The Fight Goes on in Anbar: ISIL vs the World -- Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, War On The Rocks
Over the past week, the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has been able to build on its previous gains in Iraq’s Anbar province. The situation in the province has rapidly deteriorated. At this point, the districts of al-Qa’im, Anah, Hit, Fallujah, and Karmah are all under the control of anti-government forces—which amounts to about 80% of the province. As was the case for last week’s report, this new contribution draws heavily on regional Arabic-language reporting to chronicle ISIL’s continuing victories in Anbar.
Beginning on October 6, ISIL mounted a direct attack into Tuway Albu Risha, farmland located on the western side of Ramadi that belongs to the Albu Risha tribe. This tribe was an important part of the Sahwa (Awakening) movement in the 2005-07 period. Our recent article on ISIL’s Anbar offensive noted the centrality of the field commander Umar al-Shishani, who has employed tactics far different from those ISIL utilizes elsewhere in Iraq and Syria. In most areas of Iraq and Syria, the group has fought like a conventional military, but this isn’t the case in Anbar. Shishani has emphasized speed and agility, and his tactics have several layers of complexity, including regularly utilizing feints and harassing attacks to try to force his opponents to chase him and thus place themselves in a vulnerable position.
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My Comment: Iraqi officials believe otherwise .... Iraqis Swear: Baghdad Airport is Safe From ISIS (Susannah George, Daily Beast). What's my take .... I guess the legacy of Baghdad Bob still lives on in Iraq's Information Ministry.
3 comments:
Poor Barack is going to have to cancel a fund raiser, when the boots on the ground in Iraq take a hit around the Baghdad international airport.
It will go south on him just like ebola. Josh Earnest, Harf & Psaki will not be able to spin fast enough.
We had the 2nd case of ebola today and what are we doing? We are waiting for the other shoe to drop. :/
Yes we are.
We do not trust Thomas Freidman, the "Soup Nazi".
When I said Anbar had fallen a few posts back, I meant that if you are devoting your campaign and resources to saving the last city of the province, then the province has fallen.
Baghdad has been under far siege now for awhile. Recent events there (bombing, assassinations) show that the actual battle in the city has begun. It is here that I think we will see Iran get involved in an large overt way. If not then I have misjudged them and especially their capabilities.
James,
I'll go with that.
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I thought that the Iraqi Army had control of the cities from Ramadi to Haditha. It appears I was very wrong.
Then I found out that the IA in Haditha are stationed outside of it, they are holed up and are under siege.
So outside of Hit, which fell, Northern Ramadi, a base outside of Haditha, Al Asad Base, does the IA control anything between Ramadi to Haditha?
Outside of Ramadi it sounds like they control a bases (Asad, Haditha (a small FOB) and that is it. That is all.
The guys in Asad are dangerous. They could sortie (& take a greater chance of getting tore up by IEDS with each passing day). All the Haditha guys can do is hold on.
It hit me while typing that all the landmine activists are not saying a peep about IEDs. But essentially they are landmines.
Disgusting if you ask me.
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