Quote:They were not shiite areas FD, but no, I don't know how many individuals were forced out or killed. Probably a few.
Ah. Can you give a straight answer now?
freediver wrote on Mar 16
th, 2018 at 2:31pm:
Quote:How many thousands more do you think Iran could have mobilised to stave off a perceived existential threat to shai in Iraq and elsewhere?
When do you think they were planning on doing this? Haw many more of their fellow Shia were they going to sacrifice to ISIS before they pulled their finger out?
Quote:I'm wondering though, is this the most crucial point to address to prosecute your case that ISIS was going to overrun the entire area from Afghanistan to the Atlantic without US intervention?
Like I said Gandalf, one step at a time. You can't kill those Shia all at once, can you?
Quote:ot, say - other issues like how to manage the logistics of multiple battle fronts stretched across hundreds of miles of desert, supply lines, no airforce, the fact that every other sunni insurgent group in the region was in open war with them...etc?
They did this exactly how they were already doing it Gandalf. I don't know the details. Nor do I have to. The fact that they did it is alone sufficient evidence for their ability to do it.
Quote:So you think the shiite world, backed by the strongest power in the region, would have just sat on their hands while ISIS overran all their cities and holy sites?
No Gandalf. They would have died in large numbers, and fled in large numbers, and talked their way out of being killed in large numbers. But ignoring your hyperbole, that is what they were doing and would have continued to do until ISIS was strong enough to invade Iran, with the assistance of local Sunnis of course.
Quote:So don't forget its actually you whose relying on the "others were sure to join them later" argument.
Do you disagree with this argument Gandalf? I ahve asked you to comment on it many times. This is the first time you have even acknowledged that I made it.
Quote:As for the shiites, well as it turned out they didn't have to do much given a) ISIS never threatened the major shiite populations and b) the US came in instead - although that fact doesn't mean the muslim world couldn't have defeated ISIS on their own (let alone allow themselves to be overrun entirely).
When do you think they were actually going to do that? Do you think they missed out because ISIS's enemies, with US assistance, were so quick to drive ISIS back?