Jennifer Cafarella
On September 18, the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) launched a complex attack likely targeting the Adala Prison in Baghdad’s Kadhmiyah neighborhood in northern Baghdad.
Iranian-backed Iraqi Shi’a militias continue to voice their opposition to possible U.S. ground troops and the international anti-ISIS coalition.
Suleiman Beg is now under Iraqi government control and as a result, the Kirkuk-Baghdad highway is reported to be re-opened.
The U.S. has expanded its military operations in Iraq. The targeting of Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) positions in southwest Baghdad indicates possible further targeting of ISIS in the vicinity of Baghdad by U.S airpower.
ISW's General James M. Dubik joins State of the Union to discuss whether ISIS has the ability to bring down American planes with anti-aircraft missiles.
ISIS is targeting early signs of resistance in predominantly Sunni areas in northern Diyala and western Kirkuk, an area with strong tribal presence and historic presence of ISIS competitors like JRTN and Ansar al-Islam.
The assassination of Hassan Aboud, the leader of hardline Salafist Ahrar al-Sham and a former associate of al-Qaeda representative Abu Khalid al-Suri, is likely to have major repercussions for the capacity of rebels to coordinate their efforts across fronts.
PREPARATION: ISIS was setting the conditions for uncontested rule of Raqqa since the summer of 2013, when it detonated VBIEDs against rebel headquarters, kidnapped rebel commanders, and detained civilian activists. In Mosul, ISIS undermined government institutions with large scale racketeering operations and carried out targeted assassinations against key civilian and military leaders. By the time ISIS took full military control of Raqqa in January 2014 and Mosul in June 2014, an organized opposition to ISIS did not exist.