For John, BLUF: The Administration may be gearing up to go back into the Middle East. Nothing to see here; just move along.
Yesterday would have been Ms Kayla Mueller's 27th Birthday. The New Yorker, through Writer Lawrence Wright, asks why she was where she was when she was killed, and who killed her.
It appears she was being held in an ISIL weapons warehouse that was attacked by Jordanian Air Force F-16s. The Jordanians had attacked the warehouse previously, partly damaging it. The Writer asks why they would go back. I respond, to finish the job. While for the targeteers 50% area coverage may be good enough, for the fighter pilot flying the mission, 50% area coverage isn't really good enough.
But, the story touches on the fact that the Daesch leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was repeatedly raping Ms Mueller. She was his sex slave. If you read The Washington Post story from today, Mr Baghdadi was also torturing Ms Mueller, and the FBI has told her parents.
These stories follow a story in The New York Times, by Mr Rukmini Callimachi, from 13 August of this year. A long read, some 14 minutes, it details how Daesh has been raping its way through new territories, with the theological belief that it is what God authorizes and wants. A young Yazidi women who escaped quoted the ISIL fighter who kept her and a 12 year old girl as sex slaves as explaining his repeated rape of a 12 year old with:
"And having sex with her pleases God," he said.But, why these three stories, now? To these three outlets (Old Gray Lady, Wash Post and New Yorker)?
I wonder if this is providing preparation for the public for an announcement that we are going to take new actions in Iraq or Syria or both.
The President's base doesn't want boots on the group, but if this kind of inhumane activity is ongoing it could justify the United States taking a strong hand. We will see.
Regards — Cliff
2 comments:
Do you think Obama really cares? Our biggest threat is climate change, not ISIS. Right know he is more concerned about who will succeed him. Big confab with Bill Clinton on the links yesterday. You save Hillary and we won't drop the hammer on you.
Tom
You make a good point. I think there are a couple of things in motion, and Bill and Hillary are one of them.
It is just that I am intrigued by this renewed emphasis in the press on ISIS and how abusive it is of women. I am also thinking that when Rep Alcee Hastings joined Senator Chuck Schumer on the "opposed" side of the agreement with Iran that the President's advisors may have thought he needed to increase his street 'cred. Not that he cares about this area. He has become a neo-isolationist because he believes when we reach out we break things. And, as you say, he thinks climate change is the real threat.
Regards -- Cliff
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