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ISW has tracked the ISIS assault on Ramadi since January 2014 when they attacked both Ramadi and Fallujah. This presentation shows how ISIS has positioned itself in Anbar Province since that time to the capture of Ramadi this past weekend.
ISW has tracked the ISIS assault on Ramadi since January 2014 when they attacked both Ramadi and Fallujah. This presentation shows how ISIS has positioned itself in Anbar Province since that time to the capture of Ramadi this past weekend.
The operation to re-capture Tikrit, prosecuted by the ISF, Shi’a militias, and Sunni tribal forces, has begun with main efforts targeting two areas east of the city, Alam and Dour.
The attack by an alleged ISIS supporter at a Lindt chocolate shop in Syndey, Australia on December 15, 2014 has raised fears of the international spread of ISIS. The incident, which resulted in critical injuries to four hostages and the deaths of two, bore no signs of formal connection to ISIS.
The attack by an alleged ISIS supporter at a Lindt chocolate shop in Syndey, Australia on December 15, 2014 has raised fears of the international spread of ISIS. The incident, which resulted in critical injuries to four hostages and the deaths of two, bore no signs of formal connection to ISIS.
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.
American strategy in Iraq and Syria continues to suffer from a fatal flaw. President Obama explicitly ordered that it focus only on “degrading” and “destroying” the Islamic State to the exclusion of any other American national security interests and regardless of the likelihood of the long-term success of any such effort undertaken in isolation. As a result, the strategy has achieved some limited successes against the Islamic State, but those isolated successes are coming at the expense of other important American security concerns. The current approach, in p
ISIS is advancing in Anbar and threatening Baghdad from the west, and U.S. airstrikes have not blunted their advance into key cities such as Ramadi. As of October 7, ISIS controls most of the territory between Qaim on the Syrian border and Abu Ghraib, only 40 km from Baghdad. ISIS has conducted a sophisticated campaign in Anbar Province over the past four weeks in order to capture additional cities in the Euphrates River Valley.
The Islamic State of Iraq and al Sham (ISIS) is not the only violent group opposed to the government of Iraq. Groups ranging from Salafist-jihadist to Sunni nationalist have also been mobilized against Baghdad since at least 2013. They remain a threat to the government even if ISIS is removed, especially if the core concerns of Iraqi Sunnis remain unaddressed by the Iraqi government. The primary grievances of most Iraqi Sunnis include the integration of Shi'a militias into the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF), attacks by the ISF in Sunni civilian areas, and political exclusion in Baghdad.
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. According to the Baghdad Operations Command, the attack was intended to break into the prison but was foiled.