Seemorerocks: White House requests money for Syrian rebels

According to the White House, one lot of rebels (in Ukraine) has to disarm, while another (in Syria) is to be supported – basically the same crowd that he is presumably fighting in Iraq.

Meanwhile, just to make you feel good, here's a message to you from Obama - lol

Retweeted by Robin Westenra

The White House @WhiteHouse ·

"You guys are the reason I ran. You’re who I’m thinking about every single day" —President Obama to Americans working hard to make ends meet

White House requests $500 million to aid Syrian rebels

The White House on Thursday asked Congress for half-a-billion dollars in aid to go towards opposition fighters in Syria at war with the regime of recently re-elected President Bashar Al-Assad.

RT,

26 June, 2014

In a report sent to lawmakers at the Capitol on Thursday, the White House requested $500 million in aid to "help defend the Syrian people, stabilize areas under opposition control and facilitate the provision of essential services, counter terrorist threats and promote conditions for a negotiated settlement.”

The Associated Press reported that the multimillion dollar request makes up just a fraction of a larger, $65.8 billion overseas operations request sent to Congress that, if approved, would fund a number of Pentagon and State Department programs, as well as $1 billion in assistance to nations adjacent to Syria.

This latest request by the administration for aid comes merely weeks after the president outlined his foreign policy objectives during a speech last month at the West Point Military Academy graduation ceremony.

“As president, I made a decision that we should not put American troops into the middle of this increasingly sectarian civil war, and I believe that is the right decision. But that does not mean we shouldn’t help the Syrian people stand up against a dictator who bombs and starves his own people,” Obama said. “And in helping those who fight for the right of all Syrians to choose their own future, we are also pushing back against the growing number of extremists who find safe haven in the chaos.”

“So with the additional resources I’m announcing today, we will step up our efforts to support Syria’s neighbors — Jordan and Lebanon, Turkey and Iraq — as they contend with refugees and confront terrorists working across Syria’s borders.”

At the time, Obama added that he would “work with Congress to ramp up support for those in the Syrian opposition who offer the best alternative to terrorists and brutal dictators.” Now only weeks later, he appears to have taken the first steps to securing such funding.

Since nearly the start of the Syrian civil war more than three years ago, hawkish Republicans in Congress have urged the White House to take action against Assad, with Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona) going as far as to travel abroad to meet with rebel fighters overseas. Others have condemned any response from Washington altogether, though, including Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky), who this week attributed the arming of fighters in Iraq as the impetus for a “jihadist wonderland” there created on Uncle Sam’s watch and dime.

According to the AP’s Julie Pace, White House officials said the Obama administration would work with members of Congress and regional player to come to terms with what sort of training and assistance in particular would be provided to opposition fighters by the US.

“One potential option,” Pace wrote, “would be to base US personnel in Jordan and conduct the training exercise there.”

Also last month, the Pentagon deployed more than 6,000 Marines to Jordan to conduct drills alongside military officials there.

Obama Asks For $500

Million To Equip Syrian

Rebels As The ISIS

Juggernaut In Iraq Spreads

Zero Hedge,

26 June, 2014

It is going from bad to worse for the Iraqi government, whose armed forces according to at least one unconfirmed media report, have suffered major losses.

Perhaps confirming this, is the report from Reuters that overnight ISIS continued it southern creep toward Baghdad, and has now reached a town that is just an hour from Baghdad which is home to four natural gas fields on Thursday, "another gain by Sunni insurgents who have swiftly taken large areas to the north and west of the Iraqi capital."

The overnight offensive included Mansouriyat al-Jabal, home to the gas fields where foreign companies operate, security forces said. The fighting threatens to rupture the country two and a half years after the end of U.S. occupation.

Meanwhile, the Jihadists continue to consolidate their territories not only in the middle of the country but key transit points to Syria where as we reported yesterday, al-Qaeda forces in the two countries merged after ISIS forces and troops from the al Nusra front combined in at least one city. ISIS now control several border posts with Syria and have stolen U.S.-made weapons from Iraqi forces.

Iraq, however, has not been completely paralyzed in light of the oncoming juggernaut and overnight Iraqi forces launched an airborne assault on rebel-held Tikrit on Thursday, landing three helicopters with commandos in a stadium for what appeared to be their boldest counter-attack yet against Sunni insurgents who have rampaged through the north.

Eyewitnesses said battles were raging in the city, hometown of former dictator Saddam Hussein, which fell to Sunni Islamist fighters two weeks ago on the third day of a lightning offensive that has given them control of most majority Sunni regions.

The helicopters were shot at as they flew low over the city and landed in a stadium at the city's university, a security source at the scene said. The government did not immediately respond to requests for comment and by evening the assault was still not being reported on state media.

The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said fierce clashes ensued, centered around the university compound.

Ahmed al-Jubbour, professor at the university's college of agriculture, described clashes taking place inside the colleges of agriculture and sports education.

"I saw one of the helicopters land opposite the university with my own eyes and I saw clashes between dozens of militants and government forces," he said.

Perhaps the reason why the air force merely used helicopters and not airplanes is because as we also reported previously, the Iraqi air force "has only two modified Cessna aircraft."

Regardless, for now Baghdad appears to be safe unless of course ISIS manages to run over the Haditha Dam, which as we explained yesterday, is the second largest in Iraq and a critical source of drinking water for the capital. Should the Jihadists hold it hostage, or worse, release the contained water, the flood, or merely the lack of bearable living conditions in Baghdad, will promptly force the local population to evacuate thus opening up the path to the critical energ-rich areas in the south.

We will cross that bridge once we get to it. For now the far bigger focus appears to be on Syria whose eastern portions, as the following AFP map shows, is effectively ISIS territory with the al Qaeda group now controlling all the key border crossings on the Iraqi side.

Which perhaps explains why, literally seconds ago, and likely attempting to pivot from the disastrous events in Iraq, Obama is once again focusing on Syria. According to AP, President Barack Obama is asking Congress for $500 million to train and arm vetted members of the Syrian opposition.

The military training program would deepen the Obama administration's involvement in the more than four-year conflict between rebels and forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad. If approved by Congress, the program would supplement a covert train-and-assistance program run by U.S. intelligence agencies.The Senate Armed Services Committee has already approved a version of the sweeping defense policy bill authorizing the Defense Department to provide "equipment, supplies, training and defense services" to elements of the Syrian opposition that have been screened. The Senate could act on the bill before the August recess.

The president hinted at the increased support for the opposition forces during a commencement address at West Point last month.

"In helping those who fight for the right of all Syrians to choose their own future, we also push back against the growing number of extremists who find safe haven in the chaos," Obama told the graduating cadets.

But wait, didn't Obama do just this a year ago only to find that the arms were going into the hands of Al Qaeda extremists - essentially the same ones the US will be waging war against any minute in Iraq? Well yes. But this time Obama has a fail safe plan.

U.S. FUNDS FOR MODERATE SYRIAN REBELS REQUESTED FROM CONGRESS

Oh, it's just the "moderate" terrorists Obama will be arming. Not the more radical types. But how Obama will make the distinction? Well, that's what polling is all about. To wit: "Excuse me, would you describe yourself as a moderate or extreme al-Qaeda jihadist. Answering affirmatively to the former assures you your own US-made Humvee and a few thousand bullets to shoot at US soldiers across the border in Iraq."

While we wish we were joking, this sadly describes the current all too real state of US diplomacy in the Middle East.

Meanwhile ISIS held a parade....

ISIS Holds Parade With

Captured US Military

Vehicles

Zero hedge,

25 June, 2014

As ISIS marches south over Iraq, produces movies, creates annual reports, and attacks dams; The Long War Journal reports The Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham's Ninewa Division continues to crank out images of its conquest of Mosul and the surrounding province. Earlier today, the Ninewa Division released photographs of its forces seizing control of several bases, displaying captured military hardware, and executing Iraqi soldiers. Then, the Ninewa Division published a set of photographs of a military parade in the city of Mosul. The photographs provide a glimpse of the ISIS' military strength in Mosul.

Via The Long War Journal,

Scores of ISIS technicals, as well as several captured US-supplied Humvees, armored cars, and even artillery pieces are shown. Hundreds of ISIS fighters are involved in the parade, which begins during the day and goes on through the night.

A subset of the photographs is published below.

Scores of ISIS vehicles and hundreds of fighters line up for the parade: