AP FACT CHECK: Trump wrongly calls Obama 'founder' of IS

[DonViejo]

-snip-

THE FACTS: The founder of the group was Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the head of al-Qaida in Iraq who was killed in a U.S. airstrike in 2006.

As for the manner of the U.S. withdrawal, Trump actually wanted U.S. troops out years earlier than Obama brought them out.

He told CNN in March 2007 that the U.S. should declare victory and get out because Iraq was going to get further bogged down in civil strife. He said the U.S. was "keeping a lid" on the situation by being there, but that when the U.S. leaves, "it's all going to blow up" so the U.S. might as well leave "because you just are wasting time."

___

TRUMP: "In many respects, you know, they (IS militants) honor President Obama."

THE FACTS: To the contrary, IS propaganda has shown fighters shooting targets bearing Obama's image. IS has beheaded captives while slurring Obama's name and suggested prices for enslaving his wife.

Before killing American-Israeli journalist Steven Sotloff in 2014, one IS militant said: "I'm back, Obama, and I'm back because of your arrogant foreign policy toward the Islamic State ... despite our serious warnings. So just as your missiles continue to strike our people, our knife will continue to strike the necks of your people."

Trump is echoing conspiracy theorists across the Middle East, including Iran's supreme leader and those he backs, such as Syrian officials and Hezbollah, a Shiite militant group. They have all over time accused the U.S. of creating or supporting the extremist group responsible for mass killings, beheadings and other atrocities in Iraq and Syria, as well as inspiring militant attacks across the world.

-snip-

http://bigstory.ap.org/urn:publicid:ap.org:1fb2618a171945e5accf9bdeb1fb5167

[anoNY42]

1. I love that they actually felt the need to officially fact-check this...nt

[Jarqui]

2. I cannot believe they repeatedly ignore this

U.S.–Iraq Status of Forces Agreement
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S.%E2%80%93Iraq_Status_of_Forces_Agreement

The U.S.–Iraq Status of Forces Agreement (official name: Agreement Between the United States of America and the Republic of Iraq On the Withdrawal of United States Forces from Iraq and the Organization of Their Activities during Their Temporary Presence in Iraq) was a status of forces agreement (SOFA) between Iraq and the United States, signed by President George W. Bush in 2008. It established that U.S. combat forces would withdraw from Iraqi cities by June 30, 2009, and all U.S. combat forces will be completely out of Iraq by December 31, 2011.[1] The pact required criminal charges for holding prisoners over 24 hours, and required a warrant for searches of homes and buildings that were not related to combat.[1] U.S. contractors working for U.S. forces would have been subject to Iraqi criminal law, while contractors working for the State Department and other U.S. agencies would retain their immunity. If U.S. forces committed still undecided "major premeditated felonies" while off-duty and off-base, they would have been subjected to an undecided procedures laid out by a joint U.S.-Iraq committee if the U.S. certified the forces were off-duty.[2][3][1][4]

The agreement expired at midnight on December 31, 2011, even though the United States completed its final withdrawal of troops from Iraq on December 16, 2011.

Obama tried to keep troops there but couldn't overcome the lack of immunity Bush gave to Iraq in the original agreement.

The GOP are trying to convince us that we'd want to watch Iraq execute US Military members who didn't have immunity during our dinner hours after Dec 2011.

How can so many people forget? Fact is they don't forget - they just lie.

[AgadorSparticus]

3. Somewhere in the world, there is a man named Abu Musab al-zarqawi screaming,

"TRUUUUUUMP!!! YOU WESTERN ASS OF A RODENT! HOW DARE YOU TRY AND TAKE ISIS FROM ME? I work hard for this. Pulled myself up from my own bootstraps to make this work. You can't come in and claim it for your friend. DAMN YOU!!!!!! "

[tandem5]

4. I've always felt the response (or lack of) to Trump is crazier than Trump himself.

[yellowcanine]

5. Good. This is what should be done with every outlandish claim Trump makes. Point by point

rebuttal. It won't stop Trump from making the claims but it will make it more difficult for his surrogates to defend the claims.