By Simon Kent. US General Sean McFarland, remembered by historians of the Iraq war for stabilizing the restive town of Tal Afar, has returned to lead the mission against ISIS in Iraq. In an interview with the BBC, the general explained how ISIS were a different enemy to their predecessors that the US faced in […]
By Simon Kent. It was the victory of the so called "Islamic State," also known as Daesh, that shocked the world. Ramadi, capital of Anbar province and home to half a million Sunnis, fell to ISIS over the spring despite repeated proclamations from the Obama administration that the war against the terrorists was going well. […]
By Simon Kent. Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve have released their latest press statement on the most recent air strikes in Iraq and Syria against ISIS, whom they refer to here as ISIL, or the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. The recent reports of strikes suggest that the so called "Islamic […]
By Simon Kent. Aircraft from the US led Coalition in Iraq have attacked 15 targets in Iraq in the past 24 hrs, according to an official statement from the "Combined Joint Task Force," better known as the US led Coalition. As per recent waves of strikes, the latest attacks were centred on Ramadi, where an […]
By Simon Kent. Iraqi forces in Anbar province's capital city of Ramadi are close to victory, several publications report. According to The Wall St. Journal, Iraqi sources on the ground say that US air strikes were critical in the latest advances and most of the city's districts are now once again under government control. At this point, […]
By Simon Kent. US Defense Secretary Ash Carter has said that, if requested the Iraqi army can benefit from US ground attack helicopters and embedded military advisers in the final stages of the fight for Ramadi. The Iraqi army have recently made significant advances into the center of the town, (pictured above) which is the capital […]
More people have been forced to flee from Ramadi, capital of Al Anbar Governorate in central Iraq, after violence broke out between Iraqi forces and Daesh in November. Many have crossed the River Euphrates in search of refuge in camps to the west of Iraqi capital Baghdad. MSF has launched an emergency logistics and medical […]
By Simon Kent. Iraqi army forces, supported by pro-government Sunni tribes and US air strikes, have advanced into central Ramadi according to officials quoted in UPI. The reported capture of the train station in the centre of the town would mark the culmination of a series of "shaping operations" to cut off ISIS from their […]
The UN refugee agency has opened its most recent camp for internally displaced persons in Iraq’s restive Anbar province – host to the largest number of 3.2 million Iraqis uprooted across the country and where more than 250,000 civilians have fled their homes over the past six months. The new “Marzaki camp is strategically located […]
By Simon Kent. The US Department of Defence have released data on Coalition air strikes on ISIS in Iraq and Syria, normally indicative of 24hrs of military activity. Without context, the report reads as a list of different attacks on the terrorists with no apparent meaning other than removing ISIS fighters and equipment from […]
By Simon Kent. The US Department of Defence has announced that a further 18 air strikes have hit ISIS in Iraq in the past 24 hrs. While it is hard to assess the significance of the recent strikes in the wider campaign, a couple of the announced aerial attacks stand out, possibly indicative of the […]
By Simon Kent. ISIS have launched two suicide attacks in Anbar province, killing 13 Iraqi army soldiers and allied Sunni tribesmen, Fox News reports, citing anonymous Iraqi military sources. The attack was launched on an outpost near Ramadi and appears typical of ISIS' efforts to hinder progress re-taking the city, which has been encircled by Sunni tribal […]
