Friday May 29, 2015

I've Been Thinking:

Last week the Iraqi city of Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province, fell to ISIS. So did the rest of the Anbar province. This week Iraq announced that they are fighting to retake the province, which is home to 2 million people and the capital, home to 500,000 Iraqis.

Shiite militias have been brought in to fight ISIS - and the Iranians have a stake in this operation.

Now ISIS is responding.

ISIS sent the Blind Sheik to Ramadi. His real name is Ali Atiya al Joubari aka Abu Asim, but he is most well known as the Blind Sheik of ISIS. He is their # 2 leader on all religious issues and he is # 5 in the overall ISIS pecking order.

The Blind Sheik arrived in Anbar Province with his security entourage so, naturally, people paid attention. One arm, his head and his face were totally covered. The Sheik spoke after evening prayers.

The reason for this visit was to inspire locals in Ramadi to accept ISIS. The locals now side with the Iraqi forces. The Blind Sheik was supposed to convince them to acquiesce and submit to ISIS authority.

Anbar is the largest province in Iraq, it is equal in size to all the other provinces combined. Ramadi is a mere 80 miles from Baghdad.

Both ISIS and the Iraqis know how crucially important this battle for Ramadi and Anbar is.

Read my latest book THUGS. It's easy. Just click.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=halpern%2C+micah

To reprint my essays contact sales (at) www.featurewell.com