Good day and welcome to today’s briefing.  This will be the last one until 29Dec14…….

Item 1–Pentagon is now saying US troops were not involved……

Officials from the command for US troops fighting ISIS in Iraq have publicly denied recent media reports that they have engaged in direct combat operations against ISIS in Anbar Province.

“The reports are unfounded,” insisted Combined JTF_Operation Inherent Resolve spokesman Gary Boucher, insisting there were no plans for US troops to take part in any offensive operations in Anbar.

Please make up my mind for me…..

Item 2–Kurds with US assistance have been making good headway in the North of Iraq….but that has slowed down…..

US warplanes continue attacks around the Sinjar district, in northwestern Iraq, claiming to have weakened ISIS in an area where Kurdish Peshmerga forces are trying to seize new territory.

The momentum seems to be shifting away from the Peshmerga today, however, for after taking Mount Sinjar and parts of the town of Sinjar in the past few days, they are now facing heavy ISIS resistance and not making significant gains.

Conflicting reports makes the truth very elusive…..

Item 3–Jordan is opening itself up to retaliation……

– Jordan will begin training the first group of army troops from neighbouring Iraq in the next few weeks as part of the international effort to fight Islamic State, the Iraqi defence minister said on Monday.

Speaking after meeting Jordanian King Abdullah, Khaled al Obeidi said Amman would also supply the Iraqi army with arms needed for its drawn-out fight against the radical Islamists who have seized wide swathes of the north and west of his country.

Obeidi aims to rebuild the Iraqi army, which fell apart last summmer in the face of Islamic State’s blitz across northern Iraq during which at least four Iraqi divisions crumbled.

That concludes today’s briefing……I would like to take this chance to wish all a very Merry Christmas and will be back after the holiday…..

Thanx for your time and attention…..

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