#BREAKING Turkey, US sign deal to train Syria rebels, officials say

— AFP News Agency (@AFP) February 19, 2015

Two days ago reports began to hit the media about the U.S. providing “Moderate Syrian Rebels” with equipment and technology to enable them to call in air strikes. The Wall Street Journal reported:

WASHINGTON—The U.S. has decided to provide pickup trucks equipped with machine guns and radios for calling in U.S. airstrikes to some moderate Syrian rebels, defense officials said. But the scope of any bombing hasn’t been worked out—a reflection of the complexities of the battlefield in Syria.

Military officials point to U.S. airstrikes, called in by Kurdish fighters, that helped drive Islamic State fighters from the city of Kobani as the model for the new campaign. (link)

The term “moderate” has been a source of contention amid those who have followed the ideology of the Syrian uprising since the fighting began around August/Sept of 2011.
When Syria first erupted there was a general sense of opposition to the leadership of Bashir Assad. However, as time progressed more and more severe jihadists flocked to Syria from battlefields in surrounding nations.
Eventually this power struggle led to the rise of the most powerful among them forming what is now known as ISIS. (more…)

Ansar al-Sharia was one of the benefactor al-Qaeda organizations in Libya 2011 who benefited from the weapons given by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, U.N Ambassador Susan Rice, and White House advisor Samantha Power. Clinton, Rice and Power convinced President Obama to intervene in Libya and support “the rebels”.

The “rebels” were later admitted to be members of Ansar al-Sharia in the coastal region of Benghazi toward Derna, in Eastern Libya.  In the summer of 2011 this was one faction within what was called the ‘Libyan Islamic Fighting Group’ (LIFG).
After several years of turmoil and factional fighting, in 2014 the LIFG rebranded -and united- most of the Libya Islamist groups under the term “Libyan Dawn”. Libyan Dawn was the name used as the civil war raged and by mid-summer Tripoli came under Islamist control.
In December of 2014 Libyan Dawn, aka LIFG, aka Ansar al-Sharia, aka Hillary’s Rebels declared allegiance to the Islamic State (ISIS). It was this group, now considered ISIS in Libya who executed the Coptic Christians last weekend. (more…)

Marie Harf joined Chris Matthews on MSNBC yesterday to advance an ideology we have actually heard before. When discussing radical Islam, and more specifically ISIS, according to Harf:

“We’re killing a lot of them and we’re going to keep killing more of them. So are the Egyptians, so are the Jordanians. They’re in this fight with us. But we cannot win this war by killing them. We cannot kill our way out of this war. We need in the medium to longer term to go after the root causes that leads people to join these groups, whether it’s lack of opportunity for jobs”.

Now pause for a moment, turn your head at a 25° angle, cross your eyes, pretend she is in direct eye contact with yourself…. and ask the obvious:  “Dear Ms. Harf, if that be true – then why in sam kittens is President Obama asking for AN AUTHORIZATION OF MILITARY FORCE” ? {{Mic Drop}} (more…)

In response to the killing of 21 Coptic Christians in Libya Egypt’s President Fattah al-Sisi has called for the international community to join in a united response.
In the leadership role which would normally be filled, or at least bolstered by a determined U.S. President, Egypt’s al-Sisi has asked the United Nations Security Council to convene and organize a response to “an active terrorist threat”. Sisi was visiting with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi on the same day that Pope Francis condemned the attack calling the victims “Christian Martyrs”.

“Today I read about the execution of those twenty-one or twenty-two Coptic Christians. Their only words were: ‘Jesus, help me!’ They were killed simply because they were Christians.”

Italy’s Renzi and Egypt’s el-Sisi appeared together and spoke at length about the need for a united international community to accept the face of the enemy and engage with strong force to eliminate the growing threat. The Egyptian presidential spokesperson Alaa Youssef relayed the details of the diplomatic conversation between Renzi and Sisi.
Renzi affirmed his country’s support and willingness to assist with Egypt’s ongoing efforts.  Three days ago, Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni said his country was ready to join a U.N-led force to combat “an active terrorist threat”.  Following that statement Renzi called Monday for the United Nation Security Council to send a United Nations-led “mission” to Libya as fast as possible. (more…)

If it seems like you are seeing an uptick in activity insistent upon you not reconciling six years of our research effort into U.S. activity regarding Mid-East affairs; I can assure you it is because you are….

If you saw the Mediterranean filled with the blood of the Coptic martyrs coinciding simultaneously with the Israel’s call for the return of the Jews to Zion; I can assure you it is because you did….
Now....
(Via Counter Jihad) If it seems that Islamic State (IS) atrocities are descending to ever-more horrific levels of barbarity, then the message is getting through as intended.
As Congress begins to consider the President’s proposed new Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF), it would be well to understand just how desperately IS has been trying to lure Western ground forces into the land of Al-Sham.
The amputations, beheadings, crucifixions, immolations, and sex slavery – perpetrated in meticulous emulation of the Life of Muhammad and obedience to Islamic Law (shariah) – were from the beginning carefully calculated to ‘strike terror into the hearts of the enemy’ (Q 8:12, 8:60), while also eliciting an emotional reaction that would drive the U.S. recklessly to send its military back to the region’s battlefields. (more…)

(Via CNN)—The Egyptian military said Monday it has bombed ISIS targets in Libya after the militant group released a video that appeared to show the beheadings of Coptic Christians.

(more…)

Sometimes the timing of things, important things, just, well, take care of themselves…

WASHINGTON DC – Sen. John McCain said Sunday he opposes any ISIL war resolution that puts limits on the power of the president, saying on “Meet the Press” that such restrictions were “unconstitutional.”

“To restrain him in our authorization of him taking military action, I think, frankly, is unconstitutional and eventually leads to 535 commanders in chief,” the Arizona Republican told host Chuck Todd. (more…)

I’m sure there will be more from Egypt’s Fattah al-Sisi in the next few days, he is not a person prone to knee-jerk emotional responses to crisis. Research into al-Sisi, and following him for several years, shows he thinks carefully, calls for counsel, takes immediate advice and then makes a strong decision and sticks with it.
That said, as you read this I must point out something in this Reuters example which highlights the bias inherent in Western media that slips past unless you have followed the nuances and details of any event/story. Check out this statement:

[…] “The beheadings could stiffen Sisi’s resolve in dealing with security threats from militants thriving in neighboring Libya’s chaos who want to topple his U.S.-backed government“.

“U.S. backed government“, who does Reuters think they’re kidding?
The Obama administration openly disparages al-Sisi, talks negatively about him, spoke angrily against the removal of Muslim Brotherhood’s Morsi and didn’t even call Sisi to congratulate him on his overwhelming election victory. But Reuters says “U.S. backed”, because NOW it fits the narrative a strong Obama needs, unreal. I digress. (more…)

The people and groups now identified as “ISIS in Libya” are the same people and groups that Hillary Clinton, Samantha Power and Susan Rice determined back in 2011 to be “rebels” worthy of weapons, missiles and MANPADS to advance their cause.
Don’t forget that pesky detail. EVER.
The Coptic Christians executed today in Libya spent their last moments in prayer.

(Reuters) – Islamic State released a video on Sunday purporting to show the militant group beheading 21 Egyptian Christians kidnapped in Libya.
The Egyptians, dressed in orange jump suits, were beheaded after being forced down on the ground. The video appeared on the Twitter feed of a website that supports Islamic State. (more…)

One of the reasons why ISIS is continuing to call for the assassination of Egyptian President Fattah al-Sisi is because he is destroying the infrastructure terrorists need to carry out their plans.
Last July/August Egyptian military began destroying Hamas terror tunnels in the Sinai region and Gaza.   In a remarkable discovery hidden by western media a full ONE THIRD of all border homes contained terror tunnels into Gaza.  As a consequence of the scope al-Sisi ordered an expanded security perimeter and all border homes destroyed.
Today Egyptian media are reporting on another tunnel discovered, the size of it explains how committed the Muslim Brotherhood is to the destruction of Israel.  Unreal. 

EL-ARISH, Egypt – Egyptian security officials say they have found a 1.5-mile smuggling tunnel leading into the Gaza Strip, the longest such passageway discovered in their crackdown on cross-border smuggling.
They say the tunnel was operated by the military wing of the Palestinian Hamas movement, the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, which Egypt says is a terrorist organization that played a role in recent attacks against Egyptian security forces. (more…)