Iraq Is Still On The Brink After One Year Of War Against The Islamic State

ABC News (Australia)/AFP: Islamic State: One year since IS assault began, Iraq still on the brink

A year after the Islamic State (IS) group launched a brutally effective offensive, Iraq is struggling to survive as a unified nation, gripped by seemingly endless violence, sectarianism and humanitarian tragedy.

IS began the offensive on June 9, 2014, and overran a third of the country, declaring it and areas in neighbouring Syria a "caliphate" and carrying out atrocities from beheadings and mass executions to enslavement and rape.

The jihadists have been driven out of some areas, but still hold much of western Iraq and remain able to defeat Baghdad's forces and gain new territory despite a year of heavy fighting and some 4,000 strikes carried out in a 10-month US-led air campaign.

More News On The War Against The Islamic State In Iraq

Iraq officials: Troops repel Islamic State attacks in Anbar, take out suicide car-bombs -- AP
Iraqi troops reportedly advance against ISIS in key refinery town -- AP
Officials: Iraqi forces in control of Baiji city -- CNN
Iraqi forces seek to surround ISIS-held Ramadi -- Rudaw
Water wars: ISIS shuts down Iraqi dam, uses freshwater as weapon – reports -- RT
Islamic State uses water as weapon in Iraq -- AP
Britain to expand Iraq training mission to counter IS: Cameron -- Reuters
Britain: More Troops Will Head to Iraq -- AP
U.S. quietly starts channeling arms from $1.6 billion fund to Iraq -- Reuters
US Starts Sending $1.6 Billion Worth of Promised Arms to Iraq — But Who Will Get Them? -- David Enders, VICE News
Restrictions on Sunnis Fleeing Violence Deepen Iraq’s Sectarian Divide -- WSJ
IMF to hand Iraq $830m emergency funding as it struggles to battle Isis -- The Guardian
Isis: A year since Mosul fell Islamic State's hold on Iraq's second city is stronger than ever -- IBTimes
Iraq Struggles to Revive Military for Coming Battles With Islamic State -- Wall Street Journal
Loss of Ramadi Put Iraqi Government on the Ropes and the Islamic State on a Roll -- Landon Shroder, VICE News
How to defeat the Islamic State -- David A. Deptula, Washington Post
The Islamic State Is Here to Stay -- Ahmed S. Hashim, VICE News
Islamic State suicide tactics expode rule book -- Brendan Nicholson, The Australian