Iraqi army conduct in Ramadi 'surprised all of us,' deputy prime minister says

[BJlaowai]

Iraqi army conduct in Ramadi 'surprised all of us,' deputy prime minister says
By Mick Krever, CNN

ISIS "surprised all of us," Deputy Prime Minister Saleh al-Mutlaq told CNN on Monday.

"It's not clear for us why such a unit, which was supposed to be trained by the Americans for years, and supposed to be one of the best units in the army, would withdraw from Ramadi in such a way."

"This is not the army that we are willing to see or we are expecting to see."

Al-Mutlaq, a Sunni who leads his own party and often criticizes Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, spoke with CNN's Frederik Pleitgen on "Amanpour," a day after scathing criticism of the Iraqi military by U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter.

"They were not outnumbered," Carter told CNN's Barbara Starr in an exclusive interview. "In fact, they vastly outnumbered the opposing force. And yet they failed to fight; they withdrew from the site."

"And that says to me, and I think to most of us, that we have an issue with the will of the Iraqis."

Al-Abadi told the BBC on Monday that Carter was "fed with the wrong information."

Al-Mutlaq, however, seemed to echo the American defense secretary in arguing that Iraqis do not have hope for their country.

"If they don't see the future for them in Iraq, I don't think they will fight Daesh, ISIS, in the way we want them. There will be some fighting, but we want real determination, a real effort, as we saw in 2007, 2008, when they fought because they thought they can have a future."

Al-Mutlaq was referring to the Sunni Awakening, in which Sunni Iraqis, backed by the United States, rose up against al Qaeda. It was a movement that began in Anbar province, of which Ramadi is the capital.

"The Sunni people, they are not with ISIS, this is for sure."

But "they are not certain now if they could fight ISIS, and if they fight ISIS, what is after ISIS? Actually, there is a worry among people -- and among us -- about what is going to happen after ISIS.

"What is after that? Are they going to live in an area which is going to rebuild again? Is there going to be a reconciliation? Are they going to be included in the government? Is there going to be an inclusive government? Is there going to be a real reconciliation in the country? These are our question marks. Without answering them, it will be very difficult to see the end of ISIS in a short time."

There was hope among Iraq's Sunnis, al-Mutlaq said, that al-Abadi would be a more inclusive leader than his predecessor, Nuri al-Maliki, who has been widely blamed for creating a deeply sectarian atmosphere both within government and the country at large.

"The people, they are losing hope that a real government (can) run Iraq in a way that every Iraqi will see himself contributing.

"Although we feel that the intention of Mr. Abadi is good, is OK, but what we see on the ground until now is not enough to convince us that things are going to be working in a proper way."

For example, he said, though he is a member of al-Abadi's government, Sunnis are still being sidelined from the security apparatus.

"Without having a political solution to the problems in Iraq, without having a reconciliation in the country, the military side of the battle cannot work alone," he said.

That reconciliation, long sought, still appears to be elusive.

The United States, which has limited itself to airstrikes and military advisers in Iraq, in addition to its support of the Iraqi government, has come under renewed pressure since the fall of Ramadi to do more to help fight ISIS.

Like many analyzing how Iraq has gotten to this point, al-Mutlaq pointed at least in part to the American decision to disband the Iraqi military after its 2003 invasion, and send droves of suddenly disaffected -- and military-trained -- Sunnis into the streets.

"First you should not dissolve the Iraqi army, and the Americans did dissolve the Iraqi army.

"And then, we said since you have already decided to dissolve the Iraqi army, now you have to build a national army, which is not sectarian, which is a professional army.

"But unfortunately, the army was built in a way that the militias was entered in it, and also it was not built on a national basis, but on a sectarian one," he said.

"Unfortunately, the withdrawal was not in a responsible way. So the occupation was wrong, and the withdrawal was wrong also. Both of them are wrong steps, which led to what we are now. Now we have to act immediately."

 

[BJlaowai]

Inside the battle for Ramadi: Iraqi soldier recalls the battle with ISIS
By Arwa Damon and Hamdi Alkhshali, CNN

close to 55,000 people have fled, the United Nations has said. Most of the displaced persons headed to Baghdad, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) to the east.

Bulldozers rigged with explosives


ISIS has proved to be dogged foe for the Iraqi military -- and that again was the case in the battle in which al-Yassiri found himself.

Al-Yassiri and his contingent were positioned just to the west of the city, in open terrain, using berms for cover. The men, about 140 in along this particular front, were split into smaller units of around two dozen.

ISIS, which calls itself the Islamic State, had targeted some of the positions on either side of al-Yassiri's unit and inside the city.

"There were three roadside bombs that took out two Humvees and killed five of us. Then they came at us with the bulldozers rigged with explosives," he says.

The firefight lasted for hours, its final moments captured on a cell phone video. One soldier fires back from behind a berm. Right next to him is a body, that of a comrade killed in battle.

Chaos ensues as more gunfire erupts. Al-Yassiri's commander radios for air support shouting to his men "Fight, heroes, fight!"

The unit fires back.

Someone shouts a warning: "They are coming from the other side."

ISIS fighters were advancing on them from four directions. The unit that was supposed to be protecting their back seemed to have disappeared. They were vulnerable and exposed.

Someone screams for more ammunition. Al-Yassiri jumps out of an armored personnel carrier and runs to the soldier.

"The bullet hit my flak jacket at an angle and went into my arm." He fell to the ground. Another soldier dragged him to safety.

Moments later, another bleak cry of "no ammunition, no ammunition." It was followed by orders to withdraw.

Al-Yassiri says he had no choice but to obey.

"We had martyrs and wounded, but we said we won't withdraw, we are used to the blood of martyrs and we have not liberated the land," he said. "But then the convoy withdrew, so we had to withdraw as well."

Al-Yassiri: Blame lies with leadership, not soldiers
Al-Yassiri is bitter, angry and disillusioned. Two weeks before the fall of Ramadi, he says his unit captured an ISIS position, killing six ISIS fighters. Two are seen torched in a video. Another seven were captured, among them four foreigners, admitting they were tortured for information.

"I heard my officer interrogating one of them how they manage to plant IEDs between our watchtowers when they are just 100 meters apart?

"One replied saying, 'We flash our light toward the tower. We know there are only 28 soldiers, that they are in five hours shift rotations and there is a lack of ammo. If a soldier doesn't fire at us, we crawl and plant the bomb.' "

"We wanted to kill those seven we captured," he continues. "But we couldn't because our commander had already informed our headquarters that they had been captured."

He bristles at the notion that Iraqi soldiers like him don't have the will to fight. He faults the military leadership and logistical failures that left them without adequate resupply and support.

He believes that the order to withdraw was a betrayal. The Iraqi government has said it launched an investigation to find out what went wrong and how the order was issued, but so far, no one has given a viable explanation.

"I want to quit the army, I would, if I thought I wouldn't get into trouble," Al-Yassiri says. "I want to join the militias and go back to the fight."

 

[HAIDER]

When army realize that they have no public support on ground, they demoralize and withdraw. Who they dying for ?

 

[GR!FF!N]

It may have to be something with tactics...Relieving some points for capture,which overextends Enemy's line,and then attacking the flank to destroy it in detail..kind of trap..

as you can see,Iraqi Army is launching major offensive in both Anbar and Salahaddin province..

The fighting in Salaheddin province is aimed at cutting a supply route south into Anbar and liberate Baiji city and oil refinery, according to the media office for the militia group, al-Hashd al-Shaabi.

In Anbar province, the military operations will be in Karna, northeast of Falluja, and around Ramadi, it said.

Ahmed al-Assadi, a spokesman for Hashd al-Shaabi, said: "This is a continuation of the Tikrit operation. It is to cut the supply route from Baiji oil refinery in the north to Ramadi. After the call of the Prime Minister -- we answered the call."

He said the group's forces were ready to act and had Ramadi surrounded from three sides.

Iraq launch op to push ISIS from Anbar, Salaheddin - CNN.com

Kind of pincer move to cut of ISIS Supply route and then fight in Ramadi...other knowledgeable members may explain better...

 

[Schutz]

Not really a surprise was it, its hardly the first time this has happened.

 

[Hassan Al-Somal]

These lines sum up the crux of the issues:

- "For example, he said, though he is a member of al-Abadi's government, Sunnis are still being sidelined from the security apparatus."

- "And then, we said since you have already decided to dissolve the Iraqi army, now you have to build a national army, which is not sectarian, which is a professional army."

-"But unfortunately, the army was built in a way that the militias was entered in it, and also it was not built on a national basis, but on a sectarian one," he said.

Sideline the Sunnis, make the Kurds a separate entity, and give the Shia an elusive power where Sunni and Shia Arabs always have issues, never trust each other, divided on sectarianism, and never form a professional security forces where all Iraqis can see themselves were the motto of the unjustified and illegal invasion of the Iraq, and the subsequent occupation.

Iraq was setup for failure and the end goal that is in motion is a constant sectarian strife in Iraq, and the eventual division of Iraq. This was the goal of the illegal invasion, the occupation that followed, and the current ongoing genocide against Sunnis in Iraq! The power that be will never allow the return of Iraq as a unified Arab and Muslim state where all of its citizens can see themselves and where that country can stand on its feet.