US to withdraw from Syria and pull troops from Afghanistan

This was a bit of a surprise and I’ve got mixed feelings about it.

But, first, the story from the New York Times:


WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has ordered the military to start withdrawing roughly 7,000 troops from Afghanistan in the coming months, two defense officials said Thursday, an abrupt shift in the 17-year-old war there and a decision that stunned Afghan officials, who said they had not been briefed on the plans.


President Trump made the decision to pull the troops — about half the number the United States has in Afghanistan now — at the same time he decided to pull American forces out of Syria, one official said.


The announcement came hours after Jim Mattis, the secretary of defense, said that he would resign from his position at the end of February after disagreeing with the president over his approach to policy in the Middle East.


The whirlwind of troop withdrawals and the resignation of Mr. Mattis leave a murky picture for what is next in the United States’ longest war, and they come as Afghanistan has been troubled by spasms of violence afflicting the capital, Kabul, and other important areas. The United States has also been conducting talks with representatives of the Taliban, in what officials have described as discussions that could lead to formal talks to end the conflict.

Senior Afghan officials and Western diplomats in Kabul woke up to the shock of the news on Friday morning, and many of them braced for chaos ahead. Several Afghan officials, often in the loop on security planning and decision-making, said they had received no indication in recent days that the Americans would pull troops out. The fear that Mr. Trump might take impulsive actions, however, often loomed in the background of discussions with the United States, they said.

They saw the abrupt decision as a further sign that voices from the ground were lacking in the debate over the war and that with Mr. Mattis’s resignation, Afghanistan had lost one of the last influential voices in Washington who channeled the reality of the conflict into the White House’s deliberations.

The reduction of American forces in Afghanistan, one American official said, is an effort to make Afghan forces more reliant on their own troops and not Western support.

But some fear the move could only imperil the Afghan troops, who have struggled in the field against the Taliban and have suffered high casualty rates, even with the current level of American support.

Cmdr. Rebecca Rebarich, a Pentagon spokeswoman, declined to comment on the plan to remove troops from Afghanistan.

The president long campaigned on bringing troops home, but in 2017, at the request of Mr. Mattis, he begrudgingly pledged an additional 4,000 troops to the Afghan campaign to try to hasten an end to the conflict.
Though Pentagon officials have said the influx of forces — coupled with a more aggressive air campaign — was helping the war effort, Afghan forces continued to take nearly unsustainable levels of casualties and lose ground to the Taliban.


The renewed American effort in 2017 was the first step in ensuring Afghan forces could become more independent without a set timeline for a withdrawal. But with plans to quickly reduce the number of American troops in the country, it is unclear if the Afghans can hold their own against an increasingly aggressive Taliban.

You can read the rest over at the NYT. We are also pulling out of Syria as well; and Turkey says they will take over that conflict.

Via Reuters:

ISTANBUL/BEIRUT (Reuters) – Turkey will take over the fight against Islamic State militants in Syria as the United States withdraws its troops, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday, in the latest upheaval wrought by Washington’s abrupt policy shift.

The surprise announcement by U.S. President Donald Trump this week that he would withdraw roughly 2,000 troops has felled a pillar of American policy in the Middle East. Critics say Trump’s decision will make it harder to find a diplomatic solution to Syria’s seven-year-old conflict.


For Turkey, the step removes a source of friction with the United States. Erdogan has long castigated his NATO ally over its support for Syrian Kurdish YPG fighters against Islamic State. Turkey considers the YPG a terrorist group and an offshoot of the armed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), fighting for Kurdish autonomy across the border on Turkish soil.

In a speech in Istanbul, Erdogan said Turkey would mobilize to fight remaining Islamic State forces in Syria and temporarily delay plans to attack Kurdish fighters in the northeast of the country – shifts both precipitated by the American decision to withdraw.

The news was less welcome for other U.S. allies. Both France and Germany warned that the U.S. change of course risked damaging the campaign against Islamic State, the jihadists who seized big swathes of Iraq and Syria in 2014-15 but have now been beaten back to a sliver of Syrian territory.

Likewise, the U.S.-backed militia spearheaded by the YPG said a Turkish attack would force it to divert fighters from the battle against Islamic State to protect its territory.

Islamic State launched an attack in Syria’s southeast against the U.S.-backed SDF militia, employing car bombs and dozens of militants.
“We will be working on our operational plans to eliminate ISIS elements, which are said to remain intact in Syria, in line with our conversation with President Trump,” Erdogan said, referring to Islamic State.

The Turkish president had announced plans last week to start an operation east of the Euphrates River in northern Syria to oust the YPG from the area that it largely controls. This week, he said the campaign could come at any moment. But on Friday, he cited the talk with Trump as a reason to wait.

“Our phone call with President Trump, along with contacts between our diplomats and security officials and statements by the United States, have led us to wait a little longer,” he said.

“We have postponed our military operation against the east of the Euphrates river until we see on the ground the result of America’s decision to withdraw from Syria.”

The Turkish president said, however, that this was not an “open-ended waiting period”.

Turkey has repeatedly voiced frustration over what it says is the slow implementation of a deal with Washington to pull YPG fighters out of Manbij, a town in mainly Arab territory west of the Euphrates in northern Syria.

Now, the neocon right is not happy about this. You can read that here, here and here.

Now here is my personal opinion on this subject. If ISIL or ISIS or Dash, as it is called; is truly defeated in Syria; then great, we are doing the right thing. If we are wrong about that, and ISIS regroups and starts again, we’ll regret we left that Country. As far as Afghanistan goes, we should have left that Country the day that Osama Bin Laden was found and killed in Pakistan. The fact that we have been there, this long, is a terrible thing. Now, I would hate to see the Taliban come back there. But, we have no business being the policeman of the World.

The truth is, is that the Taliban were in power there years before; and we did nothing, until 2001 when the United States was hit by the terrorists. As far as Mathis is concerned, screw him. The President of the United States is the commander and chief of the military and what he says goes and if this guy did not like it. He should have quit long ago.

Many people will say that this was an olive branch to the left and also to many in Trump’s base. But, as far as I am concerned, this is something that should have happened a long time ago. We finally have a President that has a realistic sense of foreign policy.

OSU Attacker inspired by ISIS

I didn’t write about it, because I really sorta knew what the narrative was going to pan as being and as I suspected, another ISIS terrorist act. You see, progressives; this is what Donald Trump was referring to, when he said that we needed to have a reset on who we actually let into this Country. Because of things like this here.

Head on over and check out: Ohio State University attacker was inspired by ISIS « Hot Air

Iraqi Military takes on ISIS last stronghold

I wish these people well:

(CNN)The countdown to retake the Iraqi city of Mosul from ISIS has begun, but the fight for Hawija — another ISIS-controlled city in nearby Kirkuk province — is among many other battles that are looming.In his first visit to Kirkuk since becoming prime minister, Haider al-Abadi met with provincial and military leaders ahead of the operation to liberate Hawija. Inspecting military units and speaking to security officials in the northern Iraqi province, Abadi said he was preparing for a military operation to take back more cities now controlled by ISIS.”We are fighting to liberate our people, and by the determination of our heroic force we will liberate the people of Hawija, Riyadh and Rashad from the terrorist gangs,” Abadi said. “We will go in soon.” – Source: Iraqi PM on ISIS-held cities: ‘We will go in soon’ – CNN.com

Fighting these terrorists is never easy. Godspeed to them.

 

Video: President Obama’s statement on Isis

I just want to preface this video by saying, I might disagree with President Barack Obama’s politics especially on domestic issues and free trade.

However, make no mistake about it, President Barack Obama knows full well the threat of terrorism to the United States of America. Now, I know that there is much debate as to whether he honestly likes the military and it is well known that he does not like the idea of conflict.

But, I honestly believe that he knows the stakes of keeping America safe and knows the stakes of radical Islam and the threat it poses to the citizens of the United States of America and the World At Large and this is why I believe he is doing the best job with the resources that he has to combat it.

Therefore, I present this video which I noticed was largely overlooked in the blogosphere because of the election cycle. I admit it, I did not vote for Barack Obama. But, when it comes to foreign policy, I think he’s doing the best he can with what he has; without getting America tangled up into another endless ground war. For this, I believe he does deserve recognition.

I will also say this: Do you honestly believe that Donald Trump can do a better job fighting terrorism than Barack Obama has? Honestly, what would Donald Trump do any differently?

Having said that I present this video:

Terrorist Attack Brussels Airport in Belgium


Update: I made a video on this subject, please go check it out!

This is what happens, when you do not take Terrorism and Immigration; and the connection between the two, seriously.

Via the Daily Mail:

Cowering under desks and running for their lives, this is the terrifying moment passengers were caught up in a suicide bomb attack at Brussels Airport today in a series of blasts that have killed at least 34 people and injured 170 across the city.

Witnesses described apocalyptic scenes with blood and ‘dismembered bodies everywhere’ after two blasts rocked the terminal at around 8am (7am GMT), killing at least 14 people and injuring dozens of others.

Then 79 minutes later at 9.19am, at least 20 people were killed and scores injured, some critically, when a blast hit a Metro station just 400 metres from the EU headquarters in the city centre.

There were also reports the Tihange nuclear power plant, around 90km from the capital, is being evacuated of all non-essential staff as Belgium raised security to its maximum level.

At the airport, there were reports of a firefight between police and the attackers who shouted in Arabic moments before detonating their bombs. 

An unexploded suicide vest was later found in the rubble and a Kalashnikov rifle beside the body of a dead terrorist. 

This afternoon, Russian media claimed Muslim convert brothers Ivan and Alexey Dovbashi from Belarus and compatriot Marat Yunusov may have been behind the attacks. The trio are said to have fought for ISIS in Syria. 

The blasts, which detonated near a Starbucks and several check-in desks, sent shockwaves through the terminal building, shattering windows and knocking roof tiles off the ceiling as terrified passengers ran for their lives.

The explosions, coming just four months after the Paris attacks, have left countries around the world reeling, with security services placed on high alert, flights cancelled, Eurostar services suspended and France’s border with Belgium shut down.

Two suspects were arrested a mile from the Maelbeek metro station at around 11am as hundreds of troops and police flooded the streets of Brussels in the hunt for members of the terror cell.

Soldiers have been also been deployed at the airport and other key locations across the capital.

The bombings come just a day after the Belgium Interior Minister warned of possible revenge attacks after the arrest of Paris massacre suspect Salah Abdeslam in the city on Friday.  

Videos and images:

Where it happened:

Images:

Maybe now Europe will take terrorism seriously. Donald Trump had better start boning up on this; because he will be asked about it. As much as I disagree with her, on many, many issues; namely who she is supporting for President —- Michelle Malkin did have a point in this book here:

It is time that the United States got real about these people. It is time that we clamped down on Immigration; legal or otherwise, and start tracking who comes here and where they come from and if they come from areas prone to terrorism, they should be tracked, and their every last move should be documented. Because terrorism is not a political pawn for the Republicans; just ask those killed in San Bernardino, California.

I hear alot of this, “Sending Prayers” to address this situation. The thought is nice and all; but we need more than just prayers — we need action, Military action. We need Military action, with a plan to win the fight and get in there, kill these people and get out. This is not a Neoconservative position. This is a position of someone who wants to see our Republic defended and protected. I dare say that anyone, and I mean anyone; left, right, or whatever politically — that says that we ought to just stand aside and do nothing — they are the ones who are anti-American and pro-terrorism. There is a fine line between Wilsonian Military occupation and defending the Republic from terrorist attacks. I know the difference.

This whole idea of blaming America for terrorism is idiotic at best. America has made mistakes; that is true; Iraq is proof of that. But, does that justify this sort of terrorism? No, it does not. This is why I disagree with the Paleoconservatives on this issue. Because they want to blame America for terrorism! If they are not doing that; they are spouting moronic conspiracy theories on just about everything. Terrorism is not a illusion; it is real and it will be coming here, if that United States does not get a clue about Islam, and start making plans on how to thwart those who are radicalized, before more people are killed here.

Again, this isn’t about neoconservative Wilsonian foreign policy; this is about protecting the Republic. Because terrorism is no joke and if the right; all of it’s various factions, does not get a clue about this — things are going to get worse, much worse.

Best thing I’ve seen at HotAir.com in a long while

Go Read: Oh no… we wouldn’t want to engender any hate or vitriol toward Muslims, would we? (a rant) 

Best part:

Perhaps all of the liberals heading for their fainting couches over the idea that we need to be finding the terrorists who are now proven to be on our own shores can, just this once, get a grip and decide which side of this war they are on. And if not, they should get out of the way, STFD and STFU. We have work to do and some of it’s not going to be pretty. But if we’re not willing to do it then I don’t want to hear any more crying from them about lives lost or gun laws or discrimination when the next group of ISIS “inspired” animals pops up here at home and wipes out another group of people at a Christmas party.

Amen and Amen. We have to protect this Republic and that’s the biggest thing. We can disagree on Wilsonian foreign, when it comes to Nation building and so forth. But, this is an attack on the Republic. We need to quit pussy footing around and get to work to destroy these people, once and for all.

BREAKING TERRORISM NEWS: Paris hit by major terrorist attack, 158 Dead

At what point do we consider Islam a threat to the security of the world?

The story:

France has declared a national state of emergency and has closed its borders after scores of people were killed in multiple gun and bomb attacks in Paris.At least 100 people are reported to have died at the Bataclan concert hall in central Paris.Gunmen took many hostages there before being overpowered when police stormed the building.Others died in a reported suicide blast near the Stade de France and gun attacks on city centre restaurants.Paris residents have been asked to stay indoors and about 1,500 military personnel are being deployed across the city. Via: Paris attacks: More than 100 killed at Bataclan and restaurants – BBC News

I just do not know what else to say.

Update: I’ve had some time to think about this a bit more and there’s a few things that I would like to say. This attack of course, was a horrible tragedy and I hope like heck that France does avenge the attacks upon their country.

What I do not hope is this, that the United States of America gets involved with this fight. Sure we’ve got Isis here and they’ve hit targets here in America and they also hit targets where we have interests. But I think the worst thing that could happen is we get involved in a protracted war with Isis in Syria.

If anything, we should support France and let them bomb the crap out of that country, not the United States.

Also too, I really think that the United States of America and the European nations and France and the rest of the allied nations, really need to take a hard look at Islam. The problem is in Islam’s doctrines jihad is considered to be a struggle against evil.

The problem is it’s hard to figure out which Muslims believe that jihad entails violence towards that are that are non-Muslim and which ones do not.

My contention is this here, is the freedom of speech and freedom religion being extended to Muslims, worth seeing people getting killed like this?

I believe the smart answer is No. I believe the United States of America and the European nations under the United Nations and the rest of allies of the United States need to take a hard look at their freedom of religion and determine that Islam is not just a religion. But that it is a political philosophy as well and that is a danger to the security of every free human being around the world and its practices ought to be outlawed.

I know that sounds harsh and flies in the face of the Constitution. But America is a much different place than it was when the Constitution was drafted and many things have changed and Islam is not what it was back when the Constitution was being drafted in the America.

So, I believe our political leaders need to get together and think about this. Do we really want to risk continued risk having Americans blown up because some Muslim decides that he is going to be a fundamentalist Muslim or are we going to be smart and say this cannot stand?

If you are going to practice your religion like this you can’t live here in America. This is what needs to be told to the Muslim community. Unfortunately, we have people in government in positions of political power who are abject cowards and will not stand up to these people at all.

This, my friends is a true American tragedy.

Related:

CNNParis shootings: 18 reported killed

TelegraphParis shooting: Several killed and injured after ‘Kalashnikov and grenade attacks’ across French capital

New York TimesMultiple Attacks Hit Paris Area in Night of Deadly Terror

Kevin Rawlinson / GuardianParis: shootings and explosions at restaurant, concert hall and Stade de France – live

Fox NewsAt least 35 reported dead, 100 hostages taken in Paris attacks

Jordan Fabian / The HillObama: Paris massacre ‘an attack on all of humanity’

myfox8.com40 confirmed dead in Paris attacks, police end concert hall siege

Associated PressPolice: At least 26 dead in Paris, hostage-taking in theater

Derek Wallbank / Bloomberg.com news: Obama Says Paris Attacks Target All of Humanity

Andrea Cavallier / New York’s PIX11‘An attack on all humanity:’ At least 60 reported dead in Paris, dozens held hostage in attacks that shock world

Others: Hot Air, The Atlantic, Liberaland, New York Times, New York Daily News,Associated Press, France 24, CANNONFIRE, Taylor Marsh, Friendly Atheist, Balloon Juice,The Moderate Voice, The Daily Caller, Outside the Beltway, Eater, Washington Times, 89.3 KPCC, The PJ Tatler, CBS Sacramento, CityLab and addictinginfo.orgRedState, Associated Press, ITV, MichelleMalkin.com, PBS NewsHour,John Hawkins’ Right Wing News, PoliticusUSA, Independent Journal, Hit & Run,Creeping Sharia, CBS DC, Allen B. West, USA Today, KFOR-TV, TheJournal.ie and Truth RevoltThe Daily Beast, JustOneMinute, The Daily Signal, The Gateway Pundit, American Power, Right, Hollywood Life, The Daily Caller and Pamela GellerDCist, Gothamist, Jihad Watch, Associated Press and American PowerSpectator, National Review, The Week and Common DreamsUSA Today, adelaidenow.com.au, The Daily Caller, ITV, fox13now.com,Vlad Tepes, Patterico’s Pontifications and WGN-TVWall Street Journal, Politico and Hot AirCNBC, Mother Jones, National Review, Walid Shoebat, TheJournal.ie,WTVR-TV, Associated Press, Independent Journal, USA Today, abc7chicago.com,The Daily Caller, Clutch Magazine, The Gateway Pundit, Business Insider, CBS Detroit, RT, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and The WeekCBS News, ThinkProgress, Refinery29 and The WeekABC News, Politico and Yahoo PoliticsJihad Watch, The Jawa Report, The Local, Pamela Geller and WTVR-TV

Dueling Terrorists?

This is very interesting…

Via CNN:

(CNN)In a blistering new message, the leader of al Qaeda denounces the leader of ISIS as the illegitimate leader of a phony caliphate.

Exposing a glaring hostility between the two jihadi groups, Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of al Qaeda, openly attacks ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi for usurping the jihadi movement.

“We do not acknowledge this Caliphate,” he says, according to a translation from SITE Intelligence posted Wednesday. “We do not see Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as one worthy of the Caliphate.”

He dismisses al-Baghdadi as a pretender who declared himself caliph with the support of only “a few unknown people,” and established ISIS, which calls itself the Islamic State, “by force and with explosions and car bombs,” instead of by “the choice of the people” through “approval and consultation.”

He also faults al-Baghdadi for failing to support Muslims who are not in the Islamic State’s territory.

“When Gaza was burning beneath Israeli bombs, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi did not support it with one word, but his main concern was that all the mujahideen pledge allegiance to him, after he assigned himself to be the Caliph without consulting them.”

At first blush this would be comical. However, if they start trying to outdo each other; it could be deadly for the United States. However, don’t expect any sort of action from this lame duck President.

 

The shooting in Chattanooga just got personal for me

This one hits home with me, I will explain that in a minute. But, first, the video:

Now the story, via WANE.COM:

Darlene Proxmire, the step-grandmother of Randall Smith, called NewsChannel 15 Saturday morning and said he passed away around 4 a.m.

This is an update to the previously published story:

PAULDING COUNTY, Ohio (WANE) One of the victims of Thursday’s mass shooting at a pair of Chattanooga, Tennessee military centers was originally from Paulding, Ohio.

Randall Smith was one of the two service members wounded in the barrage of gunfire from 24-year-old Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez that claimed the lives of four Marines in two separate shootings Thursday morning, according to a story posted on the web site of KWCH Eyewitness News 12, the CBS affiliate in Wichita, Kansas. Smith was serving in Chattanooga as a logistics specialist in the U.S. Navy at the time of the shooting.  The article indicated his mother now lives in Delphos, Kansas, which is how the station learned of his identity. His step-grandparents live just north of Paulding, Ohio.

Here is why this story hits close to home. Darlene Proxmire is the wife of Jimmy Proxmire. Jimmy is a friend of mine from Amateur Radio. (AKA as Ham Radio) I found out about this from Jimmy himself this morning on 75 meters, where I talk to Jimmy now and again on 3.865 Khz. Jimmy’s callsign is KC8VRR and is one of the nicest guys on that frequency.

My Prayers to that family.

As for my feelings about this event and it’s perpetrator and his religion; one only read my sidebars and see the blogroll, under anti-Jihad bloggers — to know how I really feel about what happened here. 😡

I am seriously considering rethinking my paleoconservative position. I have always felt that war was wrong and that America should mind its own business. But — this is personal, this is war, this is an attack on the Republic and we should respond in kind to these beasts. They’re not rational humans, they’re animals and they should be treated as such. 😡

Related: Fox News:Sailor in Chattanooga shooting has died, death toll now 5

Others: Guardian, WCDC-TV, The Gateway Pundit, WKRN-TV and KXAN-TVWANE-TV, Fox News Insider, Guardian and National ReviewNBC News, , Scared Monkeys, Fox News Insider, Guardian, WTKR-TV, Washington Free Beacon and National Review

(Crossposted to my Amateur Radio related blog, K8CPA’s Shack)