Battle for Ramadi: has ISIL just lost its biggest prize of 2015?



PARIS: -- If true, it will deprive the so-called Islamic State of their biggest prize of 2015. The Iraqi army claims that it has re-captured Ramadi, west of Baghdad.

It would be the first major triumph for the US-trained force since it collapsed in the face of an assault by ISIL 18 months ago.

After encircling Ramadi for weeks, the Iraqi military launched a campaign to retake it last week and made a final push on Sunday.

When the militants took the city, the capital of the mainly Sunni-Muslim Anbar province, Washington had to take a hard look at its strategy for waging war ISIL.

One US defence official said confirmation had not come through that the militants had now been cleared out of the government complex in Ramadi.

There was no word on any deaths from the army assault. But the government says most civilians were able to evacuate before it launched the final stage.


-- (c) Copyright Euronews 2015-12-28

"When the militants took the city, the capital of the mainly Sunni-Muslim Anbar province, Washington had to take a hard look at its strategy for waging war ISI[L]" is drivel to fill empty space.

In fact, the repeated revelations that the US actually had no intelligible policy at all and the unsatisfied commanders who went on the record confirmed this. One general among a number, Gen. Flynn, is among those who expressly had no idea at all what the US administration was doing to defeat ISIS/DAESH and make it pretty clear the US aided and abetted ISIS. Eventually the US once again lied to Americans and it is reflected here- "...US trained force." Iraqis have had training for many years. Training is not enough for them to NOT QUIT and throw down their weapons as they repeatedly evidence. Training cannot make a man courageous. The US has soldiers embedded in the forces actually leading these charges but the media does not publish this.

[it] is not ISIL. DAESH has absolutely no claim at all to Israel, as L= Levant suggests. There is only one element on planet earth that consistently uses "ISIL"- Obama & Company. This says volumes about their message trafficking and motivations. ISIS is a wholly owned subsidiary of the US Government & Company.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/28/world/middleeast/more-and-more-special-forces-become-obamas-military-answer.html

ISIS et al may have been at one time encouraged by the US...a few years ago for what ever reason (sort out some of the dictators perhaps). I think it is now more like a pet dog that has gone rabid and is totally out of the control of it's once, allegedly, master.

I would be interested to hear your comments on this ArjunaD as you seem to be well informed/opinionated on the subject. I must admit I am not.

To justify spending $700 billion per year on "Defense", America must have an enemy to fight. When it does not have one (Soviets) it creates them (AQ & IS).

It does not matter who does the training. If there is not obvious solution to the problems then only a fool would stay and fight. The wise man evacuates the position until a position is found that will result in victory and survival.

I have only seen it, but does anyone here who has done basic training for infantry think it will result in high survivial rates for those involved?

Does not matter if the US or anyone else trains troops, you need a reason to stay, if you were a GI that reason would be your monthly check ( oh and the propaganda backing it up) if your average us soldier were earning as much as an iraqui I expect the awol rates would sooooooooooarrrr