ISIL will find no safe haven

The world may face an upcoming big counter-terrorism campaign to safeguard the democratic values of all our Western nations.

In my previous post Not true or True Catholicism and True Islam I replied to those Americans who consider that IS, ISIS and/or ISIL are real true followers of the Islam and that most if not all Muslims agree with them and are hoping to find themselves living in such an Islamic State. the article was a reaction on Jerry A. Coyne‘s “If ISIS Is Not Islamic, then the Inquisition Was Not Catholic There is no such thing as ‘true’ religion” where he also mention the words of the president of the United States of America, which you can find in full here below.

Lots of eyes are turned on the great nation which has already taken on lots of battles in the East. No wonder that several Europeans expect that the United States shall offer itself to lead a “broad coalition to roll back this terrorist threat” with a clear objective, to “degrade and ultimately destroy ISIL through a comprehensive and sustained counter-terrorism strategy.”

On the 11th of September the U.S.A. president spoke:

I just addressed the nation about what the United States will do with our friends and allies to degrade and destroy the terrorist group known as ISIL.

Let’s be clear: While this group may call itself the “Islamic State,” it is not “Islamic.” No religion condones the killing of innocents, and the vast majority of ISIL’s victims have been Muslim. Nor is it a “state.” It is not recognized by any government, nor by the people it subjugates.

This is nothing but a terrorist organization with no vision or goal other than to slaughter all who stand in its way. While we have not yet detected specific plotting against our homeland, these terrorists have threatened America and our allies. And the United States will meet this threat with strength and resolve.

Already, our military has conducted more than 150 successful airstrikes over the past month against ISIL targets in Iraq — strikes that have protected American personnel and facilities, killed hundreds of ISIL fighters, and helped save the lives of thousands of innocent men, women, and children.

Going forward, our objective is clear: We will degrade, and ultimately destroy, ISIL through a comprehensive and sustained counterterrorism strategy.

Here is what that strategy looks like.

First, we will conduct a systematic campaign of airstrikes against these terrorists. Working alongside the Iraqi government, we’ll expand our efforts beyond protecting our own people to hit ISIL targets as Iraqi forces go on offense. And we will continue to hunt down terrorists who threaten our country, whether in Iraq or Syria. They will learn what leaders of other terrorist organizations have already learned: If you threaten America, you will find no safe haven.

Second, we will increase our support to the forces fighting these terrorists on the ground. We will send an additional 475 service members to Iraq to support Iraqi and Kurdish security forces. These American forces will not have a combat mission. But they are needed to support Iraqi and Kurdish forces with training, intelligence, and equipment — and tonight, I again called on Congress to give our military the additional authorities and resources it needs to train and equip the Syrian opposition fighters.

Third, working with our partners, we will continue to draw on our substantial counterterrorism capabilities to prevent ISIL attacks. Working with our partners, we will redouble our efforts to cut off its funding, counter its warped ideology, improve our intelligence, strengthen our defenses, and stem the flow of foreign fighters into and out of the Middle East.

And fourth, we will continue to provide humanitarian assistance to the innocent civilians displaced by this terrorism organization. This includes Sunni and Shia Muslims who have borne the brunt of this terror, as well as tens of thousands of Christians and other religious minorities.

I have the authority to address the threat from ISIL. But I believe we are strongest as a nation when the President and Congress work together. So I welcome congressional action to support this effort in order to show the world that Americans are united in confronting this danger.

This mission will not be like the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It will not involve American combat troops fighting on foreign soil. This effort will be a steady and relentless approach to take out terrorists who threaten us, while supporting our partners on the front lines.

This is American leadership at its best: We stand with people who fight for their own freedom. And we rally other nations on behalf of our common security and common humanity.

When American forces helped prevent the massacre of civilians trapped on Mt. Sinjar, here is what one of them said:

“We owe our American friends our lives. Our children will always remember that there was someone who felt our struggle and made a long journey to protect innocent people.”

That is what the United States of America does. That is the difference we make in the world. And moving forward, our own safety and security depends upon our willingness to do what it takes to defend this nation, and uphold the values that we stand for.

Thank you,

President Barack Obama

Official photographic portrait of US President Barack Obama (born 4 August 1961; assumed office 20 January 2009) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Since September 22, the US and its allies, including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Jordan, have been conducting airstrikes against the ISIL inside Syria without any authorization from Damascus or a UN mandate.

On the 22 of September 2014 U.S.A. President Barack Obama ordered American armed forces to begin targeted airstrikes against ISIL targets in Syria. Speaking from the White House South Lawn the 23° before heading to the United Nations General Assembly, the President made it clear that these strikes are part of the U.S. campaign to deliver one message on ISIL: They will find no safe haven.

The U.S. military actions also included strikes to disrupt plotting against the U.S. and their allies by the Khorasan Group — a cell of seasoned al Qaeda operatives in Syria.

Watch President Obama speak from the South Lawn that morning.

In his statement, the President made clear that the fight against these terrorists “is not America’s fight alone”:

“The people and governments of the Middle East are rejecting ISIL, and standing up for the peace and security that the people of the world deserve. Not since the Gulf War has the United States been joined in direct military action by such a broad coalition of Arab partners. Meanwhile, we will move forward with our plan — supported by bipartisan majorities in Congress — to ramp up our effort to train and equip the Syrian opposition, who are the best counter-weight to ISIL and the Assad regime.”

President Obama also previewed his trip to the U.N. General Assembly, where the world’s leaders gathered in New York the 24th where he was going to continue building support for the effort against ISIL:

“Over the next several days, I will be meeting Prime Minister Abadi of Iraq and with friends and allies at the United Nations to continue building support for the coalition that is confronting this profound threat to peace security. This overall effort will take time. There are challenges ahead. But we’re going to do what is necessary to take the fight to this terrorist group — for the security of our country, the region, and the entire world.”

President Obama spoke to them directly in an address that warrants the attention not only of those leaders, but of all Americans. It was clear, candid, and compelling. The President talked about the world as it is, and the world as we all hope it can be.

The President said that, for all the hard-won progress we see in the world, there is also what he today called a “pervasive unease.”

A deadly Ebola outbreak ravaging West Africa, Russian aggression in Ukraine, and the group of medieval murdering terrorists known as ISIL, which, left unchecked, could pose a growing threat beyond the region — including the American homeland.

So when President Obama addressed the leaders of more than 140 nations on the 24th of September, he posed two fundamental questions that will help define both the world’s future and our own:

• Can the major powers set aside their differences and meet their responsibilities as leaders?
• And can the world reject the cancer of violent extremism?

The President knows the answer is yes — if we make it so. The way he answers these questions is an important illustration of the principles we stand for as Americans, and a window into the future we look to help build. See what he had to say.

He described the compelling need for a global response to global issues. For fighting violent extremism requires a broad coalition of nations willing to stand up for their citizens, and unite against those who seek to “divide us among fault lines of tribe or sect, race or religion.”

Defeating this extremism means defeating its false promise, instead embracing the real promise we see in the Middle East: investing in civil society and in the groups and people who are rejecting hate and division in favour of peace and tolerance.

In the past 20 months, I’ve traveled more than 550,000 miles through 55 countries. I have touched down in Iraq and Jeddah to focus on defeating the threat that ISIL poses. I’ve flown to Kiev and stood in the Maidan to reaffirm our commitment to supporting Ukraine’s efforts to shape their own future and make their democracy a success. I’ve worked with the leaders of Afghanistan to help secure the gains for which so many Americans have sacrificed so much over the past 13 years.

From Kabul to Cairo and Beijing to Juba, here’s what I can tell you: The world’s nations have more in common than sometimes we realize — particularly at a time when every turn seems to present a new danger. Everywhere I’ve gone, no matter how precarious the society or volatile the situation, I have seen the “longing for positive change” that our President spoke of today.

The United States, he said, “will never shy away from the promise of this institution, and its Universal Declaration of Human Rights — the notion that peace is not merely the absence of war, but the presence of a better life.”

Nearly six years into his presidency, President Barack Obama is as committed as ever to the potential of that promise to light the world. And he’s right. And that is precisely why the United States are taking action against immediate threats wherever they threaten the American security at the same time they work towards a world in which those threats will one day be replaced by opportunity.

This is a speech you need to hear from the President himself. Watch the whole thing below, and please make sure you pass it along to someone else who needs to see it.

Whenever challenges face the world, one fact is clear: The world looks to the United States.

On the 29th of September, in an interview with 60 Minutes, President Obama explained why the United States is “the indispensable nation” when trouble arises in the world. From responding to humanitarian crises to confronting terrorism, America leads.

Because — as the President said — ” That’s how we roll.”

President Obama also spoke to service men and women at MacDill Air Force Base about the U.S. strategy to degrade and ultimately destroy ISIL — a terrorist organization that is killing innocent, unarmed civilians in both Iraq and Syria. ISIL, also known as ISIS or the Islamic State, is also responsible for the brutal murders of American journalists Jim Foley and Steven Sotloff.

Here are the key points the President made regarding ISIL and our strategy to defeat their forces:

1. ISIL is threatening America and our allies.

Our intelligence community has not yet detected specific plots from ISIL against our homeland, but they have repeatedly threatened our core interests, including our personnel, our embassies, our consulates, and our facilities in Iraq, Syria, and in the broader Middle East. “If left unchecked, they could pose a growing threat to the United States,” he said.

2. The U.S. continues to conduct targeted airstrikes against ISIL.

The U.S. Air Force has conducted more than 160 airstrikes against ISIL, successfully protecting our personnel and facilities, killing ISIL fighters, and giving space for Iraqi and Kurdish forces to reclaim key territory.

“They’ve helped our partners on the ground break ISIL sieges; helped rescue civilians cornered on a mountain; helped save the lives of thousands of innocent men, women and children,” the President said.

3. American forces that have been deployed to Iraq do not and will not have a combat mission.

“As your Commander-in-Chief, I will not commit you, and the rest of our Armed Forces, to fighting another ground war in Iraq,”

the President told servicemembers.

Along with our airstrikes, U.S. forces will train, equip, advise, and assist local partners on the ground “so that they can secure their own countries’ futures.”

4. This is not and will not be America’s fight alone.

The U.S. will lead a broad coalition of countries who have a stake in this fight. France and the UK are already flying with us over Iraq, and other countries have committed to join this effort. Saudi Arabia has agreed to host American efforts to train and equip Syrian opposition forces. Australia and Canada are going to send military advisors to Iraq, while Germany is sending paratroopers to help offer training. Arab nations have agreed to strengthen their support for Iraq’s new government, a key ally in our strategy to defeat ISIL.

International partners will help us cut off ISIL funding, gather intelligence, and prevent foreign fighters from entering — or leaving — the Middle East. And nearly 30 nations have joined American humanitarian relief to help civilians, including Sunni, Shia, Christian, Yezidi, or other religious minorities, that ISIL has driven from their homes.

5. Congress should provide the authorities and resources the U.S. military needs to succeed.

The President has called on Congress to support our military with the necessary resources to train and equip Syrian opposition fighters. As he has said, America’s leadership position is strongest when the President and Congress work together and show a united front.

“Sending our servicemembers into harm’s way is not a decision I ever take lightly,” the President said. “It is the hardest decision I make as President. Nothing else comes close.”

But this strategy will require the best military force in the world:

Frankly, there just aren’t a lot of other folks who can perform in the same ways — in fact, there are none. And there are some things only we can do. There are some capabilities only we have. That’s because of you — your dedication, your skill, your work, your families supporting you, your training, your command structure. Our Armed Forces are unparalleled and unique. And so when we’ve got a big problem somewhere around the world, it falls on our shoulders. And sometimes that’s tough. But that’s what sets us apart. That’s why we’re America. That’s what the stars and stripes are all about.

“In an uncertain world full of breathtaking change, the one constant is American leadership.”

And, because of the strength and dedication of America’s military, the President made clear that we will send an unmistakable message to ISIL:

Whether in Iraq or in Syria, these terrorists will learn the same thing that the leaders of al Qaeda already know: We mean what we say; our reach is long; if you threaten America, you will find no safe haven. We will find you eventually.

May we believe that the allied forces shall be able to destroy what many of us consider “evil?” Europeans and North Americans do expect their governments will do everything to secure our safety. The only problem is how they shall handle the whole situation to defend our nations but even more important our values that we want to stand for –

“timeless ideals that will endure long after those who offer only hate and destruction have been vanquished from the Earth.”

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  President Barack Obama on Wednesday outlined a U.S.-led coalition’s plans to “degrade and ultimately destroy” the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant through airstrikes and support for Syria’s opposition, stressing to a weary nation that he is not leading the nation into another war.
• Army chief: don’t rush into war against Isil (telegraph.co.uk)

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  He indicates that the Government must be cautious because it has little idea of the capabilities and strengths of the terrorist organisation.

  In his valedictory interview he urges David Cameron to be cautious after the Prime Minister indicated that Britain could join military strikes as soon as next week.

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• For Republicans ISIL is Only an Excuse to Attack Our President (politicususa.com)

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  Nothing short of full-scale war will satisfy the chickenhawks of course, who do not plan to do any fighting themselves when the little guy is so much more expendable. And they have no intention of spending money on bodies broken by bullets when they can just spend it on more bullets, the profit-margin on bullets being so much better for their stock portfolios.

• US joined by its allies in strikes against ISIL; did not take Syria’s permission for air-strikes: Barack Obama (dnaindia.com)
  President Barack Obama on Tuesday said the participation of a group of Arab states in US-led airstrikes on Islamic State targets in Syria shows that America is not alone in combating the dreaded extremist group.
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  The US said it did not inform or took permission of the Syrian regime before carrying out the strikes. “The President made clear in his speech to the nation on September 10 that the United States would not hesitate to take direct action against ISIL and terrorists inside Syria who were threatening the United States,” State Department Spokesperson Jen Psaki said.
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• Erdogan Says to Take on ISIL, Other Terrorists (therebel.org)
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  Turkey is not a part of the US-led coalition, but has sent tanks to border areas threatened by ISIL advances towards Kobane, a Kurdish-majority Syrian border town known as Ain al-Arab in Arabic.Ankara has not yet indicated what form its assistance could take although Erdogan has repeatedly called for a buffer zone on the Turkish border inside Syria, backed by a no-fly zone, to ensure security.

  However, Erdogan said “tons of air bombs will only delay the threat and danger,” adding that the safe return of Syrian refugees in Turkey was also a priority.

  “We are open and ready for any cooperation in the fight against terrorism. However, it should be understood by everybody that Turkey is not a country in pursuit of temporary solutions nor will Turkey allow others to take advantage of it.”

  “We will continue to prioritize our aim to remove the Syrian regime, to help protect the territorial integrity of Syria and to encourage a constitutional, parliamentary government system which embraces all citizens,” he said.

• Netanyahu says Iran greater threat than ISIL (punchng.com)
  Addressing the UN General Assembly in New York on Monday, Benjamin Netanyahu described Iran, ISIL and Hamas as part of a single team, and compared them all to Germany’s Nazis in World War II.“The Nazis believed in a master race, the militant Islamists believe in a master faith,” Netanyahu said. “They just disagree who among them will be the master of the master faith.”

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• ‘ISIL executing US policies in Syria’ (therebel.org)
  “This terrorist group (ISIL) is implementing the US policies,” said Commander of the Basij Force Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Naqdi, adding that the ISIL is the handiwork of the US and the West.The ISIL Takfiri terrorists currently control parts of Syria and Iraq. They have threatened all communities, including Shias, Sunnis, Kurds, Christians, Izadi Kurds and others, as they continue their atrocities in Iraq.
• Anti-ISIL strikes meant to destroy Syria infrastructure: Iran official (theunhivedmind.com)
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• ‘Anti-ISIL raid targets Syria infrastructure’ (therebel.org)
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