October 6, 2014
Agence France-Press, Tehran
Iranian television (click here) published a rare picture Monday of its elite Quds Force chief in Iraq that was widely circulated online, puncturing the mystique of one of the region’s most powerful men.
The image of Maj. Gen. Qassem Suleimani purportedly showing him on an Iraqi battlefield was published on the website of IRINN state television and repeatedly shared on Twitter.
Grinning widely, Suleimani, easily identified by his greying hair and beard, was seen standing alongside Kurdish Peshmerga fighters. IRINN did not say where the picture was taken.
Iran initially denied Suleimani was in Iraq but several pictures used in official media have appeared to confirm his presence near battles against militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
The Quds Force, a branch of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, is highly secretive and conducts security functions abroad deemed necessary to protect the Islamic Republic....
You see how ridiculous this is. There won't be commitments by Sunni Arabs because Iran might gain some ground of some kind. This is ridiculous. So because the Sunnis can't agree about Iran the Christians from the USA is suppose to take up the slack.
I don't think so.
A common foe means that everyone takes part and when the foe is defeated everyone goes back to living within their borders and life goes on as it always does. This is not a conflict between sectarian problems, this is war against the Islamic State, not each other!
Iran can limit it's involvement to Iraq. I don't know why Assad is even discussed, there is little to no sovereign Syria forces left anymore.
October 12, 2014
DUBAI — Gulf monarchies (click here) taking part in US-led air strikes against the Islamic State in Syria could deploy special forces on the ground but only if certain conditions are met, analysts say.
DUBAI — Gulf monarchies (click here) taking part in US-led air strikes against the Islamic State in Syria could deploy special forces on the ground but only if certain conditions are met, analysts say.
Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates have joined air strikes on the IS, which has seized swathes of Syria and neighbouring Iraq.
But they want to assess their potential gains and fear that Shiite-majority Iran may emerge the ultimate winner, the experts added.
Any decision by Gulf states to send in troops would depend on whether Turkey decides to use its own ground forces, according to Mathieu Guidere, professor of Middle East Studies at Toulouse University....
There is no room for debate, the entire region has to be united in defeating the Islamic State, otherwise this will develop into a war that is not contained. Iran is as an important partner is all this as Turkey or other Arab nations are. Any idea this will erupt into something other than containing and destroying the Islamic State is ridiculous. There is too much on the line.
October 11, 2014
...Last week, (click here) the Sunday Times reported that the Islamic State is preparing to wage war on Iran in order to obtain the secrets of its nuclear program, citing a manifesto attributed to a member of the Islamic State war cabinet that the newspaper had uncovered.
This is probably the only time in history that all religions in Arabia have a common cause. I would not expect any one particular country to seek benefits over another. This is a time for coalition building and avenues of peace, not a time to measure other nations in advances that would not ever be considered if it weren't for the instability in Syria. If Iran believes Assad's forces are still intact and capable of protecting the country's sovereignty, then Tehran is deluted.
Palestine is looking toward hope and Arabia is scared of making a commitment to fight the Islamic State.
The Islamic State has not plans to benefit Palestine. Enough of the petty arguments.
September 12, 2014
By Hamza Hendawi
Donors (click here) at an international conference Sunday promised $2.7 billion to rebuild the war-ravaged Gaza Strip, but all of the key participants said their efforts would be futile without a permanent peace between Israel and the Palestinians.
US-mediated talks broke down this summer before the 50-day war between Hamas and Israel began — the third since 2008 — and it remains unclear how peace can come about.
Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende, who co-chaired the one-day meeting with Egypt, said pledges of $5.4 billion have been made, but that only half of that money would be “dedicated” to the reconstruction of the coastal strip.
Brende did not say what the other half of the funds would be spent on. Other delegates have spoken of budgetary support, boosting economic activity, emergency relief and other projects.
“The message was clear to the international community that the Palestinian brothers are not alone,” Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri told a news conference after the meeting.
Qatar pledged $1 billion and the United Arab Emirates promised $200 million....
How much more violence and war does anyone think Palestine can withstand. Removing the Islamic State from Arabia is as much about peace and Palestine than any other reason that exists.
October 13, 2014
...But Turkey (click here) has so far refused to take part in the military coalition against Islamic State.
The Kurdish YPG militia, which is fighting in Kobani, is allied to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which fought the Turkish state for Kurdish autonomy for over 30 years and which Turkey and its Western allies designate a terrorist group.
“Turkey cannot actually give weapons and the civilians and ask to go back to fight with terrorist groups,” Cavusoglu said in the interview, posted on Saturday on the France 24 website.
“This (corridor) is not realistic. Who is going to supply the weapons today? First of all sending civilians to the war is a crime,” he added.
Cavusoglu said air strikes had failed to impede IS that a wider strategy across the region was needed, including a resolution of the civil war in Syria.
“Killing the mosquitoes one by one is not the right strategy. We have to eradicate the root causes of this situation... obviously it is the Assad regime in Syria,” he said....
As seen from Mursitpinar in the outskirts of Suruc, at the Turkey-Syria border, a Turkish forces armoured vehicle patrols the border road as in the background thick smoke rises following an airstrike by the US-led coalition in Kobani, Syria as fighting intensified between Syrian Kurds and the militants of Islamic State group, on Sunday. (AP)
The Kurds are proven to be excellent soldiers and is why they are regarded as highly with this coalition. They can get the job done.
They squabble over each others short comings and old resentments and arguments while their countries face danger. This is like Nero fiddling while Rome burns.
Will someone please tell me when the grown ups arrive?
This is not negotiable or a theory, if Arabia does nothing bad things will happen. Everyone is finished with Haj now and Saudi Arabia's airports are working overtime to get everyone home. Can we get serious about this, PLEASE?
There is no room for debate, the entire region has to be united in defeating the Islamic State, otherwise this will develop into a war that is not contained. Iran is as an important partner is all this as Turkey or other Arab nations are. Any idea this will erupt into something other than containing and destroying the Islamic State is ridiculous. There is too much on the line.
October 11, 2014
...Last week, (click here) the Sunday Times reported that the Islamic State is preparing to wage war on Iran in order to obtain the secrets of its nuclear program, citing a manifesto attributed to a member of the Islamic State war cabinet that the newspaper had uncovered.
This is probably the only time in history that all religions in Arabia have a common cause. I would not expect any one particular country to seek benefits over another. This is a time for coalition building and avenues of peace, not a time to measure other nations in advances that would not ever be considered if it weren't for the instability in Syria. If Iran believes Assad's forces are still intact and capable of protecting the country's sovereignty, then Tehran is deluted.
Palestine is looking toward hope and Arabia is scared of making a commitment to fight the Islamic State.The Islamic State has not plans to benefit Palestine. Enough of the petty arguments.
September 12, 2014
By Hamza Hendawi
Donors (click here) at an international conference Sunday promised $2.7 billion to rebuild the war-ravaged Gaza Strip, but all of the key participants said their efforts would be futile without a permanent peace between Israel and the Palestinians.
US-mediated talks broke down this summer before the 50-day war between Hamas and Israel began — the third since 2008 — and it remains unclear how peace can come about.
Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende, who co-chaired the one-day meeting with Egypt, said pledges of $5.4 billion have been made, but that only half of that money would be “dedicated” to the reconstruction of the coastal strip.
Brende did not say what the other half of the funds would be spent on. Other delegates have spoken of budgetary support, boosting economic activity, emergency relief and other projects.
“The message was clear to the international community that the Palestinian brothers are not alone,” Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri told a news conference after the meeting.
Qatar pledged $1 billion and the United Arab Emirates promised $200 million....
How much more violence and war does anyone think Palestine can withstand. Removing the Islamic State from Arabia is as much about peace and Palestine than any other reason that exists.
October 13, 2014
...But Turkey (click here) has so far refused to take part in the military coalition against Islamic State.
The Kurdish YPG militia, which is fighting in Kobani, is allied to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which fought the Turkish state for Kurdish autonomy for over 30 years and which Turkey and its Western allies designate a terrorist group.
“Turkey cannot actually give weapons and the civilians and ask to go back to fight with terrorist groups,” Cavusoglu said in the interview, posted on Saturday on the France 24 website.
“This (corridor) is not realistic. Who is going to supply the weapons today? First of all sending civilians to the war is a crime,” he added.
Cavusoglu said air strikes had failed to impede IS that a wider strategy across the region was needed, including a resolution of the civil war in Syria.
“Killing the mosquitoes one by one is not the right strategy. We have to eradicate the root causes of this situation... obviously it is the Assad regime in Syria,” he said....
As seen from Mursitpinar in the outskirts of Suruc, at the Turkey-Syria border, a Turkish forces armoured vehicle patrols the border road as in the background thick smoke rises following an airstrike by the US-led coalition in Kobani, Syria as fighting intensified between Syrian Kurds and the militants of Islamic State group, on Sunday. (AP)
The Kurds are proven to be excellent soldiers and is why they are regarded as highly with this coalition. They can get the job done.
They squabble over each others short comings and old resentments and arguments while their countries face danger. This is like Nero fiddling while Rome burns.
Will someone please tell me when the grown ups arrive?
This is not negotiable or a theory, if Arabia does nothing bad things will happen. Everyone is finished with Haj now and Saudi Arabia's airports are working overtime to get everyone home. Can we get serious about this, PLEASE?
