Open Bar: We're going to build a bar, and make the drinks pay for it!

[Don Coyote]

Shit, I'm sorry to hear that Roger.

Thanks.  Ian himself is doing fine, it's just a bit of a shock finding out he's been in combat for 19 days when we had expected him to be sitting in a pile of sand fleas in Kuwait.  Needless to say, his mother is beside herself, having seen what ISIS does to prisoners.

Good to hear Ian is doing okay.

He's on the battery staff table, he only gets hurt if the whole unit gets wiped.  But thank you.

Good to hear he's staff, not so good to hear it's Iraqi infantry supportin the flanks. On the bright side, it's still spring, so at least the weather won't be as shitty.

[Junkenstein]

I read "Iraqi infantry supporting flanks" as "No support on flanks" to all intents and purposes. I really hope I'm wrong about that as it sounds like enough of a shitshow as it is.

[PoFP]

Sorry to hear that Roger. I hope he's alright in the end.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

I read "Iraqi infantry supporting flanks" as "No support on flanks" to all intents and purposes. I really hope I'm wrong about that as it sounds like enough of a shitshow as it is.

Ian says they've held up okay so far, given that all they have to do is hold their positions, and they have bloody great 155 MM cannon that has line of sight in support.

I still don't like it much, but they should be okay as long as they don't have to advance.  They're pulling a Montgomery...Sit on their supply lines and make them come to you.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Shit, I'm sorry to hear that Roger.

Thanks.  Ian himself is doing fine, it's just a bit of a shock finding out he's been in combat for 19 days when we had expected him to be sitting in a pile of sand fleas in Kuwait.  Needless to say, his mother is beside herself, having seen what ISIS does to prisoners.

Good to hear Ian is doing okay.

He's on the battery staff table, he only gets hurt if the whole unit gets wiped.  But thank you.

Good to hear he's staff, not so good to hear it's Iraqi infantry supportin the flanks. On the bright side, it's still spring, so at least the weather won't be as shitty.

Yeah, the weather is probably one of the big reasons they chose to do this when they did.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Sorry to hear that Roger. I hope he's alright in the end.

Thank you.

At any rate, he's now in the family club, if you'll pardon the expression.

[Meunster]

Any book that wants me to read it is not a book I want to read.

Any book that wants me to buy it is also a book I don't want to read.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Any book that wants me to read it is not a book I want to read.

Any book that wants me to buy it is also a book I don't want to read.

So, what happened with the military thing?

[The Good Reverend Roger]

well, shit.  The whole thing's balls up.

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2016/04/07/mosul-siege-stalled-as-iraqi-army-once-again-flees-when-bullets-fly-say-sources.html

The good news is I've talked to my son the day after the date of the article, and his mob was (as of Friday) still sitting tight.

[Junkenstein]

Well, shit.

It's not much of a silver lining but at least there was this:

For those trapped inside Mosul, hope for liberation has been put on hold. On Tuesday, some 18 civilians were executed by ISIS after being charged with “collaborating with the Baghdad government,” a day after the group publically slaughtered 14 of its own fighters under similar accusations.

With any luck they'll keep that up. If I recall my history correctly killing your own rarely does you any favours in the long run.

[Sung Low]

Roger, I hope your son gets through this shit relatively intact.

[Cain]

It may be small comfort, but Shiite militias have also mobilised for Mosul.  Unlike the Iraqi Army, these guys have little choice about running or giving up, so they will hold position no matter what.  Despite Iraqi government protests to the contrary, Kurdish news agencies are reporting that the al-Hashd al-Shaabi, the umbrella militia organization set up to combat ISIS, are present in large numbers.

I mean, you wouldn't invite a lot of these guys to dinner, Kata'ib Hezbollah, Badr Brigade etc....but I trust in their willingness to fight, their training and their equipment (which is apparently being sourced from Iran and the USA).  No doubt the Awakening Council have thrown fighters into the mix as well, and despite their Sunni backgrounds, they're also marked for death by ISIS.

Allegedly there are also significant Peshmerga forces in the area, though I don't think they're participating in Mosul itself.

[Cain]

Finally met up with my former co-worker for drinks, after nearly 4 months of trying, due to insane schedules between the two of us (she now works an 8-5 job, no weekends.  Not that I'm jealous or anything...).  Drinks and catching up were good, especially in the "actually not a complete shithole" part of London she works in now.

It's just...I'm not entirely sure what is going on.  I like C, but when we were both working, it was always strictly professional between us.  We got on well, and she is an intelligent and attractive woman.  I wasn't entirely getting that professional vibe last night and, once my dissertation is over, she wants to "make a day" of going out somewhere in London.

So, not sure where this is going, but I'm not complaining.  Even if I'm reading things entirely wrong, getting out from this shithole section of town, where the latest gossip is invariably the latest murder, may not be the worst plan.

[LMNO]

Fingers crossed for your family, Roger.

[Q. G. Pennyworth]

My niece is gonna be a big sister!