Islamic State insurgents took control on Thursday of most of the western Iraqi town of al-Baghdadi, threatening an air base where U.S. Marines are training Iraqi troops, officials said.
Earlier on Friday the Islamic State (IS) launched the first wave of attacks against Iraqi Army’s (IA) al-Asad Airbase with an attempt involving eight fighters armed with small-arms and SVESTs. Although they managed to breach the perimeter and enter the base, all eight were neutralized by the IA. They were not able to penetrate into the base itself and the 300 US military personnel stationed at the installation were not near the firefight. The area of the base that the suicide bombers gained access was likely part of added security measures emplaced to prevent access to the main facility where the US military personnel were located. An example of this would be such measures as we took at a location where we expanded the perimeter of the installation in question that encompassed a larger area once that security perimeter was pushed out. The area in-between was not the actual “base,” but to a reporter it may have seemed that it was. This is likely what the attackers had gained access to and nothing more.
Bombers make it onto Iraq base used by U.S. troops
U.S.: Iraqi forces repel attack on al-Asad air base
Source: The Washington Post
US Army Apaches have been seeing heavy use in the battle of Khan al-Baghdadi that resulted in the last remnants of the IA presence around al-Asad Airbase collapsing. Despite DoD’s efforts to put the best possible spin on this attack, the truth is this was only the opening shots of a slow yet methodical effort to overrun the base. The installation itself is enormous that would likely take months to completely secure much like last year’s siege of the Syrian Army 17th Division’s Garrison north of Raqqa. IS has chosen to completely surround and isolate al-Asad Airbase from by seizing all of the surrounding towns and villages. al-Baghdadi was the last of a series of defensive positions the IA was desperately trying to hold in the immediate area.
Apache participates in fighting ISIL in Anbar
Islamic State Seizes Town of Khan al-Baghdadi, Threatens US Marines at Ayn al-Asad
Syrian Army 17th Division Barracks Overrun by Islamic State
Interview With a Surviving Member of the Syrian Army’s 17th Division
Inside the Islamic State (2nd Installment from Vice News)
Locals in Khan al-Baghdadi after the IA was driven out of the town.
Source: Associated Press
IS has been systematically driving out the IA from the areas in the surrounding towns and villages near al-Asad for over the past year. What the IA didn’t lose from casualties it lost in mass desertions. The IP has had it even worse. Perhaps the most significant developments to occur in the province is the seizing of Fallujah (with the locals welcoming IS with open arms), the deployment of Shia militias to reinforce the garrison at al-Asad Airbase and the fall of Camp Saqlawiyah. In the case of Camp Saqlawiyah, IS fighters used confiscated IA vehicles, uniforms and radios to pass as reinforcements for the beleaguered base defenders. Thinking the IS column were IA reinforcements, they were granted entry into the base at which time one of the Humvees that was converted into a VBIED detonated along with some of the fighters who were wearing body armor converted into SVESTS. The al-Asad attackers were wearing IA uniforms and probably were able to fool some of the security checkpoints in the outer perimeter into thinking they were returning from a presence patrol. We assess IS was testing response times and security posture in and around the base. As we stated above, this latest attack was only the beginning. Key indicators of IS preparing to launch the main assault on al-Asad Airbase are movements of heavy weapons and armor from Aleppo into Western Iraq. In fact the recent interdiction of such heavy weapons earlier – vehicles in particular – in al-Qaim suggests that such efforts may already be underway.
Islamic State Flips Script: Irregular Warefare Redux
Shia Militias Sent to Reinforce al-Asad Airbase – IA on Verge of Collapse
U.S.-led forces launch 26 air strikes in Syria, Iraq: U.S. military
IS fighters with confiscated armor courtesy of the IA
Source: al-Anbar News
Meanwhile in Northern Iraq, IS launched an offensive targeting Kirkuk and the surrounding areas last month. The offensive is multi-pronged and even seized the Khabbaz Gas and Oil Separation Plant, although temporarily. As it stands, the KRG Peshmerga lack the manpower to drive IS from the Zaab Triangle or its stronghold Hawijah that serves as the major support hub for the attacks targeting Peshmerga forces in Kirkuk. The Peshmerga are also heavily dependent on US close-air support and currently lack the armor assets to counter the heavy weaponry that IS has confiscated from the IA and Syrian Army. So far, the Kurds are able to maintain a hold on their positions but they’re going to need a lot more support from the US (or Iran, who has been stepping up air shipments of weapons and ammo) to gain an edge. Since the collapse of the IA in Northern Iraq, the KRG Peshmerga have been in control of Kirkuk and have set up a network of defensive positions, trenches and tank tank ditches to make up for their limited armored assets and personnel. As good as the Peshmerga are, however, they can only hold out for so long.
In Iraq, Kirkuk Remains a Question Mark
Kurdish fighters battle equipment woes as well as ISIS in northern Iraq
ISIS launches attack on oil-rich northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk
Iran Begins Arming KRG Peshmerga
KRG Peshmerga on the Defensive
KRG Peshmerga manning positions along the outer-perimeter of Kirkuk
Source: World Crunch
If you thought that the current IS offensives targeting Kirkuk and al-Asad Airbase – two of the most critical pieces of real estate for allied forces – wasn’t a coincidence, then you thought right. Both locations must be defended at all costs, and that is precisely why IS has chosen now as the time to make the push to seize them. We’ve seen more reporting of additional personnel arrive from Raqqa to reinforce Mosul and we’re seeing indicators of more heavy weapons being brought in. Applying additional pressure on these two locations will have a profound impact on the elements who will play the biggest role in the upcoming offensive to retake Mosul – the GOI and the KRG. As we’ve discussed in previous articles, the IA doesn’t have enough troops freed up to support the planned offensives to retake Tikrit, Fallujah, Ramadi or Mosul since most IA units are being kept in defensive positions in and around Baghdad. Reallocating additional units to support any of these operations or reinforce al-Asad will create more vulnerabilities to Baghdad that IS will most certainly exploit. Regarding Baghdad, the sleeper cells will be increasing their attacks against the security forces, Shia militias, Shia neighborhoods and the Green Zone. We also discussed how IS would likely launch additional attacks on al-Asad, Kirkuk, Also keep in mind that al-Asad is the last major IA base in Anbar and the last thing standing in IS’ way to massing for an offensive on the capital itself, although it will take a few months to completely control the airbase. As we get closer to MAR, we will likely see the attacks on al-Asad begin to increase in intensity and frequency against the base and Kirkuk. The likelihood of a repeat of the Camp Saqlawiyah attack is assessed to be HIGH as of this writing. As the Blue Forces at al-Asad, we have units in position to respond if given the green light – the question is whether the President (through his Secretary of Defense) will allow it. The handling of the attack of our consulate in Benghazi doesn’t inspire much confidence. Those combat troops that “aren’t combat troops” who most certainly do have “boots on the ground” and will likely find themselves engaging the enemy. Soon.
IA Preps to Take Mosul as Kings Rage Continues
GOI Has Big Plans to Retake The Country From ISIS – Can They Pull it Off???
Other Articles:
Iraqi Army Facing Heavy Resistance in Anbar: Counter-Offensive Stalls
ISIS: Regained the Initiative in Northern Iraq
Pro-Government Tribal Forces in Anbar Province Running Out of Steam
ISIS: Still Going Strong Despite Coalition Efforts
ISIS Increases Pressure on Baghdad’s Green Zone – Is the US Government Taking Notice?
US Begins Using AH-64 Apache Attack Helicopters Against ISIS Northeast of Fallujah
Update on the Baghdad and Kobane Fronts
Fortress Baghdad 4
Fortress Baghdad III
Fortress Baghdad II
Fortress Baghdad
No comments:
Post a Comment