Jihad Watch

Exposing the role that Islamic jihad theology and ideology play in the modern global conflicts

House approves Obama’s foredoomed plan to arm “moderate” jihadists against “extremist” jihadists

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Boehner Breitbart reported last week that “the US-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA), Al Nusra Front, and the Islamic State have paired together in order to fight President Bashar al-Assad’s Syrian Armed Forces, according to statements from multiple commanders from within the FSA. ‘We are collaborating with the Islamic State and the Nusra Front by attacking the Syrian Army’s gatherings in… Qalamoun,’ said Bassel Idriss, a commander of a Free Syrian Army brigade.”

In July 2013, Free Syrian Army fighters entered the Christian village of Oum Sharshouh and began burning down houses and terrorizing the population, forcing 250 Christian families to flee the area. Worthy News reported that just two days later, Free Syrian Army rebels “targeted the residents of al-Duwayr/Douar, a Christian village close to the city of Homs and near Syria’s border with Lebanon….Around 350 armed militants forcefully entered the homes of Christian families who were all rounded-up in the main square of the village and then summarily executed.” And in September 2013, a day after Secretary of State John Kerry praised the Free Syrian Army as “a real moderate opposition,” the FSA took to the Internet to post videos of its attack on the ancient Syrian Christian city of Maaloula, one of the few places where Aramaic, the language of Jesus, is still spoken.

These are the moderates Obama and Boehner want to arm.

“House approves Syria aid,” by Scott Wong and Cristina Marcos, The Hill, September 17, 2014 (thanks to Pamela Geller):

The House voted Wednesday to grant President Obama authority to train and arm moderate Syrian rebels waging war against Islamic extremists.

Despite vocal opposition from both war-weary liberals and defense hawks who feel the Syria plan should include more robust steps, majorities in both conferences voted 273-156 to back Obama’s plan to give military aid to vetted members of the Free Syrian Army.

The total yes vote included 114 Democrats and 159 Republicans; opposition was just as bipartisan, with 85 Democrats and 71 Republicans voting no. The Syria language was considered as an amendment to a stopgap funding bill to avert a government shutdown on Oct. 1.

The House later Wednesday is expected to pass the $1 trillion continuing resolution or CR, and will then send the full package over to the Senate, which is expected to approve it on Thursday.

Earlier in the day, Obama pledged that he would not send in ground troops to fight ISIS, saying it’s more effective to support military allies “so they can secure their own countries future.”

“I will not commit you, and the rest of our Armed Forces, to fighting another ground war in Iraq,” Obama declared flatly during an appearance at MacDill Air Force Base, which houses the U.S. Central Command.

The comments were aimed at soothing members unnerved by comments a day earlier from the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Gen. Martin Dempsey raised the possibility that U.S. ground troops could be used against ISIS on a “case-by-case” basis.

Wednesday’s vote tees up a larger debate over whether Congress should vote to authorize a broader war against Islamic State fighters. Members of both parties said that Congress should consider a full authorization of military force against the terror group known as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) — or at least have that fight out in the open.

“I think more and more members are beginning to understand that this is the beginning of what I think is going to be a very necessary and intense debate about what we should be doing there,” said Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.), co-chair of the Progressive Caucus and a “no” vote on the Syria amendment and CR.

“I think it will be a lame-duck debate,” he said.

The narrower Syria amendment, introduced by Armed Services Committee Chairman Buck McKeon (R-Calif.) and backed by congressional leaders in both parties, places some restrictions on the president’s authority.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel would have to notify lawmakers at least 15 days before beginning any training of Syrian rebels, and would have to ensure all fighters being trained in the program receive background checks. The Pentagon also would be required to provide status briefings to Congress every 90 days.

But the McKeon amendment explicitly does not authorize the use of military force against ISIS.

White House officials have argued that the military authorization passed by Congress in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks has allowed them to carry out targeted air strikes against ISIS in Iraq.

But there are Republicans and Democrats alike who want to see a vote on a full-scale military authorization in the near future — a way to ensure Congress doesn’t cede its constitutional power to declare war.

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), who voted against the amendment, said that the U.S. should establish a full-scale military authorization instead of using potentially unreliable Syrian rebels as a proxy to fight ISIS.

“It seems to me we should take our best possible tool, which is the United States military, and with all resources at our fingertips, defeat the Islamic State as quickly as we possibly can,” said Bachmann, who serves on the Intelligence Committee.

Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mike McCaul (R-Texas), who backed the Syria measure, said it would be his “strong desire” for Congress to vote on full authorization.

“You’ve got the War Powers Act expiring,” he told The Hill, “but I think with the threat landscape evolving the way it has been, you’d have to update it.”

Despite opposition from many anti-war Democrats, Rep. Steve Israel (D-N.Y.), who serves as chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said that supporting the proposal was better than if the U.S. does nothing in response to ISIS.

“ISIL is not just a threat. It is a savage threat. And what message do we send to the potential beheaders around the world if we bury our head in the sand?” Israel said.

Other liberal Democrats remained skeptical that arming the Syrian rebels and becoming involved in a Middle East conflict would effectively protect the U.S. from a terrorist threat from ISIS.

“I cannot support what could turn into a war on three fronts: fighting ISIS in Iraq, fighting ISIS in Syria and potentially [President Bashar] Assad in Syria,” said Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.).

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Filed Under: Barack Obama, Moderate Muslims, Syria, willful ignorance Tagged With:

Comments

  1. We would do far better to arm the Syrian Kurdish YPG. The heroes–and heroines–Mt. Sinjar and of Makhmour, of Kobane–all losses for the Islamic State.

    • They opened up a route of escape for the Yezidis, crossing 25 miles from NE Syria to do so. They shored-up the defenses of Erbil. The bloodied the IS’ noses and turned them back.

    • Kobani is under siege tonight, as the IS have overrun 21 surrounding villages in the last 3 days–with reports of atrocities, no doubt credible.
      The IS is using OUR TANKS and ARMORED HUMVEES in their assault. Obama won’t do anything–though he could if he willed–to help Kobani’s Kurds. Turkey’s Erdogan could care less, even though Kobani is right on Turkey’s border.

  2. September, 2015: US House of Representatives passes bill allowing the arming of Shia militias to fight the radical Sunni government in Syria guilty of genocide in late 2014

    Bachmann got it right, again.

    • You thave it all wrong the redal are suni and the leader of Syria is than Shia.

  3. My God, the ignorance of the current Amerian political elite is simply stunning. Democrats and Republicans alike, in huge numbers, seem determined to place the blame anywhere but where it belongs, i.e., on Islam, on all of this decrepit, disgusting, dysfunctional, freedom-crushing religion. Hence the idiotic refrain and policy, to wit, “moderate” Muslims are to be supported against “radical” Muslims.

    Is there no end to this massive foolishness? To this doubling down? I see none in sight and that is why I contend that the current crop of Western elites, in America, Britain, France, et al., will eventually be accorded the status of the finest examples of useful idiots in all of history——-that is if good prevails over evil, which is still in doubt because of the continued craven bowing to Islam on the premise (a false one if ever there were one) that it is something good rather than what it truly is, i.e., just about the greatest wickedness that man has ever invented.

    In short, the Age of Nonsense marches on. No end in sight right now. Wish there were, but there ain’t.

    • Roger that, Well.

      Because we believe in the myth of the Moderate, we also believe in the myth on the “Success of the surge.”

      In that so-claimed “success,” we funded, armed, trained, all at high cost to us, many of the Islamic fighters that comprised the Iraqi Resistance; many, if not most, of those, had planted the road-side bombs that maimed or killed many of our troops.

      Many of those fighters in the Sunni realm became what we hailed and acclaimed as the “Sons of Iraq,” our Allies against “Al-Qaida.”

      Many of those “Sons of Iraq,” of late reasoned, Allah’s Troops in the Islamic State were better boys to run with and fight for that those in Maliki’s Army, whom we also trained, funded, and armed.

      So when the Army that many of the Sons of Iraq are now fighting in, using, we need note, the skills, funds, and weaponry we provided them with, coupled with their faith, met up with Maliki’s Army, Maliki’s Army—a house we also built and touted as proof of our success—crumble.

      Dropped weapons and high-tailed it.

      That is reality.

      Nevertheless, since, when it come to Islam and it adherents, “we” are reality averse, we are also reality rejective with the fact of our abject stupidity, at best, thus of our failure in wise spending in our so-called wars in these Muslim nations and conflicts.

      So we continue believing in the imaginary Moderate—though it fall at our side, like the skin-pierced balloon, we pounce it up, patch it up, with great effort, breath “life” back into it, prop it up, dab it up and strut off proudly with our trustworthy companion at our side. So too, with the imaginary Victory in the “Post Saddam” Iraq.

      Thus we continue seeking, pursuing after that same “Victory” in challenge after challenge, involving Muslims, following the same template of “Success.” And thus we will continue until hell freezes over or we wake up to reality.

      The proof is in the pudding, and the house we built in the “New Iraq,” when the winds came, that house crumbled.

      So here we go again, everybody get on board: support your local moderate, the rising stars of the deadlier, more skillfully combat trained and armed Jihad Army of tomorrow.

    • Wellington, you tell me you’re an agnostic, but you appeal to God out of shock at our leaders’ ignorance, just as if you were Uncle Kepha himself. Sorry, couldn’t help myself. ;]

      If it’s any comfort to you, I’ve been feeling the same sort of discomfort ever since 1979, and this queasy feeling was only deepened when I joined the Foreign Service and saw such a woeful morass of wishful thinking, Silly ‘Sixties platitudinizing, and inability to look beyond one’s own miseducation from people who supposedly were watching the ground closely in various places between Mauretania and Mindanao. To wax biblical, we have the blind leading the blind–and then an addled, dreamy flower child [I guess I show my age] or two into the bargain as well.

  4. I just want to understand this so I know to laugh at the joke or cry myself to sleep.
    The US government is going to BORROW 1 trillion dollars, ARM an islamic cult sect who have a history of murdering Christians, and HOPE they will defeat ISIS, and then hope again their version of islam is compatible or at least tolerable with western countries and their culture and that should solve the problem?
    Makes sense to me!

    • As well it should, as was the bangup success the last billion we spent in the New Iraqi Army.

      Jizyah.

    • Well, I guess if, God forbid, such a thing happened to me and I still had sufficient consciousness and strength left, I’d probably call on the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit myself. A lot of people pray in extremis.

  6. House approves Obama’s foredoomed plan to arm “moderate” jihadists against “extremist” jihadists
    ……………………………….

    Suicidal madness. Just because so many in the US *really really* want there to be a “moderate”, democratic opposition to Assad will not make it so.

    All it leads to is fantasy-based foreign policy.

  7. What madness! Absolute insanity defying description!

    I feel doom!

    And we the already-overworked taxpayers are going to be funding this travesty.

    The denial of reality by today’s Western leaders may well be unparalleled in its deadly folly.

  8. Soon American GROUND TROOPS will be fighting jihadists who have been armed by Obama.

    What an idiot.

  9. The left frames the narrative. Muslims are only cast as victims, which is why the reality of Muslims carrying out genocide and being slave traders is dismissed as having nothing to do with Islam.

    How can we win a fight against an enemy we are too cowardly to name???

    • “How can we win a fight against an enemy we are too cowardly to name???”

      Uhhh… Arm, train, fund, promote and empower him?

  12. The extremists are the ones that are meant to be retarded savages but yet again congress goes one level lower. Who should we be really afraid of… ISIS or the Whitehouse administration ?

  13. This is a horrible plan guaranteed to fail.

    It’s time for the few leaders in Washington DC who have a pair of balls to speak the truth. No Muslim can be trusted. The “moderate” Muslim is as real as a unicorn.

    Islam must end, in every form. The Koran is pure evil.

    We have the resources to force every Muslim government on Earth to criminalize Islam inside of two weeks, at a cost of less than $7B, without costing one Allied Soldier’s life.

    Remember how we won WWII? God gave America the intelligence and resources to build nuclear weapons to confront Evil.

    All we need is the will.

  14. The House voted Wednesday to grant President Obama authority to train and arm moderate Syrian rebels waging war against Islamic extremists.

    Just like during WW2, when the US armed moderate nazis to fight extremist nazis; or during the cold war, when the US armed moderate communists to fight extremist communists… Wait, that didn’t happen? Gee, I wonder why…

  15. Who is the bloke in the photograph, who looks as if he’s about to burst into tears ?

    • John Boehner, US Speaker of the House of Representatives, a Republican, and #3 in line for the US Presidency. If Obama and Biden were to die simultaneously, this man becomes POTUS.

      He’s well known to get emotional with tears, and he’s also quite patriotic. He’d be 1000 times better as our President than Obama.

  16. I don’t get it…really don’t get it.
    Why hundreds and thousands and millions of ‘muslims’ aren’t saying to the rest of us why the oppression of so many people in the islamic world is more preferable to the free world.

  17. Once again, the US in trying to accomplish some geopolitical sleight of hand, strengthens the enemies of peaceful-minded people everywhere.

    While Americans will bear the economic cost of such decisions, it is the innocent people who live in the middle east and south Asia who will bear the human cost of the wars these weapons will be used in.

    While Obama pushed for this, a majority of the people’s representatives supported this. This is not ignorance, this is willful apathy towards both, the American taxpayers as well as innocent lives that will be lost as a consequence.

  18. Let’s be sensible here folks, we should arm the losing side, when the losing side is winning we should arm the new losing side and so on until they all kill each other. What’s the problem?

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