The answer is that IS’ potential loss of Fallujah could destroy the group’s morale. Before IS occupied Ramadi, a defeat in Fallujah — the second-biggest city in Anbar after Ramadi — would have led to a series of setbacks for IS in two areas.
The first area where IS would have failed stretches from Fallujah toward Ramadi, and then to the Euphrates cities, including Hit, Haditha, Anah, Rawa and Al Ubaidi, until finally liberating the town of Qaim on the Iraqi-Syrian border, which is considered a main strategic town for IS.
The second area starts from Fallujah toward Ramadi, then moves to the depth of the desert through the international road, reaching the strategic region of Rutbah and then the Iraqi-Jordanian and Iraqi-Syrian borders.
This breakthrough is part of the objectives of the Iraqi military actions, but it has become harder to achieve after IS took control of Ramadi, which represents the crossroads center between Anbar’s cities.
For the material gains and losses on the battlefield, taking over Ramadi was a great compensation for IS after losing the city of Tikrit in Anbar on March 11. Abu Mohammed al-Adnani, the group’s spokesman, noted on the same day that the loss of Tikrit is only a temporary setback for IS, not a defeat. The group is expected to resort to the same slogan to justify losing Fallujah.
However, will the Iraqi forces, supported by tribal fighters and the Popular Mobilization Units, succeed in liberating Fallujah?
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