Monday, September 22, 2014

Hundreds Of Iraqi Soldiers Missing Or Stranded After Their Base Was Overrun By Islamic State Forces

Hundreds Of Iraqi Soldiers Missing Or Stranded After Attack On Army Camp -- Washington Post

BAGHDAD — Hundreds of Iraqi soldiers were trapped or missing Sunday after a chaotic retreat from an army base in western Iraq, military officials said, underscoring the ability of Islamic State insurgents to remain on the offensive despite expanded airstrikes by the United States.

At least 820 soldiers were stationed at Camp Saqlawiyah in Anbar province, north of the insurgent-controlled Iraqi city of Fallujah, when it came under attack from five suicide bombings Sunday afternoon, said Lt. Col. Ihab Hashem, a deputy commander with the Iraqi army’s 8th division who was at the camp. Two bombers drove explosives-packed armored vehicles and three others detonated vests, he said.

Read more ....

Update: Iraq loses contact with soldiers near Fallujah -- AFP

My Comment: There are not coming out and saying it .... but this Iraqi base has essentially been overrun and the withdrawal was a complete disaster. Meanwhile in Baghdad .... Iraq: Baghdad rally held against US ‘occupiers’ (Euronews).

2 comments:

Unknown said...

This bad news all the way around.

How would the insurgents shore up their defenses around Fallujah after this?

One way would be to clear government forces from the Ramadi- Haditha corridor to secure and ease their supply line and rear area.

If the government has to supply Ramadi & points north through Habbaniyah airport then it will get hit hard with suicide bombers.

Habbaniyah is a very nice airport. It has new concrete less than a decade old.

Unknown said...

Moqtada al-Sadr? Really?

The Iraqi government should not make the same mistake the U.S. government did in regards to Sadr.

Sadr makes the case against nepotism being a good ideal.

If his father had not been a famous cleric, he would have been just 'that' kid.