AMERICA’S “BOOTS ON THE GROUND” NOW IN ISIS’ BULLSEYE
By FITSNEWS || Militants fighting for the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) are closing in on key positions in Baghdad currently occupied by American troops. … this despite two months of sustained airstrikes against ISIS forces launched by U.S. president Barack Obama.
And so begins the (next) 30-year war …
ISIS troops are now less than ten miles away from the perimeter of Baghdad International Airport – which is defended by as many as 300 U.S. combat troops.
For those of you with (really) short memories, America pulled out of Iraq in December 2011 after a failed nine-year occupation. That withdrawal led to the rise of a host of militant groups – which have since coalesced under the ISIS banner. In July, Obama sent several hundred U.S. troops back to Iraq in an effort to shore up key positions – and in August launched a new bombing campaign against ISIS.
The campaign isn’t working …
ISIS has continued its advance and is now on the verge of surrounding the embattled Iraqi capital. More importantly, ISIS forces are also close to occupying the Abu Ghraib suburb – which would enable them to launch artillery attacks on American positions.
Wait … artillery? Where would ISIS get artillery pieces?
Glad you asked. ISIS forces captured more than fifty U.S.-made M198 mm howitzers back in June – along with 1,500 armored U.S. Humvees and 4,000 PKC machine guns (each capable of firing 800 rounds per minute). Most of these were weapons bequeathed to the incompetent Iraqi Army upon the U.S. withdrawal three years ago.
In fact in a bizarrely ironic twist, these weapons have been among the top targets of the failed Obama airstrikes …
To recap: After destroying the Iraqi Army in 2003 (with American weapons), America rebuilt the Iraqi Army (with American weapons). Now those weapons have fallen into the hands of ISIS, requiring … wait for it … more American weapons to be employed.
And for what? To make Iraq “safe for democracy?”
Sheesh …
“America is using American military equipment to bomb other pieces of American military equipment halfway around the world,” Vox’s Max Fisher wrote at the onset of the U.S. bombings. “The American weapons the US gave the Iraqi army totally failed at making Iraq secure and have become tools of terror used by an offshoot of al-Qaeda to terrorize the Iraqis that the US supposedly liberated a decade ago. And so now the US has to use American weaponry to destroy the American weaponry it gave Iraqis to make Iraqis safer, in order to make Iraqis safer.”
But hey let’s follow the advice of U.S. Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham and do it all again … America is only $18 trillion in the hole, right?
A few more weapons ought to do it, right?
Here’s the thing: As we noted in our original story on Obama sending troops back to Iraq, it’s extremely likely (now virtually imminent) they will come under attack.
Which is the point …
“Make no mistake … this is a provocation in search of an escalation, a move Obama hopes will spark a confrontation capable of rallying a war-weary America behind yet another failed, costly intervention,” we wrote at the time.
In fact the groundwork for more “boots on the ground” in Iraq has already been laid …
129 comments
Well I can tell you that ISIS is in for a big fight if they engage the Marines there. 300 Marines are a hell of a tough force to deal with.
Not when they lack artillery, dedicated, unshackled air support and armor.
That is why you are not a Colonel, Or maybe you were, ” In the Sand-Bagging Army “, A Marine will fight with his buddies until death, they may die, a lot of dead enemy will be in front of them, use your ” stress-card ” panty-boy !
Yeah whatever Deo, one of the “strengths” of the Marines has been an oddball group of Sailors and Marines who make up the ANGLCO teams. The teams have been what makes a heavily armed and highly motivated infantry unit lethal unit beyond tier numbers. The problem in Iraq is that that Marine security element won’t (or at least hasn’t) be allowed to integrate all that stuff and a lot of it doesn’t even exist to call on.
We had something north of 2,000 DoD personnel back in April, most were contractors but the number of green “suiters” has grown exponentially since then. Special Warfare types, Marine security forces, Army units of multiple varieties and individuals of all services have been headed to Baghdad for months
Are you using your ” Card ” now ? Understand this, US Army are a ” Clear and Hold ” combat unit. Marines are a ” Go Forward ” combat unit. Learn this and puke. Use your sandbags to confirm. Over ?
But who is their Commander-in-Chief?
The loser Obolo!
How many Americans will die due to his ineptness, weakness and incompetence!
Less than died under Bush thats for sure. How did that work out?
Are you counting the ones who are serving in the military abroad, those who will perish in number at home due to the deliberate introduction and propagation of Ebola on our soil, or those who die at home because of terror and other consequences of our porous and unprotected borders, or all of the above?
CIC, please take steps now. I have in the last 2 weeks. You will die if infected. Take my word please.
A REAL Colonel from the USMC numbnut.
… and why aren’t “we” going after the guys in ISIS “command and control”?
They will die nobly, for sure. But for what?
To keep the 100 year mid-east war going, where you been for the last 12 years ?
Nah, that wasn’t the goal. Overthrowing 7 countries in 5 years was the goal, and those countries are still in our crosshairs. Iraq is in trouble today because Obama is still going down that list, trying to do things on the cheap this time by using the CIA to back terror groups. It worked in Libya (sort of) and it almost worked in Syria, at least until our friends started losing and decided to try an easier country.
OK, Hitler, I agree, let’s take the planet !
That’s the neocon’s goal, not mine. But many don’t realize that Obama is one of them.
You are not too smart if you think an elected official runs the USA, MONEY does.
No elected official runs the executive branch, that’s for sure. It’s in Cheney’s hands now, and Obama is just his puppet. And don’t make the mistake of thinking that money does anything. It is just an instrument of power.
Go back to school my friend. This is 2014.
You are very obscure.
MONEY = POWER
You can also say that information is power. And when it comes to information, no one had the information that Cheney got using the NSA. And thus with Obama blackmailed and in his pocket, Cheney became the most powerful man in the world. He even got Obama to give one of his old Halliburton companies a no-bid contract–this after Obama railed against the corruption of Cheney doing that very thing.
I’m shitting my pants. What do you really mean ?
I said it. Cheney is running things and Obama is his puppet. It’s the J Edgar Hoover blackmail scheme all over again except the NSA is able to produce a thousand times the dirt the FBI ever did.
Is this old news for you ? Information is good. MONEY = POWER !!!
You have just lost all credibility. Seriously.
Like too many Americans, you have no clue what is going on in this country.
This is how the cycle continues. The US could not sustain a continued occupation so it creates enemies to justify maintaining unnecessary wars. Obushama needs to return the Peace Prize because his acceptance has forever muddied any respect for the institution.
He should never have received it.
Travesty defined.
We DIDN’T sustain it…not Couldn’t…you IGNORANT liberal-tarian F*#k…We did it your – and Obama’s – way, and it FAILED…Now, don’t blame the people – and Bush – who Succeeded…
I can’t stand a F*#king Liar. You being a Dumb@$$ is bad enough…But don’t lie about what you are, when it manifests.
It is so sad you could not match just ten percent of your childish rant to education.
We could not sustain the occupation because it could not be justified to the US public. Now that more shooting is happening there will be stories about Americans getting killed thus garnering support for more military action.
Take your little tantrums back up mommie’s dress because you have never seen combat.
You stupid F*#k, maintaining the won peace, did not need to be justified. When Bush was gone, the media quit trying to sabotage it, and no one really cared, after it got Obama elected.
Not only that, the evil forces were subdued, so it was a maintenance force. We did EXACTLY what we sat out to do..and it had tremendous value..
But the TRULY Ignorant – like you- had to push your theory of isolationism, until you F*#ked up everything we achieved.
Now, w/ it being a mess, you have the F*#king NERVE to blame the people who suffered tremendous loss to win.
Perpetuating your myths is all that matters to you ignorant F*#ks…We ought to send YOU over there to face ISIS.
The “won peace.” Are you freaking serious????? Goodness. If you are there is absolutely no hope for you. Hang yourself. Today.
Kyle, you are dealing with an unemployed, on gov’t assistance, hypocrite, who tries to come off as a “blogger”. You might also enjoy the idiotic ramblings of ‘GrandTango’ ‘Big-T’ and ‘Emily Peterkin’, in other news sites around the state, all the same person.
Ever have a REAL and coherent thought, other than attacking the people you HATE for slapping the S#!* out of you, and exposing your total F*#king ignorance???
We would say pointing out the reality of your existence is a coherent thought. We don’t hate you, you’re very amusing. It’s funny that you are white trash and on gov’t assistance, and pretend to be angry at Obama and liberals or whatever. It’s almost too perfect.
That’s scary. You’d think with all those identities at least one would have a job.
Success = keeping a stanind army of 200k in a country 8000 miles away at us tax payer expenses. Stay the course, stay the plan, stay the surge, stay the occupation, stay the rest of the century! we still don’t know we went in, we never had a goal, if it was regional stability, rumsfield and bremer made that a pipe dream 10 years ago. You sir are indeed an idiots idiot.
It’s a new Korea dawn, just not the right enemy, now let’s fight ourselves to pay for it !
MF, Sc politcal digest is the former BIG T/Grand Tango? Seriously? Shit! I would have never wasted time responding to that iditiot. All the cussing with # should have let me know. Well now I feel lime a fool.
I know, Stay real my friend.
Add a zero to your count of “U.S.forces”
Don’t start with your factual bullshit. Sir.
Agreed, I’m always VERY suspicious when people try to infuse any factual content or context into emotionally charged issues.
Facts are (normally) very unwelcome in the debate here, depending upon the parties involved.
Saw a great bumper sticker the other day “critical thinking: our other great national deficit” I do find that and intellectual honesty in political debates is a huge part of the problem (are?). I think in years to come we will be able both GOP and donkies alike and hold hands, sing cumbya and admit to ourselves that overall bush 43 and Obama were both tremendously awful presidents, and at the same time not awful people nor was EVERY action they each took necessarily awful for the country or bone headed, but a lot of the big/important ones were.
T-O-T-A-L-L-Y agree on the utter lack of critical thinking. I get that this is just a fun little political blog where we come to piss away five or ten minutes and vent on the issues of the day, but damn…would it be so hard to at least use some form of logic, and stick to the generally accepted rules of civil discourse? For some on here, evidently so…
Army I suspect you mean.
Colonel ” Laughing Stock ” or ” Colonel Frag ” anyone that would follow that idiot is doomed.
With a very few exceptions,ALL national political figures (Democrats and Republicans) are supporting this.
Permanent War appears to be our country’s new defining “mission.”
We had secured peace under Bush, you F*#king IDIOT!!!..But with Dumb@$$#$ like you voting, what good is success against EVIL. You’re Too F*#king STUPID to appreciate defeating terror in Iraq.
Did I mention you’re an IGNORANT, Anti-American Foll, and F*#k…
You need to get out of the 5×5 computer room your wide unemployed ass occupies every now and then. You should fear diabetes and heart disease, not a group of assholes half a world away.
Stupid much?
Yes, I am very, very, very, very, very stupid. You should read my many comments on stories from The State website. Everybody here should. Most of them include a link to your blog. Go ahead, I’ll wait…
“Secured peace..” “Defeating Terror..” “success against evil” ROFLMAO i didnt think people actually believed or spoke like this..it must be an amazing world your mind lives in huh Emily?
Just because you’re a Dumb@$$, who swills what the media ladles to you…don’t think everybody else is THAT D*#n stupid. You idiots NEVER account for your F*#k ups, or the lies you tell about the people you hate.
Life must be hard for you Emily, small minded, partisan hack, unattractive, never gone get a date (hell even Hillary can get laid but you? #notgonnahappen) try to start a political blog but you know nothing about politics, probably hasnt had a date since..well probably never judging by how you interact with others AND you have a butt ugly dog. Shit girl you are a huge pile of shit on a green lawn. Pretty much how anyone you come into contact with feels. Your life is truly sad.
Why is it so many of you spend so much time attacking me, on a politics website?
Do you think insulting people who point out what idiots you are for voting like you do, will erase your failure and obvious ignorance?
Your IQ tests must be a thing of beauty???…LMAO…
Who cares, you’re a stupid moron for all to enjoy, we love it ! Keep your spew coming !!!
no its because you are such a huge asshole. Get it? When you constantly insult people, have no logic in your argument and act like a huge huge asshole it makes you a target. Not for your idiot insults or one sided logic but simply because you are an asshole. Get it?
as far as a thing of beauty: ive seen your pics and no matter what ,we all know you certainly arent.
Although I have no pony in this race, I just realized your post seems to accurately reflect American foreign policy.
You come in here swingin’ and then have the audacity to ask why everyone’s attacking you. Just sayin.
So we were secure under Bush when the towers were blown to bit’s ? I’ll be honest Tango, If I thought as you do, I would kill myself. That is, if my brain actually worked right at the time.
So we were secure under Bush when the towers were blown to bit’s ?
W protected US from TERRISTS!!!
PERIOD.
FULL STOP.
Don’t rock the narrative, DV!
Dumb White Man stands corrected, please forgive Tonto !
If you call 100 to 150 people killed a day by car bombs and suicide bombers peace, you’re a $#$%#$ idiot $#$% a sheep on Sundays.
Because it wins elections, dummy. This divisive diversion is the “progressive” Fascist elites’ last chance to divert attention from the g’ments basic problems: The Scandals, The Corruption, The Loony Tunes bureaucracy Central Planning hose-up our “government” has become.
The Permanent 30 Years Wars will not stop until the Fascist elites run out of other people’s money and votes.
Its NOT the democrats. Its NOT the republicans. It IS the vast bloated, energy sucking, tax sucking central planning bureaucracy manipulated by the several elitist power mongers from the Wall Street tax dodgers to the Main Street Helots (look it up).
This has been going on since the Civil War: “… Today the IRS collects over $2.4 trillion each tax year from around 234 million tax returns. …”, which is just about enough to pay for the Permanent War and all of the rest of the taxsuckers.
Abolish The IRS and let God sort it out.
If you include all present elected officials, I’m on board. It would not take long to turn the wrong around, but we would have to kill 50% of the US population, aka, dirt bags, swindlers, crooks, etc.
We could argue for months about what is in the past.
Right now, this latest excursion into the Arab Oil Fields is such an obvious “Wag The Dog” scenario that is intended to take the electorate’s eyes off of the ball: The never ending big g’ment scandals of epic proportions.
This whole thing is right out of Mussolini’s playbook.
And on to DC, next….where they find FITS, RonPaul and Obama, w/ their heads buried up their @$$#$…
4,000 American soldiers secured Iraq, took world evil out of play, so 70% of the Iraqi populous were safe to VOTE….And the Dumb@$$#$ (aforementioned) squander it so they can sound good to idiots who vote on ignorance.
If you don’t REJECT the Fools in this country NOW…you won’t get many more chances. Liberals and Liberal-Tarains—proven dolts.
Who do you support for president in 2016?
Does it matter who this moron supports? Whoever it is will lose. Probably that foreigner Cruz, though.
Yeah, we should have just kept a standing army there for 100 years. Or wait, what if we never went in? Did we ever figure out why we did? 9/11, nope, and even bush agreed with that…WMD, nope that’s been debunked on the ground and in by us intelligence…to get sadam…nope, he was more secluded than even before 1990-91 and again had nothing to do with 9/11. Hmmm, still striking out, maybe to stabilize the region…yeah that worked out pretty well, as long as we left 200,000/troops there AND spent several hundred billion per year it MIGHT be stable-ish.
I do agree we should let the dogs off the chain and truly start some real/sustained/relentless airstirkes, and make this pepper bombing were doing now look like amatuee fireworks and I just bet ISIS social media presence would waiver a tad.
No, it was no victory. We left it like we left Vietnam, and it’s going to fall exactly like Vietnam fell. It’s a total loss. A million people died in the fighting in addition to the Americans, and a million Christians who had lived there in peace for a thousand years fled during the Bush years, and now the rest will flee as well. And the American taxpayer is left with the bill for a war fought on credit that amounts to many trillions.
You’re a GREAT example of how we get an anti-American, ignorant dumb@$$ in the White House.
Really? Is it because I want Obama impeached that you say this?
Yes: confused, rudderless and core-less dolts – who are led to ignorance by the media – result elects like Obama. A vote for the latest feces-eating Liberal-tarian is just as good as a vote for Obama.
Liberals pat you on the head and say “good boy” because they know you will help them, even after they have disqualified themselves by their failure.
Great response, Nicki would be the best choice in 2016, Her Transparent Government worked wonders in SC.
Bush made Obama !!!
That will remain my favorite comment for some time to come.
Thank you Bruce. I’m a pub, As a former Marine, ANYONE that makes a mistake of the true target like that, rubs me wrong. I did enjoy working for RonnieRaygun. Bush, no way !!!
I see your website has 11 followers and over 100,000 views. That’s a pretty bad ratio, isn’t it? Perhaps if you tried to be logical and dropped the weird attacks, you might be more successful.
Bush caused that, if only he would of admitted a mistake, R’s would of won the election.
Tango, I’m still awaiting an attack from your dumb-ass !!!
Scary stuff!
I know…
on another front – Colombian rebels threaten our way of life, and Venezuelan socialism threatens the South American Continent, both soon to arrive at our southern border.
…and Chinese engineers completed their reverse engineering project on our captured spy plane, and have recently produced a fleet fitted with weapons.
Jesus man!
Raised on Hitchcock.
I hope they don’t let them get the apple pie.
With O in charge of the US, along with Reid, Pelosi and the other dumbacrats in the Senate and House, the nation is screwed!
With Ohaley in charge of the State, our state is screwed.
In other words here in SC, we are screwed, booed, and tattooed!
Wait for Haley’s second 4 years!
Change those names;take your pick,and everything would still be the same.Vote for Exxon in the next election…
Vote for Exxon in the next election…
OH HELLZ NO!!!
TBG wants *CHANGE*!
TBG will proudly cast his vote for Mobil. (And if you weren’t a depraved, degenerate, Liberal-Tarian DUMB@$$…you would too!)
It used to be,’With God on Our Side’,but now there’s nothing much but giving up.It’s become personal,again,like it was with,Vietnam.Go,ARMY.Keep shelter from the storm.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9EKqQWPjyo
This may be Obama’s Mogadishu. No sacrifice is too big for a Clinton,Obama or the Democrat Party!
Obama could trade Bufgdahl, for the boots we don’t have on the ground.
Graham will use this in his call for more troops on the ground in Bagdad. He is a creature of habit. We know he will say it. Likely on the Sunday political talk shows in the morning. Graham, Obama, and the rest of their cronies are shipwrecking us all. The money they blow would easy secure the USA at the southern border, the west coast, the east coast, and along our border with Canada … and even from outer space.
God Save Us From These Wackos In Washington. Common sense is gone.
Nobody will want to join the US Military at this rate of insanity. Many will not re-enlist either.
No doubt we are becoming more and more dependent on our mercenary armies–the Blackwater/Xe fighters (who make $10 a month, at least) and the CIA’s SAD paramilitary army.
I will join
I’m 53, I’m ready to get some, UHH-RAA ! I can still do everything I did in 1980’s, only It hurts more.
I can still do everything I did in 1980’s, only It hurts more.
It takes a lot longer to recover, too.
Ya think, brother ?
This is so true.
My fiance is getting the hell out once his time is up.
The bad news for ISIS is US forces do not panic.
Must be a Army thing.
The occupation of Iraq was a success. The failure part was leaving it in the hands of Obama. Sorry but the truth hurts some times.
The occupation of Iraq cost us some $3 trillion or more (not paid for yet) and achieved nothing to benefit us. On the contrary, it created a breeding ground for terrorists. Nevertheless, our puppet government wouldn’t be in trouble except for Obama’s arming of terrorists in Syria.
Frank and JC,: Both of you are right.
From the standpoint of big bloated g’ment, the Iraq war was a complete success. … And now the bloated bureaucracy has dictated round three, because it continues to generates votes and tax revenues.
Go get’em Bush jr, aka, Republican clone in 2016, keep the BS flying with many more men that will be torn apart, brain dead, etc, Hopefully most will die for ? A Idiot ? Oil ? Let me know !
The occupation of Iraq cost us some $3 trillion or more (not paid for yet) and achieved nothing to benefit us.
If by “us” you mean you and TBG (a common error, BTW) you are right.
In this case “us” means the military-industrial complex, American and Saudi oil interests and the politicians they own (Hi Miss Lindsey!!) and our Mideast adventures have benefitted “us” tremendously.
Remember, “Yer either fer ‘us’ or against ‘us’.”
Bush left Obama a peaceful Iraq. It was not perfect but there was relative peace and no threats of attacks on America. Once Obama washed his hands of it and declared his victory then rapidly fell apart. Obama was asked and even begged to help when the first cities began to fall. When air support could have made the difference Obama remained silent. Now Obama makes a token effort only. The cost is important but it in no way absolves Obama for his failures and only shows how much he was willing to throw away for his mindless liberal policies. Now try to stay on topic. The truth hurts but it needs to be accepted before we can move on.
You live in a fantasy world. Almost 9 thousand Iraqis died in 2008–Bush’s last year–due to the violence, and more than 300 American troops. Iraq was never a danger to the US and the war was sold based on lies. Bush and his conspirators had a plan to knock off 7 countries in 5 years starting with Iraq–a plan that dated back to the fall of the USSR when the neocons realized they could run wild in the world and no one could stop them. Obama lost Iraq, but for a different reason altogether. He’s still working from that neocon list and trying to do it on the cheap, using terrorists as fighters.
Sorry pokemon boy, you have licked too many frogs I see. Iraq was not in danger of falling to pieces until Obama washed his hands of it. Of course a new country is going to have a certain level of violence above the norm for possibly a decade or so. This is why we needed a residual force. Obama was informed of this by his generals and even the much smarter Bush before he left. Please put down the frogs and learn something.
Obama the Puppet followed the Bush pullout schedule to the month. And he would have kept a residual force there except Assange published cables from our diplomats which showed that the Pentagon had covered up a case where our troops had assassinated several families by shooting them in the head, including toddlers. This produced such a stink that a SOFA was impossible. So see, your ignorance is your worst enemy.
I am sorry if you have trouble with logic. It was Obama’s job to make it work. Obama accepted the job as president along with all that it entails. We have seen time and time again where Obama does not have the ability to reach any kind of deal. Most presidents would have the ability to reach some kind of deal to protect the massive investment that was made. You want to simply so called stay the course even if you smash into a wall. Course corrections are needed in life and in war and peace. Obama was/is simply not up to the job. Blaming a Bush time table is pure folly. You treat Obama as if he were just a regular citizen and not the POTUS.
The SOFA was not impossible. It should not have been difficult even. Iraq wanted a residual force. The problem is that Obama did not. Obama was looking for an out and he took it. Now the world has to live with Obama’s failures.
Your ignorance and Obama’s is on display for all to see.
That’s a damn lie
Iraq PM Maliki wanted us out of Iraq and that is the simple fact.
Nothing we can do about the divide between the Suni & Shia.
Maliki made it worse by greatly favoring the Shia sect among other things. The vast number of Iraqi “leaders” and officers are corrupt and that is the main reason the Iraqi forces have cut and ran.
You can’t trust a single one of them.
I’d put the South Vietnamese army of 1975 against the Iraqi army of today and the S. Vietnam army would whip the Iraqi’s ass.
If you want to colonize the Middle East with western society and kill every single Muslim that is the only way you will EVER solve this problem.
That didn’t work too well during the Crusades – did it?
Quit playing “arm-chair general”
The occupation of Iraq was a success.
OCCUPATION???
The word you were searching for was “Liberation”.
For Tonto, word is BULLSHIT ! They did not even attack us. Get your money right first ! See Hitler note !
Semper fi embassy duty! The MEU will be ready!
Please send ticket if needed. Rock Marine !!!
Who is the bigger enemy of America and freedom…Domestic Liberals or ISIS?
Both are religious zealots, who hate us – and the Constitution- because they hate Christians and we reject their dogma.
Answer is, YOU !!!
Too stupid to think of something on your own, yet again…LMAO…
To hate me so much, your brain-vacant @$$ would NEVER have anything to say w/o me, would you???… (:
good question, I do not hate you though.
We can’t afford to let radical Islam win. We just keep fighting that’s all. For as long as it takes. It’s a worthy fight. History will look favorably on the countries that helped win. You don’t just give up.
So while we are fighting amongst ourselves about POLITICS these ISIL animals are just rolling on. As a group they have a vision and a purpose that we do not have. We used to have it and it has not been lost but it has been diminished by our assumption that the politicians we like believe in America and what America has always stood for.
We need to stop talking RED and BLUE and start talking RED, WHITE, and BLUE. We need to see the situation we are in and decide what we are going to do. We need to vote as if our lives depend on it… because apparently it does.
Info ops counter comment score…….
Why are people not seeing the ramifications of ISIS taking over Bagdad? They become a state with the full funding resources of a sovereign nation. So we wait until they are inside our borders (probably already are)? These guys are so extreme they got kicked out by Al Qaeda (you know the ones that flew airplanes into the Twin Towers)!?