ISIL Makes A Lot of Arms Dealers Rich

[longknife]

Here is just one example:



Kuwait Is Arming Itself To 'The Teeth'



And I'm sure all the other Emirates are doing the same! This article deals with France but there are plenty of other countries throughout the world that will gladly offer “assistance.”



Original story with links @ War News Updates: Kuwait Is Arming Itself To 'The Teeth'

 

[waltky]

No longer the JV team, they've made it to Varsity...

WH 'Seems to Be Waking Up to the Fact That...ISIL's Reach is Global and Growing'
January 21, 2016 | Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, told Congress on Thursday that the Obama administration finally seems to understand that "ISIL's reach is global and growing."[/b]

He began a confirmation hearing for Eric Fanning, nominated by President Obama to be the next Army Secretary, with an announcement about the spreading threat posed by Islamic State terrorists: "It's been reported that the White House has authorized the Department of Defense to target ISIL in Afghanistan -- the first such authorization beyond Iraq and Syria," McCain said. "Many of us may be interested to know that we have confined our attacks on ISIL to Iraq and Syria. "Now the administration seems to be waking up to the fact that more than a year into the U.S. military campaign, ISIL's reach is global and growing. "We can only hope it won't take so long for the administration to realize that conditions on the ground in Afghanistan simply don't warrant a dangerous, calendar-driven withdrawal of U.S. forces."

McCain has criticized President Obama's announced plan to further reduce U.S. troop strength in Afghanistan at the end of 2016. The U.S. combat role ended in 2015. This past October, President Obama announced that he was dropping plans to withdraw nearly all U.S. forces from Afghanistan by the end of 2016. He now plans to leave office with at least 5,500 U.S. troops on the ground to advise and assist the struggling Afghan forces. If confirmed, Eric Fanning would be the first openly gay person to serve as the U.S. Army's civilian head.

Fanning, in his opening statement, said the Army's soldiers would be his highest priorty: "Specifically, making sure they are ready, which mean making sure they are resilient, fully trained and properly equipped. To do that, we must create an environment where everyone can flourish -- rid of the scourge of sexual assault and suicide." Sen. McCain, leading off the questions, asked Fanning how many U.S. troops are now serving in Iraq. "I understand the number to be about 4,500," Fanning replied.

McCain noted that the Americans are serving in Iraq without a Status of Forces Agreement in place. Yet it was the lack of such an agreement that Obama pointed to when he withdrew all U.S. troops from Iraq in 2009, a move that allowed the country to fall apart and ISIS to rise. "Yet somehow we have now 4,500 uniformed members of the military (in Iraq), yet no one seems to be concerned about the fact that we don't have a Status of Forces Agreement with the Iraqis. I find that curious," McCain said. McCain also asked Fanning, "Are we winning" the battle to degrade and destroy ISIS/ISIL: "I think it's too early to tell," Fanning replied. "We clearly are putting a lot of pressure on ISIS, but they are also showing that they can put pressure on us. And they are not contained. But I do think we're making progress."

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