"Prepare for the Battle of Baghdad..." Topic

ISIS have Iraqi capital surrounded and 'utter carnage' could ensue within weeks after taking key city of Ramadi 60 miles away, warn experts.

ISIS could march on the Iraqi city of Baghdad within the next month – and spark a bloody sectarian battle with Shi'ite militias stationed there – after capturing the city of Ramadi which is only 60 miles west of it, experts have said.

Mutilated bodies scatter the streets of Ramadi, the 'Gateway of Baghdad', where Islamic State slaughtered around 500 and forced over 8,000 to flee their homes over the last few days, as they conquered the town….

Amicalement
Armand

It just keeps getting worse …

LOL. Bunch of crap. Baghdad is full of Shiite militias. ISIS has never conquered a city with a Shiite majority, only Sunni majorities. The Shiite outnumber the Sunni by a significant majority. Throw in Iranian support and US support and it wont happen.

The only thing that is coming is the Islamic version of the 30 year war. Hopefully it doesn't take 30 years and the depopulation of entire cities and provinces for them to figure out that religion is a pretty stupid thing to fight over. But then again most things we fight over are pretty stupid.

It's apparently not stupid to them.

Doug is right on. It's Fortress Baghdad. Even if we withdraw air support taking it will not be easy because Iran won't concede it. The best fighters are hunkered down in the capitol, and Iran can call upon hardened proxy armies like Hezbollah if things go south (but I doubt it).

I'd like to see ISIS bash their heads in vain and bleed themselves dry against that bulwark, but it won't happen because they're way smarter than that. They'll just keep chipping away at the fringes and take what's "given" to them.

What Doug said.

If the Iraqi government was slightly less stupid in their dealings with the Sunni, they'd have kicked Daesh to the curb six months ago but whether in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon or Yemen, I think the 30 Year War analogy may be apt.

They've been fighting each other for a millennia, or so, therefore I think it is rather unlikely that we will get them to stop anytime soon.

I think we should just pull back, bring our toys and troops home, and watch with feigned interest.

If they threaten us, or our overseas interests, we smite them, hard.

Thumbs up Mako!

After listening to different reliable sources … It seems that regardless of what politicos say. Slinging mud back and forth. From what I and alot smarter guys than I come up with. Is the bottomline is the failure in Iraq is really no ones fault but the Iraqi gov't. Run by the 60% Shia who took their advise from Shia dominated Iran. And the Iraqi Shia leadership pushing the 15% Sunni Iraqis to the back of the bus or out the door. Instead of the Shia gov't trying to be multi-lateral. As the US had advised and believed that was or would happen. They, like some many in the region, choose to go back to old habits and seek revenge, etc., of their former foe(s). In this case the Shia ed on the Sunni and spent little time working with the Kurds. So they are reaping a whirlwind of the their own making.

I do not see the Iraqi military being able to stop ISIS even at the Baghdad door. The leadership is just not there.

Agree totally … Was talking to a US Vet with the 1ID in GW1. He was an Infantry Platoon Leader. He said, no matter how much you train them it makes no difference if they are cowards. He said, all the ones that were willing to fight did and are dead now … May be a bit of a "wide brush", but basically it's true …

I suspect ISIS won't attack Baghdad directly, other than for the occasional suicide raids and bombings, to keep them off balance, and on the edge.

A siege to bleed the city dry seems far more likely, and within their capabilities, since the Shia won't fight, and their Iranian militia allies seem to be MIA.

Baghdad isn't Mosul. Yes, they'll do the one way raids, car bombs, etc. … just to keep up the threat, etc. …

Resolve is the key. Jews were outnumbered, what, twenty to one? Everyone thought that they would be massacred. I see no difference here, if the Islamists have the chutzpah and the massive majority only want to get out of harm's way….

If is a big word … and it does not look like many Arabs have the resolve. Unless they are members of Daesh …

I think it depends on what is going on politically. If the current president of Iraq is still in power then attacking Baghdad becomes a more real picture. Should he be replaced with someone more competent then maybe ISIS holds off. Iran is pushing this war and the capture of Baghdad is what they want. The Iraqi military is in shambles and the US is not going to commit boots on the ground. I think they make the try. Iran will probably bolster their numbers.

Iran's allies already control Baghdad. the Iragi government and Shia militias are getting support form Iran against Isis which hates all things Shia. Isis cannot really conquer and hold any large country since all the powers in the area are against them and their hard core version of Islam has no appeal to most muslims.

Yes, the Iraqi gov't is mostly Shia as is most of Iraq, 60%. Iran is @ 90% Shia. Daesh is 100% Sunni … as is most of the other Arabs in the region. Jordan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, etc. … And they all see Daesh as a threat … Yet … they don't combine to go on an Anti-Daesh "Jihad". I think we all know, too much bad blood, etc., that has occured for decades, among other things keep this Anti-Daesh "Jihad" from happening. The Iraqi military alone out numbers Daesh. But we see numbers mean little if you don't have the will to fight …