The Islamic State War In Iraq -- News Updates October 17, 2014

On Outskirts Of Baghdad, Islamic State’s Advances Raise Tensions -- Washington Post

ABU GHRAIB, IRAQ — About 14 miles from Baghdad International Airport, a mortar shell landed with a thud. A second followed, closer, and then a third struck across the Iraqi army’s lines, as the Islamic State militants zeroed in on their target.

The volley of mortar fire outside the Baghdad suburb of Abu Ghraib this week was not unusual in itself; Islamic State fighters and the Iraqi army have regularly exchanged fire in this area for months. But now, officials worry that gains by the extremist group in neighboring Anbar province will provide momentum for an assault on the outskirts of the capital.

Mortar shells fired by the Islamic State have already fallen in central Baghdad in recent weeks, and suicide bombings have picked up pace — a wave of blasts killed at least 50 people in and around Baghdad on Thursday, local media reported. While the army is holding its ground around the capital’s perimeter, Abu Ghraib is seen as a weak point, and sympathy for the radical fighters is growing here, residents say, because of the heavy-handed actions of Shiite militias.

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The Islamic State War In Iraq -- News Updates October 17, 2014

Pentagon Readying for Long War in Iraq, Syria -- AP
U.S. general says Iraq retaking some ground from Islamic State -- Reuters
Anti-ISIL Strategy Working, Needs Patience, Austin Says -- US Department of Defense
Commander: Iraq the focus of U.S. campaign against ISIS -- Washington Examiner
US Commander: IS Fight to Take Time -- VOA
General overseeing US fight in Iraq and Syria says Iraqi army is making only slight progress -- AP
Iraq is the top priority in fight against IS: US commander -- AFP
US stresses Iraq emphasis even as air strikes escalate against Isis in Syria -- The Guardian
Strikes have forced Islamic State to alter tactics, U.S. commander says -- Washington Post
CENTCOM chief: Unclear when Iraqi army will be ready -- Navy Times
ISIS Has Made 'Substantial Gains' in Iraq: US -- AFP
U.S. says ISIS made ‘substantial gains’ in Iraq -- Al Arabiya
Iraq Imposes Curfew in Ramadi, Fearing Militants -- AP
Iraq Imposes Curfew On Ramadi To Stem Militant Advance -- Radio Free Europe
Islamic State photos highlight group's grip on Ramadi -- Long War Journal
ISIS Militants Target Baghdad Amid Wave Of Attacks In Iraq -- AP
Siege Possible as ISIS Nears Strategic Town in Iraq -- NYT
Nothing left in Anbar for displaced Sunni -- BBC
Iraq Requests 800 More Hellfires to Combat Militants -- Bloomberg
Iraqis flee homes in fear of ISIS, leaving behind a ghost town -- CBC
Is Anbar Islamic State's Achilles' heel? -- AL-Monitor