Islamic State Executed 700 People from Syrian Tribe: Monitoring Group

[Comrade Grumpy]

Source: Reuters

(Reuters) - The Islamic State militant group has executed 700 members of a tribe it has been battling in eastern Syria during the past two weeks, the majority of them civilians, a human rights monitoring group and activists said on Saturday.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which has tracked violence on all sides of the three-year-old conflict, said reliable sources reported beheadings were used to execute many of the al-Sheitaat tribe, which is from Deir al-Zor province.

The conflict between Islamic State and the al-Sheitaat tribe, who number about 70,000, flared after the militants took over two oil fields in July.

“Those who were executed are all al-Sheitaat,” Observatory director Rami Abdelrahman said by telephone from Britain. “Some were arrested, judged and killed.”

Reuters cannot independently verify reports from Syria due to security conditions and reporting restrictions.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/08/16/us-syria-crisis-execution-idUSKBN0GG0H120140816

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Time for Turkey and Iran to join Syria and Iraq and eliminate these medievalists.

[CJCRANE]

1. But AFAIK Turkey helped the rebels.

Also, it seems that they have very effective propaganda and tactics to subdue huge tribes that vastly outnumber them.

[Comrade Grumpy]

2. Yes, Turkey did help the rebels. But not these ones.

Now, perhaps Turkey can make up for its poor policy choices by helping to snuff ISIS.

[CJCRANE]

4. So Turkey supported the good rebels in Syria

but the Iraqi Sunni tribesman allied themselves with the bad rebels from Syria?

[Comrade Grumpy]

11. ISIS has its origins in Iraq. It's the lineal descendant of Al Qaeda in Iraq.

Mr. Baghdadi took ISIS to Syria a couple of years ago because that's where the opportunities were. They now control a bunch of northeast Syria, including the provincial capital of Raqqa (where they put dead soldiers's heads on pikes).

They came roaring back to Iraq a couple of months ago, taking advantage of the weakness of the Iraqi army to seize Mosul and more.

They appeal to Iraqi Sunnis because they're fighting Baghdad, which the Sunnis find oppressive. But there are signs the Sunni tribes are thinking maybe they don't want to live in a caliphate.

[Rhinodawg]

3. I wish they would...but they're not.

Sorry but you got 2 choices.....the US or nobody.

Cruel world.

[quadrature]

5. the alSheitaat tribe needs its own militia

gun control is one IS's
best tactict

[Rhinodawg]

6. Not to mention .....

The 3000 women and girls abducted for sexual slavery.

CG.... If this insanity continues unabated, what would you recommend ?

Jordan Egypt and turkey haven't lifted a finger and won't.

[Shemp Howard]

7. Obama (or somebody) needs to go to the UN

Obama or some other world leader needs to go to the UN, and make a case that massive armed UN intervention is needed, and it's needed right now.

I'd actually prefer that it not be Obama because of the damage America has done to the region. America's hands are not clean, so to speak. But someone needs to get the ball rolling.

I really hate to use the term, but the UN needs to form a coalition of the willing, nations willing to contribute armed forces to stop this madness. I can't imagine that Russia or China would veto such an action.

Just, please, do not put an American or British general in charge. Those nations do not have clean hands in this region.

And if the UN is not willing to act, then what is the UN for?

[potone]

8. That is going to be very hard to do.

The Syrian resistance is made up of many groups, and trying to arm the "good rebels" without arms getting into the hands of the "bad rebels" seems to be almost impossible. If we can stop defeat them in Iraq, maybe we can weaken them in Syria.

[Shemp Howard]

9. I wouldn't arm any rebels.

As you said, it is difficult to tell which rebel groups are "good" and which are "bad." So don't arm any rebels. But most definitely arm the Kurds. A well-armed Kurdish militia backed by UN air power would be a formidible anti-ISIS force.

My hope here would be that a UN army sweep in and destroy ISIS. That could be done mainly by airpower, but some ground troops would be needed also. And that would be a bit risky because of mission creep.

But for the UN to do nothing here, that's beyond tragic.

[Rhinodawg]

10. With all due respect, the UN is going to do NOTHING.

Oh they will say all the right things but forget anything else.