ISIS: mass casualty attacks?? | World Defense

ISIS: mass casualty attacks??

LilAnn

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ISIS seen building capacity for mass casualty attacks - CNNPolitics.com


ISIS seen building capacity for mass casualty attacks


Washington (CNN)Some in the U.S. intelligence community warn that ISIS may be working to build the capability to carry out mass casualty attacks, a significant departure from the terror group's current focus on encouraging lone wolf attacks, a senior U.S. intelligence official told CNN on Friday.

To date, the intelligence view has been that ISIS is focused on less ambitious attacks, involving one or a small group of attackers armed with simple weapons. In contrast, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, has been viewed as both more focused on -- and more capable of -- mass casualty attacks, such as plots on commercial aviation. Now the intelligence community is divided.

Meanwhile, the U.S. effort to train rebels in Syria to fight ISIS is having trouble. The few rebels that the U.S. has put through training are already in disarray, with defense officials telling CNN that up to half are missing, having deserted soon after training or having been captured after last week's attack by the al-Qaeda-affiliated Nusra Front attack on a rebel site.

One defense official admitted to CNN that "they are no longer a coherent military unit," and Pentagon officials acknowledged the approach of how to support the rebels has to change.

The potential change within ISIS itself is driven -- in part -- by a broadening competition between ISIS and AQAP for attention and recruits.

That same competition was evident this week when AQAP bomb-maker Ibrahim al-Asiri made an online appeal to supporters to carry out lone wolf attacks.

"I think they're taking a lot of the new recruits that don't have time to train, who have not been brought up in their systems, and they're using them to create the type of mass casualty which produces the media attention, which is exactly what they want, that shows they're still powerful," said CNN Military analysts Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling. Meanwhile, ISIS is continuing to draw large numbers of new foreign recruits. U.S. intelligence assesses that the formidable flow of foreign fighters to Syria and Iraq has not abated.

Currently, the total number of ISIS fighters is between 20,000 and 30,000, similar to the levels when the air campaign began, despite thousands of ISIS fighters believed to have been killed in coalition air strikes.

Turkey, the prime transit point into Syria, is still struggling to stem the flow. However, the U.S. believes its agreement to allow U.S. air strikes from a Turkish air base and to help establish a safe zone indicate Istanbul is stepping up.

The administration is also claiming gains on the ground.

"In Iraq, ISIL has lost the freedom to operate in some 30% of the territory that they held last summer," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters Friday, using another name for ISIS. "Overall, ISIL has lost more than 17,000 square kilometers of territory in northern Syria."
 

ke gordon

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I think the U.S. has to do better in terms of thwaritng this group. Maybe infilitrating in he ranks would the best way to bring this group down. Clearly our strategy in this matter needs some adjustment. It is one of the things we need to do in order to support the coalition of individuals who are trying to bring down these ISIS fighters.
 

LilAnn

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I think the U.S. has to do better in terms of thwaritng this group. Maybe infilitrating in he ranks would the best way to bring this group down. Clearly our strategy in this matter needs some adjustment. It is one of the things we need to do in order to support the coalition of individuals who are trying to bring down these ISIS fighters.
It seems like everyone is afraid of them, or doesn't think they can win.
 

Redheart

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Only ground troops could defeat ISIS. The U.S-led anti-ISIS coalition was concentrating more on air strikes but now that Turkey has waded into the fray, the terrorists don't stand a chance against such an army. And like I said a little while back, Assad's enemies will be more than willing to help Syrian rebels fight ISIS once the Syrian president is out of power.
It seems like everyone is afraid of them, or doesn't think they can win.
An ISIS-free zone [on Turkey's border] will make it a lot harder for ISIS recruits to join the terrorists. Attrition will then weaken them and defeat will follow soon after.
 

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There is an article I read this week that Turkey and the US are aligning their forces for a possible relentless attack against the ISIS. And the planned action is aimed at cleansing the border of ISIS forces or whatever ISIS influence there is. It looks like an air attack would be launched before the ground forces advance to reclaim the territory.
 

LilAnn

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I hope they can do enough damage to make a difference. They remind me of a virus, or a cancer. They can't do anything without hurting innocent people. And as cold, and calloused as it sounds, its only going to get worse if we don't. Its a numbers game. How many innocent lives will be destroyed by an attack versus how many people will ISIS kill if they aren't attacked?
 

Determined2014

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ISIS seen building capacity for mass casualty attacks - CNNPolitics.com


ISIS seen building capacity for mass casualty attacks


Washington (CNN)Some in the U.S. intelligence community warn that ISIS may be working to build the capability to carry out mass casualty attacks, a significant departure from the terror group's current focus on encouraging lone wolf attacks, a senior U.S. intelligence official told CNN on Friday.

To date, the intelligence view has been that ISIS is focused on less ambitious attacks, involving one or a small group of attackers armed with simple weapons. In contrast, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, has been viewed as both more focused on -- and more capable of -- mass casualty attacks, such as plots on commercial aviation. Now the intelligence community is divided.

Meanwhile, the U.S. effort to train rebels in Syria to fight ISIS is having trouble. The few rebels that the U.S. has put through training are already in disarray, with defense officials telling CNN that up to half are missing, having deserted soon after training or having been captured after last week's attack by the al-Qaeda-affiliated Nusra Front attack on a rebel site.

One defense official admitted to CNN that "they are no longer a coherent military unit," and Pentagon officials acknowledged the approach of how to support the rebels has to change.

The potential change within ISIS itself is driven -- in part -- by a broadening competition between ISIS and AQAP for attention and recruits.

That same competition was evident this week when AQAP bomb-maker Ibrahim al-Asiri made an online appeal to supporters to carry out lone wolf attacks.

"I think they're taking a lot of the new recruits that don't have time to train, who have not been brought up in their systems, and they're using them to create the type of mass casualty which produces the media attention, which is exactly what they want, that shows they're still powerful," said CNN Military analysts Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling. Meanwhile, ISIS is continuing to draw large numbers of new foreign recruits. U.S. intelligence assesses that the formidable flow of foreign fighters to Syria and Iraq has not abated.

Currently, the total number of ISIS fighters is between 20,000 and 30,000, similar to the levels when the air campaign began, despite thousands of ISIS fighters believed to have been killed in coalition air strikes.

Turkey, the prime transit point into Syria, is still struggling to stem the flow. However, the U.S. believes its agreement to allow U.S. air strikes from a Turkish air base and to help establish a safe zone indicate Istanbul is stepping up.

The administration is also claiming gains on the ground.

"In Iraq, ISIL has lost the freedom to operate in some 30% of the territory that they held last summer," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters Friday, using another name for ISIS. "Overall, ISIL has lost more than 17,000 square kilometers of territory in northern Syria."
The U.S has to somehow find a way of attacking or bringing down the main root of ISIS, once they can get the big leaders of this group then it will weaken it, tthey have to take down the master minds of theis group, since they have done alot of damage and are still planning to go at it.
 

Sinan

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The U.S has to somehow find a way of attacking or bringing down the main root of ISIS, once they can get the big leaders of this group then it will weaken it, tthey have to take down the master minds of theis group, since they have done alot of damage and are still planning to go at it.
I will give my opinion.

Bloodshed in ME will not end. All the problems roots happen to be when Ottoman Empire dismantled. Artificial countries created by England&France by completely disregarding sects of the people.
-In Iraq for decades Sunnis ruled over majority Shia
-In Syria Shias ruled over majority Sunnis.
-In Yemen Sunnis ruled over majority Shias.
Artificial Jewish state found in the hearth of Arabs. List goes on.

In Iraq, Saddam hanged and rule of the country given to Shias. Then this time they saw it as an opportunity to get back at Sunnis and this action gave birth to ISIS. So, it's proven that even giving the ruling power to majority doesn't fix the problem.

I think, decades, centuries needed to get this region settled.
 
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