Pentagon says Islamic State is losing the ground from under its feet in Iraq

#ISIS #Pentagon #BarackObama #HaiderAlAbadi #Iraqiforces #airstrikes Pentagon is of the opinion that the tide is turning against the Islamic State (IS) and it has lost more than a quarter of its territory in Iraq after the US-led coalition air campaign began in August. This has been reported in bbc.com dated 14 April 2015.
Col Steve Warren, a spokesman of Pentagon, has remarked that it was too early to assess whether the tide was really turning, but it is a fact that the US-led coalition air strikes and attacks carried out by the Iraqi ground forces had inflicted some damage.

Pentagon has quantified the loss sustained by IS by quoting some figures - IS had lost approximately 25% to 30% of its territory in Iraq in the past eight months, which was the equivalent of 12,950 to 15,540 sq km (5,000 to 6,000 sq miles).
It has lost territory in locations like Mosul Dam, Zummar and the vicinity of Sinjar Mountain. And, as a result, its frontline had been pushed either west or south, depending on location, in the provinces of Irbil, Babil, Baghdad and Kirkuk.
AS far as its presence in Syria, its gains in Suweida, Damascus Countryside and Homs provinces have been offset by losses in the provinces of Aleppo and Hassakeh.
It may be recalled that the IS had taken over large swathes of northern and western Iraq last June and it is gradually realizing that its losses are far more than gains and, they can be wiped out of history very soon. Evil forces cannot last forever.
The announcement of Pentagon came just before the talks to be held between Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and President Barack Obama in Washington.

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Iraq launches offensive against ISIS to recapture in Tikrit

#ISIS #Tikrit #Mosul #Iraq #HaideralAbadi #Baghdad Tikrit, the hometown of Saddam Hussein, lies 150-Km north of the capital Baghdad and had been seized by IS militants in June 2014. Iraq has now launched a military offensive against ISIS with the purpose of recapturing the city. This has been reported in bbc.com dated 2 March 2015.
As per reports, Iraqi forces were carrying out the attack backed by airstrikes from Iraqi fighter jets.
It seems Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi had met military leaders in Salahuddin province before start of the operation and had offered pardon to all Sunni tribal fighters who abandoned IS. He described it as a "last chance". In February itself he had indicated that Iraqi armed forces would be launching a major offensive "in a few months' time" to retake the city from IS militants.
Observers feel that retaking Tikrit would be a boost to government forces before they undertake the larger battle of retaking the city of Mosul, which is also controlled by IS. While attacks have been launched, there is no confirmation of the advances, if any, made by the forces.
Tikrit, the hometown of former President Saddam Hussein, was the second major gain for IS after they had captured the city of Mosul in June last year. Incidentally, Mosul was home to over a million people when it fell to IS.

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Retaking of Mosul from ISIS on the cards for Iraq-Kurdish forces

#ISIS #Mosul #US #Iraq #haideralabadi It has been revealed by US officials that plans have been drawn up to retake the Iraqi city of Mosul from ISIS and, in order to carry this out, a joint Iraqi-Kurdish military force of up to 25,000 fighters is being readied as reported in bbc.com dated 20 February 2015.
This operation to recapture Mosul, which is at present held by a 1000 to 2000 strong force of ISIS, has been tentatively for April or May. The city of Mosul was home to over a million people before IS captured it in June 2014.
It is expected that all of the fighters in the Iraqi-Kurdish force would have undergone necessary training imparted by the US by the time the operation is launched. It is important to carry out the operation before the onset of summer in May because at that time the heat would be unbearable.
The unnamed US official has indicated that no decision had been made on whether a small group of US military advisers would be needed on the ground to direct air support. In the opinion of US officials, the IS forces are now in retreat and Washington is keen to show that its efforts to rebuild Iraqi military capacity are bearing fruit.
Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has already confirmed that his forces were "planning an offensive on Mosul". Moreover, military chiefs from more than 20 countries have already assembled in Saudi Arabia – they would be discussing on how best to strengthen the Iraqi army against IS.

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