"Who Won The War Against The Islamic State?" Topic

"Russia's Defense Ministry has criticized the U.S. over what it claims are mixed messages about its fight against the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) in Syria.

The Russian military was irked by President Donald Trump's taking credit for defeating the Islamist group, while the military has maintained forces on the ground in Syria. Moscow's blunt response came after Trump saluted U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis for doing a "fantastic job" in fighting the group last week and once again praised the U.S. "campaign to obliterate ISIS" during a defense budget signing on Tuesday. "As you know, we've won in Syria, we've won in Iraq. But they spread to other areas, and we're getting them as fast as they spread," Trump said.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin has attempted to portray Moscow as the winner in the Syrian war, and his defense ministry took offense at Trump's words, accusing U.S. defense chiefs of lying. Major General Igor Konashenkov, spokesman for Russia's Defense Ministry, said the U.S. should either pull out of Syria or stop letting President Donald Trump claim victory…"
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Amicalement
Armand

Trouble is Russia attacked rebels too. Their defeat in Iraq crippled their oil funds. No one country can take credit as the Kurds and Iraqis also were vital.

Trouble is Russia attacked rebels too.

A curious statement, though very common. These rebels, in addition to ISIS, were/are trying to overthrow the Syrian government. Yet this "charge" implies that it is only legitimate for the Syrians and their allies to defend themselves against those opposing forces approved for them by the US. "You are allowed to attack these enemies who are trying to destroy you, but not those enemies who are also trying to destroy you."

Nothing is legitimate unless Washington approves?

More kudos to the Kurdish forces for my part, their resistance in the North stopped the Daesh forces rolling up to the Iranian border……the newly trained Iraqi forces have performed well albeit with Western advisors and support.
Who deployed more forces to the region…..Western Coalition or Russia? The deployment and application of that force would indicate the more successful player…..

Not a curious statement at all. The rebels also fought ISIS as they were opposed to ISIS. It was the rebels who took Raqqa after all. Supporters of Assad follow his line that they are all the same when they are ideologically different.

Whoever did it, I am thankful for their efforts.

Won? I suspect we will be dealing with that ideology and its' effects in various places with thousands of casualties annually for the foreseeable future.

Flash: Putin just thanked the US and the CIA for providing intel that foiled a terrorist plot in Russia planned for the Christmas Holidays.

Proof that the U.S. continues the fight, with Russia as an ally, against terrorism whereever it is in the world! Not a political statement….evidence that war continues. Who said it was over?….

The UN.
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Those that live in the former occupied areas.

Nothing reflects real victory better than the scramble to take credit between the victors.

Dye4minis

Spot on. It's far from being over. The cancer was allowed to metastasize for years, establishing cells where they would eventually transfer their network and key players. What everyone is celebrating is a victory over the rear guard, the sacrificial decoys, the tail that a lizard drops to save itself. That's what we defeated.

TMP link

Nobody even knows if Al-Bagdhadi is actually dead for real this time. For all we know he has been in Turkey or Indonesia or some other country for a while. My money though is on him being somewhere between Libya and Nigeria.

Dan

They are just displaced. They will bring there stinking ideology back to there old countries to kill more people that don't follow there vile ways. The west needs to unite with Russia and wipe that vile cult from the face of the earth.

"Success has many fathers but failure is an orphan."

popularized by JFK but originated with Italian diplomat and son-in-law of Mussolini, Count Galeazzo Ciano

wipe that vile cult from the face of the earth.

Never going to happen. Hitler has been dead for 72 years and yet in 2017 we have Nazi's marching in Charlottesville and Dresden. Toxic ideologies are a permanent feature of human society as virtually any given population has its' share of toxic idiots.

Some yards have better weed control than others. Even golf courses have to work hard and constantly to keep them out of their grass. That war is never over.

But some yards have no control at all and in fact nurture the weeds from almost every platform and house of worship.

Dan