Iraq Situation Report: December 2-3
December 3, 2014 - Institute for the Study of War
There are currently three ongoing fronts of engagements between the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) and forces countering it.
There are currently three ongoing fronts of engagements between the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) and forces countering it.
The formation of a new joint military command for the Syrian opposition has somewhat offset the setback suffered by moderate rebels due to JN’s continued consolidation of direct control in northwestern Syria.
Col. Harry G. Summers Jr. begins his book, On Strategy: The Vietnam War in Context, by relaying the following conversation: “‘You know you never defeated us on the battlefield,’ said the American colonel. The North Vietnamese colonel pondered this remark a moment. ‘That may be so,’ he replied, ‘but it is also irrelevant.’” As much as we may not want to admit it, in this sense, our current war against al Qaeda and their ilk resembles that of Vietnam. In fighting our post- 9/11 wars, we have won nearly every battle but are far from winning the war. How can this be? The answer lies largely in the civil military nexus that underpins how America wages war.
The Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) is seeking to reverse the momentum in northern Iraq and maintain its aggressive posture in the western parts of the country.
The Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) and Iraqi Shi'a militias are capitalizing on their recent gains in Diyala province.
Fighting in northern Iraq has accelerated. The Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) is seeking to regain the momentum after suffering major territorial loses and setbacks recently in the strategic town of Baiji in Salah ad-Din province and the towns of Jalula and Sadia in Diyala province.
JN and rebel forces attacked regime and Hezbollah forces in the heavily-fortified Shi’a towns of Nubl and Zahra northwest of Aleppo City.
JN and rebel forces attacked regime and Hezbollah forces in the heavily-fortified Shi’a towns of Nubl and Zahra northwest of Aleppo City.
Throughout September and October 2014, the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) moved to consolidate its control of terrain in al-Anbar province, closing the gap in its Euphrates control between Haditha and Ramadi.