamic state led by a supreme religious and political leader known as a caliph – i.e. "successor" – to Muhammad and the other prophets of Islam. Iraq could become the first country completely controlled by a terrorist organization. From there they could launch attacks on infidels worldwide. Is that something we're willing to allow?
And it's not like they won't have the money or resources. Along their route of pillage and plunder, ISIS has been robbing Iraqi banks. They've amounted up to $500 million in the last week.
President Obama has also announced our withdrawal date from Afghanistan. What do you think the Taliban does with this information? To my knowledge, during wartime, no other US President has publicly informed our enemy of the date our involvement in the war would end. When Nixon ended the Vietnam war we had reached a peace accord prior to the pullout of our troops. Obama simply tells the enemy "We'll pull out on this date and you can do whatever you wish after that."
Yes, Iraq right now has become Obama's Folly - simply because he pulled our troops out with no follow-up plan to help the Iraqis protect themselves from insurgent terrorist organizations. He needs to do something to make up for it - in the way of drone strikes or surgical air strikes. If ever there was a need for them this would be it.
But I'm not expecting much. Obama is too busy illegally importing and transporting alien children into and around the country to worry about innocent Iraqis dying. How can anyone look at the things this President does, including non-enforcement of our own laws, and continue to think he is a good President. Even Joe Biden would be better than Obama at this point.
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