Ain't Life Just Grand?
Iranian Islamist militias are defeating ISIS Islamist militias.
(The Fiscal Times) - Iraqi government forces and their Shiite militias and Sunni tribal allies have forced their way into the provincial capital Tikrit after a brilliant and massive maneuver that took ISIS by surprise. While ISIS was expecting an advance from the south, the allies came from the north, the west and the south, liberating towns and villages on their way to Tikrit.
“ISIS members were surprised by the fighting tactics the security forces employed by engaging them from multiple directions, encircling and surrounding them, leaving the main roads and opening paths through the farms,” said Colonel Mohammed Ibrahim, the spokesperson for the Iraqi federal police.
Colonel Ibrahim said that Iraqi government forces misled ISIS by circulating news about the supposed point of attack while the real one was carried out with a massive encirclement. They moved from Diyala province, toward Tikrit, cutting ISIS supply lines from the north and the northeast of Tikrit.
“We liberated al-Alam, cutting the roads between Tikrit and Kirkuk. ISIS’s supply of weapons, munition and other logistics were stopped. ISIS’s last weapon was car bombs. They wanted to blow up more than 50 car bombs, but they were surprised with our rockets,” added Colonel Ibrahim.
Helmet Cam - Battle of Tikrit
This was the first time that the Iraqi forces showed their mettle. They outwitted the jihadists with a well-designed strategic plan and executed the plan flawlessly. In the past, confronted with an aggressive enemy, the Iraqis would have cut and run. Not anymore. This victory, though modest, is a great motivator to both the military brass and the Iraqi ground troops. They finally look like a winning army.
As the Allies push ISIS out of Salahuddin province to the north of Baghdad, many ISIS fighters are reportedly running away from the battlefield without a fight. A video posted online shows the dejected ISIS fighters. In the video, ISIS members complain of the air raids and the lack of reinforcements.
The Iraqi government operation that started earlier this month is the largest so far against ISIS. More than 23,000 men are participating in it. The aim is to capture Tikrit and other smaller cities, towns and villages in Salahuddin province. When this province is cleared from ISIS, ISIS controlled territories in Iraq will be in two provinces: Nineveh in the north and Anbar in the west. That would be a strategic blow to the terror organization.
The US air force did not provide air cover for the Iraqi operation.
The city of al-Dur, to the south of Tikrit and the hometown of the fugitive Ezat al-Duri, Saddam Hussein's former second in command, was liberated first. The village of Albu Ajil, to the east of Tikrit where a hostile tribe lives was cleared as well. 150 ISIS fighters were reportedly stationed there, many of them from the tribe of Albu Ajil. Members of that tribe were accused of participating in the mass murder of up to 1700 Iraqi soldiers in June 2014. Those fighters left the village in another indication of ISIS’s collapse. ISIS’s Twitter accounts were strangely silent during the last few days.
“We have reached a crossroad between Albu Ajil and Tikrit...There is a state of panic and fear among ISIS members. They only have some car bombs and improvised explosive devices. We will enter without resistance since they have fled,” said Karim al-Nuri, spokesperson of the Shiite militias.
Read More . . . . Iraqi forces pushing ahead toward liberating Tikrit
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| I Want One Do it yourself, low cost Iraqi armor. If US military contractors built it the price tag would have run $700,000 each. A small lesson that Washington will never learn. After all, if the cost is low, then there is less money to steal. |
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