Islamic State overruns Iraqi base near Fallujah

Oh yeah, that strategy of Barack Obama to "contain" ISIS is working to perfection.

Oh, and by the way, for my regular readers...the Iraqi/Iranian Shia Militia retaking of Ramadi hasn't exactly happened yet after they announced the beginning of it 3 months ago.

The story on Fallujah comes from The Long War Journal.

Islamic State overruns Iraqi base near Fallujah

The Islamic State overran an Iraqi military base and killed dozens of soldiers and policemen in an attack near Fallujah in Anbar province, where the government has been trying to dislodge the group for the past year.

In a newly released video, the Islamic State showcases its forces overrunning a military outpost near the city. The video shows jihadists attacking the base with armored personnel carriers packed with explosives and a ground assault team. The Islamic State seized tanks, armored personnel carriers, Humvees, and other vehicles. The bodies of dozens of dead Iraqi security personnel are displayed.

The exact date the assault occurred is unclear, but it likely took place earlier this week. The Associated Press reported that the Islamic State attacked Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) positions outside of Fallujah on Aug 16. According to the AP, “four suicide attackers drove explosives-laden military vehicles into government forces’ barricades.” Four suicide bombers driving US-made M113 armored personnel carriers are shown in the jihadist group’s video, which confirms the AP report.

The AP, quoting Iraqi officials, said that 17 Iraqi personnel were killed in the assault. The video released by the Islamic State shows at least 30 dead bodies of soldiers and police officers, but the number may be higher.

The jihadist group took over Fallujah in January of 2014, nearly six months before it overran large portions of Iraq. Last month, Iraqi forces and their Iranian-backed Shiite militia allies started an offensive to try and retake the city as well as Ramadi, the provincial capital of Anbar. The Iraqi offensive has made little gains in the past two months.

The US military is providing air support for the Iraqi military and the Iranian-backed militias. In the last week, US Central Command said it executed seven airstrikes in and around Fallujah. On Aug 16, four airstrikes “destroyed two ISIL [the dated acronym for the Islamic State] buildings, an ISIL VBIED, two ISIL heavy machine guns and an ISIL obstruction,” while another airstrike near Habbaniyah in the Fallujah-Ramadi corridor “struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed three ISIL vehicles and an ISIL fighting position.” In addition, two airstrikes “destroyed two ISIL mortar firing positions and an ISIL vehicle” near Habbaniyah yesterday.