Hehehehahahahehe... 5555555555555555... LOLZ... 呵呵呵呵呵... хихихихихихи... mwahahamwahahamwahahamwahahamwahaha... 크크크크크크크크크크크크... HAHAHAHAHAHAHA... 笑笑笑笑笑笑笑笑... bwahahahabhahaha... חָה־חָה־חָה... mort de rire -- حقا، لا أستطيع ...
Uh, yeah. Welcome to 2003 again. Byline says Michael Gordon instead of Judith Martin.
Oh gee, big deal folks:
"...establish a new military base in Anbar Province, Iraq, and to send 400 more American military trainers to help Iraqi forces retake the city of Ramadi."
Which, for those who follow events in Iraq, would make that the third "retaking" of Ramadi in the last calendar year.
"Trainers."
Got that ??? "Trainers."
Anyone want to try "hostages" ??? 400 hostages so the surveillance operation doesn't go for dereliction when an ISIS attack group forms up to blast out an Iraqi city? The morning of May 14th outside Ramadi, for example.
There's more nonsense in there:
"Now, pending approval by the White House, plans are being made to use Al Taqqadum, an Iraqi base near the town of Habbaniya, as another training hub for the American-led coalition."
"American-led coalition." Really? WTF ?????? What are they smoking? We're throwing in a couple dozen airstrikes a day, no troops in combat. We're a minor player. But here's the narcissism to claim this is "American-led" and it reaches print at NY Times.
What's real? Anything?
Not Special Forces with snipers and the usual drones and pinpoint artillery assets and close air support C-130s and Warthogs out of Al Asad air base (10 minutes flight time from Ramadi.)
Nothing like that.... "Trainers."
Here's where the U.S. has bombed ISIS. Notice how western Syria is a Safe Zone ???
If the White House and DoD wanted to change anything meaningful, going up to 100 airstrikes a day (from 30 a day) and hitting the big ISIS army units in western Syria sounds more like it. Go up to 250 airstrikes a day and ISIS would find it all but impossible to organize large-scale convoys/suicide chain attacks.
P.S. the "5555555555555555..." is internet-Thai for laughter. That works other places too.