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As the Army of the Islamic State continues to expand its control of Iraq, an Iraqi journalist reports that the American-led airstrikes are doing nothing to slow down IS

Iraqis learning how Obama is at war without really being at war



Iraqis learning how Obama is at war without really being at war
An Iraqi journalist based in the holy city of Najaf spoke to Canada Free Press about the situation in his country as the Army of the Islamic State press upon the gates of Baghdad. President Barack Obama is not having an impact on war raging in Iraq, said Mustafa Aliraqi. "If he is unwilling to take the battle to ISIS, Iraqis are willing. He needs heavily arm Iraq."
Otherwise, there is no point, he said. "He's neither fighting ISIS nor arming Iraq." ISIS is another shorthand for Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. The president uses "ISIL," because the construct of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant suggests that there is no separate entity of Israel. Aliraqi said Westerns operating in the country are having little effect. "As for airstrike, reports indicate that ISIS has gained ground since the airstrikes were carried out. They are closer to Baghdad than ever," he said. "American and Canadian advisors have had close to no impact, they have been coordinating with Iraqi officials on airstrikes," he said. "But no real strategy provided by them for the Iraqi government to fight ISIS. Their numbers are low as well, which makes it more difficult." The Iraqi journalist said it is an open question whether IS forces will take Baghdad. This analysis conforms with the thinking of retired Army Lt. Gen. William G. "Jerry" Boykin, a founding member of Delta Force and the former commander of all Green Berets. Boykin said Oct. 7 that IS militants will feint towards Baghdad, then turn north to take on the Kurds.

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Airstrikes have hit empty buildings and other meaningless targets

The retired general said many of the airstrikes have hit empty buildings and other meaningless targets while the Green Berets advising the Iraqi Army are not allowed to join the fight. Boykin said the oil-rich Kurdish provinces are a much better target opportunity than Baghdad for IS forces because it would force Iran to escalate in defense of the Shia communities in the Iraqi capital. Aliraqi said IS militants are at a stage where they do whatever they want. "Since when ISIS are afraid to do something like invade Baghdad? Since when they take orders from anyone? One must understand their ideology," he said. "Iraqis do not think Baghdad could possibly fall, not even one bit. It's where the militias reside, in a majority Shiite city," Aliraqi said. "ISIS has occupied some cities simply because some tribes have welcomed them. In Baghdad, it's impossible which the presence of militias," he said. In cities, such as Fallujah and Mosul, the tribal leaders welcomed ISIS and the cities fell without a fight. "They are surely not afraid of Iran or the Shiites of Iraq as we have seen, they have murdered 1,700 Shiite soldiers in a single day," he said. The massacre took place June 12, when IS forces overran the former U.S. installation at Camp Speicher outside of Tikrit, Iraq and then executed 1,700 Iraqi Air Force cadets.

Islamic calendar is also going to play a part in what happens in Iraq

The Islamic calendar is also going to play a part in what happens in Iraq, he said. October 24 is the beginning of the month of Muharram, a time of prayer, fasting and pilgrimage. During Muharram, millions of Shia pilgrims travel from Iran into Iraq to visit mosques and holy sites in the cities of Karbala and Najaf. It is in the city's Mosque of Ali that Shia believe the remains of Muhammad's cousin and successor Imam Ali are buried. It was the revolt against Ali that split Islam into Sunni and Shi camps. It is also believed that the remains of Noah and Adam are at the mosque. In the city's Wadi-us-Salaam cemetery, there are many other prominent holy men and leaders in Islam buried. Aliraqi said his hometown, which is further south than the ongoing hostilities, is quiet. "Things are actually calm in Najaf. In few days they will implement a strong security plan in preparation for the month of Muharram," he said. "The month Shiites commemorate Ashura. Many visitors from the region come to the cities of Karbala and Najaf, tough for security to keep up." Ashura is the 10th day of Muharram, and it is when Shia commemorate the Battle of Karbala and the death of Muhammad's grandson Hussein Ali in the battle. In 2004, Al-Qaeda in Iraq launched its reign of terror against Shia during Muharram, March in the Western calendar, and the inability of U.S. Forces to maintain order and security led to the Shia uprisings in that April. This year, Muharram ends Nov. 23, four days before Thanksgiving. Assuming the Islamic State holds back until the millions of Shia pilgrims return to Iran, we could literally see the Third Iraq War over by Christmas.


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Neil W. McCabe -- Bio and Archives

Neil W. McCabe is the editor of Human Event’s “Guns & Patriots” e-letter and was a senior reporter at the Human Events newspaper. McCabe deployed with the Army Reserve to Iraq for 15 months as a combat historian. For many years, he was a reporter and photographer for “The Pilot,” Boston’s Catholic paper. He was also the editor of two free community papers, “The Somerville (Mass.) News and “The Alewife (North Cambridge, Mass.).”


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