Where Will ISIS Go Next?
Moon of Alabama ■ Elijah J. Magnier has an interesting interview with an ISIS commander, Abu Baqr-al-Janabi, in Baghdad. There are plans for ISIS to take the city and there are apparently sleeper cells of fighters waiting for the big attack signal. But, says the commander, ISIS and the attached other forces, will first have to consolidate their positions and eliminate Iraqi government position in their back. The Iraqi government is already giving up some outer position and is consolidating its side by securing only Baghdad, the south and some economically important assets. The 300 military "advisers" the U.S. had announced to send to Iraqi headquarters will likely never arrive. There is disagreement over their legal status and the Iraqi government, given the U.S. commitment to another regime change in Baghdad, may well conclude that these soldiers would likely be malign actors rather than trustworthy allies. The Maliki government, like the Iranians, probably sees the whole ISIS attack as the result of a U.S. conspiracy. My hunch for now is that ISIS will not go for the big fight in Baghdad in the near term but will rather try to launch some substantial diversion elsewhere.
Antiwar.com: ISIS Captures Key Iraq Refinery, Will Let Tribes Run It
Matt Carr: ISIS: Made in Washington?
The Truth Seeker News Brief: Mounting Evidence of Western Support For ISIL Militants
Antiwar.com: Over 300 killed Across Iraq
The World Post: UN: At Least 1,075 Killed In Iraq In June