I remember when Gulf War 1 started and seeing John Holliman, Bernard Shaw and Peter Arnett describing the scene. Tragically John Holliman died in a car crash in 1998 at just 49. He was a great reporter. Seems like yesterday Desert Shield turned into Desert Storm. The Stock Market went crazy to the upside that day. Wall Street used to love war. Not so much anymore.
'Coming to help'"The US cannot and should not intervene every time there is a crisis in the world," said President Obama.
"We can act, carefully and responsibly, to prevent a potential act of genocide," he went on.
"Today America is coming to help," said President Obama.
He said that US air strikes would target IS fighters, should they move towards Irbil.
He added that the US could and should support moderate forces that can bring stability to Iraq.
Early the UN Security Council met to discuss the situation.
"We can act, carefully and responsibly, to prevent a potential act of genocide," he went on.
"Today America is coming to help," said President Obama.
He said that US air strikes would target IS fighters, should they move towards Irbil.
He added that the US could and should support moderate forces that can bring stability to Iraq.
Early the UN Security Council met to discuss the situation.
hno:
Horrible, horrible move if he does it. McCain is going down on Lindsey just hearing the possibility of more war, even though McCain loved Isis in Syria.
If an Int'l coalition co-ordinates some air strikes, which we're a part of, fine, but in no way should the US unilaterally be bombing Iraq. We just don't learn. ^
If an Int'l coalition co-ordinates some air strikes, which we're a part of, fine, but in no way should the US unilaterally be bombing Iraq. We just don't learn. ^
[h=1]US begins bombing ISIS, with first strike on Islamists' artillery already confirmed: Obama carries out his threat to stop the spread of ISIS in a bid to save thousands of lives[/h]
- GRAPHIC CONTENT WARNING: This story contains images of death that some readers may find disturbing
- 'Today America is coming to help', he told Iraqis in an address to the nation broadcast live on U.S. television
- Hundreds of thousands of religious minorities have been driven from their homes as ISIS jihadists storm towns
- Some 50,000 Yazidis - half of them children - fled to hills after ISIS took Sinjar, the Yazidis' heartland in Iraq
- ISIS calls Yazidis devil worshippers because of their beliefs that predate Islam, Christianity and Judaism
- Obama said U.S. warplanes had already carried out airdrops of humanitarian aid to Yazidis holed up in Sinjar hills
- David Cameron welcomes airstrikes to help Iraqis 'in their hour of desperate need' but rules out British military action
- Pope begs world leaders to step in as Iraq's main Christian city is sacked, sending thousands of Christians fleeing
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'We're coming to help': Mr Obama said American military planes had already airdropped aid to tens of thousands of Iraqi religious minorities surrounded and cut off by ISIS militants
American warplanes have bombarded an Islamic State artillery position in northern Iraq in a bid to halt the ISIS hoard sweeping the country and save thousands of innocent lives.
Two F/A18 fighter jets were dispatched from the USS George H. W. Bush to unleash 500lb laser-guided bombs on a group of Islamic militants towing artillery outside Erbil near U.S. personnel.
Unusually, news of the attack was released by Rear Admiral John Kirby through Twitter. 'US military aircraft conduct strike on ISIL artillery. Artillery was used against Kurdish forces defending Erbil, near US personnel,' he tweeted.
The assault swiftly follows Barack Obama's dramatic call to arms last night in which he authorised airstrikes to defend hundreds of thousands of non-Muslims being hunted down and slaughtered by Islamic State jihadists as he declared: 'America is coming to help.'
It is the U.S. military's first active involvement in Iraq since it withdrew from the embattled country three years ago.
The attack comes as the chaos engulfing Iraq escalated rapidly yesterday with a re-energised Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant storming towns in the north, executing villagers and chasing thousands from their homes into the desert.
Already dozens of Yazidis - who ISIS have denounced as devil-worshippers because of their ancient beliefs which predate Christianity and Islam - have been murdered since the extremist fighters overran the town of Sinjar yesterday.
Up to 50,000 terrified Yazidis - half of them children - have sought refuge from the bloodshed in the barren surrounding mountains as their hunters close in.
But there they face an impossible dilemma - try to make it to the Turkish border and risk being captured and killed by insurgents, or remain on Mount Sinjar without food or water in the searing heat in the hope that aid will somehow get through.
Many have already died of hunger and thirst as they struggle to survive on just the food they could carry in temperatures exceeding 42C.
Photographs have emerged of Yazidi men carrying the bodies of dozens of young children apparently killed by ISIS militants, who in turn have posted pictures online of themselves posing next to dead Yazidi men.
The dead men's wives were reportedly kept as trophies to be gifted to unmarried jihadist fighters.
In a televised late-night statement from the White House, Mr Obama said American warplanes had already carried out airdrops of food and water to the Iraqi Yazidis hiding in the mountains.
'Today America is coming to help,' he declared, adding: 'The United States cannot and should not intervene every time there’s a crisis in the world.
'So let me be clear about why we must act, and act now: when we face a situation like we do on that mountain -- with innocent people facing the prospect of violence on a horrific scale, when we have a mandate to help . . . and when we have the unique capabilities to help avert a massacre, then I believe the United States of America cannot turn a blind eye.'
ISIS fighters beat back the Kurdish peshmerga fighters - Iraq's most formidable fighting force - who have thus far fought tirelessly to defend their northern heartland, but are becoming stretched thin across several fronts.
In what will be seen as a major coup for the extremist force, they also seized the Mosul Dam - Iraq's largest - which places them in control of enormous power and water resources and access to the river that runs through the heart of Baghdad.
Panic even began to tear through the Kurdish capital of Erbil, long considered a safe haven, where civilians today flooded the airport in a futile attempt to buy tickets to the Iraqi capital.
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Innocent: Yazidi Iraqis on Mount Sinjar carry the bodies of children killed by ISIS. Up to 50,000 terrified Yazidis - half of them children - have sought refuge from the bloodshed in the surrounding mountains as their hunters close in. But there they face another killer: searing desert heat and the constant threat of starvation
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Ruthless: An ISIS fighter poses next to a dead Yazidi. ISIS have denounced the Yazidis as devil-worshipers on account of their ancient set of beliefs and have issued them with an ultimatum to convert to Islam, pay a religious fine, flee their homes or face death
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Split: There are three main religious groups in Iraq: Shia Arabs, the country's majority, Sunni Arabs and Kurds, who are religiously Sunni but divided by their ethnicity. The is also a minority of Christians scattered across northern Iraq, who comprise just over 1 per cent of the population (roughly 450,000 people). ISIS, who are Sunni Arab, have forced tens of thousands of Yazidis - an ancient religion that predates Islam - from their heartland in Sinjar
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Chaos reigns: ISIS now control more than half the country as it ramped up its offensive, storming towns in the north, executing villagers and chasing thousands from their homes into the desert
And as shockwaves from the crisis reverberated around the world, oil companies began closing fields and evacuating staff from Kurdistan in a move that has caused shares to plummet.
Meanwhile, Pope Francis begged world leaders to help end the crisis, after Iraq's largest Christian town was sacked sending tens of thousands of Iraqi Christians fleeing for their lives.
Yesterday ISIS captured Qaraqush and several others near Mosul following the withdrawal of Kurdish peshmerga fighters.
'(The Christians) have fled with nothing but their clothes, some of them on foot, to reach the Kurdistan region,' Patriarch Sako told AFP. 'This is a humanitarian disaster; the churches are occupied, their crosses were taken down.' He added that up to 1,500 manuscripts were burnt.
The Vatican said in a statement: 'His Holiness addresses an urgent appeal to the international community to take action to end the humanitarian tragedy now underway, to act to protect those affected or threatened by violence and to provide aid, especially for the most urgent needs of the many who have been forced to flee and who depend on the solidarity of others.'
While Iraq's Christian population has declined steeply since the end of the Iraq War, there are still some 450,000 - 1.2 per cent of the country - living there.
The rush of people expelled from their homes or fleeing violence has exacerbated Iraq's already-dire humanitarian crisis, with some 200,000 Iraqis joining the 1.5 million people already displaced from violence this year.
Yesterday, the al-Qaida breakaway Islamic State posted a statement online confirming it had captured the Mosul Dam and vowing to continue 'the march in all directions,' as it expands its self-styled caliphate.
The group said it has seized a total of 17 Iraqi cities, towns and targets - including Qaraqush and Sinjar. Their statement could not be independently verified, but it was posted on a website frequently used by militants.
Obama's announcements reflected the deepest American engagement in Iraq since US troops withdrew in late 2011 after nearly a decade of war.
Mr Obama, who made today's remarks in a steady and sombre tone, has staked much of his legacy as president on ending what he has called the 'dumb war' in Iraq.
The president said the humanitarian airdrops were made at the request of the Iraqi government.
'We thank Barack Obama,' said Khalid Jamal Alber, from the religious affairs ministry in the semi-autonomous Kurdish government in northern Iraq.
In Baghdad, the Ministry of the Displaced also welcomed the aid drops. The ministry's spokesman, Satar Nawrouz, said the drops came 'just in time.'
Mindful of the public's aversion to another lengthy war, Mr Obama acknowledged that the prospect of a new round of US military action would be a cause for concern among many Americans.
He vowed anew not to put American combat troops back on the ground in Iraq and said there was no US military solution to the crisis.
'As commander in chief, I will not allow the United States to be dragged into fighting another war in Iraq,' Mr Obama said.
Even so, he outlined a rationale for airstrikes if the Islamic State militants advance on American troops in the northern city of Erbil and the US consulate there in the Kurdish region of Iraq.
The troops were sent to Iraq earlier this year as part of the White House response to the extremist group's swift movement across the border with Syria and into Iraq.
'When the lives of American citizens are at risk, we will take action,' Mr Obama said. 'That's my responsibility as commander in chief.'
He said he had also authorised the use of targeted military strikes if necessary to help the Iraqi security forces protect civilians.
The president spoke following a day of urgent discussions with his national security team.
He addressed the nation only after the American military aircraft delivering food and water to the Iraqis had safely left the drop site in northern Iraq.
The Pentagon said the airdrops were performed by one C-17 and two C-130 cargo aircraft that together delivered a total of 72 bundles of food and water.
They were escorted by two F/A-18 fighters from an undisclosed air base in the region.
The planes delivered 5,300 gallons of fresh drinking water and 8,000 pre-packaged meals and were over the drop area for less than 15 minutes at a low altitude.
The president cast the mission to assist the Yazidis as part of the American mandate to assist around the world when the US has the unique capabilities to help avert a massacre.
In those cases, Mr Obama said, 'we can act carefully and responsibly to prevent a potential act of genocide'.
Officials said the US was prepared to undertake additional humanitarian airdrops if necessary, though they did not say how quickly those missions could occur.
And today, David Cameron welcomed US President Obama's decision to authorise airstrikes, saying the world must help religious minorities in Iraq who are under threat from the militants 'in their hour of desperate need' - but ruled out any British military intervention.
Instead, he said he had asked officials to look into what assistance the UK can provide.
In a statement on Friday morning, Mr Cameron said: 'I am extremely concerned by the appalling situation in Iraq and the desperate situation facing hundreds of thousands of Iraqis. And I utterly condemn the barbaric attacks being waged by Isil terrorists across the region.
'I am especially concerned for the minority Yazidi community now trapped on Mount Sinjar, where they have fled for their lives.
Meanwhile, Pope Francis begged world leaders to help end the crisis, after Iraq's largest Christian town was sacked sending tens of thousands of Iraqi Christians fleeing for their lives.
Yesterday ISIS captured Qaraqush and several others near Mosul following the withdrawal of Kurdish peshmerga fighters.
'(The Christians) have fled with nothing but their clothes, some of them on foot, to reach the Kurdistan region,' Patriarch Sako told AFP. 'This is a humanitarian disaster; the churches are occupied, their crosses were taken down.' He added that up to 1,500 manuscripts were burnt.
The Vatican said in a statement: 'His Holiness addresses an urgent appeal to the international community to take action to end the humanitarian tragedy now underway, to act to protect those affected or threatened by violence and to provide aid, especially for the most urgent needs of the many who have been forced to flee and who depend on the solidarity of others.'
While Iraq's Christian population has declined steeply since the end of the Iraq War, there are still some 450,000 - 1.2 per cent of the country - living there.
The rush of people expelled from their homes or fleeing violence has exacerbated Iraq's already-dire humanitarian crisis, with some 200,000 Iraqis joining the 1.5 million people already displaced from violence this year.
Yesterday, the al-Qaida breakaway Islamic State posted a statement online confirming it had captured the Mosul Dam and vowing to continue 'the march in all directions,' as it expands its self-styled caliphate.
The group said it has seized a total of 17 Iraqi cities, towns and targets - including Qaraqush and Sinjar. Their statement could not be independently verified, but it was posted on a website frequently used by militants.
Obama's announcements reflected the deepest American engagement in Iraq since US troops withdrew in late 2011 after nearly a decade of war.
Mr Obama, who made today's remarks in a steady and sombre tone, has staked much of his legacy as president on ending what he has called the 'dumb war' in Iraq.
The president said the humanitarian airdrops were made at the request of the Iraqi government.
'We thank Barack Obama,' said Khalid Jamal Alber, from the religious affairs ministry in the semi-autonomous Kurdish government in northern Iraq.
In Baghdad, the Ministry of the Displaced also welcomed the aid drops. The ministry's spokesman, Satar Nawrouz, said the drops came 'just in time.'
Mindful of the public's aversion to another lengthy war, Mr Obama acknowledged that the prospect of a new round of US military action would be a cause for concern among many Americans.
He vowed anew not to put American combat troops back on the ground in Iraq and said there was no US military solution to the crisis.
'As commander in chief, I will not allow the United States to be dragged into fighting another war in Iraq,' Mr Obama said.
Even so, he outlined a rationale for airstrikes if the Islamic State militants advance on American troops in the northern city of Erbil and the US consulate there in the Kurdish region of Iraq.
The troops were sent to Iraq earlier this year as part of the White House response to the extremist group's swift movement across the border with Syria and into Iraq.
'When the lives of American citizens are at risk, we will take action,' Mr Obama said. 'That's my responsibility as commander in chief.'
He said he had also authorised the use of targeted military strikes if necessary to help the Iraqi security forces protect civilians.
The president spoke following a day of urgent discussions with his national security team.
He addressed the nation only after the American military aircraft delivering food and water to the Iraqis had safely left the drop site in northern Iraq.
The Pentagon said the airdrops were performed by one C-17 and two C-130 cargo aircraft that together delivered a total of 72 bundles of food and water.
They were escorted by two F/A-18 fighters from an undisclosed air base in the region.
The planes delivered 5,300 gallons of fresh drinking water and 8,000 pre-packaged meals and were over the drop area for less than 15 minutes at a low altitude.
The president cast the mission to assist the Yazidis as part of the American mandate to assist around the world when the US has the unique capabilities to help avert a massacre.
In those cases, Mr Obama said, 'we can act carefully and responsibly to prevent a potential act of genocide'.
Officials said the US was prepared to undertake additional humanitarian airdrops if necessary, though they did not say how quickly those missions could occur.
And today, David Cameron welcomed US President Obama's decision to authorise airstrikes, saying the world must help religious minorities in Iraq who are under threat from the militants 'in their hour of desperate need' - but ruled out any British military intervention.
Instead, he said he had asked officials to look into what assistance the UK can provide.
In a statement on Friday morning, Mr Cameron said: 'I am extremely concerned by the appalling situation in Iraq and the desperate situation facing hundreds of thousands of Iraqis. And I utterly condemn the barbaric attacks being waged by Isil terrorists across the region.
'I am especially concerned for the minority Yazidi community now trapped on Mount Sinjar, where they have fled for their lives.
[h=3]WHO ARE THE YAZIDIS?[/h]
There are about 700,000 Yazidis in the world, living chiefly in northern Iraq and on Mount Sinjar.
They are ethnically Kurdish but adhere to a religion founded some 6,000 years ago by an Ummayyad sheikh.
The religion, while it predates Christianity and Islam, incorporates elements of each, as well as Zoroastrianism, an ancient belief founded by an Iranian philosopher in around 6BC.
The Yazidis live in small communities mainly scattered through northwest Iraq, north west Syria and south east Turkey, although members are also found in Georgia and Armenia.
Accounts of their population vary, with estimates ranging from 50,000 to a million, and their number has fallen considerably over the past 100 years.
Despite this, they have a well-organised society, following a chief sheikh as their religious leader and an emir, or prince, as the secular head.
The religion is centred around worship of the fallen archangel Melek Tawwus, or Peacock Angel.
But unlike Satan's fall from grace, Melek Tawwus was readmitted into Heaven by God and represents humanity's potential for both good and evil.
For this reason, the Yazidis have unfairly garnered a reputation as devil-worshippers among certain faiths, and have faced centuries of alienation, oppression and attempted extermination. Yazidis - who do not believe in hell or evil - deny they are.
Many Yazidi traditions are shrouded in such secrecy that most have never been witnessed by outsiders. Yazidis regard marriage outside their faith as a sin punishable by ostracism or even death to restore lost honour.
Most Yazidis, even young people, choose to live in their isolated communities, though they often face extreme poverty.
The Yazidis have been targeted before, and claim to have been subjected to 72 genocides during the Ottoman rule of the 18th and 19th centuries.
In 2007 a series of massive truck bombs in northern Iraq killed nearly 500 villagers from the group in August 2007.
Now, forced to flee after the Islamic State group gave them an ultimatum to convert to Islam, pay a religious fine, flee or face death, the plight of these secretive people is under the world's spotlight.
There are about 700,000 Yazidis in the world, living chiefly in northern Iraq and on Mount Sinjar.
They are ethnically Kurdish but adhere to a religion founded some 6,000 years ago by an Ummayyad sheikh.
The religion, while it predates Christianity and Islam, incorporates elements of each, as well as Zoroastrianism, an ancient belief founded by an Iranian philosopher in around 6BC.
The Yazidis live in small communities mainly scattered through northwest Iraq, north west Syria and south east Turkey, although members are also found in Georgia and Armenia.
Accounts of their population vary, with estimates ranging from 50,000 to a million, and their number has fallen considerably over the past 100 years.
Despite this, they have a well-organised society, following a chief sheikh as their religious leader and an emir, or prince, as the secular head.
The religion is centred around worship of the fallen archangel Melek Tawwus, or Peacock Angel.
But unlike Satan's fall from grace, Melek Tawwus was readmitted into Heaven by God and represents humanity's potential for both good and evil.
For this reason, the Yazidis have unfairly garnered a reputation as devil-worshippers among certain faiths, and have faced centuries of alienation, oppression and attempted extermination. Yazidis - who do not believe in hell or evil - deny they are.
Many Yazidi traditions are shrouded in such secrecy that most have never been witnessed by outsiders. Yazidis regard marriage outside their faith as a sin punishable by ostracism or even death to restore lost honour.
Most Yazidis, even young people, choose to live in their isolated communities, though they often face extreme poverty.
The Yazidis have been targeted before, and claim to have been subjected to 72 genocides during the Ottoman rule of the 18th and 19th centuries.
In 2007 a series of massive truck bombs in northern Iraq killed nearly 500 villagers from the group in August 2007.
Now, forced to flee after the Islamic State group gave them an ultimatum to convert to Islam, pay a religious fine, flee or face death, the plight of these secretive people is under the world's spotlight.
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It begins: Two F/A18 fighter jets like these were dispatched from the USS George H. W. Bush to unleash 500lb-bombs on a group of Islamic militants towing artillery outside Erbil near U.S. personnel
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Battle ready: Peshmerga Kurds show of their readiness to fight ISIS on streets of Kurdish capital Erbil last night. But their apparent confidence belied growing fears in the city, long considered a safe haven, where civilians began flooding the airport in a futile attempt to buy tickets to Baghdad
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Stretched: The Kurdish peshmerga fighters, Iraq's most formidable fighting force, have thus far fought tirelessly to defend their northern heartland, but are becoming stretched thin across several fronts
'They fear slaughter if they descend back down the slopes but face starvation and dehydration if they remain on the mountain. The world must help them in their hour of desperate need.
'I welcome president Obama's decision to accept the Iraqi government's request for help and to conduct targeted US airstrikes, if necessary, to help Iraqi forces as they fight back against ISIS terrorists to free the civilians trapped on Mount Sinjar.
'And I fully agree with the president that we should stand up for the values we believe in - the right to freedom and dignity, whatever your religious beliefs.'
A Downing Street spokeswoman said the UK was 'not planning a military intervention'.
But Mr Cameron added: 'I have tasked officials to urgently establish what more we can do to provide help to those affected, including those in grave need of food, water and shelter in the Sinjar area.'
U.S. administration officials said they believe unilateral US strikes would be consistent with international law in part because the Iraqi government has asked for Washington to take military action.
They also said Mr Obama had the constitutional authority to act on his own in order to protect American citizens.
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Not enough: Villagers say food delivered by the Iraqi army by helicopters is insufficient and people are beginning to die of starvation and thirst in the extreme heat
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Dying: It is reported that dozens of people, mostly children, have died of hunger and thirst since ISIS fighters surrounded Mount Sinjar
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Fleeing: Officials said, tens of thousands of Iraqis, mainly Yazidi and Christian families, living in Iraq's Sinjar district bordering Syria were desperately trying to escape the country for fear of massacres by the militants
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Safe for now: Iraqi Christians who fled the violence in the village of Qaraqush, about 30 kilometres east of the northern province of Nineveh, rest upon their arrival at the Saint-Joseph church in the Kurdish city of Arbil, in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region
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Scared: ISIS hoards have been particularly ruthless in their treatment of Iraqi Christians. Thousands have fled since ISIS seized Qaraqush, Iraq's largest Christian town, and several others near Mosul following the withdrawal of Kurdish peshmerga fighters, inhabitants said
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Shockwaves: David Cameron (left) welcomed U.S. intervention in Iraq but ruled out British military involvement while Pope Francis begged world leaders to step in
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Isis fighters reportedly gained control of this dam in Mosul, giving them power over the main water supply to Baghdad
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Fight back: Soldiers of the Kurdish Peshmerga forces and Shiite volunteers take position during fighting with ISIS fighters, in Amerly town, northeastern Baghdad. The Kurds, who suffered horrifically under Saddam Hussein, have exploited the recent crisis to grant themselves greater autonomy
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Brave: But the Kurds have nonetheless fought tirelessly against the ISIS hoards in a desperate bid to protect their heartland and other religious denominations under threat
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Back to Iraq? The announcements reflected the deepest American engagement in Iraq since US troops withdrew in late 2011 after nearly a decade of war
In light of the militants' advances, Mr Obama sent about 800 US forces to Iraq earlier this year, with those troops largely split between joint operation centres in Baghdad and Erbil.
More than half are providing security for the embassy and US personnel. American service members also are involved in improving US intelligence, providing security cooperation and conducting assessments of Iraqi capabilities.
Officials said there were no plans to evacuate those Americans from Iraq but that the US was conducting enhanced intelligence flights over Erbil with both manned and unmanned aircrafts in order to monitor the deteriorating conditions.
If the president were to order actual airstrikes in Iraq, it is all but certain he would proceed without formal congressional approval.
Politicians left town last week for a five-week recess, and there was no sign that Congress was being called back.
Yeah ideally the Turkish airforce who are minutes away would take out ISIS if Turkey wasn't run by a terrorist who plays all sides.
But let's see if you're talking through a paper asshole again, or you know the following details?
The US has about 40 military advisers in Irbil and 200 or so troops are thought to be in the area, about 30 miles from advancing ISIS militias. They would be killed. We should not protect them?
ISIS drove out the Peshmerga Kurdish fighters protecting dozens of villages. About 200,000 people had minutes to escape and are now refugees. Some are sleeping on concrete floors of unfinished buildings, huddled in churches, dying of thirst on a mountaintop while you sip your morning coffee. ISIS would no doubt kill them all. That would wipe out (genocide) the Yazidis. We should not protect them either?
When DOES the US get involved in fighting ISIS? ISIS terror plots have already been stopped in Spain and France. And:
ISIS Soldier Behind Brussels Jewish Museum Killings, Says France’s Hollande
Guesser if every president the last 100 years followed your military playbook, which has a front and back cover with only blank pages on the inside -- we would all be long dead.
