Islamic State Conquers Kobane Headquarter and Anbar Province.

[CidanSultan]

 

The Washington Post

 

Middle East

Islamic State fighters are threatening to overrun Iraq’s Anbar province

 

Erin Cunningham October 9

 

BAGHDAD — Islamic State militants are threatening to overrun a key province in western Iraq in what would be a major victory for the jihadists and an embarrassing setback for the U.S.-led coalition targeting the group.

 

A win for the Islamic State in Anbar province would give the militants control of one of the country’s most important dams and several large army installations, potentially adding to their abundant stockpile of weapons. It would also allow them to establish a supply line from Syria almost to Baghdad and give them a valuable position from which to launch attacks on the Iraqi capital.

 

The Islamic State’s offensive in Anbar has received less attention than its assault on the Syrian border city of Kobane, which has played out in view of news photographers standing on hills in nearby Turkey. But in recent weeks, Islamic State fighters have systematically invaded towns and villages in Anbar, besieged army posts and police stations, and mounted attacks on Iraqi troops in Ramadi, the provincial capital.

 

The Islamic State secured a major foothold in Anbar province in January when it seized the city of Fallujah and parts of Ramadi. It pushed farther into the province in June, but Iraq’s government was able to maintain small pockets of authority in the majority-Sunni region.

 

Iraqi forces have suffered numerous reverses­ in the latest jihadist offensive, including the loss of two army bases. U.S. warplanes and attack helicopters have hit Islamic State targets and provided support to Iraqi troops fighting in Anbar. The U.S. airstrikes helped fend off an assault last month on the Haditha Dam, part of the militants’ drive to control Iraq’s water supplies. But overall, the strikes have failed to curb the militants’ momentum.

 

Local officials say U.S.-led air strikes are pushing Islamic State fighters back to the edges of Kobane, which they had appeared set to seize after a three-week assault. (Reuters)

“If the Islamic State controls Anbar, they would be able to threaten serious targets in Baghdad,” said an Iraqi security expert, Saeed al-Jayashi. “The government would lose the Haditha Dam, and the security forces would have to retreat,” he said. “There would be a blood bath.”

 

 

Anbar province — Iraq’s largest — was the epicenter of the Sunni insurgency against U.S. forces­ that raged after the invasion in 2003. In 2006, Anbar’s numerous Sunni tribes decided to back the U.S.-supported government against Iraq’s al-Qaeda affiliate, in what later became known as the Sunni Awakening. The insurgency was crushed.

 

But in recent years, the sectarian policies of former prime minister Nouri al-Maliki, a Shiite, alienated the Sunni tribes and their constituencies. The Islamic State, which had been founded as an offshoot of al-Qaeda in Iraq, fed off the Sunni discontent. At the same time, the jihadists improved their military prowess by fighting in the civil war in Syria. They have seized large chunks of Syria and Iraq.

 

Since the beginning of the campaign against the Islamic State in August, U.S. warplanes and helicopters have struck more than 40 targets in Anbar province, according to U.S. Central Command data.

 

The Obama administration had expressed hope that Sunni Arab powers in the region, led by Saudi Arabia, would persuade the Anbar tribes to turn against the Islamic State and join Iraqi government forces­ or participate in a locally based national guard.

 

But although Maliki left office early last month, there has been little indication that Arab influence, if indeed it is being used, has had much of an effect. At the same time, Sunni tribesmen have said they feel threatened by the Shiite militias that are participating in Iraq’s fight against the Islamic State.

 

In talks this week with retired U.S. Gen. John Allen, the administration’s coordinator of the international coalition against the Islamic State, tribal leaders said that “they will not confront the Islamic State while Shiite militias exist in Sunni areas,” tribal chief Samil al-Muhammadi told the Saudi-owned London newspaper Al-Hayat.

 

Psychological meaning

 

Anbar province, a vast expanse of desert crisscrossed by truck routes leading to Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Syria, holds both strategic and symbolic significance for the Islamic State.

 

If the extremist group captures the territory, it could funnel weapons and fighters from areas it controls in Syria all the way to the western outskirts of Baghdad. Currently, that supply line is interrupted by government-held Haditha and Ramadi.

 

The militants would also extend their de facto border to just outside the Iraqi capital.

 

“It will be a base for their movements. It would take a very long time to get it back,” said Anbar’s police chief, Ahmed Saddak al-Dulaimi.

 

The capture of Anbar would also be a psychological victory for the jihadists.

 

Anbar “is really the birthplace of ISIS’s predecessor organization, al-Qaeda in Iraq,” said Jessica D. Lewis, research director at the Institute for the Study of War in Washington, using a common name for the Islamic State. “So taking the cities of Anbar province is quite important to ISIS.”

 

Security officials in Anbar say the Islamic State has been bolstering its fighting force in the province.

 

In the past few days, the militants have wrested control of the Anbar town of Hit on the Euphrates River, as well as the nearby town of Kubaisa. Both are close to the Ayn al-Asad military base, one of Iraq’s largest. It sends reinforcements and supplies to troops defending the Haditha Dam just northwest of the camp.

 

According to a recent assessment by the Institute for the Study of War, the Islamic State has conducted a “sophisticated campaign” in Anbar in the past four weeks, which has enabled the group to control most of the territory from the Syrian border to Abu Ghraib in the western suburbs of Baghdad.

 

The militants have severed the Iraqi army’s supply lines, cut off troops’ communications and consolidated gains that would not be easily disrupted by an air campaign, the report said.

 

Perhaps most alarming is the jihadists’ advance on Ramadi, 80 miles west of Baghdad.

 

Iraqi news media outlets reported Monday that security forces­ had withdrawn from central Ramadi, a claim that Dulaimi, the police chief, later denied. But attacks over the past week have left the militants in control of new neighborhoods in the city.

 

 

Local officials have warned the central government that Ramadi may soon fall.

 

“All of the areas around Ramadi are controlled by the Islamic State,” said Ahmed Abu Risha, a prominent tribal sheik who commands pro-government fighters in the area.

 

Abu Risha said his forces­, who are lightly armed, have received no air support while fighting off the Islamic State.

 

“If Ramadi falls, all of Anbar falls,” he said. “Ramadi is the head. If you cut the head, the rest of the body will die, too.”

 

One of the most important losses­ for the Iraqi security forces­ was the military camp at Saqlawiyah. Islamic State fighters surrounded the base west of Fallujah last month. Some of the soldiers there fled, while the jihadists are believed to have massacred many others, according to survivors. Between 300 and 500 soldiers were missing, they said. The militants subsequently seized a military base at Albu Aytha, 50 miles from Baghdad.

 

“For days we begged for airstrikes and they never came,” said a 38-year-old soldier who survived the onslaught at Saqlawiyah and gave his name only as Abu Ali for fear of retribution.

 

Now, he says, he doesn’t believe there is anything worth fighting for in Anbar.

 

“The leadership doesn’t care about us, the people there [in Anbar] don’t care about us. They called us Shia dogs,” he said. “How can I fight for any of them after this?”

 

Jayashi, the analyst, said that Anbar residents needed to support the Iraqi security forces­.

 

“Otherwise,” he said, “we will lose all of western Iraq.”

 

Karen DeYoung in Washington and Mustafa Salim in Baghdad contributed to this report.

 

Erin Cunningham is an Egypt-based correspondent for The Post. She previously covered conflicts in the Middle East and Afghanistan for the Christian Science Monitor, GlobalPost

 

[CidanSultan]

Yesterday they took the headquarters of the YPG in central kobane and a few days before that the central headquarters of the Iraqi army in Anbar province city of Ramadi. Which is 80 miles from Baghdad.

 

American air support seems to not be doing the job. They are advancing not retreating. The entire Turkish border area has been taken and they are only a few miles from Baghdad now.

[CidanSultan]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjuDheyr9OM

 

 

Inside kobane they founds warehouses of drugs, alcahol and Viagra.

[CidanSultan]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvcEqkXRzAQ

 

 

[CidanSultan]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywK_XB8LOFg

 

 

[DoctorKenney]

Why you refer to this Khawaarij group as "The Islamic State" is beyond me.

 

They will meet their bloody end just like every other Takfiri terrorist group.

[CidanSultan]

So who are the YPG. It is a Marxist atheist organisation let by a man named ocalan. They argue and strive for kurdish autonomy in syria by working with the Assad regime.

 

Before the advance of the Islamic State the YPG was reported to have burned down over 10 Arab villages. And have regularly worked with the Assad regime in North eastern syria. Kobane matters because it gives the Islamic State control of the entire Turkish Syrian border to control the supply of goods and access for international jihadists who come into syria.

 

The loss of both kobane and Ramadi within days of one another is putting serious doubts into the strategy of the anti Islamic State coalition.

[CidanSultan]

Like I said doctor... I merely report the news. Whether they are kawairij or not is not for me to say. Shia domination in Iraq and syria and the deaths of countless thousands of sunnis and the homosexual Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and other weak arab nations lack of help and balls gave birth to this group . not to mention the United States in its elusive search for wmds. These guys never over through a Saddam Hussein and disbanded an army. They never asked assad to kill his own people etheir. I honestly don't believe everything the media tells as well. Alot of it is just anti Muslim propaganda. Bring Bush and Blair and assad to the haege and I might read them.

 

Call them what you want. No one cares.

[CidanSultan]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StXUp4uprJQ

 

 

[CidanSultan]

According to twitter the head commander of the kobane IS assault is a Kurd. And it's being led by its kurdish division.

[CidanSultan]

[CidanSultan]

40 nation coalition including Arab States to stop Isis?????

 

Isis current kill rate: 25000

 

Bashar Al asad kill rate: 250,000

 

Shia crimes in Iraq: 17000

 

But Isis must be stopped... No one talks about assad.

 

That's why it's a smoke screen their is an ulterior motive to this war. It's not about Is. It's about the objectives of is.

 

Chaliphate... This means. The end of borders in middle east, the end of dictatorships, monarchies, American interest and Israel.

 

This is the real reason why the war is happening. This is why the area dictatorships fear them. This is why America backed the overthrown of the Muslim brotherhood and the Islamic courts union in Somalia.

 

This is a war against Islam.

[galbeedi]

Waryaa Ciidan, stop the propaganda of this ruthless group. Because of this ISIS, millions of people both in Iraq and Syria and beyond are suffering. We all know they are Al-shabaab style murderers who do not value human life. Look what Al-shabaab has done to many innocent Somalis.

 

Yes Assad is war criminal, but no one want to replace him with this Khawaarij. They are a dark sect unleashed by Saudi Arabia. It may take some time, but eventually they will be defeated just like Al-shbaab and others who want to oppress and kill people in the name of Islam.

 

The Prophet of Islam (scw) said, "the Khawaarij will leave Islam the way the arrow laves the bow). Khawaariij means outsiders. The Wahabi cult is less than 50 million, in the world of Islam which is 1.5 billion. These days, The best way to establish dictatorship is to assemble all sort of characters and proclaim sharia and fighting for Islam through the blood of the Innocent. Kill, bomb and destroy until they submit.

 

Also in another Hadith the prophet said " stay with main stream Jamaca of the amah". Sectarianism is the new danger in the Muslim world.

 

Mr. Ciidan you seem to be advertising for Wahabis and sectarianism by calling the oppression and eliminating of Shia Muslims. It is the will of Allah people that people of different believe and creed live on this earth. I think it is time for those of us in SOL to stand up and say " stop the propaganda of this cult and others.

[DoctorKenney]

This is directed at you CidanSultan. I saw this on Facebook and I thought I should share this:

 

 

 

An interesting discussion with a young ISIS recruit...

He is seventeen years old and eager to go and fight in Syria. When I tried to talk him out of it, he started calling me derogatory names! I said to him: we can call each other names from here till kingdom come. However, let’s discuss this in more civilized manner and put our guns, grenades and weapons on the table for moment. If you like what you hear, you follow the truth wherever it is. If you don’t like it, do what you want! The young man surprisingly agreed. I said to him: you claim that you follow the Quran and Sunnah, am I correct? He said yes. Why do you want to go to Syria? He said because this is where the Caliphate, Islamic state, dignity and honor of Muslims is. I said: is Caliphate a legitimate cause for killing Muslims and destroying property? He thought for a while and then answered yes, it is. These people opposing it are most likely apostates and hypocrites and deserve to die. Besides, the Muslims who die among them are collateral damage for a greater cause. I said to him: let us not jump to conclusions and take it step by step.

Caliphate is something that is praised in Islam but it was never an objective to live or die for. It is not part of the essentials in Islam. This is why the Prophet salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam didn’t mention it to be one of the seventy plus branches of Iman.

Ibn Taimiyah said: “The Sunnah is to have one Caliph and the rest are his deputies. However, if the Ummah disobeyed and had more than one ruler, each ruler must establish the prescribed punishments, fulfil his duties and give rights to his subjects.” If you look the time of the great scholars of Islam, you will find that they had a separate state in Al Andalus and they had an army and a ruler from the Umayyad Caliphate while the majority had the Abbasid Caliphate! Abu Hanifah, Malik, Ash-Shafi’ee, and Imam Ahmed and many other Imams never said that this is kufr or called for war to regain Caliphate. Great scholars of Islam said that having many separate states is permissible with different rulers such as Al Qurtobi, Ibn Taimiyah, Al Shawkani, Al Shingeeti and many more. My young European friend looked confused. I said to him: besides, the consequences of fighting and killing Muslims are far greater than claiming to unite the Muslims under one Caliph. Look at the amount of killing this so claimed Caliph is infecting in the Muslims while invading their towns and villages and killing anyone who stands in his way. No one had ever dared to do this for Caliphate except the Shi’ah who call for their Imamate.

Assim Luqman Al Hakeem

 

 

This is not a real Caliphate. This is not the Way of Islam. A Caliphate is desired but killing should NEVER be the means to this end. And there is nothing wrong with there being multiple Islamic States scattered around the world. Indeed, for most of our history it was like this. The Abbasid and Ottoman Empires NEVER controlled the entire Muslim world. Islamic Spain had it's own government, separate from the one that existed in Damascus or in Baghdad. But each Islamic country flourished and did really well. Killing and subjugating others as an excuse to enforce your will on people is completely against Islamic principles, it goes against the way of our righteous forefathers, and it's unacceptable.

 

During the time of the Ottoman Empire, Somalis also had their own empire (the Adal Sultanate, and the Ajuuraan Sultanate). Each of them were separate countries who both had trade links and ties with the Ottomans, but did not come under Ottoman rule. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with this.

 

You need to be realistic about this. WHAT IS IT that you want CidanSultan? Do you really think it's a good idea for these xayawaan ISIS fighters to invade Kurdish territory and start massacring the residents there?? Just so they can establish their phony Caliphate which in reality is nothing more than a Khawaarij group?

 

Did it ever occur to you that every single Muslim country, every Muslim organization, every Islamic University as well as all major scholars have roundly condemned ISIS and their actions? These guys make Al Shabab look miskeen! Why are you being a proponent for them?

[CidanSultan]

Propaganda you say. Kawairij you say. I have never condoned the use of violence. In fact I have publicly condemned both alshabab and IS violence. The reality of what is going on can not be called propaganda. To bury your head in the sand is not going to fix the problem.

 

You can scream khawarij till the cows come home but that doesn't change the facts.

 

The United States invaded a Soverign nation. They took the leader of this nation an publicly hanged him on Eid via YouTube live feed. The disbanded the army and gave power to Shias who in the history of the Islamic world have not done one thing to spread Islam. On the contrary in the entire history of Islam shias from the safavids, to fatimids, to Iran, to hezbollah have only killed sunnis.

 

This is not propaganda this is reality this is history. The Shia are not Muslims. They worship Ali.... That is a fact. If you don't know that then you don't know what your talking about. The first pillar of Islam is the Shahada. They don't believe in that. It's God and the twelve imams and they are equal. That is not propaganda.

 

The Shia kill sunnis in mass in Iraq. Where was the United States. The Shia alawites are killing sunnis. With the help of Shia Iraq and Iran this not propaganda. This is fact.

 

The Islamic State fought American occupation in Iraq. They fought successfully in Syria. The Yazidis issue or so called massacre was a fraud. The persecution of Christians is a fraud.

 

The PKK and ypg fought along side assad. This is not propaganda.

 

 

You guys both live in your bubble. I agree the Islamic State is not all good they kill journalists which is wrong. But that doesn't mean they are kawairij. If you write down a list of all Muslim countries the Islamic State is probably better in terms of human rights then most of them.

 

You want to blindly follow us zionist agenda and eat up the bills%+) on news go ahead. I don't put people into boxes without doing my research.