https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsqXWOg2wbI
Video showing Asaib al Haq fighters taking part in the Tikrit offensive
The Iraqi Security Forces, supported by several Iranian-backed Shiite militias and Sunni tribal fighters, have launched an offensive to retake Tikrit from the Islamic State, which has held the central Iraqi city since June 2014. Massive columns of Shiite militas, including some groups that are listed by the US as Foreign Terrorist Organizations, have been leading the fight in Tikrit.
The operation, which involves more than thirty thousand Iraqi security personnel and militia forces, started on the morning of March 2. According to Al Jazeera, Iraqi forces and allied militias attacked the city from three sides while Iraqi aviation launched an aerial bombardment.
As of yet, the US has not launched any airstrikes in support of the operation. The US has refused to support the Tikrit offensive because Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) elements are actively supporting the operation, anonymous US officials have told The Wall Street Journal.
Although the US military has refused to provide air support for the offensive due to Iran’s involvement, General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that Iran’s involvement could be “a positive thing” if the Shiite militias do not lash out at Sunnis in and around Tikrit. Dempsey also estimated that the militias make up more than two-thirds of the fighting force, The Associated Press noted. Shiite militias have been accused of launching reprisal attacks against Sunni civilians and executing scores of people after liberating areas from Islamic State control.
Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Qods Force, the external operations wing of the IRGC, has been spotted near Tikrit. Soleimani’s forces are tasked with supporting the Iraqi military and Shiite militias, including the Badr Brigade, Kata’ib Hezbollah (Hezbollah Brigades), Asaib al Haq (League of the Righteous), Kata’ib Imam Ali, and Muqtada al Sadr’s Promised Day Brigade (or Peace Brigade). The Shiite militias have been instrumental in reinforcing beleaguered and demoralized Iraqi forces, and have helped retake some areas in Iraq, including Jurf al Sakhar and Amerli.
Soleimani has been spotted with units loyal to the Kata’ib Imam Ali and the Badr Organization. In one photo, a clean shaven Soleimani oversees a military parade of Kata’ib Imam Ali at Camp Speicher, a sprawling base outside of Tikrit. In another photo, Soleimani is seen meeting with militia commanders near the city. Kata’ib Imam Ali, which is allegedly led by Shabal al Zaidi, a former leader in Muqtada al Sadr’s Mahdi Army, is just one of many Iranian-backed militia taking part in the Tikrit offensive.
The Badr Organization, which is led by Hadi al Amiri, is another such group. In one photo seen on Twitter, Amiri, who is closely allied to Soleimani, is seen meeting with Abu Mahdi al Muhandis, the head of Hezbollah Brigades. In a video uploaded to YouTube, a giant Hezbollah Brigades convoy is seen moving towards Tikrit. The US State Department designated the Hezbollah Brigades as a terrorist organization in July 2009 and described the militia as “a radical Shia Islamist group with an anti-Western establishment and jihadist ideology that has conducted attacks against Iraqi, US, and Coalition targets in Iraq.”
Asaib al Haq has also released a video showing a giant convoy heading towards Tikrit. Asaib al Haq is considered one of the most dangerous Iranian-supported Shiite militias. Several of its leaders are listed by the US as Specially Designated Global Terrorists.
Status of offensive is unclear
The Iraqi military, Shiite militias, and Iranian forces reportedly have been able to retake two districts from the Islamic State, Iraqi military commanders have told the BBC. The reports should be viewed with caution, as in the past, Iraqi commanders provided optimistic reports on previous attempts to retake Tikrit, only to be proven wrong.
The Iraqi forces and its militia allies have allegedly been able to retake Al Tin, a district northeast of the city, as well as al Abeid in the west. The BBC also reported fighting in the nearby district of Qadisiya. In a photo circulating online, the Iraqi flag is seen flying over the town of Al Dor near Tikrit. This photo cannot be confirmed, although fighting in Al Dor has been reported.
Iraqi forces and their Shiite militia auxiliaries may have a difficult time sustaining a prolonged offensive or siege of Tikrit. The city is in central Salahaddin province, a stronghold of the Islamic State. The Iraqi forces and militias must provide logistical support to a large force by securing a long supply line from Samarra, and it will be exposed to attacks from marauding Islamic State forces.
The Military Times has reported that progress in Tikrit has been slowed due to the many improvised explosive devices (IEDs) that have been planted around the town. Quoting the spokesman of Iraq’s Interior Ministry, The Military Times says that the Islamic State has “littered major roadways and routes with mines.” According to Al Mada Press, there are 8,000 IEDs near Tikrit alone. The Islamic State has also countered the offensive with suicide bombings. One suicide bomber who detonated on ISF and Shiite militia personnel as they assembled for the Tikrit offensive near Samarra was allegedly an American citizen. Abu Dawoud al Amriiki, as he was later identified, was said to have “killed and wounded dozens” in an Islamic State video release.
The Islamic State has also released several images purporting to be from Tikrit in a bid to counter positive statements from Iraqi officials. These photos cannot be authenticated. These photos show Islamic State fighters manning a checkpoint near the entrance to the city, as well as its fighters targeting Iraqi and Shiite militia personnel near the city with technicals, mortars, and rocket-propelled grenades. In one photo, an Islamic State front-end loader is seen building fortifications near the city.
Other photos released by the Islamic State show its fighters engaging Iraqi and Shiite militia personnel in an unnamed place in Salahadin province. The pictures show mortars being fired on Iraqi positions, as well as RPG’s and fire from technicals. One picture shows a Humvee being hit by an RPG and another shows an Islamic State fighter shooting an RPG at a Humvee that is driving away. Several rockets are also fired on Iraqi positions in these photos.
Photos and videos from Tikrit can be seen below:
The Iraqi Security Forces video showing personnel operating near Tikrit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bX8Ul1xXOZw&feature=youtu.be
Picture alleging to show Soleimani inspecting and overseeing the battle in Tikrit:
Iraqi Security Forces video showing forces backed by Shiite militias near Tikrit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2jPvRkBBW8&feature=youtu.be
Kata’ib Saeed al Shuhada, another Iranian-backed Shiite militia, fighting near Tikrit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22nGtwnORTw&feature=youtu.be
Photos allegedly showing an ISF convoy near Tikrit flying Kata’ib Saeed al Shuhada flags:
Photo alleging to show ISF EOD personnel with defused IED’s near Tikrit:
Asaib al Haq howitzer firing on Islamic State positions in Tikrit:
Photo purporting to show Kata’ib Imam Ali fighters in Qadisiya:
Saraya al Khorasani, another Iranian-backed Shiite militia, showing fighters and leaders near Tikrit. The flag of this group shares many similarities to the logo of the IRGC:
Badr Corps Safir 4×4 firing Fajr-1 rockets on Islamic State positions:
39 Comments
1st news reports ‘said’ that the Iraqi’s did not request or ask for US/Coalition Air Support now in this TLWJ report General Dempsey allegedly ‘said’ that the US declined to provide Air Support because of participation by Shia ‘elements designated as Terrorists groups. So which ‘one’ is it?
Hopefully the Fumblelina’s in the US Intel Community have been savvy enough to ‘create’ a backdoor to ISIS/ISIL to funnel weapons, ammunition, etc., to them to kill, wound & maim the Iraqi’s & their Iranian allies. Obviously the Shia Alliance is now out in the open for all to see. General Dempsey is President Obama’s equivalent of Lincoln’s McClellan. Beyond pathetic.
I think its ridiculous to imply it would be good to supply ISIS with weapons to fight an Iranian/Iraqi Shia alliance. The US insisted the Iraqis fight their own battles on the ground; they are now doing so with the help of the Iranians. They deserve a fair chance to see if they can get the job done.
Yes sir. Iraq is now firmly in the Iranian camp. It’s taken six years to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Politically speaking of course. Afghanistan will unravel as well if the same strategy is continued. Some where down the line some pacifists will gloat how the US “lost” and wars are futile, not realizing through their ignorance it was given away by the politicians. Anyone who served in the Iraq/Afghanistan theater did an incredible job and should know that there is a “silent majority” that respect them and thank them for their sacrifices. By the way, Syria an example of non-intervention
The reality of the situation is that the U.S. could have done for the Awakening and Iraqi troops in Ramadi what they did for Kobane over the past few months. You have a contested city that could have been liberated with the help of air power and that would have given the Iraqi government a bankable win that would convince them that Iran isn’t the only real ally they have in this fight.
The reality is the WH is using Iraqi independence as collateral in their negotiations with Iran. By not helping Iraq other then a token pretend effort it makes Iran the only player on the ground and they have their own goals in mind. That works out perfectly for the WH which wants a nuclear deal with Iran and has no desire to be involved in this fight other then their token effort forced by domestic politics.
The reality of Iraq’s PM’s position is that if he doesn’t get some bankable wins he is gone and Maliki is back in a few months time. The U.S. won’t give the Iraqis those wins so his political choices in the absence of U.S. support are to get support from Iran for a politically bankable win or handing over power to Maliki.
the “reality” is that The WH is beyond clueless & has absolutely no idea what they’re doing. Say ‘hello’ to The Fiddler(Nero/Obama) On The WH Dome
Mike,
There’s no use in getting upset, we have little influence on the situation. The Inmates Are Running the Asylum. It’s just a matter of how much damage will be done, and how long it will take to pick up the pieces for following administrations, if ever. When you hand over the reins of the most powerful economic/military entity on earth to this level of incompetence, there is no limit to what might happen. However, I don’t underestimate their agenda and willingness to use these tools to force it down the throats of any dissenters. There will be more fun down the road both foreign and domestic.
I did four tours in Iraq. IMHO, it’s not our fight. We gave the Iraqi Govt all the white space they needed; they screwed this up on their own. We should not own this. Arm the Kurds so they can handle their border against ISIS, and leave the rest alone. Best way to deal with ISIS is to let the Iraqi Sunnis they govern get sick of them and start fighting back. And based on sheer demographics ISIS cannot take much more territory then they already have.
And let’s not call Iraq a ‘victory’. The U.S. military did its job, and the politicians on GWB’s watch screwed it up. It’s 2002 again, and Rumsfeld says; ‘Hey guys, this is the plan. We invade Iraq and topple Saddam. Then we spend 9 years occupying it, we lose 4,000 service members with another 50,000 wounded, 50,000-100,000 Iraqis die. We spend two trillion dollars. We shatter the reputation of the U.S. across the world. And we leave behind a corrupt Iraqi Government allied with Syria and Iran. So who’s with me guys?!?!’
why would I be upset? I’ve been predicting & hoping for this all along! The only thing better than whats taking place is that this episode devolves into a meat grinding stalemate. If ISIS/ISIL can only ‘hold the line’ for at least week or 10 Days then this ‘Offensive’ should degenerate into to a type of violent stasis ‘Forcing’ the Iranians to commit more resources & manpower. This is better than praying for rain in drought stricken Kalifornia. Now if only ISIS/ISIL can convince their ‘new playmates’ in the AfPak Theater to ‘Open Up A 2nd Front’ on Iran’s Eastern Border coupled with serious sabotage targeting Iran’s infrastructure & the like I’ll seriously consider ‘popping’ a bottle of some cheap Champagne or guzzling down a 6 Pack of Coors. Probably both.
“So who’s with me guys?!?!” Didn’t Bluto/John Belushi say something similar in Animal House?
Your ‘silent majority’ is a fantasy. You can only speak for yourself, same with me and any other commenter here. Just because there is a resurgence of right-wing religious pro-war people in the U.S., it doesn’t mean that they equate to an absolute majority just because they appear to be louder and bolder than before.
You make me laugh. I’ve humored myself reading your sophomoric responses on this board. You are the one accusing posters here of a particular religous affiliation or political leaning without any idea of the facts, Go see the world, live in it, and not in some five star hotel either, maybe you learn something about sacrifice and loss.
1) Well, it took over twenty-years of the U.S. screwing with the situation but Iran obviously did win the Iran/Iraq War because they now have effectively complete control of all Iraqi territory from Karbala to Baghdad and up to Tikrit and by the end of the year they’ll probably have Mosul. What a ***ing mess….. Sunni jihadis or Mullah jihadis?
2) This won’t bog down too much. ISIL will be pushed out by the IRGC and it’ll just be interesting what Suleimani does to the Sunni populace afterward.
How is it that American military/intelligence did not know of Iraq’s plans to attack Tikrit instead of Mosul?
Who did I accuse of a particular religious affiliation or political leaning? I go by what people say, if you don’t like it, then too bad for you, kid.
You have absolutely no idea who I am or what I do. I do not inhabit a five star hotel. Maybe you do, since you seem to lash out like a little child when someone criticizes you. I obviously struck a nerve with you, oops.
Hah! I love it. Where did you do your ESL program? You are right, I have no idea of who you are, and I do not care. Karma is a b***h, the Arabs deserve everything they are experiencing.
“Complete Control of Iraqi territory from…,” don’t be so sure. Up until now all that has come to pass have just been the ‘warm-ups.’ IRGC has done next to ‘jack’ in Syria & Iraq. Now all of sudden they supposedly show up ‘en masse’ in Iraq & many of ‘us’ that are & have been paying close attention to the GWOT go into swoon mode as if this Offensive targeting Tikrit is somehow the 2nd coming of Rommel. What a joke. Iran has been pouring resources & manpower into Syria & Iraq for the last 3 years, not mention what they committed to the ‘aforementioned’ during the USA’s Military presence in Iraq, & all they have to show for it is lost territory. This Tikrit Offensive proves only 2 things: 1) Iran’s grip on Iraq has increased, 2) they’ve managed to accomplish next to nothing Militarily with what they’ve committed to date. As far as the Sunni’s are concerned the region expect a whole lot more of them to show up to go toe-to-toe with the Shia. This how World Wars start.
I’m sure they did. This Tikrit Offensive semi helps explain why the Pentagon/Intelligence Community put out that garbage about Mosul.
Oh. Well I also speak Esperanto, so maybe that’s why. The Arabs do indeed deserve what they are experiencing, because like with almost everything else, they made a consistent choice to be who they are and do what they do. Regardless of foreign intervention, the Arabs make their own bed and they will have to lie in it. Even the secular ones are seemingly quite dysfunctional. My problem (although I speculate that you may think I have many) is that I still seek to find order in a world which will never be perfect. My stance was always against both the militant zealots and the neo-con ‘lets bomb everything’ side.
You broke the tone of how we were talking to each other, and you went your own way, and I give you credit for that.
I am against ISIS all the way, but these guys are NOT our friends. They will most likely start killing SUNNIS the first chance they get. SMH
In any case it seems as if the offensive is going slowly due to hundreds of IED’s. Don’t they really need MICLIC mine clearing vehicles and tanks with ploughs or rollers on them? If they get repulsed ISIS will claim a victory.
It doesn’t matter Iran coming in hard, influence doesn’t get contracted by doing good deeds it gets contracted by National interest, take Muqtada al Sadr for example , he spent so much time in Iran since 2011, and the longer he stayed there the more distant he became “to Iranian” politics reaching out to Iraq, as it turns out now, his ideas were all wrong, you can’t really friendly your way out of it, he knows that now.
If the Shi’ite collective takes this politically pivotal town — Saddam’s town — then expect that the Sunni locals will flee, en masse.
They will be ethnically cleansed, for sure.
I would expect that, strategically, Tehran is going to have it’s proxies drive straight up the Tigris — displacing/ killing all Sunnis along the way.
The final drive will enter Mosul, to evict the Sunnis living there, too.
Rational Sunnis are caught between fanatics and fanatics. ISIS and Al Quds.
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The Shi’ites have ALREADY largely ‘cleansed’ Baghdad.
Repetition is in order.
BTW, isn’t Tikrit on the road to that nation’s main domestic oil refinery and main air force base?
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I understand that all of the smart, and mobile, Sunni Arabs have fled Tikrit.
Surely al Quds is going to treat Tikrit as a free fire zone. Expect massive artillery bombardments before the militias go in.
The battle will look like something out of Mad Max.
You’ve got Rumsfeld entirely up side down.
He wanted to crush Saddam and leave — PRONTO.
His man was shot down and replaced by Powell’s man: Bremer.
You’re describing the ANTI-RUMSFELD policy suite… and too a tee.
BTW, while Rumsfeld was DoD Secretary, he largely stayed out of the Iraqi war.(!)
[ As an active military campaign, the Defense Secretary is amazingly not involved. Hot wars are fought by the generals and the Oval Office. DoD Secretaries MAIN ambit is the creation of the army-of-tomorrow — and all of the weapons systems needed. It’s actually not a war-fighting position.
I recognize that this reality is beyond your prior reading. The casual press accounts always make it out like the Secretary’s actually involved in battle plans. NOT A CHANCE. These are ALWAYS crafted by the Pentagon.
The reality detailed here totally explains why the President –any of them — can appoint a politician as DoD Secretary — without a worry in the world. The Secretary’s role is to deal with CONGRESS and get budgetary authorities.
He is expected to grab the microphone and espouse his President’s policies, though.
(To see how that works out in a real case: view “The King’s Speech” King George VI didn’t write a single word of that speech, of course.)
Rumsfeld’s digital revolution is something that you’d never know reading the MSM. He envisioned the digital / smart army… the very creature we’ve come to know and love today.
Yes, it took more than a decade from conception to reality.
Please don’t post anything so entirely inverted from historical fact.
Bremer was the “Neo-Cons” choice. Rumsfeld was the penultimate screwup/clown. It was he & Wolfiwitz who went before the House blathering on about how the US did not need to place more more boots on the ground to counter the soon to surface ‘Resistance’ & the wide spread lawlessness that enveloped Iraq soon after the US Occupation.
More evidence of Obamas spectacular foreign policy failures.
“BTW, isn’t Tikrit on the road to that nation’s main domestic oil refinery and main air force base?”
There are multiple ‘important’ refineries and air bases in that area, each with varying importance as described by differing media outlets.
The thing is, have the Shiite forces ever lost a declared battle against Sunni extremists in the past few years? Yeah, they take lots of casualties and material damage, but they always seem to achieve absolute dominant victory at the end of every campaign.
The area of Iraq controlled by Baghdad is controlled by Iran…it just hasn’t been officially annexed, yet.
This attack on Tikrit will result in just another mud-fight but it will eventually be successful for Iran and the IRGC. There is absolutely no way that they would commit to this attack without success being a guarantee. It’s also a signal to the rest of their allies that no one needs to come kissing the U.S. butt for assistance when Iran can attain a victory.
Yes, this is already an active World War…and it started a while back.
“Sunni jihadis or Mullah jihadis?”
That’s like asking if you prefer the Fascist or Communist dominating Europe parts or all of Europe. The Fascist only screwed up more because they were more overt in their intent.
uh no, this not an active World War. The World witnessed/experienced worse than this during the Cold War.
Much like Pakistan’s ISI the Iranians have yet to be successful at anything except maybe the Shadow Coup they’ve been easing into in Iraq & their quaint little proxy Wars & Terrorist activities they’ve been indulging in. There are no guarantee’s in Warfare particularly in these Limited Warfare scenario’s. This Tikriti Offensive isn’t even a week old & ‘people’ are already Trumpeting an Iraqi/Iranian Victory. The Iraqi’s/Iranians will soon find themselves having bit off more than they could chew. This event will soon degenerate into a stalemate with the Iraqis/Iranians launching another Offensive targeting other ISIS/ISIL strongholds touting that as part of their overall strategy to engage ISIS/ISIL on Multiple Fronts to take advantage of some ill-perceived idea of what ISIS/ISIL’s overall manpower strength is. The Iranian’s are about to get a serious lesson on their War making limitations.
you mean the way the Shiite Forces have obliterated what’s opposed them to date in Syria, not to mention Iraq?
Mike…
Rumsfeld foresaw the mess that ANY occupation would entail.
With the insane borders and ‘politics’ in Araby, Donald was right.
General Garner wanted to toss the entire sack of tomcats over to Baghdad, ASAP.
Instead, the President took the Powell doctrine to heart: you break, it you own it.
As we see in Libya, occupied or not, the Arabs will destroy their own assets.
Witness also the priorities in Afghanistan.
These are all feral societies. It is ALWAYS impossible to put a lid on their internal violence.
BTW, this was no different than the British experiences — eighty-years prior!
The level of Iraqi on Iraqi revenge and robbery is epic at all times — by Western standards.
It’s ‘Dodge City’ everywhere, all the time.
The British adjusted their policies: every home was allowed to have one long gun — typically an Enfield 303 at that time. (After WWI, they were a glut on the market, the AK-47 of the colonies, if you will.)
Rumsfeld was against a classic occupation from the first to the last.
That’s some clown.
He was also right about not needing a heavier footprint to smash Saddam. The ENTIRE ‘regular’ Iraqi army put down their guns the moment we crossed the border. He saw that eventuality as a certainty.
So, all that we had to fight was Saddam’s Sunni loyalists… which we seriously out matched by a vast margin.
Mark, — the heart of the Tikrit population has long been gone. BTW, because of Saddam’s lucre, Tikrit is Iraq’s version of Beverly Hills. Saddam even kept the electric power on 24 hours a day, back when.
Now Tikrit is a free-fire zone; sort of an Arab version of Verdun or Stalingrad.
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More generally, once the Persians come down from their plateau, they tend to not do so well… going on about 6,000 years. I strongly suspect they don’t like the place.
The living conditions (weather) in Tehran is miles and miles better than Baghdad. Indeed Tehran’s weather is dang close to that of Los Angeles! Is it ANY wonder that fleeing Iranians flock to that city.
Tehran wants pretty much what they’ve got: a quasi-puppet in Baghdad.
Ever since the Iranian revolution, the mullah’s have fought proxy wars. I can’t imagine them changing their stripes. If ever they broke out like Hitler, Tojo — or Saddam — they know what would happen. (!)
So, Salami war is our future. We’re seeing it in Ukraine, Yemen, Syria, Iraq, and Libya.
Everywhere is in an uproar — and our policy wonks can’t fathom why.
Funny you should post that:
ISIS is already on record as shooting their own guys — if they merely want to stop volunteering.
MOST of their victims are Sunnis. However, since these souls are well behind the front lines, no video footage is to hand.
What we can go by is survivors accounts. ISIS has been liquidating entire villages/ clans that had associations with the Awakening Movement, itself well detailed here at the Long War Journal. Check the archives.
you obviously know next to nothing about how events transpired in Iraq & the players behind those decision’s or lack thereof. Thanks for sharing
Hate to bearer of bad new for some of you but US is actively aligning with Tehran. The proof is in bombastic response from Israel and active price cutting of oil prices by Saudi Arabia to bankrupt the US shale industry. We are in a proxy world war with all big players involved: US, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Iran. Two things to keep eye on are does Israel get pulled into now that Hezbollah is on their doorstep in sinai region and does Isis gain footing in Saudi Arabia – who btw is on record pace for beheadings due to increased paranoia that they are next Arab spring. The US is absolutely making correct decision to not have a dog in this fight. Let Iran and Saudi poor massive resources into this while keeping oil prices low. That impact is more than could ever be accomplished on field against them.
The question is where did Dempsy arrive at the notion that it would be good for the Shiittes if they did not commit executions if and when they take back Tikrit from the Sunnis. This kind of statement reeks of the Communist Democratic Party’s ongoing scheme to lure the Iranians into their evil Communist plan to include Iran in their evil conspiracy with the Muslim Brotherhood and it’s affiliate terrorist organizations to overthrow the State of Israel.
The Communist Democratic Party’s conspiracy with the Muslim Brotherhood to violently overthrow Assad in order to unshackle the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood in Syria is what started the chain of events that led to the current fight with ISIS in Iraq.
Since it was uncovered that the Communists in the Democratic Party are arming al-Qaeda terrorist organizations to overthrow Assad for them they have had to figure out other ways to arm them and it was for this purpose that the Communist Democratic Party sat back and watched ISIS loot Iraqi banks and capture US weapons from the defeated Iraqi forces while they got their demonic kicks out of watching the Muslims exterminate Christians for them in the process.
The Communists in the Democratic Party are also turning the USA into a home base from which the Muslim terrorists and their supporters that they are bringing to the USA to build a voter base among and include their anti-Christian and anti-Semitic activities in the USA in their anti-Christian and anti-Semitic agenda in the USA, can go and fight against their enemies and return.
The conspiracy with the Muslim Brotherhood and it’s affiliate terrorist organizations to overthrow the governments in those countries where the Muslim Brotherhood is outlawed that has resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths is part of the fulfillment of Rev 18:24, which foretold that Babylon the great, which Jesus revealed to me and sent me out to tell His people is the USA would become responsible for all who are slain on the earth.
Rev 18:24 “And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints and of all who have been slain on the earth.”
Huh? Scripture?
1. iraq is not in the iranian camp. iraq and iran have been separate cultures for thousands and thousands of years, politically, religiously, geographically, lingusitically, etc. there was also a massive iran iraq war in the 1980s where a million+ people died. alot of them dont like each other.
2. afghanistan is not the same country as iraq. they too have been separate cultures for thousands of years, politically, religiously, geographically, lingusitically, etc.
3. pacifists do not, in general, gloat about war, they mourn for it. there is a “silent majority” that views war as a tragedy not as something to be welcomed with open arms and encouraged as some kind of positive activity. in fact most veterans of wars do not believe that war is a good thing – they are part of that silent majority that views war in a negative light. they are happy when war ends. not happy when it starts.
Foreign tourists posing as isil militiamen should probably be making new plans for the spring season.