“Underscoring the ability of Islamic State insurgents to remain on the offensive despite expanded airstrikes from the United States.” The Islamic State is a larger problem than anyone wants to admit, and not just militarily.
Hundreds of Iraqi soldiers missing or stranded after chaotic withdrawal,” by Loveday Morris, Washington Post, September 21 at 12:54 PM
BAGHDAD — Hundreds of Iraqi soldiers were trapped or missing on Sunday following 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 from the United States.
At least 820 soldiers were stationed at Saqlawia Camp, north of the insurgent-controlled Iraqi city of Fallujah, when it came under attack from five suicide bombings on 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.
Five battalions had been stranded at the base without supplies for six days after Islamic State militants seized a bridge that was the last access route to the camp. Soldiers said they were forced to boil up water from a muddy stream, and were running low on ammunition, when the bombings struck on Sunday.
“We lost control,” Hashem said after crossing Islamic State-controlled territory to another army base. “We couldn’t gather to retreat. Some are dead, others stayed.”
He said retreating soldiers had abandoned their vehicles and were traversing enemy territory in small platoons in order to avoid detection.
“Some are still crossing, they are walking through the trees and houses trying to hide from the insurgents.”
The Islamic State has carried out mass-executions of Iraqi troops it has caught in the past – including killing what Iraqi officials say were 1,700 soldiers at Camp Speicher near the northern city of Tikrit during the group’s surge forward in June.
The latest advance comes despite stepped-up U.S. airstrikes against militants. France also launched airstrikes against the extremists last week.
Iraqi military officials said U.S. jets gave air support to a failed army effort to reach the stranded soldiers on Sunday morning. However, U.S. Central Command did not announce details of operations in the area.
Only around 25 percent of the soldiers at Saqlawia, in the western province of Anbar, had managed to reach the safety of the nearby 1st division base at Camp Tariq, Hashem said.
“The situation is very bad,” said Lt. Col. Abdulwahab al-Saidi, head of counterterrorism operations for Anbar.
One solider who remained at Saqlawia, who declined to give his name because he’s not authorized to speak to the press, said when reached by phone that just 50 or 60 soldiers were left there and were stranded with no vehicles left to use to leave. He put the number of suicide bombings by vehicle at three.
“We don’t have enough ammunition here to defend ourselves,” he said. “Maybe we can last a day.”
Mustafa Salim contributed to this report.
Beagle says
Maybe, just maybe, if you have hundreds of soldiers you should, say, stand and fight the vastly-outnumbered IS forces? I know, sounds crazy over there, but it just might work.
Beagle says
In fairness to them, apparently yet again there was no ammunition to fight back. If so, I recommend arming soldiers with ammunition in the future. I have never heard of so many military forces lacking ammunition until IS came along.
David says
Maybe that’s where the 1.2 Billion rounds of ammo the Obama administration bought up went … to ISIS.
umbra says
iraqi military logistics has not been that crash hot.
A big army with lots of modern combat equipment is useless if it is not provisioned with adequate munitions and supplies.
Soloview says
I suspect this is but one of a number mini-Stalingrads that have happened and will continue to happen in the fight against ISIS. Not enough firepower on the ground to break through to besieged garrisons.
CDN Highlander says
Think of all the cheap Iraqi army rifles for sale, never used and dropped only once.
Pipes and Drums of my old regiment could of held these barbarians back. The US is nuts to think arming any of them will work with the possible exception of the Kurds, but I don’t know if Iran or Turkey would go for it.
Kerygma says
This is really fishy, how in the hell are 5 – Battalions stationed at a forward operating base & not have the equipment they need to fight off an attack. Dumb asses!
umbra says
If that is an FOB, the question would be why send ill equipped units there when there is a tenuous supply line?
So far, these five battalions are stuck in a static – presumably heavily fortified – position, getting shot up by isis units.
ROBERT says
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Mirren10 says
Is your brother defenderofislam, aka brian hoff ? You make as much sense as he does, but at least poor old defender is occasionally good for a laugh. 🙂
Champ says
testing