Iraqi army retakes Ramadi from retreating ISIL
By Robert Hackwill



BAGHDAD : --Iraqi government forces are claiming total success with the retaking of the city of Ramadi from ISIL fighters.

The city had been in the hands of the Islamic extremists since the month of May. Its loss is the groups’ first major defeat, and the first success for the US-trained Iraqi army, which for this assault did not use the Shi’Ite militias which have been having the most success against ISIL, to avoid antagonising local Sunnis.

“If 2015 was the year of liberation, 2016, God willing, will be the year of the great victory and the year of the final victory and the end of the presence of Daesh on Iraqi soil and their final great defeat,” said Iraq’s Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.

Pockets of resistance remain and it is not clear how many of the estimated hundreds of
ISIL fighters have been killed or escaped.

Next on the Iraqi army’s list is the city of Mosul, ISIl’s biggest prize in Iraq, and for which it is likely to fight tooth and nail.


-- (c) Copyright Euronews 2015-12-29

The Iraqi army have not miraculously transformed themselves into a competent fighting force, it is a variety of foreign special forces doing most of the fighting, for political as well as operational reasons their identity is being kept quiet. It is quite amazing how the press can have us believe the sum total of US trained moderates in Syria who had not defected or fled numbered about one dozen, now out of a clear blue sky a competent US trained Iraqi army starts doing what it failed to for years.

"which for this assault did not use the Shi’Ite militias which have been having the most success against ISIL, to avoid antagonising local Sunnis."

How screwed up is that? ISIL is reported to have killed over 100,000 Muslims yet there might be a problem if the wrong type of Muslim help defeat ISIL and prevent more Muslims from being killed by these lunatics.

They are all (Muslims) crazy and even once ISIL has been defeated there will be constant problems and the next bunch or crazy extremists that will fill their void is just around the corner with their own perverted version of their insane murderous religion.

This sunni vs shia crap has been going on for centuries…the morons in the west think this one campaign is going to reverse it all.

What a bunch of muppets….the dictators are in power there for a reason.

You don't remove and kill them….you pay them to keep things stable, if you have to.

"which for this assault did not use the Shi’Ite militias which have been having the most success against ISIL, to avoid antagonising local Sunnis."

How screwed up is that? ISIL is reported to have killed over 100,000 Muslims yet there might be a problem if the wrong type of Muslim help defeat ISIL and prevent more Muslims from being killed by these lunatics.

They are all (Muslims) crazy and even once ISIL has been defeated there will be constant problems and the next bunch or crazy extremists that will fill their void is just around the corner with their own perverted version of their insane murderous religion.

Shiite militias in Iraq (as in Syria) have been responsible for crimes against humanity and wanton destruction of Sunni civilian homes. The US is concerned the criminal activities of the Shiite militias deters from the goal of defeating Daesh. It has been reported due to Shiite militias being excluded, local Sunni tribes were involved in the assault on Ramadi. Sunni tribes support for fighting Daesh will shorten the conflict in Iraq and hopefully will contribute to lessening the terrible toll of civilian casualties.

BTW Sunni tribes people have been murdered in their hundreds, if not thousands, for refusing to join Daesh in Iraq.