"ISIL's tactics in Iraq" Topic

"Recent major territorial gains by ISIL are making many players very nervous

The capture of Ramadi by fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group is being seen as a significant setback for the government.

Ramadi is the capital of the vast desert province of Anbar, where ISIL is seeking to consolidate its gains.

Iraqi government leaders are pledging to recapture Ramadi with the help of Shia units.

But how? And what is ISIL's military strategy?…"
Full article here
link

This is a sobering Al Jazeera video report/analysis/and discussion on the recent military gains by the Islamic State.

Amicalement
Armand

Sure, they can retake Ramadi in a major offensive. But holding it indefinitely against future ISIS attempts to take it again is an iffy prospect at best. I see a see-saw situation in Iraq no matter how you cut it.

ISIS has the initiative and can pop up anywhere anytime in Iraq and Syria while Assad and the Iraqi gov't can only react and try to play "whack a mole."

What I saw on CNN … Daesh loaded 30 car/trucks with HE and "Kamakazied" them into structures, etc., in Ramadi. And the US is sending 1000 AT Rockets (AT-4s or Javelins ?) to what passes for an Iraqi Army. So they can shoot these "Islamakizs" at long range before they can close in and ram a building, etc. … Or the Iraqis can drop the US rockets, run away, and Daesh will get resupplied indirectly by the US … again … still … And as a sidebar the Iraqis still won't let the US supply the Kurds directly. All resupply must go thru the Iraqi Gov't. … Daesh is near the ancient town of Palmyra, Syria. Hopefully these DaeshBags won't level it like they have previously done to other historical sites. And why is the World … the UN … all the non-Daesh moslems have not got together and "fix" Daesh ? You don't want to hear what I have to say about this. And in turn get DH'd …

And as a sidebar the Iraqis still won't let the US supply the Kurds directly. All resupply must go thru the Iraqi Gov't. …

I think I have discovered a way around that. We can supply the Iraqi army, so we do it, keeping in mind what we want the Kurds to have. We do this right before major combat in a city to be determined.
Now we have 30 Green Berets/Navy Seals, etc. dress in black with several technical trucks and go into the designated city. The civilian population fleas, the Iraqi army is dispatched. Some well placed shots, just target the officers, should have the Iraqi army drop all their gear within 2 days.
Outside of the city we have the Kurds deployed. As soon as the Iraqi army retreats, we let the Kurds scoop up all the latest accoutrements.
Anybody that thinks Iraqi is going to exist as a nation in the future, is smoking too much hashish.

Bad news about Palmira also my friend…

Amicalement
Armand

A battalion of the French Foreign Legion should do it, with one canteen of water each and made to march to Ramadi from the Syrian coast. Naturally they'd need to wear a white kepi and blue overcoat

Saw on CNN, they US is sending 2000 AT-4s. A much improved M72 LAW type system. As far as the FFL, they wear desert type camos and berets at times … Kepis only for non-combat duty … The FFL working with Western Spec Operators would be quite a Task Force. The Spec Operators ability to call in CAS, with the FFL following up, would kill a lot DaeshBags …

A much improved M72 LAW type system.

On a side note, OIF led to the M72 coming back into widespread service. Since it's smaller and lighter than an AT-4, it's "good enough" for blasting walls/windows in fortified urban structures.

Didn't know that … When I was a Mech Co Cdr, '87-'89, we were told that M72 was being phased out. To be replaced by the AT-4. Many of us who have been on active duty for awhile had not been trained on the AT-4. And the S3 had a dozen or so in our training ammo inventory. So I called over to the Basic Training unit on post. And asked if we could have some instructors come over to my Company to train us on the AT-4. We had some pretty good training on it. As far as I knew, my Company was the only one with any training on it in the Bn at that time. We never got the chance to go the range and livefire any, sadly. But that is interesting intel Noble … My standard basic load for my troops was everyone who was not carrying a heavy weapon, or radio. Carried at least one or two M72s and maybe an M18 Claymore …

'And as a sidebar the Iraqis still won't let the US supply the Kurds directly. All resupply must go thru the Iraqi Gov't. …'

I have read that the same applies to Iraqi Sunni militias. The Shi'ite govt starves them of supplies, so when ISIS/ISIL/Daesh shows up they have the choice of joining them, or trying to fight them off without adequate weapons and supplies and facing the consequences when they lose.

The Iraqi govt seems to have done all it can to create a united Sunni front. ISIS/etc is by no means universally popular among Sunni, but faced with a choice like that above …

Very true … The base line problem is the Shia Iraqi Gov't supported by Shia Iran has alienated, ed off, marginalized, etc. the Sunni of Iraq. They fear that by having well armed Kurds [who are Sunni] and any other Sunnis in Iraq will eventually be a threat to the Shia dominated Iraqi gov't. Note, Iraq is 60% Shia and 15% Sunni. And based on the Saddam [the Sunni] dominated gov't's poor treatment of the the Shia majority and the Kurds. The Shia gov't couldn't pass up a chance for payback on the Sunni minority. Which in turn helped spawn Daesh.

"I have read that the same applies to Iraqi Sunni militias"
Are there any more Iraqi Sunni militias? I thought by now they'd all been wiped out or voluntarily disbanded.

"The Iraqi govt seems to have done all it can to create a united Sunni front. ISIS/etc is by no means universally popular among Sunni, but faced with a choice like that above …"

Excellent point.