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ISIS Is Dropping Bombs With Drones In Iraq (popsci.com)

In addition to rifles, mortars, artillery and suicidal car bombs, ISIS has recently added commercial drones, converted into tiny bombs, into the mix of weapons it uses to fight in Iraq. In October, The New York Times reported that the Islamic State was using small consumer drones rigged with explosives to fight Kurdish forces in Iraq. Two Kurdish soldiers died dismantling a booby-trapped ISIS drone. Several months later and it appears the use of drones on the battlefield is becoming more prevalent. Popular Science reports: Previously, we've seen ISIS scratch-build drones, and as Iraqi Security Forces retook parts of Mosul, they discovered a vast infrastructure of workshops (complete with quality control) for building standardized munitions, weapons, and explosives. These drone bombers recently captured by Iraqi forces and shared with American advisors appear to be commercial, off-the-shelf models, adapted to carry grenade-sized payloads. "It's not as if it is a large, armed UAV [unmanned aerial vehicle] that is dropping munitions from the wings -- but literally, a very small quadcopter that drops a small munition in a somewhat imprecise manner," [Col. Brett] Sylvia, commander of an American military advising mission in Iraq, told Military Times. "They are very short-range, targeting those front-line troops from the Iraqis." Because the drones used are commercial models, it likely means that anti-drone weapons already on hand with the American advisors are sufficient to stop them. It's worth noting that the bomb-dropping drones are just a small part of how ISIS uses the cheap, unmanned flying machines. Other applications include scouts and explosive decoys, as well as one-use weapons. ISIS is also likely not the first group to figure out how to drop grenades from small drones; it's a growing field of research and development among many violent, nonstate actors and insurgent groups. Despite the relative novelty, it's also likely not the deadliest thing insurgents can do with drones.

199 comments

  1. In violation... by theendlessnow · · Score: 4, Funny

    In violation of several Samsung patents, I'm sure.

    1. Re:In violation... by sjames · · Score: 1

      And therein lies the answer. We choke ISIS out with an army of deadwood patent attorneys.

    2. Re:In violation... by poofmeisterp · · Score: 1

      And therein lies the answer. We choke ISIS out with an army of deadwood patent attorneys.

      I thought you were going to say "choke ISIS out with an army of returned Li ion explosive batteries"... wow. I guess I'm thinking of a way of disposing of dangerous waste products in a way that's inhuman and unacceptable to anyone but a group like ISIS... but hey... patent attorneys was a much more realistic ending to the sentence my brain's pre-read. ;)

  2. Remember to regster your drone! by Noishkel · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Only with a multiple million dollar registry of every single drone bought and sold in the US can we hope. Otherwise the terrorist will just build them out of raw components anyway and you'll make the entire thing look silly.

    1. Re:Remember to regster your drone! by Noishkel · · Score: 1

      ... hope to stop the terrorist.... Yay for Aphasia.

    2. Re:Remember to regster your drone! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why would they Buy them in America?
      They can buy them anywhere.
      They do not need to make then, but they could. Plans are all over the internet.

    3. Re:Remember to regster your drone! by unixisc · · Score: 1

      Particularly from China, where everything is made. Just buy them from there via brokers in Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey or any other country w/ close ties to China, and rig them for attacks against all their rivals

    4. Re:Remember to regster your drone! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why would they Buy them in America?
      They can buy them anywhere.
      They do not need to make then, but they could. Plans are all over the internet.

      Because the US government under Obama doesn't charge anything and has free delivery to anyone fighting the evil Assad and Putin.

    5. Re:Remember to regster your drone! by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 1

      They do not need to make then, but they could. Plans are all over the internet.

      That requires a supply chain and a manufacturing base. Eastern Syria has neither.

    6. Re:Remember to regster your drone! by Noishkel · · Score: 2

      They do not need to make then, but they could. Plans are all over the internet.

      That requires a supply chain and a manufacturing base. Eastern Syria has neither.

      So you're telling me that a terrorist army that can smuggle firearms and even heavy arms across multiple national boards is suddenly going to have trouble bringing in a few cheap drone and component in?

    7. Re:Remember to regster your drone! by negRo_slim · · Score: 1

      Well considering what was pictured looked like an RC airplane I'm not sure your drone registry will do much friend.

      --
      On the Oregon Cost born and raised, On the beach is where I spent most of my days
    8. Re:Remember to regster your drone! by thinkwaitfast · · Score: 2
      I'v been building "drones" out of balsa wood and glue since my first guillow's kit that I received when I was five years old (witha little help obviously, but not too much). Adding a gyro, arduino isn't exactly rocket science and adds $10-$15 to the project.

      And for those who can't afford to buy a kit, you can get free plans off the internet. I'm pretty sure you could build it out of toothpicks and tissue paper if you couldn't find balsa.

    9. Re:Remember to regster your drone! by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      Still, they have to register it in the US and if they don't, they must not fly it where US troops are fighting or pay a fine!

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  3. is it raspberry with a propeller? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    or they just buy the drones and pimp it with c4?

    1. Re:is it raspberry with a propeller? by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 1

      The improved Raspberry Pi module will surely improve the guidance system capabilities. ;)

      --
      Ezekiel 23:20
  4. Do the suicide drones get 72 virgins in Paradise? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Just askin'

  5. Won't be long now by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Until we nuke these fuckers back to the stone ages. The end is nigh, jackasses.

    1. Re:Won't be long now by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Or you could address the problem....

      WTF am I saying? Why address issues when you can nuke them! (sigh..)

    2. Re:Won't be long now by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I wouldn't know why not. Nukes worked perfectly well last time we used them. How many Japanese terrorists are there now, especially outside of Japan? Maybe we should apply them a bit more "liberally" now, we've been far to "conservative". We really could end all wars with nukes. It will shut people up real fast. *Drop the bomb. Exterminate them all*

    3. Re:Won't be long now by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Do you honestly think it will work?

      After all, they are hardly going to obey a tweet saying "Could all ISIS members stand at these coordinates please - Signed Donald". I mean, you may get some but mostly you are just going to piss them off even more.

      I have no idea why the US is so reluctant to deal with the actual issues but I am fairly sure dropping nukes isn't going to help.

    4. Re:Won't be long now by slew · · Score: 2

      Or you could address the problem....

      WTF am I saying? Why address issues when you can nuke them! (sigh..)

      Are you suggesting we address ISIL's problem with the Iraqi Security Forces? If I'm not mistaken ISIL has a problem with non-sharia governments and wants to carve out part of the land in Iraq (and Syria) to establish a Caliphate. How would you propose we address ISIL's problem?

      Not that nuking them would solve any problem, but some problems aren't for us to solve...

    5. Re:Won't be long now by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Are you suggesting we address ISIL's problem with the Iraqi Security Forces?

      Na, that is very much the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff.

      I actually mean addressing the issues that lead to this sort of aggression in the first place. I mean, despite popular belief rational people did not wake up one morning and decide "I HATE FREEDOM!! RAWWW".

      There is a history here that lead to where we are now, and while (sans time machine) we cannot take back what has already been done and mistakes that were made if we don't go back and look at how we got here today and start to address those issues we are never going to be rid of the problem. Certainly repeating the same mistakes is not going to lead to different results.

    6. Re:Won't be long now by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      As I said, find the reasons why things the way they are and address them.

      Hint: It is not because they "hate freedom" as fox news will tell you.

    7. Re:Won't be long now by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So, what's your proposal to drag Islam from the Middle Ages all the way to the 21st century?

      well.. have you ever heard of the Orion propulsion system?

    8. Re:Won't be long now by hambone142 · · Score: 2

      ISIS is not a centralized enemy as we once had way back in WW II. They're a bunch of little "cells" that are doing their own thing. It would be impossible to "nuke them" as "they" aren't in any one place or country.

      Even the nutty Muslims have no centralized governing body. They're interpreting their religion on the fly with likely thousands of nutjobs coming up with their own interpretation of what is "right" and "wrong" so it's impossible to put pressure on any leadership because there is none.

      Since WW II, we've encountered a whole different type of war. One of small groups and in some cases, guerrilla warfare (Vietnam) which again,had little centralization as a target.

       

    9. Re: Won't be long now by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Religion is just politics with belief as justification.

      When people grow up and u der stand that religion is an enemy just like any other evil political system then progress might be made to end Islam and other religions

    10. Re: Won't be long now by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Right. They lover THEIR freedom to impose their ridiculous beliefs on rest of us, charge a tax for non believers, or just kill us if we don't convert (depends on circumstances).

      Hint: you don't know what you're talking about.

    11. Re:Won't be long now by arth1 · · Score: 1

      I wouldn't know why not. Nukes worked perfectly well last time we used them. How many Japanese terrorists are there now, especially outside of Japan?

      More than there were in 1945.
      Known Japanese groups designated as terrorist organizations include Aum Shinrikyo and Nihon Sekigun.

    12. Re:Won't be long now by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Issues like invading Iraq and destabilizing the entire region, which was not particularly stable to begin with? Who should we invade to deal with the aftermath?

    13. Re:Won't be long now by Shompol · · Score: 5, Insightful

      So, what's your proposal to drag Islam from the Middle Ages all the way to the 21st century?

      Easy, here it is:

      1. stop bombing the living shit out of them

      2. stop invading random countries to pump their oil

      3. stop assassinating local leaders we don't like

      4. don't install puppet governments in place of assassinated leaders we didn't like.

      Path to stability needs to be.... stable. I mean if you are out to bomb them then also please occupy, name them your colony and be responsible for what happens over the next few decades, rather than retreating and letting local warlords slug it off for dominance circa 1269.

    14. Re:Won't be long now by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I have no idea why the US is so reluctant to deal with the actual issues

      Because there is money being made. It's as simple as that.

    15. Re: Won't be long now by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You literally have no idea what you are talking about.

      Hint: Stop watching fox news.

    16. Re: Won't be long now by mmell · · Score: 1

      Sounds like the Catholic Church (see: Inquisition).

    17. Re:Won't be long now by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well, I'm pretty sure that is the most complicated thought that you can entertain on the subject.

    18. Re: Won't be long now by KeensMustard · · Score: 1

      Right. They lover THEIR freedom to impose their ridiculous beliefs on rest of us, charge a tax for non believers, or just kill us if we don't convert (depends on circumstances).

      If you can be killed by what someone is thinking on the other side of the world or their thoughts somehow impose themselves on your thoughts so that you are unable to sustain your pre-existing beliefs, then I'm - no, wait. No. No, No, I have no words for how stupid that sounds. Let me get back to you.

    19. Re:Won't be long now by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      How many do you think you'd have if you bombed the Tenno?

      The solution is much easier. Take a look at this map, you might even see it yourself.

      We'd first have to change a lot in our foreign politics, though. That's the part that isn't easy.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    20. Re:Won't be long now by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      But that's how the game is played now.

      Colonies cost money. You have to run them, police them, defend them, and all for what? Ungrateful peasants that only want to revolt. It's far more profitable to let them run their own country (under your supervision and tutelage, of course), have them pay for all those expenses and pay for those expenses with their raw materials, sold at a price that you dictate.

      Why do you think colonies have fallen out of use? Because we're above that now and we're so much better and more civilized now? Please.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    21. Re:Won't be long now by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You sound like Bush. I think they were his policies. BTW, 9/11 preceded the war in Afghanistan.

    22. Re:Won't be long now by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually you forget the most important step. Provide information (using any media) to the inhabitants of those countries:
      - Teaching them how religions work and why false religions continue to exist (people are born into it; there are religious leaders discouraging you from questioning the false religion; there are unsubstantiated promises about afterlife (good/bad reincaration, heaven/hell etc.), and insistence on faith to camouflage a dire lack of evidence).
      - Teaching them the Golden rule (don't do unto another what you don't want to be done to you)
      - Teaching them there is only one reality. Everyone has a moral duty to look for truth, check their own opinions. If everybody does that, differences between people are reduced for the simple reason there is only one reality.
      - Teaching critical thinking skills. You don't teach them the answer (in contrast to what religions/politicians do), although providing them with some verifiable and incontrovertible facts will be part of the plan.

      No religion claiming to be true can be against that (if it is true, it can withstand scrutiny).

      It would be way cheaper than war too. ....

    23. Re:Won't be long now by unixisc · · Score: 1

      This is actually a good tact, but it involves teaching them that Islam is little more than the self-aggrandizement of its founder Mohammed

    24. Re: Won't be long now by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Looks like it's spreading like a plague or a deadly epidemic. It'd be nice to see a map of how it changed over time. Every 15 to 25 years or so,

      Example: show a map from 1925, 1950
      1975, 2000, etc.

    25. Re:Won't be long now by slew · · Score: 1

      I mean, despite popular belief rational people did not wake up one morning and decide "I HATE FREEDOM!! RAWWW".

      Popular or not, Sharia law is a belief system that is like many other common belief systems in that there is no concept of "freedom" per-se. Nearly all religious belief systems teach some level of subjugation to some type of diety or code. Just because "western" secular belief systems have evolved to favor some sort of "freedom" doesn't mean that is universal.

      You can argue if it is rational or not to follow such a belief system, but arguing rationality for human behavior is probably a losing battle.

      There is a history here that lead to where we are now, and while (sans time machine) we cannot take back what has already been done and mistakes that were made if we don't go back and look at how we got here today and start to address those issues we are never going to be rid of the problem. Certainly repeating the same mistakes is not going to lead to different results.

      Of course if you are advocating assuming the so-called white-man's burden, well, I would argue that's one of the mistakes that got us to where we are today... It is a somewhat of a fools errand to think that we can do something in all cases, sometimes, the best action is inaction. Maybe they hate us for their own reasons? Maybe it is impossible to "get-along"? Why is should they see things our way when we dismiss seeing thing their way?

    26. Re:Won't be long now by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's not any more complicated than that. Terrorism will stop when the money stops flowing. This is business. Leave your silly idealism at home.

    27. Re: Won't be long now by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Please explain?

    28. Re:Won't be long now by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Bush promised to "bring freedom overseas" during his pre-election speech for soldiers, before 9/11. Also, Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11 and everything to do with oil.

    29. Re: Won't be long now by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      If you want to see it spread, you'd need a map of the 600s through the 1500s.

      What I mean is to take a closer look at how Iran differs from the rest, and to ponder that Sunnis and Shiites are about as buddy-buddy as Catholics and Protestants were in the 1600s.

      Hint: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  6. I LEARNED IT FROM WATCHING YOU! by Zurkeyon3733 · · Score: 1

    This reads like a bad anti-drug commercial. SEE WHAT WE F-ING STARTED NOW? Two Words... Jihad Drones! :-D

  7. I think I saw DJI Phantom 4s for sale by mark_reh · · Score: 1

    on woot! for $800 last week. Sure I know it's a refurb, but how long does it have to work?

  8. Trap and Skeet anyone? by ravenshrike · · Score: 2

    Suddenly extremely applicable life skills outside of bird hunting.

  9. military drones by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The is sort of why I'm a little wary about seeing drone tech developed. Much of the advanced functionality you can get is just adding software to common hardware, and once the software exists, it will be copied or recreated. That being said, it is coming regardless.

    I suppose you could make drones attack drones, but don't shotguns work better for some of this? I suppose you could arm a drone killing drone with the equivalent of shotgun shells... Might get messy fast though...

    1. Re:military drones by thinkwaitfast · · Score: 1
      It's already developed. Not a lot more to do.

      Anyone, with very moderate skills can build an aircraft to fly anywhere within a few dozen kilometers and 'land' within a 2m radius.

  10. alvin toffler predicted this by veron.claudio · · Score: 1

    i'm suprised it took this long to happen non-sporadically

    1. Re:alvin toffler predicted this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Everyone predicted this. I'm pleasantly surprised human nature is fundamentally good enough that it took this long.

      Actually... Who am I kidding? It was obviously an issue of the bad guys were simply too stupid/ignorant to combine a $8 hobby servo with a piece of PVC pipe and a $5 MCU.

    2. Re:alvin toffler predicted this by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 1

      Everyone predicted this.

      It was predicted 25 years ago. If a prediction takes that long to be realized, it shouldn't count. Terror-by-drone is such an obvious idea, that I am amazed that it took them this long. I think this is proof that terrorists are a lot dumber and incompetent than we often assume.

      I am also amazed that they still self-destruct in suicide car bombs. Haven't they ever seen The Dead Pool.

    3. Re:alvin toffler predicted this by Anne+Thwacks · · Score: 1
      Terror-by-drone is such an obvious idea, that I am amazed that it took them this long

      Especially when the Germans were doing it in 1941 with much bigger drones!

      --
      Sent from my ASR33 using ASCII
  11. inverse foreign law legislature by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    bad tgings happen somewhere else and unrelated to people here that induces people to write law to their own advantage. It is like the 14th Amendment an Reconstruction Act on an international over-seas cross-country level where Isis writes law onto us based on interpretive dirty dancing.

    1. Re: inverse foreign law legislature by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Speak for yourself.

    2. Re:inverse foreign law legislature by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Did that make sense in your head?

    3. Re:inverse foreign law legislature by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What does make sense is that this is yet another 1% created problem, reaction, solution. With the "solution" being the end of a few more arabic countries. Sadly, most people believe these headlines...

    4. Re:inverse foreign law legislature by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The people commonly referred to as "terrorists" are better described as "psychotic serial murderers". The US can probably be described, in the right context, as "terrorists" because the "psychotic serial murderers" are the ones cowering behind little kids. So terrorized they never use cell phones or any other form of electronic communication devices for fear of being located. So terrorized that they never sleep in the same place two days in a row to avoid a bunch a guys dressed in black sporting night vision goggles and armed to the teeth dropping in to say hi in the wee hours of the morning. So terrorized they try their best to never go outside during the day for fear of accidently looking up to discover they are the next contestant on the ultimate candid camera show with the grand prize being awarded with a state of the art Hellfire missile for their parting gifts.

      "negative law and phantom debt"
      And please describe a negative law because if you have a negative law surely their is a positive law meaning the cancel each other out leaving no laws". And if we have phantom debt then we must not have any debt because we can't find it.

    5. Re:inverse foreign law legislature by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What a spectacular display of evading an argument. Nothing but logical fallacy.

    6. Re:inverse foreign law legislature by arth1 · · Score: 1

      The people commonly referred to as "terrorists" are better described as "psychotic serial murderers".

      Unless fighting one of our enemies, in which case they are called "freedom fighters".

    7. Re:inverse foreign law legislature by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The people commonly referred to as "terrorists" are better described as "psychotic serial murderers".

      Unless fighting one of our enemies, in which case they are called "freedom fighters".

      And properly so since our enemies have tended to be folk like the Fascists (Germany, Italy, (h) Japan), Communists (Korea/China, Viet Nam, Soviet Union), and various dictators like Saddam. Or were you thinking the people in those countries were already free?

    8. Re:inverse foreign law legislature by xvan · · Score: 1

      Citizens in those countries were, at least, as free as you were. Otherwise explain vietnam drafts.

      Also US may not be the bad guys, but having "bad guys" as enemies doesn't make you part of the good guys.

      Explain bombing the shit out of violent dictator on country A while having good relations with neighbor violent dictator in country B (Gadafi vs al-Ásad)
      Explain supporting de facto governments in LATAM.
      Explain Cuba.

    9. Re:inverse foreign law legislature by wyHunter · · Score: 1

      Well, since there is no draft at the moment, nor is there likely to be one anytime soon, that comment is moot. Where do you draw the line , though; was a WWII draft appropriate? Korea? As for violent dictator in country A versus country B, last I noted the US was bombing both nations. The support for repressive governments in Latin America is not right. Explain Cuba? Not backing Castro is consistent with American values - Cuba is HARDLY a bastion of freedom.

  12. matter of time by thygate · · Score: 1

    this was only a matter of time, with IMU's and position sensors so widespread and cheap today, all we can do is to try and restrict export to these countries, but sooner or later it will get out there too.

    1. Re:matter of time by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 1

      this was only a matter of time, with IMU's and position sensors so widespread and cheap today, all we can do is to try and restrict export to these countries, but sooner or later it will get out there too.

      This is FUD.

      I read that as the US buying every single part that might be made into a copter drone, or a Model airplane, then burning them or something. We are not the only country in the world, we might as well ban lead, iron, and brass - the basic materials of firearms and their ammunition.

      We can hardly ban the export when it is other countries that have them to export. Unless we plan on Fighting the entire world, a remarkably bad idea since we are in the middle of the longest war in US history, after being in another one. One cannot fight infinitely.

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
    2. Re:matter of time by thinkwaitfast · · Score: 1

      Germans did it seventy years ago. And this was before miniature computers. All the countries were in on it too.

    3. Re:matter of time by thygate · · Score: 1

      yeah, but they had a lot of manufacturing infrastructure, and they had some very good scientists. i don't see IS making mechanical gyroscopes on a large scale, and every discarded smartphone from the last decade makes for a perfect drone platform.

    4. Re:matter of time by saider · · Score: 1

      all we can do is to try and restrict export to these countrie

      We import these sensors - most are made in Asia.

      --


      Remember, You are unique...just like everyone else.
  13. Creative by AndyKron · · Score: 1

    It's good to see they have an outlet for their creative energy.

    1. Re:Creative by ColdWetDog · · Score: 1

      Indeed. Otherwise they might use their talents to hurt someone.

      Imprecisely dropping hand grenades seems like more of an act of desperation than strategy.

      What next? Sticking M80's into Estes model rockets (like we did as kids)?

      --
      Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
    2. Re:Creative by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 1

      What about dropping hand grenades precisely? It should be possible.

      --
      Ezekiel 23:20
    3. Re: Creative by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Makers gonna make

  14. Nonstate actors? by fustakrakich · · Score: 1

    Count de Monet...

    --
    “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
  15. Only a fraction of US munitions... by mspohr · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Our Nobel Peace Prize President dropped 26,000 bombs (real bombs, not little hand grenades) last year on various brown people (even though we are not at war).
    This effort by ISIS is a pittance in comparison.
    BTW, has anyone considered that it might be preferable to address their grievances rather than just bomb them?

    --
    I don't read your sig. Why are you reading mine?
    1. Re:Only a fraction of US munitions... by Daemonik · · Score: 5, Insightful

      In this case, their grievance is that we exist. ISIS wants a new caliphate to control the entire Middle East and they want to pursue holy war, you can't really negotiate around either of those even if they wanted to.

    2. Re: Only a fraction of US munitions... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Better to answer the grievancesof the people ISIS victimizes. With a little help and encouragement they might be able to snuff out isis.

      It's just a thought.

    3. Re:Only a fraction of US munitions... by mspohr · · Score: 1

      So, nothing to do with all of the US troops and bases occupying their territory?

      --
      I don't read your sig. Why are you reading mine?
    4. Re:Only a fraction of US munitions... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sure we can.
      We GTFO of the middle east, and we don't give them VISAs to enter our country.
      Problem solved. Let the middle east sort itself out.
      But that would be problematic for oil companies.
      Never mind that these groups only managed to grow so large because the west had to go topple "evil dictators".

    5. Re: Only a fraction of US munitions... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      This kind of can do attitude about snuffing out problems landed us here in the first place.
      You can't slaughter your way into a democracy.
      Besides, what do we care about what goes on over there, as long as they stay the fuck out?

    6. Re: Only a fraction of US munitions... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Seems unfair to let the people who want nothing to do with such extremists suffer at the hands of them.

      We fucked it up (moreso) seems right to try and help put it back together again.

    7. Re:Only a fraction of US munitions... by peragrin · · Score: 1

      The majority US troops pulled out in 2010 per Iraqi agreements. Then shia Iraqis started writing g religious laws that affected sunni Iraqis more than shia Iraqi. The sunnis tribal leaders got pissed and invited in India to assist in force the shias to back off. Instead ISIS took military control of sunni areas. If you look you can find sunni tribal leaders saying they could stop ISIS in the very early days. Those leaders were killed after that.

      For the record Iran is primary shia, and suadi is sunni.

      We are getting involved I. A religious holy war just like eruope of the 14-17 centuries. Oddly enough Islam just 1500 years old too.

      It seems religions age like humans but by the century. Turn 15 and you become a horny emotional wreck lashing out at things for stupid reasons.

      --
      i thought once I was found, but it was only a dream.
    8. Re:Only a fraction of US munitions... by Kjella · · Score: 1

      In this case, their grievance is that we exist. ISIS wants a new caliphate to control the entire Middle East and they want to pursue holy war, you can't really negotiate around either of those even if they wanted to.

      I think you misspelled "the world", basically their strategy is to generate so much resentment towards Muslims (you know, 1.6 billion people - bigger than declaring war on China) that they get two new recruits for every one that's killed. The only reason it's not working is that so far we haven't taken the bait. We grieve for the dead, increase the military effort but we don't lash out in revenge. I sorta expected some militant nutters to go postal in a mosque or to burn them to the ground but apart from a lot of very vivid commentary there's been very few actual attacks on Muslims in general. If we were as short-tempered as they are like going ballistic over drawings we'd be in WW3 by now.

      --
      Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
    9. Re: Only a fraction of US munitions... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      No, we were not the ones who fucked it up. That region has been fucked up since the 7th century, when Islam broke out throughout the region. Not only does Islam not tolerate religious plurality: it doesn't even tolerate variations of how it's believed and practised. Which is why you have Shias vs Sunnis, Sunnis vs Alawites, Shias vs Bahais, Sunnis vs Ahmadiyas, and every other combination. Not just that, you also have Arabs vs Non-Arab Muslims, such as the wars against the Kurds or the Black Muslims of Darfur.

      This is not something that non-Muslims of any stripe can do anything about. GP is right in this case: GTFO of the Middle East, and conversely, kick out all Muslims out of the West. Let them go back there and decide which side they want to join - ISIS, al Nusra, al Qaeda, Hamas, Hizbullah, Badr Brigades, Sipah e Sahiba,... there is plenty more of that Islamic alphabet soup where THAT came from. They can all drop bombs on each other - with or without drones, and determine whose is the true Islam

    10. Re:Only a fraction of US munitions... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's odd that what you say is more true if said the other way around.

    11. Re:Only a fraction of US munitions... by ShooterNeo · · Score: 1

      " invited in India to assist in force the shias to back off"

      Did you mean someone else or did India really get involved?

    12. Re:Only a fraction of US munitions... by dj245 · · Score: 3, Informative

      So, nothing to do with all of the US troops and bases occupying their territory?

      Boy, people have short memories. Iraq didn't renew a security agreement back in 2011 for political reasons. The local population didn't want it. The US was mostly withdrawn from Iraq at the end of December 2011. It took about 6 months before ISIS took advantage of the situation.

      From 2nd link-

      In July 2012, al-Baghdadi released an audio statement online announcing that the group was returning to former strongholds from which US troops and the Sons of Iraq had driven them in 2007 and 2008.[219] He declared the start of a new offensive in Iraq called Breaking the Walls, aimed at freeing members of the group held in Iraqi prisons.[219] Violence in Iraq had begun to escalate in June 2012, primarily with AQI's car bomb attacks, and by July 2013, monthly fatalities exceeded 1,000 for the first time since April 2008.[220]

      I'm too lazy to look up when the US sent sizable forces back to Iraq, but it was only on request and permission of the Iraqi government.

      --
      Even those who arrange and design shrubberies are under considerable economic stress at this period in history.
    13. Re:Only a fraction of US munitions... by phantomfive · · Score: 0

      Our Nobel Peace Prize President dropped 26,000 bombs (real bombs, not little hand grenades) last year on various brown people

      Brown people? It sounds like you're saying our president is racist. Do you know who our president is?
      It might be time to update your cliches.

      --
      "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
    14. Re:Only a fraction of US munitions... by ScentCone · · Score: 2, Funny

      Our Nobel Peace Prize President dropped 26,000 bombs (real bombs, not little hand grenades)

      Probably a lot more than that. You're not understanding the usefulness of air strikes on this sort of combatant.

      on various brown people

      Right, right. It's because of their skin pigment! For reference, resorting to lazy race baiting doesn't really win arguments (see the most recent election results as an example)

      (even though we are not at war).

      Yes, I can see you're having some trouble grasping current events. Please don't do anything dangerous to other people in the future. Like, voting.

      --
      Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.
    15. Re:Only a fraction of US munitions... by mspohr · · Score: 1

      It's not just Iraq. The US has bases in most middle east countries.
      It's our oil, after all and we need to protect it.
      http://fpif.org/u-s-empire-bas...

      --
      I don't read your sig. Why are you reading mine?
    16. Re:Only a fraction of US munitions... by mspohr · · Score: 1

      http://fpif.org/u-s-empire-bas...
      "Thirty-six years into the U.S. base build-up in the Greater Middle East, military force has failed as a strategy for controlling the region, no less defeating terrorist organizations."

      --
      I don't read your sig. Why are you reading mine?
    17. Re:Only a fraction of US munitions... by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 1

      The majority US troops pulled out in 2010 per Iraqi agreements.

      These people are fighting a many thousands of years old war with each other. 2010? Might as well be the present. I personally believe that they should be allowed to kill each other off without our intervention. I think it is a genetic predisposition, a sort of ability to forever hold a grudge, coupled with humanitie's love for killing other humans. Let 'em have their fun - not our business unless they get ouside their borders.

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
    18. Re:Only a fraction of US munitions... by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 1

      I'm too lazy to look up when the US sent sizable forces back to Iraq, but it was only on request and permission of the Iraqi government.

      So you figure tha twe have to be th epolice there in perpetuity? Because they aren't going to behave themselves unless a much superior force is there to enforce a martial law.

      We could be there a hundred years, and as soon as we left, they'd be at it again. We'd just have delayed it by 100 years, and both sides would consider us their enemy. The only real hope - and it isn't much of one - is to let them kill each other off to the point of mutual exhaustion.

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
    19. Re: Only a fraction of US munitions... by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 1

      Seems unfair to let the people who want nothing to do with such extremists suffer at the hands of them.

      Sure is. Lot's of things are unfair. The people who want nothing to do with the extremists need to rise up against them. It'll be bloody for certain, but all a third intervening country will do is gain new enemies.

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
    20. Re:Only a fraction of US munitions... by peragrin · · Score: 1

      Islam is only 1437. Like Christianity is 2016 years old

      So a multi thousand year warranty is wrong.

      --
      i thought once I was found, but it was only a dream.
    21. Re:Only a fraction of US munitions... by brit74 · · Score: 0

      > BTW, has anyone considered that it might be preferable to address their grievances rather than just bomb them?

      You're right! Truckloads of sex slaves and a caliphate to rule the entire Middle East, coming right up!

    22. Re:Only a fraction of US munitions... by brit74 · · Score: 1

      Technically, he never said it started with Islam.

    23. Re:Only a fraction of US munitions... by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 1

      Islam is only 1437. Like Christianity is 2016 years old

      So a multi thousand year warranty is wrong.

      You figure that they only warred with each other after Islam was created? Don't confuse current religions with the ongoing fighting in the middle east.

      From the multiple Byzantine-Sassanid wars. The third Century AD was constant warfare in southern Arabia going back further to pre Christian times, we have the Kingdom of Hadhramaut conqured by the Himyarites (somewhere around 300 BCE Anyhow, I don't want to bore you to death with the names and places - I'd suggest looking up the history of the middle east outside of the political screeds. It's a rather violent place, has been for a long time, and if they didn't enjoy the violence, they wouldn't do it.

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
    24. Re:Only a fraction of US munitions... by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 2

      Technically, he never said it started with Islam.

      And it definitely didn't. This is a mighty violent place, irrespective of which desert deity one prays too. Their god is a psychotic mental infant who loves to kill his creation. This is because man makes God in his own image.

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
    25. Re:Only a fraction of US munitions... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      We killed, raped and pillaged, destroyed every single state institution, but pulled out in 2010 -- please everyone act normal like nothing happened! We put them back in the 7th century BC and they act as such, what did you expect?

    26. Re:Only a fraction of US munitions... by thinkwaitfast · · Score: 1

      I think it is a genetic predisposition

      It's the food. Have you ever had tabbouleh?

    27. Re:Only a fraction of US munitions... by thinkwaitfast · · Score: 1

      All 16% of it.

    28. Re:Only a fraction of US munitions... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That was with Al-Qaeda. Preventing ISIS from taking over the region is a moral obligation for any civilized country in this planet. This moral obligation rises from the ashes of the previous world war, to put it poetically.

    29. Re:Only a fraction of US munitions... by KeensMustard · · Score: 1
      Also it's a pittance compared to Rumsfeld+Cheney's effort: Number of people killed by Obama's drone strikes: Less then 1000

      Number of people killed by Rumsfeld+Cheney's war in iraq over a 110000. A difference of 2 orders of magnitude.

    30. Re:Only a fraction of US munitions... by Xest · · Score: 2

      "Our Nobel Peace Prize President dropped 26,000 bombs (real bombs, not little hand grenades) last year on various brown people (even though we are not at war)."

      Why make it about skin colour? Your president was the same colour but he very clearly didn't bomb himself, so that was obviously not a factor in determining targets so why bring it up?

      "BTW, has anyone considered that it might be preferable to address their grievances rather than just bomb them?"

      Whilst I'd always agree for rational actors such as the IRA, FARC, and maybe even the Taliban, these actors aren't rational. You could make the same argument for the Nazis in WWII but given that their greivance was that they wanted to extinguish entire groups of humans to the tune of millions then it's not exactly a greivance that any reasonable human being can help address is it?

      When the greivance in question is our very existence and way of life, then it's not merely that they're a bit upset about something and we can help make that better, it's that they want to extinguish our very existence, and the only response to that is to extinguish theirs first.

      But if you believe otherwise, then do feel free to go and talk to them. I'll keep an eye on YouTube for a video of how you got on.

    31. Re:Only a fraction of US munitions... by dunkelfalke · · Score: 1

      You do realise that 16% of 20 millions of barrels a day is still a fuckton? That is, in fact, as much as the total oil consumption of Germany. Moreover the oil market is a global market, meaning that if a source of oil disappears, oil prices rise everywhere, not just in the countries that were direct customers of that particular source.

      --
      "It's such a fine line between stupid and clever" -- David St. Hubbins, Spinal Tap
    32. Re:Only a fraction of US munitions... by blind+biker · · Score: 2

      BTW, has anyone considered that it might be preferable to address their grievances rather than just bomb them?

      The grievances of psychopaths that kill small children, rape and torture girls, burn alive people only because they are of the wrong religion or the wrong shade of Islam? Fuck them and fuck you. Nobody is interested in their grievances except Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

      --
      "The agriculture ministry is not in charge of Gundam" - Japanese ministry official.
    33. Re:Only a fraction of US munitions... by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      Stop belittling them! If they had the biggest war industry on the planet, I'm sure they would easily drop as many bombs, but they're doing as much as they can with the little they have!

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    34. Re:Only a fraction of US munitions... by Opportunist · · Score: 0

      But when you turn 21 you become a complacent, cynical SJW?

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    35. Re:Only a fraction of US munitions... by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      Ok, can we get rid of religious baggage at home first or are we going to do like we did with Germany where we swept the floor with those racist bastards without getting rid of the domestic ones?

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    36. Re: Only a fraction of US munitions... by Opportunist · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Dude, we did fuck it up. Big time. A century ago I could have agreed with you, but we spent the last 100 years or so messing the place up in ways that even their religious bullshit couldn't. British mandate in Palestine rings a bell?

      We started by arbitrarily drawing lines on a map without considering who is living there. We basically divided the Kurds up (who were, by the way, our allies in that war and we promised them if they bash the Turks we'd hand them their own country) between three successor states and didn't give a shit about where which tribes wanted to live together or couldn't stand each other. Then we fucked them over again with Israel. It's easy to hand over land that ain't yours, granted, but it's still bullshit. And when oil became interesting we pumped the juice out of their soil without even really asking whether that's ok.

      Iran (back then Persia) until 1979, then the Iran-Iraq war 80-88, then the whole bullshit with Afghanistan 'til the 90s, then turning our back on them when we made peace with the Russians... Let's face it, folks, we have been bullshitting them for about a century now, I can understand that they're kinda pissed.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    37. Re:Only a fraction of US munitions... by Opportunist · · Score: 0

      So he's lazy too?

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    38. Re:Only a fraction of US munitions... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The US may need its own Father Sunny to clean up the ranks. Perhaps Putin can reveal the suitable US president to do the job at least ten years before the elections.

    39. Re:Only a fraction of US munitions... by jandersen · · Score: 1

      This effort by ISIS is a pittance in comparison.
      BTW, has anyone considered that it might be preferable to address their grievances rather than just bomb them?

      I think people like daesh have put themselves into a position where they no longer are relevant to that discussion. I mean - do they think they address the abuses of the West and their many inequalities and wrongdoing by blowing up defenceless people in Syria and Iraq? Or by claiming responsibility for whichever sickening atrocity against women and children is carried out by deranged killers? Whatever anybody is going to do to address the grievances of the oppressed people of the world, it is clear that daesh will have to be eradicated, so don't try to play that card again, unless you want to be taken for an idiot.

      And just so it is clear: putting people in a cage, dousing them with fuel and burning them alive, or raping children, or any of the other things that followers of daesh do, those are not "pittances", no matter what somebody else is doing, even if the Americans were committing war crimes on a grand scale. You can't excuse your crimes by saying "But they started it".

    40. Re: Only a fraction of US munitions... by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      British mandate in Palestine rings a bell?

      It does, only the British backed off from the plan after T.E. Lawrence told them it would be a bad idea, and we're the ones who implemented it. That makes it seem a bit disingenuous to call it a British mandate.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    41. Re:Only a fraction of US munitions... by drinkypoo · · Score: 0

      Right, right. It's because of their skin pigment! For reference, resorting to lazy race baiting doesn't really win arguments (see the most recent election results as an example)

      You're not up on your canon; this is a reference to something said by the late great Saint Carlin, who said we bomb brown people "just because they're brown". He goes on to point out that the only white people who we've ever bombed are the Germans, who we only bombed because they were "trying to cut in on our action" and rule the world. "Bullshit, that's our fucking job."

      We bomb brown people because we can get away with it. That's more opportunist than racist, but it's still racist.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    42. Re:Only a fraction of US munitions... by drinkypoo · · Score: 0

      Brown people? It sounds like you're saying our president is racist. Do you know who our president is?

      You can be racist while being brown. You can even be racist against other brown people. HTH, HAND.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    43. Re: Only a fraction of US munitions... by chihowa · · Score: 1

      We started by arbitrarily drawing lines on a map without considering who is living there.

      The lines weren't arbitrary. They were specifically drawn to enclose multiple smaller distributions of each faction so as to implement (the wildly successful, to this day) "divide and rule" strategy among all of the resulting states. That's a classic British technique, along with plantation.

      --
      If you want a vision of the future, imagine a youtube comments section scrolling - forever.
    44. Re:Only a fraction of US munitions... by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 1

      I think it is a genetic predisposition

      It's the food. Have you ever had tabbouleh?

      Good point!

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
    45. Re:Only a fraction of US munitions... by unixisc · · Score: 1

      Also, Black people can be racist against Brown. And vice versa. In fact, very often, they are - from either end

    46. Re:Only a fraction of US munitions... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Your effort to make a statement about American interventionism was totally undermined by your statements about ISIS.

      Oh my yes, let's worry about the "grievances" of ISIS. Also, let's not get worked up about the "pittance" of ISIS activities.

      ISIS is a plague upon the Middle East. It is a plague of locusts that only brings suffering to the citizens of the region, it brings Islam into disrepute, and it attracts war and violence. ISIS preys upon the weak, the peaceful, and the naïve. I'll include you in that number, since you are so agreeable to the efforts of ISIS.

      Any organization that conducts ethnic cleansing, religious intolerance, mass executions, forced conversions, historical desecration, and human slavery and trafficking, is not engaged in a "pittance". You have a curious view of what human activities should be considered tolerable.

    47. Re:Only a fraction of US munitions... by KeensMustard · · Score: 1

      Your comment makes no sense.

    48. Re:Only a fraction of US munitions... by scatbomb · · Score: 1

      In this case, their grievance is that we exist. ISIS wants a new caliphate to control the entire Middle East and they want to pursue holy war, you can't really negotiate around either of those even if they wanted to.

      A good start might be to quit blowing people up. As long as war in the middle East exists, I suspect that radical Islam will continue to grow.

    49. Re:Only a fraction of US munitions... by wyHunter · · Score: 1

      The whole 'war against the west' began before the invasion of Iraq, even before 9/11. One could argue that it began at the Gulf War - or at least this phase of it - when Saudi Arabia invited the US in - and told us we could stay - because they feared Iraqi aggression. So 'occupying territory' is moot in this argument.

    50. Re: Only a fraction of US munitions... by wyHunter · · Score: 1

      And yet the UK was the mandatory power, so indeed, they were.

    51. Re:Only a fraction of US munitions... by mspohr · · Score: 1

      The US has been occupying the middle east since WWII to protect our "strategic" oil reserves. Robert Fisk chronicles this in detail in his 1400 page book "The Great War for Civilisation, The Conquest of the Middle East".
      The history of western powers sending armies to the middle east goes back much further. The British had a terrible time chronicled in the book "The Great Game" by Peter Hopkirk which goes back to the early 19th century.
      For some reason, the West just does not learn.

      --
      I don't read your sig. Why are you reading mine?
    52. Re:Only a fraction of US munitions... by strikethree · · Score: 1

      What is REALLY funny is that Al Queada (SP?) in Iraq said they were only doing suicide bombs and car bombs to get Americans out of Iraq. Funny how the same troubles were there with and without American forces present.

      Granted, Saddam was keeping that nastiness in check... but we do not need to devolve this into a discussion of Monday morning quarterbacking. A useful conversation to be sure... but not useful between us right now.

      --
      "Someone needs to talk to the tree of liberty about its ghoulish drinking problem." by ohnocitizen
    53. Re: Only a fraction of US munitions... by strikethree · · Score: 1

      Let's face it, folks, we have been bullshitting them for about a century now, I can understand that they're kinda pissed.

      I spent a decade in the region and I have given this a lot of thought: Fuck 'em. I do not do religion; however, the Western World has Christianity, which teaches a fundamental lesson of "turn the other cheek". This is why we are civilized and they are not. Don't get me wrong, there are some really good people over there, but as a culture, they teach fighting, retribution, and revenge. Until they learn the "turn the other cheek" lesson, nobody can ever do right by them.

      So, fuck 'em. When they are ready to join us at the adult table, they can. Until then, no apologies (as that is just a sign of weakness) and no regrets (another sign of weakness in animals).

      --
      "Someone needs to talk to the tree of liberty about its ghoulish drinking problem." by ohnocitizen
    54. Re: Only a fraction of US munitions... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      T S Lawrence you fucking moron. If you're going to use history to try to sound smart at least get the names right.

    55. Re: Only a fraction of US munitions... by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      The reason we're civilized is that we left most of that bullshit baggage behind during the age of reason. Before that we were just the same savages, locked in superstition and held back by religious leaders that feared for their power if you don't fear their imaginary friend enough anymore. May I point out that when it comes to civilization vs. savagery, Sweden is probably further along than the US? And now let's ponder for a moment which of the two countries has more religious nutjobs.

      Well, for now, Sweden is busy importing some...

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    56. Re:Only a fraction of US munitions... by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      It's called a joke. It plays on the fact that he is responsible for fewer people's death.

      It doesn't gain when it gets explained, I know.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    57. Re:Only a fraction of US munitions... by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      Putin isn't stupid, I'm pretty sure by now he has figured out what the whole US population hasn't so far: That it means jack shit to decide which one of the two candidates makes it, what matters is putting the candidate up there.

      In other words, if he's still in power 2-3 years from now, expect him to start no later than the primaries.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    58. Re:Only a fraction of US munitions... by ScentCone · · Score: 1

      We bomb brown people because we can get away with it. That's more opportunist than racist, but it's still racist.

      As soon as "white" people start doing the same crap, it happens to them too. I'm guessing you're wishing away that pesky little Balkan conflict a few years back, where we bombed white people for, among other things, slaughtering olive people.

      Pretending that it's skin color that makes ISIS a fair target for air strikes is the worst sort of craven intellectual laziness.

      --
      Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.
    59. Re:Only a fraction of US munitions... by LienRag · · Score: 1

      Actually, no, Daemonik is right on this point, ISIS is an apocalyptic sect who wants nothing except total dominance over their enemies, which means that negotiating with them is nonsense, and their grievances are largely irrational.

      WHY an apocalyptic sect of madmen using ultraviolence to advance their agenda (and who openly promises to make slavery great again) rose to power in the middle-east is, yes, a result of American actions: the bombing and occupying have shattered the idea of a possible rule of law or popular sovereignty, and convinced important parts of the Sunni population to accept ISIS as a lesser evil.

      You have to separate both concepts : addressing the grievances of the population who more or less support ISIS, or the even larger population who won't fight it because they know that western powers will never let them choose their own policies even if they get rid of ISIS, is certainly a good strategy (both morally and politically); thinking there is a possible common ground with ISIS is delusive.

    60. Re:Only a fraction of US munitions... by mspohr · · Score: 1

      People often make the argument that some individual terrorist/liberation movements are "special" in that they are driven by a core ideology which is irrational and has no connection to the real world and that the only solution is to "nuke them".
      Every liberation movement arises from an injustice which has the support of a broader group of people. ISIS would not be able to recruit anyone if it were just an irrational ideology. It draws from a large group of people who see some injustice. ISIS then magnifies and distorts that injustice to radicalize people to do all of the "irrational" actions.
      If you look at all liberation movements, they have this same characteristic. Small conflicts gave rise to movements (here's a long list of liberation/terrorist movements https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... ). There are also larger movements such as the Nazis in Europe where a very large group of people were suffering economic injustice, chose a scapegoat and performed "irrational" atrocities on a large scale. The voters for Trump in the US were similar. They perceived economic injustice; Trump provided a few handy scapegoats (Mexicans, Chinese, etc.) and they made an irrational vote to elect a charlatan who promptly betrayed them.
      It doesn't really matter that in each of these cases, the scapegoats were "innocent" and that there were other real causes of the injustice.
      All of these movements can be countered by addressing the injustice. This will dry up the source of recruits and the popular support for the movement. Bombing only makes things worse.
      However, often it will be difficult (or impossible) to address the underlying injustice. For instance, in the US, the neoliberal capitalist system which is creating economic injustice is so well entrenched that it will be extremely difficult to change. Similarly, the multiple complex injustices in the middle east are probably beyond the ability of anyone to address. That does not mean that bombing is the answer. Probably the best the US (and the West) can do is to try to remove themselves as a target by leaving the area and stop meddling in areas where we have no understanding or appreciation of the complex dynamics.

      --
      I don't read your sig. Why are you reading mine?
  16. Learning by GrahamJ · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Killing people with remote control aircraft, I wonder where they got that idea. They're getting almost as good at killing people as Americans.

    1. Re:Learning by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 2

      Killing people with remote control aircraft, I wonder where they got that idea. They're getting almost as good at killing people as Americans.

      Well now - did you see that mighty "drone" they make? A freaking cheap RC model airplane. Hard to imagine a simple mortar not being a lot more effective. A lot more firepower, longer range, more reliable. This is silly season FUD, designed to make it look like ISIS has learned something from the US.

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
    2. Re:Learning by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The idea is obvious, the precursors have been around for decades. I remember seeing a bomb attached to a radio controlled car in the 1988 movie 'The Dead Pool', and it wasn't particularly novel even then.

      When the aircraft was invented, it didn't take long for people to have the idea of dropping bombs from them. Remote-controlled aircraft are the same thing, only cheaper.

    3. Re:Learning by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      Well now - did you see that mighty "drone" they make? A freaking cheap RC model airplane. Hard to imagine a simple mortar not being a lot more effective.

      Can you steer a mortar shell as it falls? Perhaps you lack imagination.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    4. Re: Learning by GrahamJ · · Score: 1

      Good point - Americans still kill far more people than terrorists.

    5. Re:Learning by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 1

      Well now - did you see that mighty "drone" they make? A freaking cheap RC model airplane. Hard to imagine a simple mortar not being a lot more effective.

      Can you steer a mortar shell as it falls? Perhaps you lack imagination.

      Perhaps I do lack imagination. What my idea of how one preosecutes this sort of thing do is send a lot of mortar bombs to to visit your friends. I mean, I looked at the "drones", and it was a really cheap radio controlled airplane, another is a commercial quadcopter. And dropping the equivalent of a hand grenade. Like World War One biplanes tossing bomblets over the side by hand.

      As Americans with nubile teenage daughters who sunbathe in the back yard, and are bothered by drones can tell us, taking out a quadcopter isn't all that hard. Hell, a wideband RF jammer can bring them down. Simple nets around your position will deny them ingress. I surely don't want to see them using trained eagles, but eagles seem to have a inbred hatred for drones.

      I'll take a 60 mm high explosive mortar any day over what is essentially a silly but dangerous toy. Not a lot of defense against mortars, other than armor.

      Is it a weapon of terror if it makes me laugh?

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
    6. Re:Learning by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      I looked at the "drones", and it was a really cheap radio controlled airplane, another is a commercial quadcopter.

      Yes, if you give them autonomy then poof! They're drones. That's how it works! I have a really cheap radio airplane-cum-drone right here, it's based on an old school Apprentice, before they included a RX with an integrated flight controller. So I integrated a mini Arduino Mega 2560, and a 9DOF board (I forget which one), and a BMP280 which at the time had the sweet spot for price/performance, now I would use a MS6511 or whatever it is.

      And dropping the equivalent of a hand grenade. Like World War One biplanes tossing bomblets over the side by hand.

      No! It's the opposite of that! You need to be either within sight or spend a few more bucks on a FPV rig (and the transmitters and cameras have both gotten quite cheap for moderate range now) and you can put it exactly where you want it.

      Mortars haven't suddenly become useless or anything. That's not the argument. A drone is simply capable of being a new kind of bomb, in addition to the other things that it can be. With clever communications (cellular?) it can put your explosive exactly where you want it, without exposing the person who's placing it.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    7. Re: Learning by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 1

      Good point - Americans still kill far more people than terrorists.

      And? Killing other humans is a core competency of humans, and one which humans enjoy greatly, and have enjoyed the practice pretty much since we've been humans. And your acting as if teh evilz 'murrdericans are somehow the only people on earth that kill other humans is just indicitive of some jealousy or need for you to allowyourself a little bit of that other core competency of humans, hatred.

      So when Americans and only Americans and no other humans go around and kill each other in an organized fashion, I will agree totally with you.

      Otherwise, welcome to your hatred based hypocrisy. Do you have an issue with Germans, Jewish, Muslim, Serbians, Irish, British, Scottish, Chinese, Japanese. Russians, Afghans, Italians, Africans, Indians, the list goes on and on. Tell us about those poor peaceful people who never hurt a soul., and hand out some of that good old fashioned hatred for them, and write it up to show us that you at least, are consistent.

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
    8. Re:Learning by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 1

      A drone is simply capable of being a new kind of bomb, in addition to the other things that it can be. With clever communications (cellular?) it can put your explosive exactly where you want it, without exposing the person who's placing it.

      Well between us chachalacas, I really, really, want an enemy of mine to use a lot of those sort of drones.

      I perhaps lack imagination, but one thing I do with engines of destruction is consider the countermeasures to use against them. And the countermearsures for cheap drones are something that I can personally enact, with no need for highly technological solutions or much capital outlay.

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
  17. Asymmetric Warfare by gatkinso · · Score: 1

    This is a great case study.

    --
    I am very small, utmostly microscopic.
  18. Tit for Tat by Neuronwelder · · Score: 1

    We make guns - They make guns. We make planes - they make planes. We make tanks - They make tanks.. etc.. etc.. We make drones - (What do you expect the answer is?)

    1. Re:Tit for Tat by unixisc · · Score: 1

      ISIS doesn't make any of these. They capture them from their enemies, like the Iraqi army cowards who fled when they advanced, leaving millions of $$$ of US military hardware. There are no manufacturing facilities of planes or tanks. Not too sure about drones, since making those things is relatively easier

    2. Re:Tit for Tat by ColdWetDog · · Score: 1

      They buy them from Amazon.

      --
      Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
    3. Re:Tit for Tat by Neuronwelder · · Score: 1

      I was just using the planes, tanks, and guns, as an example of retaliation. My point was is that no one stays "ahead" of anything. And if they are getting drones by stuff left behind.. well ok. I have seen the history of duplicating weaponry (or even satellites for that matter) and this is no different. Sooner or later everyone will have caught up. And things will get ugly.

  19. Amazon by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    couldn't they just order their bombs from Amazon, and have them delivered by drone?

    1. Re:Amazon by unixisc · · Score: 1

      The drones in this case are used to deliver whatever you ordered: you don't get to keep them as well

    2. Re:Amazon by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      They'll keep them. If you don't like that, you can come and try to repo them.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    3. Re:Amazon by unixisc · · Score: 1

      I'm assuming that the drones are remotely controlled, in which case, they can break away. Of course, all this ignores the fact that Amazon is not gonna ship anything to Eastern Syria or al Anbar province in Iraq

  20. ISIS and root causes? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What problem? That the Kurds, or other enemies of ISIS are not Islamic enough? Even Obama, stupid as he was negotiating with the Muslim Brotherhood, did not think it worthwhile negotiating with ISIS

  21. Oh noes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Remote control bombs it is WWII technology all over again... how ever will we survive?!?!

  22. reforming ISIS by unixisc · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Good point. This is precisely the point about the Sharansky Doctrine that everybody missed. President Bush and others around him naively believed that if they unleased democracy in the Middle East, everything would be hunky dory. The factor they missed out completely: Islam. Which is NOT a democratic or pluralistic religion, and which specifically is opposed to democracy in the Quran itself (18:26).

    Becoming democratic worked in Latin America and helped those countries like Chile and Argentina become civil societies b'cos there were no other forces undercutting any such pluralistic culture. It's not the same in any Islamic group, as pointed out above. There is no separation b/w mosque and state: Mohammed was both a religious and political leader. The Caliphate was the succession of this dual-role leadership after his death: every Caliph, be it in Damascus, Raqqa, Baghdad, Cairo or Istanbul, was considered both a religious and political leader of all Muslims. It ended in 1924, and the current internecine war b/w Muslims is whether a new one is needed, and who'd lead it.

    The other thing about Muslims is that they are not live and let live people. We've seen it in Iraq, where the long persecuted Shias started persecuting Christians, Sunnis and anyone else once the US handed over power to a democrat i.e. Shia government (since they are the majority in that country). Similarly, when Aleppo first fell to the 'rebels' - the Free Syrian Army, they made it a point to either murder or drive the local Christians out of the city. It's not that the persecuted groups anywhere - be it Sunnis in Syria, Kurds in Syria or Iraq, Shias in Iraq, Houthis in Yemen or anyone else - would simply like to be left alone: they want to replace the oppressors and switch roles altogether, so that their respective brand of Islam is recognized as the 'true Islam'. Incidentally, that's what it means in every country: in Iran, it would be the Islam as laid out by the Ayatollahs, in Iraq, it's Shia Islam, since Shias are 60%, in Saudi Arabia, it's the Wahabis, in Oman, it's the Ibadis, and so on. Which is why you have these wars of domination in most of these countries.

    This is why you are right: not only is it none of our business, but also, it is something we cannot solve. As infidels, we have nothing to gain in which Islam ends up on top. In fact, given that all of Islam is about hatred of everything 'un-Islamic', the best thing to do is to get out of there and let them fight each other like the 2 cats of Kilkinney. Just bar the doors so that their refugees can't flee to non-Muslim lands spreading their mayhem there, like they've done in Germany and Austria. As long as that happens, just let them go at it. Any of their beauties wants to upload their carnage on Facebook or Twitter, let them, but as a policy, make it clear that it's their war, not ours. Any US journalist is stupid enough to go there, leave them there, and let them be converted to Islam or beheaded or both.

    Another positive side-effect of this: the more they fight each other, the less they have in fighting against us, and causing terror out here. This civil war may be a blight on humanity, but it's a good thing for the non-Muslim world that instead of fighting the rest of us, they are busy on each other.

    May all sides in this conflict win. And lose. Or whatever

    1. Re:reforming ISIS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      modded troll for posting a well-written, rational piece.

      my, how /. has fallen

      If it's any consolation I enjoyed reading your post

    2. Re:reforming ISIS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      President Bush and others around him naively believed that if they unleased democracy in the Middle East

      With billions funneled to the military sector and generous oil mining contracts that followed I will not buy for a second that the true motive was to "unlease" democracy. The plan was to pump and dump, and that's exactly what we did. I mean North Korea is badly in need of democracy and has no Islam, it should have been higher on "democracy deficiency" targets, yet alas, no oil!

    3. Re:reforming ISIS by polar+bear · · Score: 5, Insightful

      By an accident of birth, I'm British. I guess you are American? What about all the non-Muslims who, by an accident of birth, live in the area you've left as a free-for-all? I'd be OK if they were free to leave the area, but (a) they can't leave, and (b) they have nowhere welcoming to go to. As citizens of the world, should we not try to ensure all people who want to live free can, and then leave those who choose to fight this war to get on with it as you describe?

      Mind you, between Brexit and Trump, we seem to be trying to level the playing field so that accidents of birth are less telling ;-)

    4. Re:reforming ISIS by drinkypoo · · Score: 4, Insightful

      President Bush and others around him naively believed that if they unleased democracy in the Middle East, everything would be hunky dory.

      Iran was becoming more secular and democratic until we stepped in to manipulate oil prices. Un-leasing democracy, indeed.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    5. Re:reforming ISIS by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      If it's any consolation I enjoyed reading your post

      It's more efficient to congratulate your other personalities internally, son.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    6. Re:reforming ISIS by unixisc · · Score: 1

      Actually, that's the only people in the region that I'm sympathetic to, and who I'd let emigrate to the West - or anywhere else they like. The non-Muslims. Except that most Jihadist organizations in the region, like ISIS, are open to infiltrating them and trying to get them across, although it's easier to vet those. One way would be to give the Kurds an independent Kurdistan carved out of all the 4 countries they live in - Syria, Iraq, Iran and yeah, even Turkey, on the condition that they take in all non-Muslims of the region - Assyrians, Chaldeans, Yazidis, Zoroastrians (of Iran), Copts (of Egypt) and any non-Muslim minority of the region outside Israel, and declare that freedom of conscience would apply to all citizens of this new state, including the right of Kurdish Muslims to apostatize out of Islam w/o fear of retribution.

      I didn't exactly get your last statement. How would extreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeem vetting make accidents of birth less telling?

    7. Re:reforming ISIS by unixisc · · Score: 1

      Iraq was no more democratic than North Korea before the war. Unless you consider the elections that gave Saddam 96% of the vote as democratic.

      As far as secular, there is an important thing to know about the Baathists in both Iraq and Syria. Essentially, they constitute minority Muslim sects - be it the Sunnis in Iraq or the Alawites in Syria, in coalition w/ other groups, including Christians and Druze, which give them the appearance of being secular. Saddam was by no means secular in an absolute sense. During the first Gulf war, he added the phrase 'Allahu Akbar' to Iraq's flag - something that this regime has not reversed, and had a Qur'an printed in his blood. His first war against Iran was an attempt to grab Arab areas like Khuzestan, and when that failed, he tried to annex Kuwait so that the Shia-Sunni balance in Iraq would get altered.

      The thing to understand about any country that's an Islamic state - it is defined by the majority Islamic state in a country. The reason Saddam was not a supporter of an Islamic state was that in Iraq, that would mean making it a Shia state, which would put him at a disadvantage, since a leader there is expected to share the faith of the people. That doesn't imply that he wouldn't have been supportive of it had Sunnis been the majority, which is something he tried to do both by the genocide of Shias, as well as trying to annex Kuwait to add more Sunnis to the population.

      Syria's case is a bit similar, although the fact that Alawite rites include things like the deification of Virgin Mary makes Christianity more compatible w/ them, and which is why Syria is the only Arab (or even Muslim) country where not only is Christmas a holiday, but Easter is as well. There, president Hafez al Assad removed a clause from the Syrian constitution that the president must be a Muslim - which enabled him to be president, since Alawites are considered heretical by not just Sunnis, but Shia as well. However, Iran was more than happy to make common cause w/ him and one Iranian seminary recognized Alawites as Shias, and Syria in turn was happy to be a conduit b/w Iran and Hizbullah. While Syria does a better job than any of the US 'allies' in the region - Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Qatar - in protecting religious freedom, its alliance w/ Hizbullah and opposition to Israel puts limits on how useful it is in the fight against the Jihad, even if the Russians think otherwise

      As far as the unleashing democracy goes, putting in a government just based on the numbers in Iraq did make them more democratic, but it was a stupid experiment from two aspects. One - it made Iraq a client state of Iran, since any democratic regime in Baghdad would necessarily be Shia. The next - all Arab countries (aside from Bahrein) which are Sunni, were not gonna follow Iraq's example. They did follow Tunisia's example in the Arab Spring, and that's a part of what started the current war in Syria

    8. Re:reforming ISIS by unixisc · · Score: 1

      You might have noticed that AC's writing style is different from mine

    9. Re:reforming ISIS by unixisc · · Score: 1

      Except that the last time North Korea was behind a terror act was in 1983, w/ the assassination attempt on South Korean president Chun Doo-Hwan. So the Bush Administration, and the Obama Administration can be forgiven for putting North Korea behind the likes of Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Yemen, Pakistan, Afghanistan et al

    10. Re:reforming ISIS by scatbomb · · Score: 1

      I agree with your sentiment, and that we should try to help the world to live free. The million dollar question is: how? Military intervention has failed. Maybe talking it out can work? Radical idea.

    11. Re:reforming ISIS by unixisc · · Score: 1

      Sorry, I read 'Iraq' in your post rather than 'Iran'. The last time Iran was relatively 'secular' was under the Pahlevis, who at least respected religious pluralism, if not political. At no point in Iran's history was it democratic, and it was only under the Pahlevis that it became somewhat secular (although they were still sponsoring mosques in places like Taiwan).

  23. 3 battles by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ... on the battlefield ...

    That battlefield has 3 battles: Destruction of a death-cult government, control of Iraqi oilfields, leadership of Syria. The biggest players (US coalition, Russia) are really fighting over Syria, much like the cold wars of yesteryear.

  24. *knock-knock* by dasgoober · · Score: 1

    drone-a-gram!

    1. Re:*knock-knock* by hambone142 · · Score: 1

      We need to counter with a landshark.

    2. Re:*knock-knock* by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 1

      We need to counter with a landshark.

      Telegram for Mr Abdulla!

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
    3. Re:*knock-knock* by hambone142 · · Score: 1

      You are mistaken.

      Candygram. :-)

    4. Re:*knock-knock* by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 1

      You are mistaken.

      Candygram. :-)

      Candygram, my foot! You get out of here before I call the police! You're the drone, and you know it!

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
  25. Killer Robots by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Wait until you see the first US casualty. Then the drone-on-drone war will begin.
    And if we didn't make profit from guns sold overseas, well then.

  26. They're not actually drones, not that anyone cares by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Everyone thinks "phantom 4" but clicking on the link they're scratch built foam planes that seem to be manually operated.
    Which makes sense: way cheaper and easier to make, more range, and they will work even when GPS is off.

    Basically, anything that flies without a human in it called a drone these days.

  27. stop calling R/C model a DRONE by kiviQr · · Score: 2

    This is not a drone, it is R/C model!

    1. Re:stop calling R/C model a DRONE by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 1

      Drones aren't R/C models? ;)

      --
      Ezekiel 23:20
  28. It's not ISIS, it's "Islamic State" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Not trying to be insensitive here but I wish people would stop being so lazy and type "Islamic State" instead of ISIS. Your laziness is ruining a beautiful female name and makes a lot of women called Isis very uncomfortable.

    1. Re:It's not ISIS, it's "Islamic State" by thinkwaitfast · · Score: 1

      The Secrets of Isis.

    2. Re:It's not ISIS, it's "Islamic State" by bazorg · · Score: 1

      Well calling I.S.I.S. Islamic State is not ideal either. There are several other islamic states around the world. "Daesh" might be a useful name to use, while the BBC's choice of "so-called islamic state" is a bit of a mouthful.

    3. Re:It's not ISIS, it's "Islamic State" by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      Is "the nutjobs" taken already?

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    4. Re:It's not ISIS, it's "Islamic State" by unixisc · · Score: 1

      You can use the name John Kerry and Barack Obama use - ISIL. It leaves your Egyptian goddess unscathed

    5. Re:It's not ISIS, it's "Islamic State" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why not pig fuckers anonymous. Seems to be a good descriptive name.

  29. That is ISIS not the one in Paquistan by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They have different reason and different goal, the one in Pakistan we bombed often had nothing to do with ISIS, a part of them wanted to have a government which has sharia based laws (something supported by the majority of the population by the way , no matter how much WE dislike it) and also want the US to butt out of Pakistan and stop "helping" the Pakistani Military. Then there are the one which used Pakistan as a staging area for other places.

    No matter what it is an utter shame that we are using instrument of war, for what essentially is punishing pre-crime in many cases : many of those killed may have planned , or have been trained, but did not yet do anything.

  30. Re:Do the suicide drones get 72 virgins in Paradis by Opportunist · · Score: 4, Funny

    Technically yes, they get 72 drone operators.

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  31. Just staring now? by houghi · · Score: 1

    If they started now, they are not as smart as I thought they were. The materials to buy drones and now even to buy complete drones are so obvious, I wonder why they only start now.

    Is this because they are really ineffective and they use it as a last straw? Or is this now news to push some other agenda?

    --
    Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
    1. Re:Just staring now? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Because that isnt a drone. It's a shop bought R/C model.

      Lift wise it might be able to carry a kilo of ordinance once battery and everything else is in place. Control wise it is either line of sight or using an analogue video transmitter which is horribly effected by any obstructions.

      Max range is probably 5kms but max guided range is going to be under 1000m in a built up area. A little more if they have a good ground station or clear line of sight.

      In the end a mortar is far more effective.

      Now a drone with a head tracking gimbal sitting at 200m above a combat zone feeding enemy positions and intel to your troops. That would have some value. And im sure there are plenty of DJI phantoms doing exactly that

  32. test run by Tom · · Score: 1

    Which manufacturing capacity does ISIS have left? Which engineers have not yet run away from the sinking ship?

    Someone is using ISIS as a test run for their latest toy, and it's not the Russians (they would test by themselves). Expect the US or some of its allies to use weaponized small drones in the next war against the next terrorists, the result of "years of military research".

    --
    Assorted stuff I do sometimes: Lemuria.org
  33. They are not black? Okay with me by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Black Lives Matter!

  34. One word ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    PULL!

  35. I had thought the same 1.5-2 decades ago... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It just took the tech this long to reach 'consumer grade' threat level. And it also doesn't help with state actors who can lob them at you from 20k+ feet, or over the horizon :(

    Still a fun pasttime.

  36. How dare they by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Don't they know only the USA is allowed to murder people with drones without consequences!

  37. moar like 72 AA batteries. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    no text but this Windows NT in Slashdot asking for my image verification after we roll the dice fo-shizzle-muh-nizzle.