Top ISIS lieutenant killed in US air strike

[flamingdem]

Source: Daily Mail UK

Two days after video showing the execution of Steven Sotloff was released, US warplanes struck a damaging blow at the heart of ISIS in Mosul, killing Abu Hajar Al-Sufi.

And at the NATO summit in Wales this afternoon, Secretary of State John Kerry was seen to quietly pass President Obama a note during an address by British Prime Minister David Cameron,
.
After Cameron finished speaking, members of the press pool were cleared from the conference hall
While it has not been confirmed if Obama learned of Al-Sufi's death through Kerry's note, the president was noticeably absent for the beginning of a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine commission later-on at the summit.

A senior Iraqi security official confirmed the news of the deadly air strike to NBC News and is the most significant blow against ISIS since the United States began action last month.

Al Arabiya news quoted the Iraqi Defense Ministry to say Baghdadi's aide perished along with an explosives expert and the military chief in nearby town Tel Afar.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2743987/Top-ISIS-lieutenant-killed-US-air-strike-Obama-hits-militants-note-Kerry-handed-president-NATO-summit-cameras-ushered-out.html

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* Another #2 ?

[Nye Bevan]

1. This is a better strategy than paying ransoms (nt)

[flamingdem]

2. Yes, kind of harshes Al Baghdadi's high over murdering Steven Sotloff

Wonder if he a tear for his right hand man.

[Amonester]

33. I doubt that monster has any tears in him...

Probably a prayer to thank Allah for giving him his seventy-two virgins...

[MADem]

3. I got yer ransom right heeeyah.....

I do agree that it's a better strategy.

[flamingdem]

5. !! Didn't waste much time

I know he wasn't the big cheese but this story is barely registering media wise.

This is very demoralizing to the Isis dudes.

[IthinkThereforeIAM]

10. True, U.K. militants that went to Syria...

... are begging the Brit's to let them come, "home", as per the BBC News I was watching on PBS an hour or so ago. Was surprised to see they offered them the chance to return to U.K. with several conditions, one being submitting to constant surveillance.

[flamingdem]

19. I can see it, the Brits think it's so great to be a Brit

that they can't resist letting them back to reform themselves.

Oh wayward youth!

That sounds kind of sad! These kids must be truly freaking out down there if they meant to fight Assad. Well it's a good story that they went to fight Assad anyway.

[MADem]

64. They're intel goldmines--and they can be flipped, ostensibly.

They might have to go back in with a new name and backstory in future--they won't be reliable, necessarily, but they can provide some basic humint.

[bluestateguy]

4. Joe Biden makes good on his promise

Hell has a new delivery this morning.

[flamingdem]

6. Who's yer daddy Al Baghdadi?

Joe was a little over the top but if we're going into a religion driven war, well, go for it.

[flamingdem]

7. Three top ISIS lieutenants killed in US bombing raid as Cameron vows to bring Jihadi John to justice

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2743216/Cameron-urges-Nato-allies-join-UK-US-battle-against-jihadists-pressure-grows-Britain-launch-air-strikes.html

Not sure if this is an update or not.

Three senior members of ISIS have been killed in a US airstrike in northern Iraq, according to senior security officials.

Two days after a video showing the execution of US journalist Steven Sotloff was released, US warplanes struck at the heart of ISIS in Mosul, northern Iraq, killing the wanted jihadist Abu Hajar Al-Sufi – the right hand man to terror chief, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

At the NATO summit in Wales this afternoon, Secretary of State John Kerry was seen to quietly pass President Obama a note while David Cameron was speaking. Shortly after members of the press were cleared from the conference hall.

The revelation came after Mr Cameron pledged that the militant threatening to murder British aid worker David Haines would 'face justice'. He also urged Nato countries join the UK and America in putting a 'fatal squeeze' on ISIS.

Obama networking:

[freshwest]

20. Thanks for the pic. The administration is on top of this. But it's not over by a long shot, though.

When the Iraqi Army killed one of these extremist leaders last year, a local said, 'You don't know what you have done!' meaning he'd be replaced with someone even worse. And he was.

But at this point, they've gone past the point of no return. They won't stop.

[Sunlei]

52. what a picture!

[JI7]

8. WTF, why are they all called Abu ? that other one that was killed and a friend of mccain's

and said he was going to fly his flag over the white house was named abu also.

[flamingdem]

9. It seems to mean "father" and the female

female equivalent of Abu is 'Um' or 'Umm'

Um?

Will have to actually work to understand the Abu thing. If they're all called Abu, says it can be a nickname, then who answers when someone yells for Abu?

[MADem]

12. Abu=Father of.

It's like a nickname, or an honorific type thing. You usually pick your oldest kid (though sometimes it will be the kid who brought the most honor on the house). Beaver Cleaver's father Ward would be Abu Wally, because the Beav always left his socks under the bed!

OTOH, when you see Ibn or Bin, that is "son of." So you've got Wally Bin Ward Cleaver in this example, or if Cleaver is a big cheese name in town and everyone knows Ward by his family name, just Wally Bin Cleaver.

[BlueCaliDem]

18. When I read "Ibn" in your post, I thought about The 13th Warrior (one of my favorite movies).

Specifically, the scene where Antonio Banderas (playing an Arabian), introduces himself to the Northsmen, rattling off a whole lotta of Arabian names only broken with "Ee-bin". Naturally, the Northsman, who is actually only accustomed to a person having a single name, calls him, "Ay-behn".

I know. Kind of lame. But just wanted to share, and yes, in the movie, "Ay-behn" says that "Ibn" means, "son of".

[freshwest]

21. That was an awesome flick.

[BlueCaliDem]

27. You liked it, too? It's one of my favorite movies! :-) eom

[MADem]

40. You use Ibn at the start of a name, basically--so you have the vowel at the front.

It's the same as Bin or Ben, only those will only be found between words!

Thus, you have Ibn Saud, and the well known Osama Bin Ladin and the lesser known Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase!).

I've never seen that film, I will try to catch it if I come across it--it's not inconceivable that Antonio play an Arab, given the history of Spain, after all. He could most certainly "pass" in the right environment!

[BlueCaliDem]

47. :-) Then they got that wrong in the movie. But it sounded nice!

Antonio Banderas certainly plays "Ahmed Ibn Fahdlan" very convincingly.

I couldn't find a clip of him trying to introduce himself, but this is a still taken as he was actually doing the introduction in the movie, standing beside the great Omar Sharif:

[MADem]

49. Well, sometimes the BIN/BEN in the middle of a series of names can sound like

"Ibin" or "Ibn" depending on the name in front of the BIN/BEN and how it ends! It's not really wrong at all--it can depend on the name, too--the Ibn/Bin thing can be modified if the name ends in a firm consonant. If it ends in a VOWEL, though, you're gonna hear the Bin/Ben thing. An example might be something like Davoud ibn Khalid ibn Abdul ibn Isa Bin Malik, e.g.

I guess the rule is, really, if you are going to refer to someone as "son of" and that is the first thing out of your mouth, you really should always start the sentence with Ibn. If the name ends in a vowel and you want to say "son of" afterwards, use the BIN/BEN (depending on region). If the name ends in a consonant (not Y, though), use the Ibn in the middle. It's all about the flow! So, if we're talking about Osama, but not using his first name, we really are not correct saying "Bin Ladin did this, or Bin Ladin did that." It really should be Ibn. However, common usage trumps rules in that case. His first name, though unspoken, still hovers in the air. Osama will alway be the BIN dude, and that's how he'll go down in infamy!

Totally off-topic, I have two friends named Osama. One guy goes by Sam or Sammy, the other, for reasons I will one day ask about, goes by "Neal!"

And on edit--if the late great Omar was in that film, I'll bet Antonio's accent and presentation were perfect. Sharif was one HELLUVAn actor--he could read the phone book and make it sound like a best seller. He'd make sure that anyone in a scene with him was "up to snuff," as it were.

[Amonester]

34. Because they're all abu_sers...

They abu_se men, women, children, rocks, water, and cheese.

No respect for life. None.

[flamingdem]

58. nuk nuk

though they do show a sense of humor but a nasty one

[christx30]

11. Reminds me of the good ol

early days of the War on Terror, when every few days we were killing a top lieutenant of al queda every week or so.
I know we 're not supposed to question it. But do ya think the pentagon has mad libs for press briefings, just ready to go whenever?

[flamingdem]

14. Yes

I always wonder if that's going on

[KansDem]

22. Ah, yes...I believe you're referring to...

...the omnipresent "No. 2"

[Corruption Inc]

30. The gossip magazine's author describes this one as "The right hand man..."

They must have figured out that the #2 meme is no longer credible. These propagandists are completely predictable. If they continue to follow the same plan as the Bush regime did it won't be long before a slew of generals are on TV talking about how badly we need to go to war.

[christx30]

32. But if we got the

right hand man, the war must be going well. Now is the time to press our avantage! Join now and help our boys overseas! Give up your nylons and old tires!

These people think we have no memory. They think we have never seen a movie or played a video game. Classic story telling technique. Moving our way up the food chain to rout the enemy. Pretty soon we'll get to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, wearing a robotic mech suit armed with chain guns. After an intense battle, we'll kill him and get the girl.

[karynnj]

37. You could, of course, read the Kerry/Hagel statement

Unlike 2002/2003, there are actually people going into towns and massacring people because of their ethnicity or religion. This is not "he has weapons of mass destruction" -- then actually initiating the war when intensive inspections fail to find them.

What you see in the statement is the beginnings of a very comprehensive effort for the world to aid the Middleeast in containing this group and eliminating the threat to many countries.

Note that "It will also require a unified approach at the international, regional, and local level – combining military, law enforcement, intelligence, economic, and diplomatic tools." was not something ever expressed by Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld etc --- in fact, they and most Republicans mocked similar recommendations as naive and weak. They were neither, but the country was not yet ready to accept a rational response to terrorism.

Here's the thread on that statement - http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014888789

Given that the meme of the last month (or longer) is that Obama is too weak and was not on the ball here, step back and look at what he has done. Obama has been criticized, politely and rudely, by some Democrats and most Republicans. It would be nice if cynicism were briefly put away as Obama tries to deal with this his way - not McCain's.

He has done things the way much of DU would have advised Bush to do. It is harder to work with allies and especially the troubled regimes in that region. It is far easier to take a Bush/McCain like action that leaves us as the only non radical power in a country - here they are supporting the Iraqis as they define their government and fight these people in their country. Consider that this would leave a government in place that would have credit for stopping the immediate threat of ISIS as their first action. At worst, it eliminates a very radical, brutal group -- at best, it could be the beginning of the region working together and solving their problems diplomatically.

I personally am glad that Obama has Kerry and Hagel in his security cabinet replacing two of the more hawkish members of the first term.

[MADem]

41. I am so sorry.

I'm afraid your reasoned, well articulated, and comprehensive post is likely to fall on deaf ears.

It's so easy to scoff, so much harder to actually do the work. I admire the way Obama-Hagel aren't taking shit, but aren't throwing bodies into the grinder, either. We have these drones, might as well make 'em work for us. We also have relationships--might as well make those work, too.

Chuck Hagel was, in his youth, one of those "boots on the ground." He brings an invaluable perspective to the executive branch, and we as a nation are better served for it.

[karynnj]

44. I liked Hagel's thoughtful comments when he was the second most

senior Republican on the SFRC back in the Bush years. I agree about the perspective that he brings to the executive branch. I had noticed after he left office, he worked with the think tank that Kerry and Gary Hart were associated with. I am definitely glad that he not Gates is there.

[MADem]

46. He did not come from privilege, and that colors his perspective in a very real way.

He was never one of those "rabid" GOP types, either. I doubt he has much in common with them.

[Enrique]

35. remember "Chemical Ali"?

he was killed in Iraq every 2 1/2 weeks from 2003 to 2007.

[Historic NY]

13. 'Our objective is clear, and that is to degrade and destroy ISIL

so that it's no longer a threat,' said President Obama. I'm thinking they need some A-10's to degrade those convoys of Toyotas.

[flamingdem]

15. Nothing like bringing a drone

to a knife fight,

[7962]

23. The A-10 is a wonderful aircraft! And very tough to bring down.

We should NOT be planning to reduce them from active duty.

[MADem]

42. I have to agree with you, there. And they're loved by those boots on the ground, too.

Call for help, and there they are, getting that crap OFF ya!

[Hulk]

16. A moment of silence....

...OK, now cheer!!

[flamingdem]

17. ..

[ramapo]

24. US Media Ignores

Interesting. No mention of this on Fox, CNN, NY Times... Fox headlines a Benghazi story!

[Deadbeat Republicans]

25. Kudos, timing is everything.

What a great way of playing their game.

[malthaussen]

26. I wonder how they know that.

It's an air strike, it's not like they were taking names.

-- Mal

[Historic NY]

28. Social media, no doubt.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014888671

[flamingdem]

29. nbc reported it yesterday but I think there was no way to confirm

because the Iraqi army reported it and they have been known to be wrong / exaggerate. We shall see soon though, Obama has an upcoming presser today at 11am est I think

[MADem]

43. Drone imagery, before and after. nt

[candelista]

31. Lots of keyboard warriors in this thread. nt

[IronGate]

38. And lot's of us who have actually, you know, been in combat

against these animals.

[former9thward]

39. If you wish to go back, go.

But, please, not with my tax money supporting it.

[IronGate]

45. If the CinC saw fit to send me back,

then I would go, not happily, but I would obey my CinC.

[MADem]

50. I tire of these "If you understand warfare, you must, then, LOVE it" themes.

The reality is the exact opposite, as your post indicates. It's just as uninfomed as the "babykiller" shit that used to be flung at returning draftees. "You--yes, YOU, you unlucky bastard with the shitty draft number--you're BAAAAAD!!!"

If you understand warfare, like many of us do --and like more than most of us, Chuck Hagel does--the idea is to keep our people OUT of harm's way to the extent possible. It seems to me that is what POTUS is doing as well.

Most people who make up the AVF today "get" that whole dynamic, too--in fact, they teach it, down to the rank-and-file. In America's armed forces, people in uniform aren't cannon fodder anymore, they are valuable (personnel) assets.

[former9thward]

53. I tire of the "I've been to war so I understand it better than you posts"

You may or may not. I was in Afghanistan in '02 and Iraq in '03 and '04. So F'in what. I would never use that to try and bat down another poster. Besides on the internet everyone has been to war, is a doctor, is a lawyer, is an expert on spy satellites, etc., etc. depending on what the subject matter of the day is.

[MADem]

60. The way I look at the arc of the conversation, the poster didn't come out with that comment

unprovoked. The comment came following a snark about "keyboard warriors" which is basically a less rude way of saying STFU.

Nobody in this conversation "likes" war, and to play that up as a point of division is just, well, to be blunt, bullshit.

And speaking of shit in all it's forms, when it comes to direct confrontation with an enemy, I'm in the "Bring Me The Brown Pants" brigade, but like anyone else, I did the best I could. All we can do is rely on luck and training if needs must--but it's better if we don't have to do that at all. I think everyone here agrees with that POV.

[IronGate]

54. Thank you.

Anyone who loves warfare, IMHO, has a screw loose and has probably never experience combat.
If ordered back to Iraq by the CinC, I would obey my orders, I certainly wouldn't be happy or thrilled about, but I did take the oath of enlistment and I take it seriously.

[flamingdem]

56. I'm impressed because it's beyond my comprehension

This is because if faced with an enemy with a gun I'd hightail it outta there. We need people who don't think like I do!

[IronGate]

62. Oh hell, maybe we do need more like you,

then there wouldn't be useless wars.

Suppose they gave a war and nobody came.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066422/

[MADem]

65. Yep--I agree with that!

I am in the "Last Resort" fan club, myself, as well.

[beaglelover]

59. Thank you for your service!! (nt)

[MADem]

61. I have a "subject to recall" proviso on my 214 that has no expiration date.

I'm getting to the point where I'd probably be too creaky to be of much use in an operational environment. I do have some particular subject matter/country expertise here and there, but we'd have to be up in it in a World War kind of way for them to want to bother with me, I think. The younger generations can do it faster and better!

[Nye Bevan]

36. Enjoying his 72 virgins right about now....

[flamingdem]

63. And then there's this other un-PC graphic

Hope it doesn't get an alert by the kitteh contingent

[flamingdem]

48. CBS News says they're confirming: Senior ISIS figure killed in U.S. airstrike in Iraq?

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/top-isis-lieutenant-abu-hajar-al-sufi-may-have-been-killed-in-u-s-airstrike-in-iraq/

A U.S. airstrike may have killed a top ISIS figure in Iraq, but the White House has not yet confirmed his death.

The Iraqi defense ministry said a U.S. bombing raid near Mosul killed Abu Hajar al-Sufi, one of ISIS commander Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's top lieutenants, reports CBS News correspondent Major Garrett.

The White House confirmed the air raid, but deputy national security advisor Ben Rhodes, brother of CBS News president David Rhodes, said the U.S. is still investigating reports of al-Sufi's death.

"We are very careful not to make declarative statements until we know with certainty that someone like that, who's a very high value individual in the organization, has been taken out," Rhodes said. "Any time that there's a leader taken off the battlefield in a terrorist organization like that, it does have an impact on their ability to operate as effectively as they did before."

President Obama huddled with European leaders and Jordan's king Abdullah about military moves against ISIS at the NATO summit. Top aides said NATO will pledge military assistance, but specifics will come later. The White House conceded that destroying ISIS is a job likely to fall to the next president.

"It's clearly going to take a very long time to ensure that you've eliminated that threat," said Rhodes.

[Sunlei]

51. Baghdadi, his aide, an explosives expert & the towns military chief. good intelligence work.

[flamingdem]

55. Are they saying that they got Baghdadi too?

That would be good news (!) but I think nothing is confirmed yet.

[Sunlei]

57. I don't think much will be confirmed/released to media for a couple of months.

Even if he's not dead, his closest trusted people are gone. It's not going to be easy for him to communicate, fill those positions or carry out any recent plans.