Putin Considers Throwing Russia Into ISIS Fight: Report

[Purveyor]

Source: NBC NEWS

The next weapon in the fight against Islamic extremists in the Middle East might be Vladimir Putin. The Russian president discussed with his Security Council on Monday potentially contributing to fighting ISIS, according to Russian news agencies. The council "exchanged opinions on possible forms of cooperation with other partners on a plan to counter Islamic State in the framework of international law," Interfax quoted a Kremlin spokesman as saying.

The United States has been trying to build a broad coalition to thwart ISIS militants in Syria and Iraq, but Russia has not been part of the conversation. “The anti-ISIL coalition is not a club party — we do not expect any invitations and we are not going to buy entry tickets,” said Ilya Rogachev, an official in Russia's Foreign Ministry said last week. But Russia is a supporter of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, whose regime is trying to stave off an insurgency that has included ISIS fighters.

ISIS could potentially threaten Moscow directly, too. The group's ranks include Muslims from Russia's North Caucasus region, who have been waging their own insurgency in the mountainous region following two wars between Moscow and separatists in Chechnya.

Read more: http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/isis-terror/putin-considers-throwing-russia-isis-fight-report-n208776

[ballyhoo]

1. This is going to get interesting.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

2. Glad to see that first sentence in the body of the comment.

Because after reading the title, my question was going to be 'On which side?'

[CentralMass]

5. You beat me to it.

[lobodons]

16. Me three

I was thinking if I was the only one as I scrolled down to the comment section.

[C Moon]

20. ...four

[totodeinhere]

3. Should we welcome him into the coalition, or has Russia's behavior over the crisis in

Ukraine precluded that? I'm glad I'm not Barack Obama or John Kerry. That's a tough one. But in cases like this I'm glad that Obama is president, not some cowboy like Shrub. (No offense intended to cowboys.)

[karynnj]

18. Kerry has always said that Syria needs a diplomatic solution

The problem for the US was always that there was no reason for Assad to negotiate anything. The current effort actually may change that balance - without a shot being fired. Russia has its own reasons for wanting these non state terrorists stopped. The question would be if the Russia would see the wisdom in pushing Assad to personally stand down and then be replaced in a new government that would in many ways be the same, but would have some reforms - giving both sides (Assad and moderates) some degree of a "win". Then everyone is against ISIL and AQ- including the Assad allied people, the moderates, the US, Russia, Iraq etc.

Now, in the US, this would - like the chemical weapon deal - be something the right would trash Obama for, but if they could pull this off and cool down the Middle East, it really doesn't matter what people like McCain et al, the Bush people, or the RW have to say. (By the way, have you seen anyone on the right mention that with ISIL taking over major parts of Syria, those CW could have been in their hands?)

[ozone_man]

26. If you believe in sovereignty

then it's not really up to us to decide, it's up to Syria to decide if they want help, who and what kind, ... If you don't believe in sovereignty, then you might as well be Bush.

If we really want to stop ISIS, Obama should lean on Saudi Arabia and Turkey to stop the support and inflow. Maybe threaten to throw Turkey out of NATO, and whatever might work with SA. An oil embargo perhaps.

[totodeinhere]

27. As you know Obama is getting ready to bomb Syria without Assad's permission,

and he has threatened Assad with retaliation if he fires on our planes. And since Syria has an arsenal of Russian made surface to air missiles that is a real threat. I doubt if Assad will shoot at our planes, but who knows? Perhaps he feels at this pint that he has nothing to lose.

[TwilightGardener]

4. Pootie Poot doesn't want us interfering with his boy in Syria. They let ISIS go for too long.

Now that the US is going to take care of it, suddenly Pootie's going to help out? LOL.

[delrem]

29. I can hardly believe the high level and depth of your analysis.

If only peace in our time were in your hands...

[Bragi]

31. +1000. /nt

[uhnope]

6. like the pact with Stalin in WW2

[Amonester]

8. Not really, as they don't want Ass-ad gone...

So I guess they want to fight the "moderate freedom fighters" the US wants to train and supply too...

1+1= 3 or 4 now...

[jakeXT]

7. Maybe the FSA/ISIL will now get their hands on some sophisticated surface-to-air-missiles /nt

[Amonester]

9. They would get a couple of nukes over their heads long before that...

methinks...

signed Vladimir's Gift on them...

[jakeXT]

11. I bet some people are salivating now

A mujahedeen fighter fighter aims a Stinger missile at a passing airplane in 1988.

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052970204138204576598851109446780

[Amonester]

12. Good luck with that one LOL...

Tell me why these punks haven't blown up the dam(s) they were "controling" when they were at the receiving end of laser-guided bombs last month?

[jakeXT]

15. Not enough photoshop skillz ? I don't know

So ISIS photoshopped themselves capturing Mosul dam. If only the whole war was photoshopped
https://twitter.com/LizSly/status/497548831572369409

[marble falls]

22. Did you ever wonder whatever hppened to all those Stingers? None ever got diverted, EVER?

[jakeXT]

23. Diverted in flight or sold to other countries? N/t

[marble falls]

24. Either way there's a story I'd like to hear. Did we actually get the Taliban to use all of them?

[pampango]

17. ISIL may already have such surface-to-air missiles. They claim to have shot down a Syrian jet last

week using one. The FSA apparently does not have them or, at least, has not used them.

[Comrade Grumpy]

10. Interesting. Russia would be anti-ISIS and pro-Assad.

That could make things even messier for the US.

[Reter]

28. We should be pro-Assad too

He is not radical when it comes to religion, as those will be who would replace him.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

13. ever notice all those countries ending with 'Stan

in the underbelly of Mommy Russia? You can be sure that ISIS scares him as much as it scares countries around the Muddle East.

[Amonester]

14. Their ultimate "fantasy" (as they stated repeatedly online...) is a Global Caliphate...

So, unless Russia is not included in their "Global" goal...

Not to mention Europe, China... and North Korea too...

[cosmicone]

19. Brilliant move

If Russia had directly involved itself in supporting Assad, the West would have screamed bloody murder. Now that the West is going in with no regard to Syria's sovereignty and support one terrorist group over another, it has no reason to complain and no leg to stand on.

So Russia can go in under the auspices of a broad anti-ISIL group and wipe out the so called "moderate" terrorists while the US/West takes care of the more violent ones.

Once bombs are dropped by one side, all screaming and yelling about other players getting involved will be out the window because of hypocrisy.

[marble falls]

21. Oh jeeeez. Who are they backing, again? Al Quaeda or ISIS/ISIL or Bashir Assad or the Kurds ....

the Sunnis, the Shiia, the Iraqi government, the secret ME allies who may or may not be Qattar, Saudi, Omani, Iranian, Jordanian .......? Pretty hard to know the players and there's no program with a list.

But at least already the French have gotten their licks in. The British and Germans'll be flying sorties soon enough.

[tabasco]

25. On which side? n/t

[GOLGO 13]

30. Interesting. It will be something to see Russia's martial powers on display here.

I'm sure we'll get a good look at what they can do in a hot zone against a resisting opponent

[flamingdem]

32. The minute they're in Assad is in the clear

is my guess.

[yurbud]

33. Once again Putin proves he's not a useful idiot enemy

Like terrorist.

He keeps giving our propagandist headaches by trying to be helpful like his chemical weapons deal with Syria