'RAMADI HAS FALLEN'

[Sdiver]

... and another Iraqi city is handed over to ISIS by our valiant allies.

'RAMADI HAS FALLEN': Iraqi troops flee as ISIS seizes control of key city

The fight for Ramadi is “pretty much over for now,” a U.S. military official told Fox News, after ISIS overran the beleaguered Iraqi army to take control of the key city Sunday, killing an estimated 500 soldiers and civilians.

Iraqi security forces abandoned their Anbar Operations Center in Ramadi overnight, leaving the city almost completely in ISIS control, according to the U.S. official, who has seen the latest intelligence reports from Ramadi.

Although there were a large number of Iraqi Security Forces occupying Ramadi, most troops fled after ISIS fighters began their assault on the city center Sunday, leaving behind Humvees and armored vehicles supplied by the U.S. military, a separate senior U.S. military official told Fox News.

"The Iraqi security forces were pushed out by a much smaller [ISIS] force," the official said.

The takeover followed a three-day siege that began with a wave of ISIS car bombs and which dealt a devastating blow to the Baghdad government and the U.S. forces providing logistical support. On Monday, Shia militias converged on the city, some 70 miles west of the capital, a bid to retake it.

The retreat by Iraqi forces was reminiscent of the nation's earliest battles against ISIS, including the fall of Mosul, when poorly trained Iraqi soldiers shrank from the black-clad Islamist army, leaving guns and other gear behind for the terrorists to capture. In Ramadi Sunday, bodies littered the streets as local officials reported the militants carried out mass killings of Iraqi security forces and civilians. Online video showed Humvees, trucks and other equipment speeding out of Ramadi, with soldiers gripping onto their sides.

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2015/05...anbar-to-isis/

[SouthernDZ]

GEN Dempsey has already stated that the loss of Ramadi is insignificant, thus securing his position in the Obama administration.
I suppose all of the Soldiers and Marines that fought there are just guilty of sour grapes....

[Team Sergeant]

Originally Posted by SouthernDZ

GEN Dempsey has already stated that the loss of Ramadi is insignificant, thus securing his position in the Obama administration.
I suppose all of the Soldiers and Marines that fought there are just guilty of sour grapes....

Well said.

But we knew from the start that once we left Iraq what would happen. Same goes for A-Stan.

Personally I'd just send in a fleet of drones and give the "kill buttons" to retired green berets.....

[jbour13]

Originally Posted by Team Sergeant

Well said.

But we knew from the start that once we left Iraq what would happen. Same goes for A-Stan.

Personally I'd just send in a fleet of drones and give the "kill buttons" to retired green berets.....

Pro-tip: Invest heavily in fuel and munitions companies beforehand.

For those here and everywhere that know, Ramadi is significant given the axis it lies to geographically, tribally and economically. Gateway to Kurd oil and Baghdad, ease of access to remove MWE out to the west for refit and rest, and accessibility to tribal sheiks that are fence sitters.

I stated this early on at work. We aren't making progress by cutting off the heads and solely killing. We aren't winning the fight by trying to gain back what is lost. We are in the fight for fence sitters that have yet to pick sides, however small a minority they are now.

A lot of blood, sweat and tears went into that province for nearly a decade. To get abandoned by community organizers and assholes who don't remember what it's like to suffer.

[Box]

The "JV" has taken over an insignificant objective...
...what's all the excitement about?

[cbtengr]

There is no shortage of photos of the victory parade ISIS held after it's triumph. Where are the drones and gunships at, looks to me like a target rich environment?

[MtnGoat]

Originally Posted by SouthernDZ

GEN Dempsey has already stated that the loss of Ramadi is insignificant, thus securing his position in the Obama administration.
I suppose all of the Soldiers and Marines that fought there are just guilty of sour grapes....

A tool speaks??

[Divemaster]

JV takes Ramadi, advances to quarter finals. My bracket is still intact.

[Box]

The key thing to remember is that as long as our politicians are able to seamlessly redefine the word "win" at a moments notice, we will never be very far from victory...

Ramadi hasn't fallen, it is just a region in transition

[glebo]

It looks as though the Iraqi forces were trained by the French.... Not the US...

A DAMNED shame though to dismiss this so lightly, many American Soldiers were lost....for what???

Great "exit strategy" Obama admin.....NOT...