The fight for Mossul has begun

[Tuberski]

Sure. But now all of a sudden Iraq wants them back. Clearly Dubya's position of leaving the troops there has been vindicated by the immediate events after Obama withdrew.



And Obama did bail, by pulling the troops out. Then, not more than 6 months later Iraq is overrun by ISIS. Dubya should have been finger wagging the whole time, after that hot mess blew up in Obama's face. There is a reason the troops were there. And they never should have left. Now, you have the deaths of hundred of thousands of civilians that would otherwise be alive had Obama actually kept the troops in Iraq.



You show leadership and tell al-Maliki that now is not the time and that if they were to go that would cause greater harms than to stay and keep building up Iraq. It's not even been ten years yet, it takes time to set things up well. Ask the British about it.

The troops were withdrawn because of a treaty Dubya signed.

Also, if we had never invaded, ISIS wouldn't exist.

ACK!

[Giancarlo]

I forgot to mention that agreement. I did say the withdrawal was already in place and already happening. Thanks for bringing up.

Now Ben will say Obama didn't show true leadership by honoring the agreement and that he should have broke it lol.

[rah]

Reality is immaterial to Ben.
It's all about blaming Obama to him.

[Elok]

"A vast military assault on the most important stronghold of a totalitarian state? BOOOOO-RING! We need to focus, yet again, on the fallacies employed by this grossly dishonest private school teacher."

[Elok]

I did a little Wikisurfing last night on the subject, and learned that IS has a set price list for Yazidi and Christian slave girls. The highest price is something like $175, and is assigned to girls under ten. The prices decrease for every decade thereafter.

On the other hand, that one dude is being totally partisan on the internet.

[giblets]

dang that's cheap

[Aeson]

Obama had tried to renegotiate it, to keep 10k US advisors/trainers, but negotiations failed due to a point about immunity for US troops.

Iraq actually requested more than 10k initially.

Probably 10k would have been enough to stop ISIS.

[rah]

Dang, for a second, that xpost made me think that Obama was negotiating a higher price for the women.

[Elok]

dang that's cheap

Just in time for Christmas, for all us infidels who want a Yazidi-baby stocking-stuffer.

[Giancarlo]

Dang, for a second, that xpost made me think that Obama was negotiating a higher price for the women.

That would be Trump lol.

[Elok]

Dang, for a second, that xpost made me think that Obama was negotiating a higher price for the women.

No doubt very offended by the ageism of the sliding scale. Dhimmi granny lives matter.

[Sava]

I did a little Wikisurfing last night on the subject, and learned that IS has a set price list for Yazidi and Christian slave girls. The highest price is something like $175, and is assigned to girls under ten. The prices decrease for every decade thereafter.

On the other hand, that one dude is being totally partisan on the internet.

it's on par with selective empathy due to religious bias

[rah]

That would be Trump lol.

Yeah, I wouldn't have even batted an eye at that.

[Proteus_MST]

Obama had tried to renegotiate it, to keep 10k US advisors/trainers, but negotiations failed due to a point about immunity for US troops.

Iraq actually requested more than 10k initially.

Probably 10k would have been enough to stop ISIS.

IS gained its first big victory in Iraq (which actaully was the conquest of Mosul) with just around 1500 fighters.
The supposed 30k iraqi soldiers that defended the city just fled and left their weapons to IS.
(well, supposed 30k soldiers, because it seems like iraqi officers/unit leaders at that time liked to cheat with regards to their troop strength ... for example a captain would be paid for the upkeep of a whole company, that existed on paper, but in reality he had only enough men to fill a single platoon ... and would just keep the rest of the moneys for himself. So, if it were 30k soldiers according to the OrBat, the real number of soldiers may have been way lower)
I guess, 10k actually existing western soldiers with professional training, equipoment and morals might have been sufficient to prevent the conquest of Mosul firstplace

Dang, for a second, that xpost made me think that Obama was negotiating a higher price for the women.

Same here

[Giancarlo]

The infamous ghost soldiers problem. Soldiers on a payroll that don't exist and the higher ranking officers pocket the money.

Iraq does seem to be improving its military now that Maliki is gone.