IS seizes last border crossing between Syria-iraq

[Pauls' Revere]

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-32840508


IS has now seized the last border crossing between Syria and Iraq.


Islamic State militants have seized the last Syrian government-controlled border crossing between Syria and Iraq, a monitoring group says.

Government forces withdrew from the al-Tanf crossing in Homs as IS fighters advanced, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said.

The loss of al-Tanf to IS follows the group's takeover of the ancient city of Palmyra on Thursday.

The US says that fighting the militants will be a "difficult challenge".

Islamic State now controls "more than 95,000 sq km (36,679 sq miles)" of Syria, which is 50% of the country's entire territory, the SOHR said.


What a colossal cluster $#@!.

[Zippyjuan]

ISIS is said to control about half of Syria now- but of the area they control 90% is desert. Note that the US quit calling for the removal of Assad as Isis grew in power. An enemy of my enemy is not always my friend. Now US wants both to somehow lose (but at this point would actually prefer Assad stick around).

US policy against ISIS is non-existent. They are trying to seem like they are doing something while also trying to be seen as not getting too involved (for both foreign and domestic reasons). They don't want to take over control of Iraq again and Iraq is too dysfunctional to be able to fight them on their own. ISIS is making gains in Iraq not necessarily because of their own strength but the weakness of Iraq. Bush kicked out the Bathists when he got rid of Saddam. Al Maliki kicked out the Sunnis from sharing power and being in the military so they are very weak and run away.

[69360]

Fighting IS wouldn't be a "difficult challenge". Killing everyone in IS without collateral damage would be the challenge. This might be a moot point eventually. If IS keeps capturing territory and all the residents leave after IS moves in, it wouldn't be too hard to wipe them out.