Last week at a NATO meeting in Brussels, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg introduced Mattis, and said:
It is a decisive time for the Global Coalition, as the military campaign nears its conclusion. Raqqa and Mosul have fallen, 95 percent of Iraqi territory once held by ISIS has been retaken and stabilization is spreading: More than 2 million people in Iraq can now return to their homes.
That success is due to the nations gathered in this room -- most importantly, to Iraq, whose forces have shown great courage and resilience, and also to the many other nations around this table, nearly all of whom are NATO allies or NATO partners.
But our work is not done. As ISIS loses territory, they may seek to prove their relevance by stepping up terrorist attacks in the region and beyond, including here in Europe. So we must stay vigilant. We must stay engaged and we must work together to counter new challenges. That is exactly why we are gathered here today.Then Mattis said:
As Secretary General just pointed out, 95 percent of the territory once held by ISIS is now liberated, and our partners continue to secure more each day.
Mosul, Tal Afar and Hawija have been liberated. Efforts to liberate the final pockets of ISIS-held territory in Anbar province are progressing rapidly. Arab and Kurdish, Sunni and Shia forces under Prime Minister Abadi's leadership have worked together with unprecedented levels of cooperation.
The ill-advised Kurdish referendum has created tension, but we appear to be on track to resolve this constitutionally, thanks largely to Prime Minister Abadi's patience.
Two weeks ago, our local partners liberated Raqqa in Syria. ISIS leadership crumbled and many fighters surrendered. Despite these successes, our fight is not over. Even without a physical caliphate, ISIS remains a threat to stability in the recently liberated areas, as well as in our homelands.
This will be a long-term fight requiring all elements of our collective national powers -- military, economic, diplomatic, intelligence, as well as law enforcement, counter-finance and counter-messaging.
We are stabilizing the territory liberated from ISIS through continued engagement with our Iraqi partners. Every battlefield is also a humanitarian field, even after the fighting stops, something we must hold actively in our operations as a situation that cannot be overlooked.
Our greatest weapon against this enemy, our greatest strength, is our unity. ISIS is opposed to all nations' civilized values, and we must remain focused on the common threat, denying them their sick and twisted objectives. Groups like ISIS, groups that would seek to sow murder and mayhem, cannot be allowed to succeed.Were I running this, I'd implement an aggressive program to publicize ISIS' atrocities in the region, and why such behavior is so wrong and immoral, in order to delegitimize their ideology. As long as the ideology remains credible among the barbarians, there'll be some low IQ goons that will try to bounce the enterprise back. Kinda like we de-nazified Germany after WWII, but even more forceful.
Alas, that barbarian ideology is baked into the cake, and can't be excised.
ReplyDeleteLook at what islam considers a "perfect man:" he's a murderous, bloodthirsty, backstabbing, treacherous pedophile who hates women but loves death, suffering and mutilation. He particularly loathes Jews and Christians, but extends intolerance and hatred to everyone.
The islamic "holy" book isn't about loving your neighbor, it's about treacherously murdering everyone who isn't exactly like that "perfect man." They fit their own children with bomb belts. Their own children!
There's only one cure for the cancerous plague known as islam.
Those achievements are largely due to Iran and the Russians. We actually refused to stop ISIS' oil exports, until the Russians intervened. Without Russia and Iran, large parts of Iraq and Syria, maybe all of them, would still be in ISIS' hands.
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