Thousands Of Iraqis Flee As Islamic State Makes Gains In Sunni Heartland

[Purveyor]

Source: Washington Post

By Loveday Morris April 17 at 7:44 PM

SADR AL-YUSUFIYAH — Thousands of families fleeing Iraq’s western city of Ramadi choked checkpoints leading to Baghdad on Friday, after an Islamic State advance spread panic and left security forces clinging to control.

A column of traffic several vehicles wide snaked for miles at a checkpoint in Sadr al-Yusufiyah, on the edge of Baghdad province, as minibuses, cars and trucks picked up families who crossed by foot carrying their possessions in bags and wheelbarrows. Suhaib al-Rawi, the governor of Anbar province, of which Ramadi is the capital, described it as a human disaster on a scale the city has never witnessed.

U.S. and Iraqi officials have warned that the city is at risk of falling to the Islamic State despite seven months of airstrikes by U.S. planes in Anbar. Such a loss would be a serious blow to Iraq’s government, which recently announced a military campaign for the province after retaking the militant stronghold of Tikrit, and to the international effort to push back the militant group, whose gains in Ramadi have demonstrated an ability to create chaos even while under pressure.

That resilience was further underscored in the Kurdish city of Irbil on Friday, where the Islamic State was suspected of carrying out a car bombing near the U.S. Consulate. Faced with the expanding crisis on his return Friday from Washington, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi ordered immediate reinforcements to Ramadi amid claims that some Iraqi security forces had withdrawn.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/thousands-of-iraqis-flee-as-islamic-state-makes-gains-in-sunni-heartland/2015/04/17/b143d9aa-e44d-11e4-ae0f-f8c46aa8c3a4_story.html

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Oh what a duzy of a mess we created, indeed...

[jonno99]

1. Sigh...what a mess.

[msongs]

2. the joys of religion never end eh? nt

[delrem]

4. The US didn't destroy Iraq for religious reasons. nt

[Scootaloo]

6. I'm not so certain of that

I think we like to turn too much of a blind eye to our native christian extremists - including those holding office. Apparently such extremism is thought to be a characteristic of "lesser" peoples, certainly not us!

Bush insisted god told him to do it. He called it a crusade. religious indoctrination in the US armed forces went into a big spike during these wars. The US populace was fed a constant, constant diet of islamophobia to justify it all - not that we weren't getting that before, but suddenly it was coming fast and wild.

The message that Muslims are inherently inferior, inherently violent, and need to be kept "under control" by superior Christian and / or Jewish boots on their necks, is absolutely religious in nature, and has been so deeply internalized among the American people that even here on DU, it's acceptable rhetoric.

When so many of our politicians really, truly believe that the book of revelation ought to be a major factor in US policy, that we are obligated to crush Muslims, so Israel can be empowered, so the Second coming can be triggered, so Jesus can come back and wipe out the Jews, and so Christians can rule the world at his side? Don't tell me there's no religion involved in our part.

Just 'cause "KILL 'EM ALL FOR JESUS!" was transformed into "KILL 'EM ALL AND LET ALLAH SORT 'EM OUT!" doesn't actually change the nature of the thing, y'know?

[delrem]

7. You present a very convincing argument.

[cosmicone]

8. It is actually even wider than that

The christian loonies think all of the non-white non-christians are inferior, their lives are worth less and no harm can come from slaughtering them.

I don't think they think any differently about African Christians or Hindus, Zoroastrians and Buddhists. They didn't care any more about the Vietnamese or Filipinos than the Iraqis.

The only difference is that no zoroastrians, Africans, Hindus or Buddhists flew planes into American buildings which gave the right-wing racists the perfect and saleable excuse to attack Muslims. By dancing in the streets of Gaza and West Bank and/or expressing an indifferent shrug or "shit happens" after 9/11, Muslims didn't help their image much either.

For a decade now, angry, bearded men belligerently chanting bad things for America have been the face of Islam on world-wide media. This face needs to be changed rapidly by reforms.

I have seen two encouraging news stories lately which give me hope that the moderates in younger generation are slowly flexing their muscles to change the face of Islam seen around the world.

Norway's Muslims form protective human ring around synagogue http://www.jpost.com/International/Norways-Muslims-form-protective-human-ring-around-synagogue-391733

In Karachi, a human shield for Hindus celebrating Holi http://www.dawn.com/news/1167564/in-karachi-a-human-shield-for-hindus-celebrating-holi

[Backwoodsrider]

3. what is the US going to do?

This is not getting any better when is the US going to cut its losses and pull out? Wonder if we regular people are going to have to demand the complete withdrawal... or if we even can have an effect on US foreign policy anymore?

[delrem]

5. Oh, the USA? It, along with coalition partners, are still dropping bombs.

What else?

[JDPriestly]

9. What a duzy is right!

Bush and Cheney are personally responsible for that chaos. Personally responsible.

And Hillary Clinton thought they were right. What poor judgment!

[Marrah_G]

10. The other middle east countries need to step up and put boots on the ground

Nothing will change unless they do. The US going in there might stop ISIL briefly, but it will do nothing to stop it in the long term. The Middle East needs to get together, work together and stop the carnage.