The Old Woman and the Fly -->

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Before U.S. invaded Iraq, salafist jihadis had only minor presence in Iraq (ironically, a tiny enclave in the Kurdish region -- i.e. outside of Saddam's control.)

Then Bush had his Mission Accomplished moment, and the jihadis poured in, hooked up with Baathist resistance and got light arms -- AK-47s, RPGs, explosives for IEDs, etc.

Then U.S. set up Sunni tribal militias and gave them more/better light arms, money to pay soldiers, etc. Many of those militias are now allied with the Islamic State.

Then U.S. poured heavy weaponry into the Iraqi Army--even though said Army was a hollow force being run as the Iraqi PM's private Shia militia. Islamic State now has a big chunk of that weaponry.

So, thanks to U.S. intervention, jihadis in Iraq have gone from marginal, heavily out-gunned nuisance factor to a heavily armed semi-regular force with Sunni allies that controls a third of Iraq, can wipe the floor with Iraqi "army," and go toe-to-toe with the pershmerga--until now generally rated the best fighting force in Iraq.

At this rate, the Islamic State will end up with weapons of mass destruction--probably made in the USA.

And what will the historians make of that?

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