Posted on 03/31/2015 9:20:58 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Iraqi forces battling to wrest Tikrit from ISIS are now in control of the city, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said Tuesday on Iraqiya TV.
Al-Abadi, who is also the top military commander, said on state television that the city was liberated.
Tikrit had been under ISIS control since June.
The push into Tikrit comes days after a series of U.S.-led airstrikes targeted ISIS targets around the city.
The airstrikes made it possible for the Iraqi forces to move through the city. Troops reported finding dozens of roadside bombs and booby-trapped buildings as they combed the city.
At a Cabinet meeting before declaring Tikrit liberated, al-Abadi was already calling the operation a success.
"The success of the Tikrit experiment will be repeated in other areas because of the results it has achieved on the battlefield, on a humanitarian level, protecting civilians as much as possible, in addition to the low casualties amongst our security forces," he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at edition.cnn.com ...
OH NO DOES THIS MEAN ISIS won’t be flying their stinking flag on the Whitehouse or taking over Rome??
all that for nothing.../
On to Mosul!
Booby-traps halt Iraqi forces’ advance on Tikrit
“Iraqi forces battling the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group for control of the northern town of Tikrit have encountered setbacks, with bombs and booby-traps slowing their advance.
“A rapid advance in a city where the ground is littered with bombs and booby-traps is too tough to achieve,” said Mayor Osama al-Tikriti.
Security forces said on Sunday that they were slowly rolling into the city's western area with the help of US-led airstrikes....”
The news I posted was from 25 minutes ago.
Wall Street Journal just posted this 15 minutes ago:
Iraqi Premier Says Tikrit Recaptured From Islamic State
U.S. military officials say unable to confirm Baghdad’s claims
They mean that the Iranian militias forced ISIS out of Tikrit. There is no such thing as an Iraqi Army ( courtesy of Barack Hussein Obama).
Iraq is now an occupied client state of Iran.
RE: They mean that the Iranian militias forced ISIS out of Tikrit.
Yes, with the USA as their air force...
It looks like after four nights of American bombing, the Iraqi Army and Shia militias were able to sweep and occupy areas of the city that they could not before.
Reports vary on how far they have gotten, but it seems substantial. Remaining ISIS forces will be concentrated into a smaller area, and therefor more vulnerable to additional air strikes.
The last holdouts will likely be in one of the palaces, when it comes down on their heads.
Then we will see if the Iranian/Shia militia death squads start a campaign to hunt and kill their opponents in the population. That is what the Sunni population of Mosul is watching for.
IF you can BELIEVE that Islamic State has been defeated, AND will be KEPT OUT.
if we can keep Obie from giving them aid and comfort. perhaps
Better an Iranian proxy, a nation that has a degree of religious tolerance, gender equality and a population that is actually quite pro-western in outlook than a proxy of “our good friends” the Saudis, leaders of a backward, medieval, theocratic dump who have given the world ISIS, Al Queada and whose citizens attacked the US on 9/11.
Yes, with the USA as their air force..>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Oh you mean the proxy Iranian Air Farce?
Iraq is now an occupied nation...by Iran.
And all that bending over still won’t get Obama his Nuke Deal with the Iranians, other than a USA sell out.(The obscene slurpy sound of Kerry performing fellatio on the Iranian mullahs is heard round the world, result : USA is no longer a world leader...and has put itself on the brink of war.)
I hate to break it to you, but it was Bush who had the Army disbanded. Frankly, the smart thing would have been to remove the top ranking officers, but keep the lower level Army as a paid police force, so they didn’t go feral, and be worried about their hungry families.
You’re quoting Al Jazeera to refute the WSJ?
Really?
Seriously?
If you read a little history you will discover the policy you recommend was the actual initial policy in 2003. Continuing the pay of the Iraqi military and police forces was agreed upon and approved by Bush prior to the invasion. It was an Iraq-based US administrator who changed the policy and ‘fired’ the Iraqi military. Bush found out in a briefing. He asked who did it. It was a significant change in policy and Bush was not briefed or aware of it beforehand.
Al Jazeera, while at times has an incentive to fabricate, probably has actual sources in Tikrit.
“The WSJ was quoting Iraqi officials, who have every incentive to fabricate.
Al Jazeera, while at times has an incentive to fabricate, probably has actual sources in Tikrit.”
Really? So the WSJ and Iraqi officials are more prone to fabricate than Al Jazeera and ISIS? And wouldn’t the IA have sources in Tikrit, particularly since they re-took the city?
And don’t you think the WSJ would verify Iraqi-sourced information before reporting it as fact?
Why don’t you check this: Where are coalition airstrikes occurring IVO Tikrit? In the city or to the north and west? That will tell you where ISIS is. Don’t you think the WSJ has access to this information? It’s public domain information. You have access to it too. From March 25: http://www.centcom.mil/en/news/articles/coalition-forces-begin-operations-in-tikrit
Do you know who made this unfortunate change, and who hired him?
If you’re trying to recruit me into Bush-bashing, you can forget it. I’d take GW Bush over Zero (or anyone who is or has been in his administration), Clinton (either Clinton, but Hitlery’s covered by the earlier parenthetical), GHW Bush, and any other POTUS in my lifetime, other than Reagan; I’d take GW over most other presidents in general; that may not reflect well on the presidential choices of past generations. OTOH, not every president has had to face those kinds of challenges. And GW had the disadvantage (over say, FDR) of having to deal with continuously hostile press, not to mention potshot-takers on the internet.
But, you know I still like you. :’)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.