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French Airstrikes Against Islamic State in Syria

By Jeralyn, Section War In Iraq
Posted on Sun Sep 27, 2015 at 12:13:22 PM EST
Tags: ISIS, Syria (all tags)
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France has announced its first independent airstrikes against the Islamic State in Syria. The airstrikes hit an ISIS training camp in Deir Ezzor. French analysts are not impressed.

[A]nalysts say that by sending fighter jets to Syria, France is mainly seeking to ease domestic political pressure, and remain relevant abroad in the latest scramble for a diplomatic solution to the conflict.

"To say that we will prevent terrorist attacks in France thanks to air strikes in Syria is, and I am weighing my words, absolute bullsh*t," said Eric Denece, the director of the French intelligence think-tank CF2R.

Deir Ezzor is one of the places where ISIS established camps for children. No word yet on fatalities.

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    French Airstrikes Against Islamic State in Syria | 14 comments (14 topical)

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    But They Keep Coming In (none / 0) (#1)
    by RickyJim on Sun Sep 27, 2015 at 01:26:37 PM EST
    Despite Pentagon reports that coalition strikes have killed about 10,000 Islamic State fighters, the group continues to replenish its ranks, drawing an average of about 1,000 fighters a month. The government several months ago last publicly assessed the flow at "more than 25,000," including at least 4,500 from the West. Given the region's porous borders, American officials emphasize that their figures are rough estimates not precise head counts, based on allies' reports on citizens' travel and other intelligence, which vary by country.

    "By now there is a `network effect' where friends, family are bringing along other friends and family," said Daniel L. Byman, a counterterrorism expert who is a professor at Georgetown University and a fellow at the Brookings Institution.

     Link

    If someone was bombing (none / 0) (#2)
    by sj on Sun Sep 27, 2015 at 02:58:40 PM EST
    your home and your family, what would your reaction be?

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    I wouldn't be stoning/burning/crucifying (none / 0) (#3)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sun Sep 27, 2015 at 03:05:09 PM EST
    or any of the other nasties ISIS does,

    Parent
    The point being (5.00 / 2) (#4)
    by FlJoe on Sun Sep 27, 2015 at 03:20:08 PM EST
    that ISIS would not exist without the violence that has been visited upon them for decades by the west.

    Violence begets violence, whether it's a hellfire missle or a Zealots sword.

    Parent

    The point being is this (none / 0) (#5)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sun Sep 27, 2015 at 04:05:31 PM EST
    You cannot control or fix the past.

    What we can do is stop ISIS now before they kill more.

    I would mention that ISIS came into existence after Obama removed our troops from Iraq against the advice of the military.

    But I don't wanna give you the chance to claim that Obama had to obey the Iraqi government.

    I mean they were just so powerful and over whelming......

    Parent

    I think you have a lot to learn about (5.00 / 5) (#6)
    by Anne on Sun Sep 27, 2015 at 04:34:17 PM EST
    where and when ISIS formed; it most certainly did not come into existence after US forces left Iraq in accordance with the Bush-negotiated Status of Forces Agreement.

    After you educate yourself, we look forward to your correcting your blatantly erroneous assertion.

    We shall not, however, be holding our collective breaths waiting for it.

    Parent

    Absolutely (5.00 / 2) (#8)
    by FlJoe on Sun Sep 27, 2015 at 06:04:55 PM EST
    Obama had to "obey", unless he wanted to break international law, like some of your heroes.

    Yes Jim, we can not change the past, but we sure should try and learn from it.

    Parent

    His unwillingness to act as a leader of the (2.00 / 2) (#9)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sun Sep 27, 2015 at 06:17:35 PM EST
    free world has killed thousands.

    "Pacifism is a shifty doctrine under which a man accept the benefits of the social group without being willing to pay-and claims a halo for his dishonesty." - Robert Heinlein

    In the meantime the "refugees" in Europe throw away food/water from the Red Cross
    because it has a cross.

    Immigration without assimilation is invasion.

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    Again, chickenhawk Heinlein (none / 0) (#14)
    by jondee on Tue Sep 29, 2015 at 12:07:27 PM EST
    never actually ever fought in a war and neither did you.

    So, neither of you ever really proved beyond a shadow of doubt that you weren't pacifists.

    Parent

    Well, of course you wouldn't. (5.00 / 3) (#7)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sun Sep 27, 2015 at 05:39:43 PM EST
    JimakaPPJ: "I wouldn't be stoning / burning / crucifying or any of the other nasties ISIS does."

    You'd just push a button, launch a missile and take out an entire city. Crucifying is soooo Spartacus and Roman Empire.

    Parent

    Better to be the launcher (2.00 / 1) (#10)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sun Sep 27, 2015 at 06:18:55 PM EST
    than the launchee... Something Iran will teach us in the not too distant future.

    Parent
    Please don't blogclog (none / 0) (#11)
    by Jeralyn on Sun Sep 27, 2015 at 07:13:55 PM EST
    and remember, this thread is about ISIS, not Jim.

    The refugee crisis (none / 0) (#12)
    by NYShooter on Mon Sep 28, 2015 at 02:44:54 AM EST
    emanating from the Middle East has the feel (to me, anyway) of escalating fairly soon into a major disaster for the West. It's only a feeling, a personal sense of foreboding for the time being. And, one of the primary reasons for that is because the activity on the ground is going so much faster than the information we need to understand what's happening is coming to us. IOW, what we know is infinitely less than what we should know, need to know.

    For instance: We know Xenophobia in Europe has been on the rise over the past few years; European working men & women are suffering under the same pressures as our middle class has been. The unrestricted greed of the 0.01% is not a phenomenon plaguing just Americans. So then, why the sudden "open arms" position adopted by Europe's Leaders?

    It would be nice to think the EU's Leadership was suddenly struck by an outbreak of humanitarianism, but, having just witnessed the sadistic humiliation forced upon Greece (one of its own,) most notably by "Saint" Angela Merkel, you have to excuse me for thinking, "what's going on here?"

    Like I said, it's still early, but not too early for my conspiratorial mind to be whirling around. No, it couldn't be, could it? Europe's leaders wouldn't think of taking advantage of a human tragedy to import cheap, plentiful, and grateful labor for their Oligarchs' benefit, would they?
    And, the reason I'm not ready to declare myself completely wacky yet is because of this one reason: Wouldn't you think that before taking such dramatic, complicated, and potentially, destabilizing steps as opening their borders to people so different then they are they would have tried other things first? Why wasn't there a determined, coordinated, and, quite frankly, just a common sense attempt tried first?

    Like, WTF, is up with Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain? The refugees are, primarily Muslim; these countries are totally Muslim, and, to date, and to the best of my knowledge, combined, they have yet to take in a single refugee! And, its not like they can't afford to help the victims of a tragedy they, themselves, were instrumental in causing.

    I mean, please! They've hardly lifted a finger to fight back against ISIS, so we have to fight them for them? And, now this?

    How much you wanna bet The Donald will have an answer. His #1 justification for running for the Presidential candidacy is his claim, "Our Leaders are just so stupid, too stupid to lead anyone anywhere!"

    Hard to argue that one.

    I'm flying outta here in the morning, but I wanted to get that off my chest before I left.

    The ME countries have joined this fight too (none / 0) (#13)
    by Militarytracy on Mon Sep 28, 2015 at 11:48:11 AM EST
    The refugee situation even caused Turkey to finally join. And it sounds like we are trying to negotiate an agreement with Russia, that Assad stays until ISIS is defeated, then a transition of power. But most of the world is going after ISIS together.

    Parent
    French Airstrikes Against Islamic State in Syria | 14 comments (14 topical)

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