ISIS Claims Major Counterattacks as Iraqi Forces Lay Siege to Ramadi

[vero]

BAGHDAD — The Islamic State broke an uncharacteristic silence on Thursday about the Iraqi military’s three-day-old assault to recapture the city of Ramadi, releasing a flurry of statements asserting that its fighters had killed dozens of Iraqi government forces in attacks in the city and on its outskirts.

In one Islamic State dispatch released via social media, marked “urgent,” the group said a five-member suicide squad had ambushed police officers at an outpost it identified as the headquarters of the Second Regiment of the Federal Police.

Other statements by the group claimed to have killed more than 30 Iraqi soldiers, with suicide bombs and by detonating hidden explosives inside buildings, according to translations of the statements by the SITE Intelligence Group, a research firm in Bethesda, Md., that monitors jihadist postings on the Internet.

Taken together, the statements were the first assertion by the militant group that it had inflicted serious damage against Iraqi military forces engaged in the Ramadi siege.

Those forces began a concerted effort on Tuesday to recapture Ramadi, an important city about 60 miles from Baghdad that Islamic State fighters overran in May in a major humiliation for the central government.

The Islamic State’s usual communications avenues had been conspicuously quiet in recent days, other than one site’s release of photographs claiming to show that areas of Ramadi were calm and still under the Islamic State’s control.

The Islamic State’s loss of Ramadi would be the most significant in a string of recent defeats for the extremist group, which has occupied swaths of Iraq and Syria since last year. Ramadi is the capital of Anbar Province, a predominantly Sunni Arab region that has been a stronghold for the Islamic State.

Iraqi officials have conceded that their advance in Ramadi has been hampered by hidden explosives and Islamic State counterattacks, but they denied they had suffered any major casualties on Thursday.

Ismael al-Mihlawi, the commander of the Anbar government operations room, said that although the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, had left land mines and booby-traps, “We are moving in the right path, according to our plan.

“Ramadi will be liberated soon,” he said. “ISIS is dying.”

Gassan al-Ethawi, a spokesman for tribal fighters in Anbar Province who are working with the government forces, said the Islamic State had mounted an assault on the police station overnight, first firing mortars and then sending six suicide attackers. But he said Iraqi forces had “blocked” the attack. Officials said that four police officers had been injured.

Islamic State statements also claimed its fighters had killed members of Iraq’s Shiite militias fighting in Ramadi, using derogatory terms for Shiite Muslims. But Iraqi officials say the assault on the city does not include the militias, and is being carried out by soldiers, police officers and Sunni tribesmen.

The makeup of the force is intentional. By excluding the Shiite militias, which operate under the name of the popular mobilization forces, the government of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi is hoping to guard against the kind of sectarian retribution that has marred other operations against the Islamic State in Sunni areas.

In a statement on Thursday, Dhafir al-Aani, a Sunni member of Parliament, praised the decision to exclude the Shiite militias, saying it had made the battle for Ramadi “empty of sectarian complications.”

The statement referred to retaliatory attacks by the militias against Sunnis in other parts of the country, calling them “problems that ruined the taste of victory.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/25/world/middleeast/iraq-isis-ramadi.html?ref=world

[bryant.coleman]

The retards in the Iraqi government are repeating their mistakes again and again. They are sending in the ill-trained Iraqi soldiers, without enough equipment and ammunition. It was a mistake to keep the Shiite militia out of the fighting. Without them, the morale of the remaining troops will be very low, and the Sunni soldiers are likely to defect in large numbers.

[tsoPANos]

The retards in the Iraqi government are repeating their mistakes again and again. They are sending in the ill-trained Iraqi soldiers, without enough equipment and ammunition. It was a mistake to keep the Shiite militia out of the fighting. Without them, the morale of the remaining troops will be very low, and the Sunni soldiers are likely to defect in large numbers.

No matter what, 2016 will be the end of ISIS extremists. The Assad regime is not going to fall provided with
Russian support.

[galdur]

The retards in the Iraqi government are repeating their mistakes again and again. They are sending in the ill-trained Iraqi soldiers, without enough equipment and ammunition. It was a mistake to keep the Shiite militia out of the fighting. Without them, the morale of the remaining troops will be very low, and the Sunni soldiers are likely to defect in large numbers.

No matter what, 2016 will be the end of ISIS extremists. The Assad regime is not going to fall provided with
Russian support.

It may be the end of them in Iraq and Syria but they´re quite well entrenched elsewhere so the total demise of this organization is far off.

[bryant.coleman]

No matter what, 2016 will be the end of ISIS extremists. The Assad regime is not going to fall provided with
Russian support.

I am not that sure about it. The ISIS is getting their asses kicked in both Syria and Iraq. But at the same time, they are expanding the territory under their control in regions such as Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Yemen, and Afghanistan. Also, they are forming new units in countries such as Indonesia, Thailand, Bangladesh, Philippines, and Malaysia.

[zenitzz]

It's pretty clear that the Iraq Shia forces, Kurdish forces and Syria Government forces are capable and willing to operate in areas with a dominant Sunni population.

[Nemo1024]

USA started evacuation of ISIS leaders from Iraq with helicopters, at the same time interfering with Iraqi operations, combating ISIS near Ramadi:

http://www.vz.ru/news/2015/12/27/786237.html

[bryant.coleman]

It's pretty clear that the Iraq Shia forces, Kurdish forces and Syria Government forces are capable and willing to operate in areas with a dominant Sunni population.

It is not the Iraqi Shia forces (Iraqi Armed Forces from the Shiite dominated provinces), but the Shiite militia groups such as Kata'eb Hizbullah and Asa'ib Ahlulhaq which have been fighting courageously against the ISIS in places such as Ramadi, Tikrit and Fallujah. On the other hand, the Iraqi Armed Forces are a bunch of cowards, who prefer fleeing to safer areas rather than confronting the ISIS.

[a7mos]

I do not think that Iraqi army are suitable for this mission to liberate Ramadi. because last year they fled without fighting and left the city and their american weapons and vehicles for ISIS. they are some cowards

[galdur]

I do not think that Iraqi army are suitable for this mission to liberate Ramadi. because last year they fled without fighting and left the city and their american weapons and vehicles for ISIS. they are some cowards

Well, in order to be a good soldier you need good training and unfortunately the current Iraqi Sunni forces have suffered from U.S. training. It´s not necessarily because the trainers are terrible soldiers themselves, it´s more that they have the seemingly incurable U.S. affliction of parade ground mentality. Look it up. It´s great if you for some reason want to fail in asymmetrical warfare, which is probably the main reason why U.S. forces screw up one war after the next, in recent times at least. Of course it always helps to cement this bankrupt doctrine in place that the so called commander in chief of the armed forces never has the slightest clue about warfare and no military experience at all. Well, at least for the last half century or so.

[bryant.coleman]

I do not think that Iraqi army are suitable for this mission to liberate Ramadi. because last year they fled without fighting and left the city and their american weapons and vehicles for ISIS. they are some cowards

Yeah..  that was what happened in Mosul. They left more than 2,000 armored vehicles, a large number of battle tanks and huge amounts of ammunition to the ISIS. And worse still, the Iraqi forces in Mosul out-numbered the Caliphate nuts by more than 100 to one at that time. I have no faith in the Iraqi army. I prefer the Kurdish Peshmerga and the Shiite militia.

[vero]

I do not think that Iraqi army are suitable for this mission to liberate Ramadi. because last year they fled without fighting and left the city and their american weapons and vehicles for ISIS. they are some cowards

yeah around 30,000 Iraqi army with the best weapon  and they are faced off with 1,000 ISIS troops. The Iraq soldier drop there weapons and run away

[Aggressor66]

http://news.yahoo.com/iraqi-army-prepares-final-push-ramadi-islamic-state-101032461.html
Freedom is most valued when you win it for yourselves.

[galdur]

I do not think that Iraqi army are suitable for this mission to liberate Ramadi. because last year they fled without fighting and left the city and their american weapons and vehicles for ISIS. they are some cowards

yeah around 30,000 Iraqi army with the best weapon  and they are faced off with 1,000 ISIS troops. The Iraq soldier drop there weapons and run away

Running away is one thing but when you leave behind UNDAMAGED enough materiel for AN ARMY, that´s quite another. That is orders.

[zenitzz]

Iraqi PM declares Isis will be 'terminated' in 2016

Iraqi fighters parade through streets of Ramadi after recapturing most of city lost to jihadis in May

The Iraqi prime minister, Haider al-Abadi, has vowed Isis will be “terminated” in Iraq in the year ahead after the raising of the national flag over government buildings in Ramadi that had served as the terror group’s base in the city.

Iraqi troops brandishing rifles danced in the Anbar provincial capital as top commanders paraded through the streets after recapturing the city they lost to Isis in May, clinching a key victory against the jihadis.

“2016 will be the year of the big and final victory, when Daesh’s presence in Iraq will be terminated,” Abadi said in a speech broadcast on state television, using an Arabic acronym for the group.

“We are coming to liberate Mosul and it will be the fatal and final blow to Daesh.” Mosul, northern Iraq’s main city, is by far the largest population centre in territory held by Isis in Iraq and Syria.

There were however conflicting statements from Iraqi military officials over whether the city has been fully liberated. Gen Ismail al-Mahlawi, head of military operations in Anbar, said on Monday that while Iraqi forces had retaken the government complex and central districts, large parts of the city remained under Isis control. He said Isis fighters still controlled 30% of Ramadi, and that government forces did not fully control many districts from which Isis fighters have retreated.

“We can’t say that Ramadi is fully liberated. There are still neighbourhoods under their control and there are still pockets of resistance.”

The White House said Barack Obama had received updates on the Iraqi forces’ progress while on holiday in Hawaii with his family. “The continued progress of the Iraqi security forces in the fight to retake Ramadi is a testament to their courage and determination, and our shared commitment to push Isil out of its safe havens,” the White House said in a statement, using an alternative name for Isis.

The US Defense Secretary, Ash Carter, said: “The expulsion of Isil by Iraqi security forces ... is a significant step forward in the campaign to defeat this barbaric group.”

One Iraqi army general said the main task now facing Iraqi forces was to defuse the countless bombs and traps Isis left behind.

Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/dec/28/iraq-declares-ramadi-liberated-from-islamic-state

[xht]

other news:

Iraqi Premier Visits Jubilant Ramadi as Militants Hold Out in Suburbs

BAGHDAD — Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi of Iraq flew to the western city of Ramadi on Tuesday to celebrate its “liberation” from the Islamic State, as jubilant, flag-waving Iraqis thronged the city’s battle-scarred streets with cars and pickup trucks.

Militants continued to hold out in several suburbs, and troops were trying to clear out car bombs that had been planted on the city’s perimeter.

While the government was not in full control of Ramadi, Mr. Abadi’s trip by helicopter under heavy guard to the city, where he visited military and police forces, was intended as a show of resolve.

Emboldened by the military success in Ramadi, he vowed to take the fight to Mosul, a larger city in northern Iraq that the Islamic State seized in June 2014.

“The Daesh gang is collapsing because of the military operations and hard strikes by our heroic forces,” Mr. Abadi wrote on Facebook, using an Arabic acronym for the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL. “The next step is to liberate Mosul and to cleanse the Iraqi lands that have been raped by the terrorist Daesh gang.”

Col. Steven H. Warren, the United States military spokesman in Baghdad, said he was confident that the Iraqis would be able to hold onto Ramadi.

“We don’t think the remaining enemy has the oomph to push the Iraqi security forces off of their positions,” he said at a news conference.

Colonel Warren said that 10 Islamic State leaders had been killed in recent airstrikes, and he portrayed the gains in Ramadi as the latest in a string of successes that have put the militants on the defensive.

“This organization is losing its leadership,” he said. “We are striking at the head of this snake. We haven’t severed the head of this snake yet, and it’s still got fangs — we have to be clear about that; there’s still much more fighting to do.”

He said it would “take a while” for Iraqi forces to fully secure Ramadi, by eliminating remaining militants and by clearing out the roadside bombs, explosive-laden buildings and other “booby traps” set around the city by the Islamic State.

Maj. Gen. Ismail al-Mahlawi said the military was helping about 400 families who had been hiding during the fight for the local government complex at the center of Ramadi, a battle that ended on Monday morning when the remaining militants fled or were killed.

Among the trapped residents was a pregnant woman who collapsed and miscarried upon reaching the government complex, according to her husband, Hameed al-Dulaimi, who was interviewed by telephone. Other residents of Ramadi had been used as human shields and been blocked from trying to escape the city, according to Colonel Warren.

Suham Sabah, 55, whose family of eight survived the occupation of Ramadi, said in a phone interview that her nephew had been killed by Islamic State militants.

“Our life was hell under ISIS,” she said. “One day a mortar fell on our house — we didn’t know where it came from — and it injured four members of my family.”

A military spokesman said that an Islamic State finance official had shaved his beard and tried to blend in with the families who presented themselves to the Iraqi military at the government complex, but he was identified and arrested. American military officials had warned that several fighters might escape by posing as civilians.

Iraqi troops are now beginning to amass south of Falluja, a city about halfway between Ramadi and the capital, Baghdad, and the site of two ferocious battles in 2004, the year after the United States invaded Iraq and ousted its longtime dictator, Saddam Hussein.

A military spokesman, Brig. Gen. Yahya Rasool, said that army units were operating in Nuaimiya, a neighborhood in southern Falluja, and a nearby village, Zidan.

“The entire areas of south of Falluja will be liberated soon,” he predicted.

Brig. Gen. Saad Maan, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry, said, “the purpose of this operation is to isolate Falluja from the other areas, to trap the terrorists, and take advantage of the ISIS breakdown in Ramadi.”

Mr. Abadi declared Thursday a national holiday to celebrate the developments in Ramadi, the largest city in Iraq to be reclaimed from the Islamic State.

A central element of that victory was the involvement of hundreds of American-trained Sunni tribesmen who had been persuaded to join Iraq’s Shiite-led government in battling the Islamic State, a Sunni extremist group.

Ramadi is the capital of Anbar Province, which is populated by Sunnis, and Mr. Abadi had promised that Sunnis would be in charge of securing the territory reclaimed from the Islamic State.

“The task of holding the ground will be the responsibility of the police of Anbar and the sons of the tribes after the liberation of Anbar,” General Rasool said. “The tribal fighters have been well trained and prepared and armed to hold the ground of the liberated areas.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/30/world/middleeast/haider-al-abadi-iraq-ramadi-isis.html?ref=world&_r=0

[bryant.coleman]

Liberating a Sunni-dominated city such as Ramadi is one thing, and holding it in the long term is another. The former is much easier now, as most of the ISIS fighters there have been either killed or captured. But can the Iraqi forces hold Ramadi in the long term? The natives don't want Shiite soldiers in the city, patrolling the streets.

[galdur]

92 Killed in Iraq as PM Comes Under Rocket Fire in Ramadi

by Margaret Griffis, December 29, 2015

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi visited a relatively safe zone in the recently recovered city of Ramadi, where he promised to move the fighting against the Islamic State to the northern city of Mosul. However, there are reports that he was evacuated due to rocket fire. Meanwhile, Anbar’s governor, Suhaib al-Rawi, said over a thousand militants were killed during the battle for Ramadi. The true tallies of the fighting may never be publicly known.

Whether the same tactics used in Ramadi will work in Mosul is unknown. Because Anbar is a Sunni Arab province neither Shi’ite nor Kurdish militiamen were brought in as support for the Iraqi Army. It is unlikely that either group will bow out of the fight for Mosul, though, as Kurds and Shi’ite Arabs have conflicting claims on the city.

At least 92 were killed and 35 were wounded:

Monday’s attack on Ba’Shiqah produced more casualties that previously reported. Earlier reports suggested only five Turkish soldiers were wounded. It appears that three more were wounded, bringing the total to eight injured. Thirteen militiamen were also killed and 16 were wounded.

In Baghdad, gunmen killed two civilians in separate locations. A bomb in Shabb killed one person and wounded eight others. One person was killed and eight were wounded during a blast in Suwaib.

Twenty villagers were executed for cooperating with Peshmerga forces near Mosul. Two female teachers were executed for refusing to teach Daesh lessons. Six officers were executed after they tried to escape the militants.

In Akashat, 20 militant leaders were killed in a strike.

At least 10 militants were killed in fresh airstrikes in the Ramadi suburbs.

Nine militants leaders were killed in a strike on Baaj.

In the Makhoul Mountains, four militants were killed in a strike.

Three militants were killed in an airstrike in Jazira.

Security forces killed a suicide bomber in Albu Aitha.

Airstrikes also took place in Mosul and nearby Falluja.

http://original.antiwar.com/updates/2015/12/29/pm-comes-under-rocket-fire-92-killed-in-iraq/

[xht]

Ramadi, Reclaimed by Iraq, Is in Ruins After ISIS Fight

RAMADI, Iraq — As his armored vehicle bounced along a dirt track carved through the ruins of this recently reconquered city on Wednesday, Gen. Ali Jameel, an Iraqi counterterrorism officer, narrated the passing sites.

Here were the carcasses of four tanks, charred by the jihadists of the Islamic State. Here, a police officer’s home that the jihadists had blown up. Here, a villa reduced to rubble by an airstrike. And another. And another.

In one neighborhood, he stood before a panorama of wreckage so vast that it was unclear where the original buildings had stood. He paused when asked how residents would return to their homes.

“Homes?” he said. “There are no homes.”

The retaking of Ramadi by Iraqi security forces last week has been hailed as a major blow to the Islamic State and as a vindication of the Obama administration’s strategy to fight the group by backing local ground forces with intensive airstrikes.

But the widespread destruction of Ramadi bears testament to the tremendous costs of dislodging a group that stitches itself into the urban fabric of communities it seizes by occupying homes, digging tunnels and laying extensive explosives.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/08/world/middleeast/isis-ramadi-iraq-retaking.html?ref=world

[tvbcof]

I do not think that Iraqi army are suitable for this mission to liberate Ramadi. because last year they fled without fighting and left the city and their american weapons and vehicles for ISIS. they are some cowards

Yeah..  that was what happened in Mosul. They left more than 2,000 armored vehicles, a large number of battle tanks and huge amounts of ammunition to the ISIS. And worse still, the Iraqi forces in Mosul out-numbered the Caliphate nuts by more than 100 to one at that time. I have no faith in the Iraqi army. I prefer the Kurdish Peshmerga and the Shiite militia.

I'm actually a little surprised to see you fall for that relatively obvious and ham-fisted explanation for why ISIS always seems so smartly geared out.

I will say that there seems to have been an interesting shift in the level of cooperation between Iraq and the U.S. between then and now.  Not exactly sure what to make of it.  Perhaps the garrisoning of Turkish troops withing the borders of Iraq and the giant sucking sound moving their oil in the direction of Turkey was too much for Baghdad.