Start planning a NEO now!

I will expand this later, but the situation in Iraq depends on the performance of the Iraqi Army just north of Baghadad.  The ISIS holds territory west of that line in Anbar.  Look for a concentric attack.  pl 

Comments

[oofda]

Also, according to reports, the Kurds have taken control of Kirkuk. The Iraqi Army 'disappeared' there.

[turcopolier]

oofda

we should be happy that the Kurds have taken control of Kirkuk. pl

[Kerim]

The Kurds will hold the north and ISIS knows this.
I think the Iraqi Army is not going to do anything decisive. If 2 divisions decided to run in the face of about 1000 fighters, they will not all of a sudden now decide to risk their lives fighting illuminatis.
Its going to be down to the shias and the iranians...

[Jonathan]

Please. What does NEO stand for? Near East Operation?
Thanks

[John]

NEO will make most Americans wonder why you are bringing up the MATRIX movie franchise in this context.
Is the arrival of the ONE at hand?
Is that the same as the arrival of the 12th Imam? Syria is burning and the people of Baghdad cower in fear.
Hm...who is the Imam? One of the Bushes? Maybe Jeb's young son...dark of hair and handsome of face.
Could an idiot not have seen this coming in 2002? Wait, we had an idiot.
Did they do it deliberately?
A lot of people forget Karma's a real Bitch.
I read where one of the troops escaping Mosul said there's no leadership. Ha! So much for US training programs.
What's the saying? With friends like that, who needs enemies?

[John Minnerath]

The MSM is abuzz about how this caught the Obama administration by surprise. Huh?
Is anybody home there?

[oofda]

Yes, better them than ISIS. This may be the happening that leads to a full Kurdish state. Reports are that former Iraqi army people- and Baathists are in ISIS. Underscores the folly of Bremer's disbanding the Iraqi Army.
And remember this quote today- wonder how the Iraqis feel about being "liberated" now. BTW, it has been 11 years, and no Bush Square in Baghdad.

"And a year from now, I'll be very surprised if there is not some grand square in Baghdad that is named after President Bush. There is no doubt that, with the exception of a very small number of people close to a vicious regime, the people of Iraq have been liberated and they understand that they've been liberated. And it is getting easier every day for Iraqis to express that sense of liberation."

Richard Perle September 22, 2003

[Liza]

Just wanted to call your attention to this article in All Akhbar, which reports that Al-Douri, Saddam Hussein's former VP, is directing this operation, and that a number of former Baathist generals and fedayeen are involved.

http://english.al-akhbar.com/node/20146

[The beaver]

Col

According to AlJazeerah:
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/06/iran-vows-combat-terrorism-iraq-2014612113247864941.html

BTW: President Rouhani was in Turkey at the beginning of the week

[turcopolier]

Liza

I knew Abd al-Aziz al-Douri quite well when he was head of armed forces intelligence before he was VP. A very capable soldier, he had been CG of the Nebuchadnezzar Division of the RG. If he and some of his pals are running this campaign Maliki is screwed. What a great decision Bremer and the neocons made in disbanding the Army!! pl !!

[turcopolier]

John

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-combatant_evacuation_operation

You are both snotty and ignorant of computers. pl

[turcopolier]

jonathan

Try searching th computer next time.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-combatant_evacuation_operation pl

[confusedponderer]

NEO = Noncombatant Evacuation Operations

http://www.fas.org/irp/doddir/dod/jp3-68.pdf

[Wallycourie]

mea culpa too. i also searched NEO and got the ONE from Matrix. Sometimes you have to know what you are looking for to find it. LOL

[David Habakkuk]

Colonel Lang,

They might, just conceivably, want to get their own back. I would in their shoes.

[turcopolier]

David Habakkuk

If you mean the former establishment, I would certainly agree. pl

[VietnamVet]

Colonel,

I remember the Saigon evacuation with disbelief and the Iranian hostage rescue going belly up in the desert with disgust.

If we are seeing a Sunni counter revolt, the Embassy and Contractor evacuation had better start today. There is no army protecting the Green Zone. ISIS are as likely as not behead anyone left but the Baathists may hold them hostage depending who gets there first. If this occurs, I will have lived long enough to see the three worst military disasters since the Alamo.

[Matthew]

Col: Why has the "new" Iraqi army fought so poorly?

[Jose]

The "Sunni-awaking" is also involved, The Battle of Baghdad will be a blood bath. Can't wait for Hezbollah "volunteers" to appear out of nowhere speaking Arabic and Farsi. We needed better Turcopoles..lol

Obama admits he was napping...lol

[The Twisted Genius]

The WSJ is reporting that two battalions of the Quds Force are now defending Baghdad, Najaf and Karbala. They are also fighting alongside some Iraqi units to retake Tikrit. This report is all from one source, Farnaz Fassihi of the WSJ, so far. I imagine our Ambassador in Fortress Baghdad and CENTCOM are coordinating with Iran by now,... but Washington doesn't want to crow about that.

[Valissa]

Since I've been reading this blog I've had to look up a lot of military acronyms. I've found it helps to type the word military after the acronym. Sometimes I'll follow the acronym with the phrase military meaning, but usually just adding the word 'military' does the trick.

[jonst]

I was stuck by this quote in the Times today:

"“I don’t rule out anything,” Mr. Obama said, “because we do have a stake in making sure that these jihadists are not getting a permanent foothold in either Iraq or Syria, for that matter."

Is that some possible feint/signal to Assad? A hint of a possible shift of Syrian strategy? Perhaps is a standard line...I want to research this on Lexis. But find it interesting that he threw in Syria on this.

[turcopolier]

jonst

I pray every day that Obama will come to his senses over Syria. pl

[Tyler]

No, I think Obama is still believing what he's being told about "secular, moderate" Syrians being the main opposition against Assad and doesn't care that the force opposing Assad is composed of fanatic cannibals.

This administration has shown zero ability to play a deep game. As much as I wish there was a grown up visible somewhere, I'm afraid its a bunch of Chicago politicians who only know how to scheme and schmooze at a local level.

[walrus]

I'm waiting to hear an ISIS imam say: "The road to Mecca runs through Baghdad". Might our friends, the Saudi Royal family, be a tad alarmed?

Pardon my schadenfreud.