ISIS is now…
…conducting a purge of its ranks:
In March, a senior commander with the Islamic State group was driving through northern Syria on orders to lead militants in the fighting there when a drone blasted his vehicle to oblivion.
The killing of Abu Hayjaa al-Tunsi, a Tunisian jihadi, sparked a panicked hunt within the group’s ranks for spies who could have tipped off the U.S-led coalition about his closely guarded movements. By the time it was over, the group would kill 38 of its own members on suspicion of acting as informants…
“Daesh is now concentrating on how to find informers because they have lost commanders that are hard to replace,” said a senior Iraqi intelligence official in Baghdad, using the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State group. “Now any IS commander has the right to kill a person whom they suspect is an informer for the coalition.”
Paranoia reigns, and probably justified paranoia at that. Any such organization ends up eating its own. But that does not necessarily destroy the group—unfortunately.
We also cannot be sure that any of these reports is the truth.
We also cannot be sure that any of these reports is the truth.
Who knows what the truth is coming out of there, but we can only hope this is true. It is completely believable.
“Closely guarded secret?”
Well, not that well guarded.
Maybe the ISIS morons might consider the fact that we might have some super great electronic equipment and that it wasn’t an informer. Western tech superiority over eighth century methods.
Excellent result though. I like that ROI.
As we said in the service, “You knew the job was dangerous when you took it.”
This is not a mystery. This happened in Pakistan and Afghanistan with the same results. An informer or an opportunist is given 20 bucks to surreptitiously place a small RFID strip on a vehicle or person. The target is lit up like a Christmas tree. Merry Christmas. Santa’s here.
Rommel was deliberately shot up — as intel had revealed that he’d be shuttling to and fro — and ONLY someone of his rank had the GASOLINE to travel in such ‘style.’ Rommel was in a two-car (loose) convoy… it being summer time… he rode in the back of an open top M-B… just like you see in the movies.
Talk about a ‘tell.’
This occurred at the crack of dawn — usually a period when Allied fighters were not yet in the sky, hence the surprise.
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Yamamoto … you know that story.
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As for ISIS — at this time — VERY few players have the authority to travel ‘in style.’
With drones overhead… ’twas obvious that Mr. Big was shuttling to the front.
Syria is a naked desert — after all — and at any speed — the dust kicked up can be seen for — EVER.
Though he’s criticised a LOT — certainly by me — Barry is actually following — less or less — one core tactic that ought to prove out: clipping off all top jihadi leaders.
The IQ distribution in their ranks is skewed south — BUT with a leavening of very smart Western educated true believers.
THESE are the players that must be prioritized.
After events such as the above — one can COUNT on the smart fellas to turn against those next in line of promotion — and stand them up against the wall.
Blert,
You don’t need perfect intelligence. You get a guy who either works in their camp or lives nearby. If he sees anybody who looks important get into or near a vehicle he slaps on the strip.
You don’t have to know where he’s headed or his itinerary.
The Taliban and Al Queda took out a number of their own looking for informants. They assume it has to be somebody on the inside, not the guy who cleans the latrines.
Given Hussein’s SOP, they aren’t using strips. They’re just having lists of targets, and then killing as many as they can. They aren’t verifying it, because Hussein is on a golf trip or some such no disturb moment.
Live by the sword and die by the sword…
Roy Lofquist Says:
June 6th, 2016 at 11:45 pm
This is not the time or place to roll out ALL of the profiling techniques used by the CIA// DoD.
Suffice it to say that ANYONE evidencing certain ‘tells’ is going to be sniped.
The CIA is NOT counting on RFID ‘badging.’
That notion is proffered — as it causes the Opfor to turn upon itself — see the OP — or to look in the Wrong Direction.
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Humanity is a creature of habit — as are all other living things.
The CIA// DoD need ONLY spot ISIS HABITS.
The war space is a desert — and those allowed to roam with escort — however loosely — are AUTOMATICALLY elite.
Rommel’s technique — which had worked at all times prior — was to travel in a loose convoy — with a lead car — Smokey and the Bandit style — deliberately attracting attention — so that French partisans would jump on a pseudo Field Marshall.
Bletchley Park doped out enough intel to realize that Rommel would be rolling east — and the mission was cut loose.
BTW, Rommel’s actual HQ was — Dirty Dozen, stlye — located in a MAJOR French chateau — it was on the historical register before WWII even started.
So, all too quickly, the RAF// USAAF Recce planes were saturating that airspace.
ALL of the nitty gritty has been keep classified for DECADES.
It’s only in this century that insiders have leaked that Rommel was targeted for aerial assassination — just like Yamamoto.
The ‘hit’ was NOT accidental ‘luck’ whatsoever.
This ties into Allied frustration that Rommel was plainly inspirational to German resistance in the West.
Neither London or Washington had ANY inclining that Rommel was any part of the anti-Hitlerist faction.
{ Rommel really made his bones as Adolf’s ‘personal’ body guard — HE’s the reason that Adolf entered Austria — standing boldly in his M-B ‘super-car.’ Yes, Rommel and Adolf were THAT ‘tight.’
No wonder he couldn’t ‘pull the trigger.’
{ Keep in the back of your mind: General Eisenhower ONLY travelled over the battle space in a custom P-51 – piloted by his favorite personal pilot. ( Quesada. )
{ Bing and Google are worthless — I have to rely upon memory. }
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My Father ‘ran into’ Ike, Bradley, Winnie, et. al. — while standing post at the first tactical air strip in Normandy – – built upon the bluffs DIRECTLY over the Omaha beachhead.
It started out as “A-1′ { air strip one, get it ? } — and it was prioritized towards MEDICAL evacuations — and the rare and occasional wounded fighter.
Within a month, all of the Normandy tac-air strips had been re-numbered — such that A-1 became A-19.
Long before that re-numbering, it had been ENTIRELY converted to a medical air strip… DC-3s — Dakotas — C-47s ONLY.
But, back to the tale: they — the top, top, top brass – were returning from a front line confab — totally without notice — preceded only by a company of earnest mechanized infantry — toting Thompson machine guns at the hip — riding in half-tracks. Squad after squad would de-bark and inform the GIs that they’d best sweep the grass for any German snipers — and then stand at attention.
And, with that, a few minutes later — the top Allied leadership rolled on by — receiving continuous salutes from the GIs as they shot on by to the air strip.
The assembled party, IIRC, left from A-1// nee A-19.
You’ll find all of these nitty gritty details in the records of the Ninth Tactical Air Force, USAAF. ( the strip numbers, I mean. )
It’s nice to figure we’ve got this stuff figured out. But, as has been said, there are certain tells. And, in the why-not sector, we bust anybody we can see, and we can see vehicle travel pretty easily. It would be odd if the only vehicles busted carried Bigs. We’d love to get a stake bed, since it can carry materiel or troops, loaded or empty.
Eventually, we get a Big and his buddies do our work for us.