A Look At The Military Strategy That The Islamic State Employed In Conquering Ramadi

New York Times: ISIS Fighters Seized Advantage in Iraq Attack by Striking During Sandstorm

WASHINGTON — Islamic State fighters used a sandstorm to help seize a critical military advantage in the early hours of the terrorist group’s attack on the provincial Iraqi capital of Ramadi last week, helping to set in motion an assault that forced Iraqi security forces to flee, current and former American officials said Monday.

The sandstorm delayed American warplanes and kept them from launching airstrikes to help the Iraqi forces, as the Islamic State fighters evidently anticipated. The fighters used the time to carry out a series of car bombings followed by a wave of ground attacks in and around the city that eventually overwhelmed the American-backed Iraqi forces.

Once the storm subsided, Islamic State and Iraqi forces were intermingled in heavy combat in many areas, making it difficult for allied pilots to distinguish friend or foe, the officials said. By that point, the militants had gained an operational momentum that could not be reversed.

WNU Editor: Nullifying U.S. air power revealed the weakness of the Iraqi army and their dependence on U.S. firepower. The Islamic State knew this .... hence the defeat of the Iraqi forces. As to retaking the city using Shiite militias .... the New York Times explains why this may not be a good idea.