Iraq's Anbar in 'Total Collapse', on Brink of Falling to Islamic State

Reuters ^ | Sunday, May 17, 2015 | Isabel Coles

[kristinn]

Islamic State militants overran one of the last remaining districts held by government forces in the Iraqi city of Ramadi on Sunday and besieged a key army base on the edge of the western provincial capital, security sources said.

The militants seized most of Ramadi on Friday, planting their black flag on the local government headquarters in the center of the city, but a contingent of Iraqi special forces was holding out in the Malaab neighborhood.

Those forces retreated on Sunday to an area east of the city after suffering heavy casualties, security sources said, bringing Ramadi to the brink of falling to Islamic State.

It would be the first major urban center to be seized by the insurgents in Iraq since security forces and paramilitary groups began pushing them back last year.

Anbar provincial council member Athal Fahdawi described the situation in Ramadi as "total collapse" and said local officials had voted in favor of the deployment of Shi'ite paramilitaries to the Sunni heartland.

Shi'ite paramilitaries have played a leading role in reversing Islamic State gains elsewhere in Iraq, but have so far been kept on the sidelines in Anbar due to concerns about inflaming sectarian violence.

The insurgents were closing in on the Anbar Operations Command to the west and a military officer inside the army base said it was too late to send reinforcements, pleading for help from Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.

“We are now surrounded inside the Operations Command by Daesh, and mortars are raining down," said the officer. Daesh is an Arabic acronym for Islamic State.

"Daesh fighters are in almost every street. It’s a chaotic situation and things are sliding out of control. Ramadi is falling into the hands of Daesh," the officer said.

[familyop]

We were told by our free trade propaganda outlets that Shiites had plenty of help from Iran. Is Iran not able to handle the situation?

[RipSawyer]

“In further news the U.S. economy is booming.”

Yep, noticed it right off, all them empty factories an’ stores bein’ tore down shore makes a lot o’ noise.

[Leaning Right]

"It's a quagmire if you go that far and try to take over Iraq." -- Dick Cheney, U.S. Secretary of Defense, April 15, 1994

That's a very, very interesting quote. And it makes one wonder. If Cheney felt that way in 1994, did he still feel that way in 2003?

[VerySadAmerican]

We helped put Saddam in power.

[Alberta's Child]

A more important question would be: What changed between 1994 and 2003 that made a U.S. occupation of Iraq any more feasible?

Pardon my French, but I don't trust any of these pr!cks.

[Valin]

Part of the problem is W did a horrible job of explaining the why, how, of Iraq. Which meant only one side was talking.

[Valin]

Really? Explain it to us (cite sources). Use small words, many of us are not that bright.

[Sun]

Is anybody calling their reps to tell them to give the Kurds in Iraq more weaponry?

So many people, from Jay Sekulow on Christian radio (Jay is Hannity’s friend, btw) to Rand Paul, say the Iraqi Kurds aren’t getting enough arms.

[Reverend Wright]

“Part of the problem is W did a horrible job of explaining the why, how, of Iraq. Which meant only one side was talking.”

i agree, there were lots of good reasons to get rid of Saddam. wmd’s was only one of them. and saddam had used them in the past, and sure was acting like he had them.

and when saddam’s wmd finally did turn up, it was too late politically and the Bush admin just let it go.

one thing i do believe - ISIS will eventually get big enough that the US plus whatever allies, will have to re-invade Iraq.

it’s like the 1930’s: early on Hitler was seen as too weak to worry about, but by the late 1930’s he was judged too dangerous to confront.

and when the war started it was on his terms.

[Valin]

When someone starts out a question with “If You Knew Then What You Know Now....”

Stop them and To Quote John Boehner “Are you really going to ask such a stupid question?!” If they continue, feel free to smack them upside the head. It May Cause the 3 Neurons In Their Brain To Come Together And They MAY Have An Actual Thought...Anything Is Possible.