Post by Sailor on Oct 4, 2014 7:34:25 GMT -8
IRBIL, Iraq — Islamic State militants have taken control of key cities in Iraq’s western province of Anbar and have begun to besiege one of the country’s largest military bases in a weeklong offensive that’s brought them within artillery range of Baghdad.
The Islamic State and its tribal allies have dominated Anbar since a surprise offensive last December, but this week’s push was particularly worrisome, because for the first time this year Islamist insurgents were reported to have become a major presence in Abu Ghraib, the last Anbar town on the outskirts of the capital.
“Daash is openly operating inside Abu Ghraib,” according to an Iraqi soldier, who used a common Arabic term for the Islamic State. “I was at the 10th Division base there two days ago, and the soldiers cannot leave or patrol,” he said, asking that he be identified only as Hossam because Iraqi soldiers are barred from speaking with foreign reporters. “Daash controls the streets.”
Read more here: www.thenewstribune.com/2014/10/03/3413386_islamic-state-reportedly-on-outskirts.html?rh=1#storylink=cpy
Reportedly ISIS forces are now within artillery range of Baghdad International Airport, and that means (to me) they are within MANPAD reach of aircraft arriving and taking off.
The door is about to be slammed shut on Baghdad.
I've said it before, we really need to be deploying military personnel to marry up with whatever equipment we might still have stored in Kuwait, Saudi and elsewhere in the area either to fight or to remove that gear from ISIS' reach, remove it or demo in place.
ISIS already has tanks, APCs, helos and artillery along with the ammo that we had supplied and trained the Iraqi army to use. Iraqi soldiers have been turning coat and joining ISIS, thus I believe ISIS has the ability to USE that captured gear.
If you get the idea that I'm perturbed, you're right.
I don't want to see any more gear fall into their hands.
The Islamic State and its tribal allies have dominated Anbar since a surprise offensive last December, but this week’s push was particularly worrisome, because for the first time this year Islamist insurgents were reported to have become a major presence in Abu Ghraib, the last Anbar town on the outskirts of the capital.
“Daash is openly operating inside Abu Ghraib,” according to an Iraqi soldier, who used a common Arabic term for the Islamic State. “I was at the 10th Division base there two days ago, and the soldiers cannot leave or patrol,” he said, asking that he be identified only as Hossam because Iraqi soldiers are barred from speaking with foreign reporters. “Daash controls the streets.”
Read more here: www.thenewstribune.com/2014/10/03/3413386_islamic-state-reportedly-on-outskirts.html?rh=1#storylink=cpy
Reportedly ISIS forces are now within artillery range of Baghdad International Airport, and that means (to me) they are within MANPAD reach of aircraft arriving and taking off.
The door is about to be slammed shut on Baghdad.
I've said it before, we really need to be deploying military personnel to marry up with whatever equipment we might still have stored in Kuwait, Saudi and elsewhere in the area either to fight or to remove that gear from ISIS' reach, remove it or demo in place.
ISIS already has tanks, APCs, helos and artillery along with the ammo that we had supplied and trained the Iraqi army to use. Iraqi soldiers have been turning coat and joining ISIS, thus I believe ISIS has the ability to USE that captured gear.
If you get the idea that I'm perturbed, you're right.
I don't want to see any more gear fall into their hands.