Isis seizes Ramadi:After Iraq’s worst defeat w/ Islamic militants, battle to defend road to Baghdad
Full title: Isis seizes Ramadi: After Iraq’s worst defeat in the war with the Islamic militants, battle is on to defend the road to Baghdad
May 19, 2015
US generals have been downplaying the extent of the calamity, but the US policy of rebuilding the Iraqi army and aiding it with US air power is in ruins
Patrick Cockburn
Tuesday 19 May 2015
Shia militiamen will now attempt to block the road to Baghdad after Isis fighters defeated elite units of the Iraqi armed forces and captured the city of Ramadi, 70 miles west of the capital.
The fall of Ramadi is the worst military disaster suffered by the Iraqi government since it lost the north of Iraq to an Isis offensive almost a year ago. One local councillor in Ramadi described the situation as “total collapse”.
Burnt bodies litter the streets and there are reports of massacres of policemen and tribesmen opposed to the self-proclaimed “Islamic State”.
Armoured vehicles belonging to the Iraqi army’s so-called “Golden Division”, considered its best unit, could be seen streaming out of Ramadi in a retreat that looked, at times, as if it had turned into a rout. Heavy equipment, including armoured Humvees and artillery, was abandoned.
in full: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/isis-seizes-ramadi-after-iraqs-worst-defeat-in-the-war-with-the-islamic-militants-battle-now-is-to-defend-the-road-to-baghdad-10259457.html
Isis seizes Ramadi: Iraqi government deploys Shia militiamen to assist in counter-offensive to retake city from jihadists
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/isis-seizes-ramadi-iraqi-government-deploys-shia-militiamen-to-assist-in-counteroffensive-to-retake-city-from-jihadists-10262055.html