Amid offensive, Iraqi Kurds cut Islamic State supply line

[webfact]

Amid offensive, Iraqi Kurds cut Islamic State supply line
By BRAM JANSSEN and SUSANNAH GEORGE

SINJAR, Iraq (AP) — Supported by U.S.-led airstrikes, Kurdish Iraqi troops on Thursday seized part of a highway that is used as a vital supply line by the Islamic State group, a key initial step in a major offensive to retake the strategic town of Sinjar from the militants.

The town was overrun by the extremists as they rampaged across Iraq in August 2014, leading to the killing, enslavement and flight of thousands of people from the minority Yazidi community. The U.S. later launched an air campaign against the Islamic State militants, also known as ISIL, ISIS and, in Arabic, as Daesh.

Hours into Thursday's operation, the Kurdish Regional Security Council said its forces controlled a section of Highway 47, which passes by Sinjar and indirectly links the militants' two biggest strongholds — Raqqa in Syria and Mosul in northern Iraq — as a route for goods, weapons and fighters.

Coalition-backed Kurdish fighters on both sides of the border are trying to retake sections of that corridor as part of Operation Free Sinjar.

"By controlling Highway 47, which is used by Daesh to transport weapons, fighters, illicit oil and other commodities that fund their operations, the coalition intends to increase pressure ... and isolate their components from each other," a coalition statement said.

It said more than 150 square kilometers (95 miles) of territory had been retaken from the Islamic State group.

The coalition said 24 airstrikes were carried out over the past day, striking nine militant tactical units, nine staging areas and destroying 27 fighting positions, among other targets. Coalition aircraft have conducted more than 250 airstrikes in the past month across northern Iraq.

The Kurdish fighters also said they had secured the villages of Gabarra, on the western front, and Tel Shore, Fadhelya and Qen on the eastern front.

About 7,500 peshmerga fighters closed in on Sinjar from three sides, the Kurdish council said. In addition to taking the town and the highway, the operation aimed to establish "a significant buffer zone to protect the city and its inhabitants from incoming artillery."

Heavy gunfire broke out early Thursday as peshmerga fighters began their approach amid aerial bombardment.

U.S. special operations forces were operating from a hill above the fighting in Sinjar, said Col. Steven Warren, the spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition in Baghdad. U.S. advisers were also positioned with Kurdish commanders, set back from the front line and behind Sinjar mountain, to remain away from the crossfire, Warren said.

According to U.S. guidelines, the U.S. forces have stay away from the front lines and the risk of enemy fire, he said, so they are operating from safe locations on Sinjar mountain.

Warren said two teams of commandos were working with the Kurds to locate enemy targets and call the information in to the Joint Operations Center in Irbil, where military officials then direct coalition aircraft flying in the area to conduct the airstrikes.

This is only the second military operation in Iraq in which U.S. special operations forces have moved closer to the front lines to help Kurdish forces identify targets and help direct airstrikes against the Islamic State. But while the strategy might be effective in northern Iraq, where the ethnic divisions are relatively clear, a similar use of commandos may not work in other parts of Iraq, such as Ramadi, where the battle lines are not as evident.

Warren said the first time that commandos worked with Kurdish peshmerga forces like this was during Operation Clover Field near Kirkuk about a month ago. The geography is flatter there, so the U.S. forces were stationed about two miles from the front lines.

Hisham al-Hashimi, an Iraqi expert on regional Islamic extremist groups, said during the current operation, Kurdish forces will aim to cut off eight unpaved roads used by the Islamic State for smuggling oil, exchanging weapons and ferrying militants between Syria and Iraq.

"Sinjar is not important for Daesh as an area. What is important is this road," al-Hashimi said. He added that the highway is about 120 kilometers (75 miles) long and the battles are for control of about 10 percent of it.

Clouds of smoke above Sinjar were making it difficult for coalition warplanes to carry out airstrikes as thousands of peshmerga fighters moved toward the town from the east and west and massed at the outskirts, Kurdish officials said.

Aircraft struck around Sinjar ahead of the long-awaited offensive, with bombardment growing more intense at dawn.

The town, located at the foot of Mount Sinjar about 30 miles (50 kilometers) from the Syrian border, is not an easy target. An attempt by the Kurds to retake it stalled in December. The militants have been reinforcing their ranks in Sinjar recently in expectation of an assault, although the coalition was not able to give specifics on the size of the IS forces.

"On the radio, we hear (IS) calling for reinforcements from Syria," said Rebwar Gharib, a deputy sergeant on the central front line.

A spokesman for U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said "any efforts to push back Daesh are to be welcomed."

But the spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, said it was critical that any operation be done with international humanitarian law.

Sinjar was captured by the Islamic State group shortly after the extremists seized Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city.

The extremists inflicted a wave of terror in the Sinjar area against the Yazidis, members of an ancient religion whom the Islamic State views as heretics and devil-worshippers. An untold number were killed in last year's assault, and hundreds of men and women were kidnapped. The women were enslaved and given to militants in Iraq and Syria, while many of the men were believed to be killed or forced to convert.

Tens of thousands of Yazidis fled into the mountains, where the militants surrounded them, leaving them trapped and exposed in the blazing heat.

The crisis prompted the U.S. to launch air drops of aid to the stranded. On Aug. 8, 2014, it launched the first round of airstrikes in what would mark the beginning of a broader coalition effort to battle the militant group in Iraq and Syria.

In December, Kurdish fighters in northwestern Iraq managed to drive the militants out of areas on the other side of the mountain, opening a corridor that helped many of the remaining Sinjaris to escape. Those Kurdish fighters then tried to advance into the town of Sinjar itself but were fought off by the militants.

Various Kurdish militias on the town's edge have been fighting guerrilla battles for months with IS, damaging or destroying much of the picturesque town of ancient, narrow streets lined with modest stone homes. The factions include the Turkey-based Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK), the Syria-based People's Protection Units (YPG) and Yazidi-led forces billing themselves as the Sinjar Resistance. Iraqi Kurdish fighters have also held positions farther outside the town.
___

Associated Press writers Vivian Salama and Zeina Karam in Baghdad, Lolita C. Baldor in Washington, Cara Anna at the United Nations and video journalist Sagar Meghani in Washington contributed to this report.


-- (c) Associated Press 2015-11-13

[seedy]

One Offensive post removed

Advocating Genocide

[nidieunimaitre]

Kurds cutting off a supply line of IS?

There is something that I do not understand about this conflict.

IS is not just a bunch of crazed terrorists, they are an army, involved in a "regular" war.

That means that they need a large continuous supply of weapons, ammunition, oil, food.

Where does all that come from?

And why has this supply not been cut off / made difficult a long time ago? Should be relatively easy with all the sophisticated weaponry of modern armies?

What am I missing?

[Seastallion]

Good to read some encouraging news. Lets hope this cutting of supplies really hurts Daesh.

[whatawonderfulday]

Kurds cutting off a supply line of IS?

There is something that I do not understand about this conflict.

IS is not just a bunch of crazed terrorists, they are an army, involved in a "regular" war.

That means that they need a large continuous supply of weapons, ammunition, oil, food.

Where does all that come from?

And why has this supply not been cut off / made difficult a long time ago? Should be relatively easy with all the sophisticated weaponry of modern armies?

What am I missing?

Because the Syrian President buys the oil from the IS as the IS control nost of the oil fields there. He does buy not care much for the IS but it allows him to continue in power buy using the IS to quell other Syrian rebels whilst he carries on almost unhindered bombing is own people. Now the Russians are also supporting him.

Strange bed fellows. A bit like NayGermany and Russia's pact at the beginning of WW2. We all know what happened the when "the worm turned".

History does indeed repeat itself, in principle anyway.

[Seastallion]

Kurds cutting off a supply line of IS?

There is something that I do not understand about this conflict.

IS is not just a bunch of crazed terrorists, they are an army, involved in a "regular" war.

That means that they need a large continuous supply of weapons, ammunition, oil, food.

Where does all that come from?

And why has this supply not been cut off / made difficult a long time ago? Should be relatively easy with all the sophisticated weaponry of modern armies?

What am I missing?

I've asked this before. Somewhere back up the logistics line is a government or two that need to be severely sanctioned.

Then there's the money trail.....

Who is buying illegal oil, and who is pocketing money from arms sales?

Edited November 13, 2015 by Seastallion

[Scott]

During the time I worked in Iraq and it was under sanctions, there were trucks lined up for up to 100 km at the Habur crossing into Northern Iraq. They crossed, filled the trucks and then returned to Turkey. It was technically not breaking sanctions, since the trucks just filled their petrol tanks. These trucks, however, had massively oversized tanks, but they were not tankers. The fuel was taken back across the border and they got back in line. It was the same everyday, day in and day out.

It is hard to identify exactly where oil originates.

I am sure the oil makes its way to the international markets with few problems and with no one being the wiser.

[simple1]

Kurds cutting off a supply line of IS?

There is something that I do not understand about this conflict.

IS is not just a bunch of crazed terrorists, they are an army, involved in a "regular" war.

That means that they need a large continuous supply of weapons, ammunition, oil, food.

Where does all that come from?

And why has this supply not been cut off / made difficult a long time ago? Should be relatively easy with all the sophisticated weaponry of modern armies?

What am I missing?

Because the Syrian President buys the oil from the IS as the IS control nost of the oil fields there. He does buy not care much for the IS but it allows him to continue in power buy using the IS to quell other Syrian rebels whilst he carries on almost unhindered bombing is own people. Now the Russians are also supporting him.

Strange bed fellows. A bit like NayGermany and Russia's pact at the beginning of WW2. We all know what happened the when "the worm turned".

History does indeed repeat itself, in principle anyway.

Doubt the Alawite dictator considers the majority Sunnis as "his own people". Reaching back into history the usual colonial divide and rule, in the instance, by the French. An excellent overview of 20th century history of Syria at the URL below.

Roots of Alawite – Sunni rivalry in Syria

"a minority can dominate a majority if it has political, military or economic superiority" became the reality in Syria.

http://www.mepc.org/journal/middle-east-policy-archives/roots-alawite-sunni-rivalry-syria

[nidieunimaitre]

If the rest of the world - I mean big governments & big business - were serious about fighting IS, how difficult would it be to take out the oil installations in IS land? Or large convoys? or major roads?

Or perhaps when the military and nasa ask for bigger budgets, they slightly exaggerate the technical possibilities of spy satellites and other military hardware?

Or perhaps the fact that in recent history the 2 most modern armies in the world were defeated by simple peasants in Afghanistan and Vietnam could teach us something - no, I am not taking sides, only stating facts and asking questions.

[ALLSEEINGEYE]

If the rest of the world - I mean big governments & big business - were serious about fighting IS, how difficult would it be to take out the oil installations in IS land? Or large convoys? or major roads?

Or perhaps when the military and nasa ask for bigger budgets, they slightly exaggerate the technical possibilities of spy satellites and other military hardware?

Or perhaps the fact that in recent history the 2 most modern armies in the world were defeated by simple peasants in Afghanistan and Vietnam could teach us something - no, I am not taking sides, only stating facts and asking questions.

It was the big government of George Bush that was ran from behind the scenes by big businesses like Haliburton that created this mess in the first place.

They saw an easy quick cash grab in invading Iraq based on lies.

They destabilized the whole region and this is the result.

You won't see haliburton or any of the other companies that made countless billions from this, ever pay a cent to help clean up the mess they created.

[arjunadawn]

Kurds cutting off a supply line of IS?

There is something that I do not understand about this conflict.

IS is not just a bunch of crazed terrorists, they are an army, involved in a "regular" war.

That means that they need a large continuous supply of weapons, ammunition, oil, food.

Where does all that come from?

And why has this supply not been cut off / made difficult a long time ago? Should be relatively easy with all the sophisticated weaponry of modern armies?

What am I missing?

I've asked this before. Somewhere back up the logistics line is a government or two that need to be severely sanctioned.

Then there's the money trail.....

Who is buying illegal oil, and who is pocketing money from arms sales?

Another poster responded that the propping up was done by Syria itself. I suspect this is fiction. However, SS is spot on. There is more in the logistics train than selling oil. The products for the local economy/army must be sourced and delivered, consumed, and a steady supply and demand sets in. This is the background econony that an army exists among. Without this economy the army would have to be directly supplied- like a US supply train, Roman, Russion, etc. Supposedly, DAESH does not have this.

At this point it is clear DAESH either has direct logistics (which it clearly does, at least in part) from the US/Allies or passive support from the US/Allies to access markets and import. IS is being used by the west with certainty. Few people really argue this fact. If one looked at the Great Game 1 and 2 from the 19th century they would see the agression of GB and Russia acting out in much this way.

[arjunadawn]

If the rest of the world - I mean big governments & big business - were serious about fighting IS, how difficult would it be to take out the oil installations in IS land? Or large convoys? or major roads?

Or perhaps when the military and nasa ask for bigger budgets, they slightly exaggerate the technical possibilities of spy satellites and other military hardware?

Or perhaps the fact that in recent history the 2 most modern armies in the world were defeated by simple peasants in Afghanistan and Vietnam could teach us something - no, I am not taking sides, only stating facts and asking questions.

It was the big government of George Bush that was ran from behind the scenes by big businesses like Haliburton that created this mess in the first place.

They saw an easy quick cash grab in invading Iraq based on lies.

They destabilized the whole region and this is the result.

You won't see haliburton or any of the other companies that made countless billions from this, ever pay a cent to help clean up the mess they created.

Its all true- G Bush did those things and companies related to him prospered. But this is not why the current problem in Syria/Iraq exists. The current problem was a direct result of continued policies in the region to cripple Iran's hegemony by crippling Syria. This current debacle began in Syria not Iraq. This began as/when/after Bush left (likely the plan was created during Bush, according to S Hersch-2007). The mess that was Iraq then became perfect breeding/hiding/training ground for DAESH- because Obama vacated it? Or even if Obama left forces? (no one knows- this is not the problem and would not have prevented it. It is a red herring).

Lots of smart people say that had Obama been able to negotiate a SOFA (Status of Forces Agreement) with Iraq and kept a few troops we could have done a, b, c to prevent the current mess. Maybe? Its true that Obama is among the only presidents to be unable to close a SOFA deal. I have worked in multiple countries througout the world with SOFA deals. It would not have been difficult to get one. Obama did not want one. Ok, but would it have helped today?

I think had the US kept forces in Iraq as Obama opponents said we should we would have been in the crap quicker and deeper today. Dont fool yourself, after Iraq the US went into Syria. Everyone knows IS is a proxy- everyone, and this is what makes Putin's move far more humiliating. Putin knows it too and instead of proxy response he went there directly.

One can wrap accountability up around a former president but this approach actually abuses Obama, not help him. This does not explain how, under Obama, the entire IS army has been outfitted with military gear, hundreds of directly purchased Toyotas and endless train of supplies. At some point, say 7 years, a president has to take responsibility for his own actions. This is Obama's mess!

[Mudcrab]

Follow the money...straight to Saudi Arabia

[ALLSEEINGEYE]

If the rest of the world - I mean big governments & big business - were serious about fighting IS, how difficult would it be to take out the oil installations in IS land? Or large convoys? or major roads?

Or perhaps when the military and nasa ask for bigger budgets, they slightly exaggerate the technical possibilities of spy satellites and other military hardware?

Or perhaps the fact that in recent history the 2 most modern armies in the world were defeated by simple peasants in Afghanistan and Vietnam could teach us something - no, I am not taking sides, only stating facts and asking questions.

It was the big government of George Bush that was ran from behind the scenes by big businesses like Haliburton that created this mess in the first place.

They saw an easy quick cash grab in invading Iraq based on lies.

They destabilized the whole region and this is the result.

You won't see haliburton or any of the other companies that made countless billions from this, ever pay a cent to help clean up the mess they created.

Its all true- G Bush did those things and companies related to him prospered. But this is not why the current problem in Syria/Iraq exists. The current problem was a direct result of continued policies in the region to cripple Iran's hegemony by crippling Syria. This current debacle began in Syria not Iraq. This began as/when/after Bush left (likely the plan was created during Bush, according to S Hersch-2007). The mess that was Iraq then became perfect breeding/hiding/training ground for DAESH- because Obama vacated it? Or even if Obama left forces? (no one knows- this is not the problem and would not have prevented it. It is a red herring).

Lots of smart people say that had Obama been able to negotiate a SOFA (Status of Forces Agreement) with Iraq and kept a few troops we could have done a, b, c to prevent the current mess. Maybe? Its true that Obama is among the only presidents to be unable to close a SOFA deal. I have worked in multiple countries througout the world with SOFA deals. It would not have been difficult to get one. Obama did not want one. Ok, but would it have helped today?

I think had the US kept forces in Iraq as Obama opponents said we should we would have been in the crap quicker and deeper today. Dont fool yourself, after Iraq the US went into Syria. Everyone knows IS is a proxy- everyone, and this is what makes Putin's move far more humiliating. Putin knows it too and instead of proxy response he went there directly.

One can wrap accountability up around a former president but this approach actually abuses Obama, not help him. This does not explain how, under Obama, the entire IS army has been outfitted with military gear, hundreds of directly purchased Toyotas and endless train of supplies. At some point, say 7 years, a president has to take responsibility for his own actions. This is Obama's mess!

You couldn't be more wrong!!

How is Obama supposed to control a mess like this? Invade every country in the region and police it? Not possible. If Iraq was never invaded by Bush and Cheney to support their corporate sponsors then ISIS would never exist. Tony Blaire has even admitted this.

You can blame Obama for everything you want but that doesn't make it true.

[arjunadawn]

If the rest of the world - I mean big governments & big business - were serious about fighting IS, how difficult would it be to take out the oil installations in IS land? Or large convoys? or major roads?

Or perhaps when the military and nasa ask for bigger budgets, they slightly exaggerate the technical possibilities of spy satellites and other military hardware?

Or perhaps the fact that in recent history the 2 most modern armies in the world were defeated by simple peasants in Afghanistan and Vietnam could teach us something - no, I am not taking sides, only stating facts and asking questions.

It was the big government of George Bush that was ran from behind the scenes by big businesses like Haliburton that created this mess in the first place.

They saw an easy quick cash grab in invading Iraq based on lies.

They destabilized the whole region and this is the result.

You won't see haliburton or any of the other companies that made countless billions from this, ever pay a cent to help clean up the mess they created.

Its all true- G Bush did those things and companies related to him prospered. But this is not why the current problem in Syria/Iraq exists. The current problem was a direct result of continued policies in the region to cripple Iran's hegemony by crippling Syria. This current debacle began in Syria not Iraq. This began as/when/after Bush left (likely the plan was created during Bush, according to S Hersch-2007). The mess that was Iraq then became perfect breeding/hiding/training ground for DAESH- because Obama vacated it? Or even if Obama left forces? (no one knows- this is not the problem and would not have prevented it. It is a red herring).

Lots of smart people say that had Obama been able to negotiate a SOFA (Status of Forces Agreement) with Iraq and kept a few troops we could have done a, b, c to prevent the current mess. Maybe? Its true that Obama is among the only presidents to be unable to close a SOFA deal. I have worked in multiple countries througout the world with SOFA deals. It would not have been difficult to get one. Obama did not want one. Ok, but would it have helped today?

I think had the US kept forces in Iraq as Obama opponents said we should we would have been in the crap quicker and deeper today. Dont fool yourself, after Iraq the US went into Syria. Everyone knows IS is a proxy- everyone, and this is what makes Putin's move far more humiliating. Putin knows it too and instead of proxy response he went there directly.

One can wrap accountability up around a former president but this approach actually abuses Obama, not help him. This does not explain how, under Obama, the entire IS army has been outfitted with military gear, hundreds of directly purchased Toyotas and endless train of supplies. At some point, say 7 years, a president has to take responsibility for his own actions. This is Obama's mess!

You couldn't be more wrong!!

How is Obama supposed to control a mess like this? Invade every country in the region and police it? Not possible. If Iraq was never invaded by Bush and Cheney to support their corporate sponsors then ISIS would never exist. Tony Blaire has even admitted this.

You can blame Obama for everything you want but that doesn't make it true.

How could you possibly use a known criminal as a witness; I don't give a crap what Blair says, nor should any other. He is a proven liar, with human lives the consequence of his great deceit. In essence, a killer! I have little doubt, though a little, that IS would have been formed had we not gone into Iraq. The US and others have created proxies for a long, long time. In fact, this stretches into antiquity. You can dislike, disavow, despise and condemn Bush's actions with regard to Iraq AND have IS formed to war in Syria. The two are not dependent. Syria always needed to be divided. Many proposed division of Iraq early into shia, sunni, kurdish. This was opposed in favor of seeking the elusive unified iraq. When this failed, it was only a matter of time before division presented again as viable. When IS was created in Syria it was still uncertain of shia hegemony would extend into Baghdad or a unified Iraq would prevail. Its clear now Iraqi division is on the table under the guise of limited shia hegemony.

It makes no difference to me and I suffer explaining it. For you it is key that Bush did it all. Okay, even if I grant it, it means nothing to me. Bush bad, Obama good. Whats the point? There is not one single foreign policy initiative, not one, that Clinton can cite as an accomplishment can others really find more? There are none. None at all.

I think Obama is worse than incompetent. I think his radical nihilist worldview is steeped in disdain for America. Plus, I think he is fundamentally an islamist! A muslim? No, I did not say that. I have no idea and don't care. But Obama has enabled and furthered radical islam in every single thing he has touched. Its pure math, do the addition. Under Obama islamists have flourished. Indeed, to the point that even sunni islamic peoples had to rebuke Obama and expel his puppet in Egypt. As Clinton was the first "Black President" likewise Obama will be remembered as the first "Islamic President." (I really do not believe he is a practicing muslim, however).Indeed, he has an avowed aim to be seen as such and declares it openly.

(He could not even use the word "islamic" in describing the attacks in Paris last night. Really? Disconnect? Cognitive dissonance? No, he is an apologist).