Category Archives: Syria
Trump Made his Move
“Mr. Trump has often seemed a president playing checkers while America’s adversaries play chess. He is not given to nuanced strategic concepts or long-range plans.” That’s how WSJ’s Holman Jenkins sees it.
But this time maybe he was a little nuanced, not responding while the Iranians made their moves. Or maybe he was napping, since he only sleeps four hour a night. Anyway, Iran’s proxies moved on oil tankers, bombed oil fields and shot down a U.S. drone. And Trump did nothing. Until they fired rockets at an American base, killing a contractor, and set fire to the American Embassy. Then Trump made his move, executing the evil genius General Soleimani Rocket Man style with a missile.
Long Range Plans
And now it’s not just all Death to America anymore. “His demise will not stop his mission,” said Iran’s Supreme Leader Khamenei, “But the criminals who have the blood of General Soleimani and other martyrs of the attack on their hands must await a tough revenge.”
Stable Genius Meets Austere Religious Scholar
The Washington Post described Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as an “Austere Religious Scholar” in one much mocked headline. So they changed it. Several times.
Anyway it looks like the Very Stable Genius got the best of the Austere Religious Scholar.
Operation Kayla Mueller
Kayla Mueller grew up in Prescott, Arizona as a Christian committed to helping others. So she traveled the world doing just that. She landed in southern Turkey working with the Danish Refugee Council helping Syrian refugees. But in 2013 she made an unexpected visit to a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Aleppo, Syria.
Aleppo
Aleppo was ground zero in a war involving the Syrian government, Syrian rebels, Kurds, Russians, ISIS and Iraq. And it was no place for an idealistic 26 year old American woman. So the doctors sent Kayla back over the border. But, on the way, ISIS kidnapped her.
Eventually the self-proclaimed caliph, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi “married” Kayla. Then the religious scholar proceeded to rape and torture her.
Her parents learned of Kayla’s death in 2015.
U.S. Special Forces hunted down Baghdadi and he paid for his brutality with his life. The U.S. Joint Chief of Staff named the operation in honor of Kayla.
Isis Leader al-Baghdadi is al-Baghdead
Click image to enlarge
Trump is pulling out of Syria. But on Sunday U.S. Special Forces doubled back to Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s Syrian compound. The operation was years in the making. And now the austere religious scholar is al-Baghdead.
Syria Pullout
ISIS J.V. Team
President Trump got off the phone with Turkish President Erdogan and announced he’s pulling the troops out of Syria. And Secretary of Defense James Mattis resigned.
Democrats and Republicans found common ground slamming the Syria pullout decision. They say the pullout sells out the Kurds and creates a vacuum that ISIS will fill. Same as when Obama pulled out of Iraq. (At least the Republicans say that.)
Pro Syria Pullout
But Reason’s Nick Gillespie and Andrew McCarthy of NR think Trump did the right thing. If we stay in Syria we’d have to choose sides in a war between Turkey and the Kurds. Erdogan’s nasty but Turkey is a NATO ally. Besides, we’re there illegally. Congress never approved it and that makes it unconstitutional.
