Islamic State kills 220 Iraqis from (Sunni) tribe that opposed them

[cali]

Islamic State militants executed at least 220 Iraqis in retaliation against a tribe's opposition to their takeover of territory west of Baghdad, security sources and witnesses said.

Two mass graves were discovered on Thursday containing some of the 300 members of the Sunni Muslim Albu Nimr tribe that Islamic State had seized this week. The captives, men aged between 18 and 55, had been shot at close range, witnesses said.

The bodies of more than 70 Albu Nimr men were dumped near the town of Hit in the Sunni heartland Anbar province, according to witnesses who said most of the victims were members of the police or an anti-Islamic State militia called Sahwa (Awakening).

"Early this morning we found those corpses and we were told by some Islamic State militants that 'those people are from Sahwa, who fought your brothers the Islamic State, and this is the punishment of anybody fighting Islamic State'," a witness said.

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http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/10/30/mideast-crisis-iraq-grave-idINKBN0IJ1DM20141030

[Bragi]

1. "This is the punishment of anybody fighting Islamic State"

Indeed it is.

If I were a Muslim in that area of the world, I'd be trying to flee. Braver souls than me might stay and fight, but also die in large numbers.

Do you get the sense that maybe this isn't our fight after all?

I sure do. We've done untold harm in the region with our military adventures, and maybe the responsible thing to do now is to just put a military, economic and social "wall" of some sort around the region.

We could tell the people behind the wall that it's now their job to sort it out. Or not, their choice. Just let us know if you get it sorted out, and if you'd like to reestablish relations, and we'll see about dismantling the wall.

Until then, anyone is free to go over the wall to get into the region (be my guest!) but no-one gets out.

As for trade, forget it. There is nothing they have (including oil) that we really need.

- B

[Comrade Grumpy]

2. I hear you, but...

This almost seems like a struggle of civilization against barbarism. These ISIS fuckers are like the Mongol hordes or Tamerlane's army. I expect to see a pyramid of skulls one of these days.

I did not support the US invasions of Iraq or Afghanistan. And I'm no big fan of our military-industrial complex. But I'm not shedding any tears as those bombs drop on ISIS.

The heart of the Middle East is now in a terrible mess. I don't see any good alternatives, for us or for the people of the region. But it's probably unwise to just turn our heads and let a psychotic, murderous caliphate emerge.

[Bragi]

3. I doubt we can defeat ISIS

ISIS will only be stopped if the people and leaders of the major Islamic middle east countries choose to stop them. We can't do it, and our presence is distorting and poisoning everything in the region. We need to wall up the region to force the people there to act, and ultimately, to promote our own security.