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Perpetual Middle East Geopolitical Quagmire Megathread

Hugo Stiglitz

By Hugo Stiglitz
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ousuxndallas
ousuxndallas

Trump is the antithesis of that pussy Obama. The reasons why you guys hate Trump are the reasons we love him. He told Iran not to start shit, and when they did, he laid the wood. #MAGA

Brian Fantana
Brian Fantana

You've seriously got to be kidding me. In literally any other country in the world, Sanders and Warren would be considered centrists. The Overton window has shifted so far to the right in this fucked

Red Five
Red Five

You love him because he's a career criminal and conman and has no idea what he's doing and is historically corrupt and is incapable of telling the truth and is a truly terrible human being? That's wei

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atomheartbevo

atomheartbevo 89452

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Now the Army is flying Apaches over the embassy.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/12/31/politics/iraq-embassy-additional-forces-mark-esper/index.html

Quote

The United States will send "additional forces to support our personnel at the Embassy" in Baghdad, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said in a written statement Tuesday, as attacks broke out among hundreds of protesters in response to airstrikes in Iraq and Syria conducted by US forces on Sunday. 

Esper said the US has "taken appropriate force protection actions to ensure the safety of American citizens, military personnel and diplomats" serving in Iraq. 

"As in all countries, we rely on host nation forces to assist in the protection of our personnel in country, and we call on the Government of Iraq to fulfill its international responsibilities to do so," Esper added in the statement. 

The US has also sent two Apache helicopters to fly over the embassy in a show of force, a US official told CNN. The additional forces are expected to come from Kuwait, but the official told CNN that an additional military unit based in the United States has also been put on standby to deploy if the situation in Baghdad significantly deteriorates.

The move comes amid fallout over US airstrikes against five facilities the Pentagon says are tied to an Iranian-backed militia blamed for a series of attacks on joint US-Iraq military facilities housing American forces. 

Two sources at the demonstration on Tuesday witnessed an attempt to break into the premises, adding that security personnel fired tear gas to repel the attack. Video footage shows demonstrators smashing windows, burning items outside and throwing rocks over the walls. The embassy, in Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone, has been put under lockdown, but protesters have not been able to breach the compound, an embassy spokesperson told CNN.

 

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atomheartbevo

atomheartbevo 89452

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First of all,. I have no idea about this twitter account, or this video, but if this video is accurate, this almost looks like they are sticking embassy personnel in body armor (makes sense), or they have some PMCs (who are not so professional), because they do not seem comfortable and organized, and some of their gear is not being worn properly or is ill-fitting.

And keep in mind that they supposedly evacuated the embassy, but then others are saying they didn't get a chance to, and that's why another 100 Marines are being flown in.

 

 

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American Swindle

American Swindle 102

Posted
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5 minutes ago, bolverk said:

This going to end with a Saigon type helicopters on roofs evacuation I'm thinking.

Meanwhile:

 

He must have supported Trump when he campaigned on getting out the Middle East eh?  The bastard gets in power and cannot pull the trigger in getting the fuck out of the ME, because muh' MIC pressure!!

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6 minutes ago, JohnnyRage said:

So what is the population inside the embassy, and how many are trained to repel? Because we probably can't fire on our own embassy from above safely. Actually I've changed my mind. But an all our bum rush would have to be repelled from inside.

Have actually tried to find that info out.  From various accounts:

  • State Department says ""U.S. personnel are secure and there has been no breach," and that the ambassador is returning to the embassy (he had been on vacation).
  • One Report: "the embassy's security team evacuated some local staff through a rear gate while others left by helicopter as the rest remained inside 'safe' areas within the embassy, an employee said"
  • Another report: "The State Department said that all embassy personnel were safe and that no evacuation was planned"

Few problems:  

  • There apparently were personnel evacuated on the same helicopters that brought in the Marines, and it was witnessed and photographed.
  • There was/is a breach - there is a shit-ton of photos and videos that show the "protestors" inside the outer perimeter/main gate.  There's also plenty of video/photos that "protestors" took of embassy staff and security personnel through the windows of the inner buildings, and it didn't look good - the staff looked like they were bailing, and it looked like the staff were hastily throwing on body armor and helmets.

I don't think they breached the inner perimeter though, because instead of 60+ wounded, you'd have 60+ dead.  Those Marines on the rooftop would not be firing tear gas and flash-bangs down on the crowds below.

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bolverk

bolverk 29408

Posted
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9 minutes ago, American Swindle said:

 

Bring the troops home, all of them, from everywhere.  @jimmyjazz, do you see how your beloved WP and NYT outlets are full of intellectual dishonesty here?  

 

3 minutes ago, American Swindle said:

You don't say?

Which is it? Are the protesters terrorists or are these Iraqis justified in anger over the airstrike? How do you think the press should characterize them? 

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horncyclist

horncyclist 1386

Posted
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1 minute ago, bolverk said:

 

Which is it? Are the protesters terrorists or are these Iraqis justified in anger over the airstrike? How do you think the press should characterize them? 

Whatever Trump says probably isn't true. That's all I got. What is he doing to respond? Golfing and tweeting about Democrats?

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Just now, bolverk said:

Appreciate your efforts to sort out the information AHB.

It's confusing as hell, because we already have one or two government agencies claiming that things aren't what we are actually seeing, and there is no unified statement about what is going on.  

It's like "how many photos and videos of "protestors" carrying out embassy equipment, signs, insignias, etc. while setting fires inside of embassy buildings" do we need to see before saying "okay, there's a real fucking problem happening right now".

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bolverk

bolverk 29408

Posted
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Just now, atomheartbevo said:

I think the Iranians are involved, or at least, anybody left "protesting" are Iranian-backed.

Oh, I'm sure some of them are but there's so many different factions now in that fractured country, it just seems like a simpleton's quest to start painting all of them with a broad brush in some ridiculous gotcha game. Apparently, some of those militias were trying to be folded into the regular forces with the US's blessing because we had coordinated the attacks on ISIS with them.

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atomheartbevo

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This was taken through a window - people shouldn't be able to get this close.

spacer.png
 

Spoiler

 

And these people were up against the outer wall

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and

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What's really confusing, is there is the US Embassy proper, which is mostly what we are seeing - the big tower and all of that, and then the US Embassy compound, which has all of the housing, motor pools, helipad, etc.

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atomheartbevo

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Posted
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9 minutes ago, bolverk said:

Oh, I'm sure some of them are but there's so many different factions now in that fractured country, it just seems like a simpleton's quest to start painting all of them with a broad brush in some ridiculous gotcha game. Apparently, some of those militias were trying to be folded into the regular forces with the US's blessing because we had coordinated the attacks on ISIS with them.

For me, the bigger question is why they are being allowed to roam around there in such large numbers, burning all kinds of shit and throwing shit over the walls.

Obviously they die once they breach the inner perimeter, and maybe the thinking by the Iraqi security forces is to just let them wear themselves out burning and throwing shit, and then they'll get bored/tired/leave.

But if thousands are milling around like that, with no challenge inside the outer areas, how long until somebody drives a car bomb up to one of the inner walls and blows it up?

Sure, you've got to be suicidal to go up against US Marines in a confined area, but guess what, these militias have plenty of types who fall into that category, and they think there is strength in numbers.

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bolverk

bolverk 29408

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4 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

For me, the bigger question is why they are being allowed to roam around there in such large numbers, burning all kinds of shit and throwing shit over the walls.

Obviously they die once they breach the inner perimeter, and maybe the thinking by the Iraqi security forces is to just let them wear themselves out burning and throwing shit, and then they'll get bored/tired/leave.

But if thousands are milling around like that, with no challenge inside the outer areas, how long until somebody drives a car bomb up to one of the inner walls and blows it up?

Sure, you've got to be suicidal to go up against US Marines in a confined area, but guess what, these militias have plenty of types who fall into that category, and they think there is strength in numbers.

Yeah, I don't see much evidence of Iraqi security cooperation, and that's disconcerting to say the least.

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Brisketexan

Brisketexan 104631

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Thankfully we have an astute, focused, and steady hand at the wheel. A man who understands the complex sectarian history and dynamic of the region, including deep entanglements between Iraqi Shia and Iran. And who is focused on the crisis at hand, and not petty personal distractions. Right? This will surely be just fine.

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atomheartbevo

atomheartbevo 89452

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They are speeding things up, something has them spooked.  These, plus the 100 Marines, are rapid response forces, which means imminent shit going down.

https://www.militarytimes.com/flashpoints/2020/01/01/750-soldiers-with-82nd-airborne-headed-for-centcom-additional-4000-troops-expected-to-deploy-as-iran-tensions-mount/

Quote

Roughly 750 soldiers with the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division are slated to be wheels up soon headed for Kuwait with an additional 4,000 American troops expected to deploy later this week, a U.S. defense official confirmed to Military Times.

“At the direction of the Commander in Chief, I have authorized the deployment of an infantry battalion from the Immediate Response Force (IRF) of the 82nd Airborne Division to the U.S. Central Command area of operations in response to recent events in Iraq,” Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said Tuesday evening in a written statement.

“Approximately 750 soldiers will deploy to the region immediately, and additional forces from the IRF are prepared to deploy over the next several days,” Esper said.

 

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US Embassy statement:  "Due to militia attacks at the U.S. Embassy compound, all public consular operations are suspended until further notice. All future appointments are cancelled. U.S. citizens are advised to not approach the embassy"

I noticed the militias backed the fuck off once people were doing flight-tracking and realized that a bunch of USAF aircraft that took off from Pope AF Base with a bunch of 82nd Airborne soldiers had booked it to the Middle East.

But it makes me wonder what kind of rapid response we have in Kuwait - surely the 100 or so Marines couldn't have been it, but then we are flying airborne troopers from North Carolina, so..

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Chad Fuck

Chad Fuck 17567

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16 hours ago, atomheartbevo said:

The militias did get what they wanted out of it.

They sure did.  

A fellow from the middle east commented on NPR this morning, "It's as if Iran put a banana peel in front of Trump and he looked down and made a point of stepping on it."  I'm paraphrasing, but that's the gist.

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Lagunamadre

Lagunamadre 1975

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This event just illustrates you don't just go to war with Iran, you go to war with all Shia fighters across the region. The more we provoke them (i.e. tearing up an agreement they were compliant with) the more we risk a full on war in Iran, Iraq and an escalation in the ongoing wars in Yemen and Syria. All because Trump wanted to troll Obama by tearing up one of his biggest accomplishments. 

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GSU&UT

GSU&UT 1798

Posted
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3 minutes ago, Fozzz said:

Is Trump even aware his admin is declaring war on Iran? 

Almost certainly not, but they also would love a war too. This has been in the making since at least they pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal.

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