Iraqi Journalist Who Embedded With Shiites: U.S. Strategy Will Fail
Two months after the United States began airstrikes in Iraq that expanded to Syria, Islamic State is poised to gain control of more than half of Syria's border with Turkey. Independent reporter Patrick Cockburn and Iraqi Guardian journalist Ghaith Abdul-Ahad discuss the "massive military failure" of the response strategy.
Two months after the United States began airstrikes in Iraq that expanded to Syria, Islamic State is poised to gain control of more than half of Syria’s border with Turkey. Independent reporter Patrick Cockburn and Ghaith Abdul-Ahad, who recently embedded with Shiite militias, discuss the “massive military failure” of the response strategy.
Abdul-Ahad, who is working with The Guardian, told “Democracy Now!”:
The war that ISIS is raging on the Iraqi government is a coalition of many different tiny little wars. … Everyone has his own grievances against the central government of Iraq, yet ISIS has managed to include them all under a single umbrella. … By sending more weapons, sending more money, you’re just adding to the fuel of the war. You need a social contract with the Sunnis of Iraq.
Cockburn is the author of the new book “The Jihadis Return: ISIS and the New Sunni Uprising.”
‘Democracy Now!’:
— Posted by Alexander Reed Kelly
Dig, Root, GrowThis year, we’re all on shaky ground, and the need for independent journalism has never been greater. A new administration is openly attacking free press — and the stakes couldn’t be higher.
Your support is more than a donation. It helps us dig deeper into hidden truths, root out corruption and misinformation, and grow an informed, resilient community.
Independent journalism like Truthdig doesn't just report the news — it helps cultivate a better future.
Your tax-deductible gift powers fearless reporting and uncompromising analysis. Together, we can protect democracy and expose the stories that must be told.
This spring, stand with our journalists.
Dig. Root. Grow. Cultivate a better future.
Donate today.
Photo Essay
Photographer Angéline Desdevises captures life in Kurdish Syria, where the region's boldest democratic experiment finds new sources of resilience amid fresh rubble and political uncertainties.
Middle East
Washington torched the region and watched it burn through regime changes, Arab Spring, civil wars, and the regeneration of terror groups.
TD Interview
A new book offers a personal and political history of Bush-era America and its imprints on the present.
Politics
As a congressman he broke with the Obama administration, opposing military action in Syria, and has more recently called for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Middle East
Prime Minister Al-Sudani's balancing act between the US, Iran, and a pro-Palestinian public can break at any moment.
TD Original
After defeating ISIS in Syria, the Kurds continue to house tens of thousands of captured militants. Why isn’t the world helping to guard and rehabilitate them?
You need to be a supporter to comment.
There are currently no responses to this article.
Be the first to respond.