Posted on 02/12/2015 4:29:05 PM PST by dontreadthis
(Reuters) - Islamic State insurgents took control on Thursday of most of the western Iraqi town of al-Baghdadi, threatening an air base where U.S. Marines are training Iraqi troops, officials said.
Al-Baghdadi, about 85 km (50 miles) northwest of Ramadi in Anbar province, had been besieged for months by the radical Sunni Islamist militants who captured vast swathes of Iraq's north and west last year.
"Ninety percent of al-Baghdadi district has fallen under the control of the insurgents," district manager Naji Arak told Reuters by phone.
Militants attacked al-Baghdadi from two directions earlier in the day and then advanced on the town, intelligence sources and officials in the Jazeera and Badiya operations commands said.
The officials said another group of insurgents then attacked the heavily-guarded Ain al-Asad air base five km southwest of the town, but were unable to break into it.
About 320 U.S. Marines are training members of the Iraqi 7th Division at the base, which has been struck by mortrar fire on at least one previous occasion since December.
(Excerpt) Read more at in.reuters.com ...
This is a story with various reports flying from multiple directions and it's hard to get a grasp on exactly what's happening. What we know at the moment is that ISIS is claiming it has seized control of the al-Asad air base in the Ramadi area of Iraq. According to multiple twitter feeds the Iraqi army has lost contact with its people inside the base. From what we can tell the 300 Marines are on location to train Iraqi military.
The Pentagon is pushing back on these initial reports about al-Asad. According to the Pentagon ISIS is initiating attacks against the base, but the heaviest fighting is happening approximately 5-10 miles away in al-Baghdadi.
A Reuters report on the situation claims the heavy fighting in al-Baghdadi is much more significant than the Pentagon is letting be known. In fact, Reuters says al-Baghdadi is now in complete control of ISIS. The same report references claims from intelligence sources that say al-Asad has been attacked but so far the attack was unsuccessful. What is really happening is not known as fact. But we do know chaos has broken out int he area, we have 300 Marines nearby and ISIS is advancing with success.
It should also be noted that al-Baghdadi sits on the only real roadway in and out of al-Asad. If it's true ISIS now completely controls al-Bagdadi, the only way in our out of Al-Asad is by air.
Well, our Putz-in-Chief may have to get those special ops guys he talked about in there real soon.
How can a bunch of yahoos on technicals manage to get into a position when they could seriously take a US-garrisoned base without air support coming in and tearing them to pieces?
Leading from behind, means you’re always behind.
Oh lord, we beseech thee steel our Marines hearts
and guide their hands to kill our enemies. Amen.
Oh, wonder where Obama is right now???
And Obama is taking selfies.
Thank you, Democrats. Thank you for electing President Fumblebutt twice.
The head of ISIS is al=Baghdadi...would this be his tribal town perhaps?
Looks like DUMBOS JV team is still on the march
Freegards
LEX
I saw this coming 2 months ago.
300 Marines isn’t a big enough force to stop 3 or 4 thousand suicidal moslems armed with comparable or superior firepower, and the ragheads want to take our guys out at any cost.
This is all about propaganda, how dare the sons of bitches at the Pentagon put such a small force in the middle of Indian country and allow them to be overrun.
There should have been 3000 Marines there.
Every thing is under control. Ask Obama.
So let them take Al-Asad. It’s a big place out in the middle of nowhere. Then bomb the crap out of them. My son was there for a brief time until he went to the Haditha Dam. All that shit was on the road down from Syria.
Getting ready to surrender and turn our equipment over before teeing off.
Iraq doesn,t have cowboys out west?
0bama air strikes of 2 or 3 per day?
I’m wondering how many of our guys died trying to liberate that town before El-Presidente surrendered the country.
300? Something about that number sounds familiar.
I bet 300 marines, well led could hold onto just about anything for a long time.
Oh for crying out loud, this coalition is a joke. ISIS is not on the backfoot at all, they are advancing, and Obola is a feckless goofball. Egypt just reported their army is five times larger than the CIA say it is.
So they have now ‘liberated’ their Caliph’s namesake. So much for the renewed strength of the Iraqi army. I dread to think what is going unreported in Syria as Assad’s army retreats as far south as it can possibly go, pressing up against the Golan Heights. Hmmm, who could they be running from?
This on top of Al Qaeda seizing a base in Yemen.
But do not panic!
Obama has discovered the selfie stick and will be doing another interview with Glozelle Green!
I’m pissed.....
I have no words how pissed off I am right now!!!
me too, every day now for months
Obama will probably say that ISIS is only there for a blood drive.
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