The Islamic State (IS) has been on the offensive in Anbar
since August and their effort has finally paid off with another collapse by the
Iraqi Security Forces (ISF). In August the insurgents began attacks upon
Haditha in the western section of the province and in Ramadi in the center at
the same time. Haditha was successfully defended, but then in September leading
into October the militants had one victory after another. They successfully
took Camp Saqlawiya outside of Fallujah, followed by the seizure of Hit,
Kubaisa, Muhammadawi, and then Ramadi itself making a successful sweep through
the center of the governorate. That leaves only Haditha and two military bases
still under government control. This was a huge victory for IS as it gives the
insurgents virtual control over Anbar and poses a serious threat to western
Baghdad.
After failing to take Haditha IS turned east taking Hit,
Ramadi and areas outside of Fallujah giving it de facto control over Anbar (New York Times)
In just three days in the beginning of October 2014 the
Islamic State was able to take most of central Anbar. Starting on October 2,
IS launched a multi-pronged attack upon Hit, which is to the west of Ramadi
opening with three car bombs on a checkpoint and the police command offices. Two
suicide bombers then set off their devices. Tribesmen came to the aid of
the local security forces, and coalition
air strikes were called in and bombed sections of Hit, but they were not
able to stop the attack. That same day the Iraqi Army’s 8th Brigade
headquarters in central Ramadi was hit by car bombs as well. October
4, the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) claimed that it had retaken one police
station in Hit, but the insurgents were still in control of the town. That same
day IS took neighboring Kubaisa.
According to Reuters, the militants infiltrated a convoy of displaced people
who were fleeing Hit, and used them as cover to overtake a checkpoint outside
of Kubaisa, allowing them entry into the town. Then the final collapse happened
the following day when Muhammadawi
fell, and then the security forces withdrew
from Ramadi falling back to the Anbar Operations Command outside of the city
without seemingly putting up a fight. Insurgents also took
control of areas north of Fallujah including Garma forcing the ISF to pull
back to Samarra in Salahaddin. The Anbar provincial council desperately called
for help from Baghdad, but it was too late, the center of the governorate had
fallen and the ISF appeared in disarray. Hundreds of families were said to have
fled
Hit after its seizure by IS, and others are likely on the move as well. The
only areas still under ISF control are Haditha, Al-Assad military base, which
is outside of Hit, and Camp Mazrah near Fallujah. These are now isolated
islands cut off from their supply lines, and will have to be supported by air.
They will be the next targets of IS. This was a huge win for the insurgents as
it gives them de facto control of Anbar, which they had been fighting for since
January. These latest victories were two months in the making.
The latest Islamic State offensive actually started with a
defeat in western Anbar, but the group then found success in other parts of the
province. In the beginning of August IS laid siege to Haditha, attempting to
take its dam, which would be a major piece of infrastructure that it could use
to help run its state and threaten the rest of Anbar with. For weeks IS went
after the town launching attack after attack, but the security forces and local
tribes were able to hold fast. By the start of
September the ISF and Sahwa were going on the offensive clearing areas of
Haditha, which was supported by U.S. air
strikes. They were also attempting to secure sections
of Ramadi where militants were trying to expand their influence. As usual,
the ISF claimed
success in these operations,
but they have never had lasting effects. Then the Iraqi army faced a major
defeat when Camp
Saqlawiya to the north of Fallujah fell on September 21 after five days of
attacks. By September
28 insurgents were said to be in control of three districts of Ramadi. The
Anbar Police Command claimed they were still in control of 70%
of the city. IS built upon these successes, and moved to take central Anbar
the next month. The Iraqi army, police and allied tribes had been fighting over
these same areas for the last nine months with little to show for it. They
would raid an area, and then withdraw to their bases, allowing the militants to
move right back in. The Anbar governor and council had consistently complained
that they needed more support from the central government and heavier weapons.
Premier Hadier Abadi was said to be thinking about shaking up the Anbar
Operations Command as well. Those warnings and fears have now come to fruition
as most of Anbar is under militant control.
Anbar highlights all of the problems the Iraqi government is
facing in its struggle with the insurgency. There was never any effective
strategy to retake the province when large sections of it were taken over in
January. The ISF never proved capable of holding any area in Anbar. Even its
alliance with several tribes in the governorate did not help as they only had
small arms, and the start of U.S. and coalition air strikes were not able to
reverse the situation either. Now much of the governorate has fallen, most of
the population has become displaced, and the ISF is in disarray. This now poses
a direct threat to Baghdad, with western sections of the province already said
to be under the militant’s sway. Four months after the fall of Mosul and
Tikrit, the insurgency still holds the initiative as shown by its taking of
another province. There are few signs that this situation will be changed any
time soon as security continues to be in flux across Iraq.
SOURCES
AIN, “Wide security operation to start in Ramadi,” 9/27/14
Alsumaria, “Haditha announce the start of a military
operation east of city cleared of Daash,” 9/12/14
- “Start the process of an extensive security operation in
three areas of Ramadi to liberate it from Daash,” 9/12/14
Buratha News, “Anbar Operations begin a massive military
operation to cleanse the areas north of Ramadi of Daash,” 9/23/14
- “The island and the desert begins a military operation to
clear Rawa from Daash,” 9/16/14
Al Mada, “Anbar makes renewed claim to the federal
government to expedite the arming of the security forces to enable them to
respond to Daash,” 10/5/14
- “Anbar police confirm the control of the security forces
on 70% of Ramadi,” 10/1/14
- “Army troops withdraw from the city of Ramadi and
stationed in Anbar Operations Command headquarters north of the city,” 10/5/14
- “Daash controls the area north of Fallujah linked with
Samarra,” 10/5/14
- “Daash review in Hawija..and Anbar launches the process of
“Revenge of the Spyker,”” 9/13/14
National Iraqi News Agency, “22 elements of Daash killed in
Heet,” 10/4/14
- “Anbar police chief: Liberating /7/ km area in Ramadi from
the control of the IS,” 9/19/14
- “An army force backed by the sons of the tribes liberated
Al-Hamidhiya area northeast of Ramadi,” 9/4/14
- “An Army Force liberates the University of Fallujah and
clears it from the (IS) elements,” 10/1/14
- “Army troops liberated Al-khvajia in Haditha from the IS
control,” 9/8/14
- “Army troops liberated areas east of Fallujah from the
IS,” 9/3/14
- “Breaking News.Cleansing Barwana area from the IS
elements,” 9/8/14
- “Breaking News..liberating all areas north and west of the
city of Ramadi from the IS control,” 9/22/14
- “Coalition air strike kills a large number of Daash gangs
in Heet district of Anbar,” 10/2/14
- “Four villages between Ramadi and Saqlawiyah freed from
the control of the (IS),” 9/28/14
- “Hundreds of Heet’s families displaced,” 10/4/14
- “The Islamic State controls two cities west of Anbar
province,” 10/5/14
- “A security source: Military units carried out operations
on the areas of the IS holed up in Ramadi,” 9/6/14
Radio Free Iraq, “02 October 2014,” Daily Updates from
Anbar, 10/2/14
- “02 September 2014,” Daily Updates from Anbar, 9/2/14
- “28 September 2014,” Daily Updates from Anbar, 9/28/14
Al Rayy, “Security forces loosen the siege of soldiers
trapped in the north arm of the Tigris Anbar,” 10/3/14
- “The strength of the anti-terror begins to carry out a
military operation in Ramadi,” 9/25/14
Reuters, “Town falls to Islamic State in Iraq’s Anbar
province,” 10/4/14
1 comment:
Excellent commentary! Thank you for posting.
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