Iran-led
coalition of nearly 30,000 Shia militia fighters and Iraqi security forces
under the command of Quds Force Commander General Qasem Soleimani continued its
deliberate advance into the two towns of al-Alam and al-Dour on the edge of
Tikrit. Reuters reported today that the offensive was slowed by fierce defense
from Islamic State insurgents.
ISF and
the militia entered the southern and eastern parts of al-Dour on Friday but
could not recapture the town completely. Recapturing of the two towns has been
the immediate goal of the coalition, which would use them as staging areas to
advance into Tikrit. The offensive is the largest ground attack against ISIL forces
since the insurgents advanced into northern Iraq last June.
Photo credit: Shia militia and ISF fighters in al-Hadidiya, south of Tikrit, en route to al-Alam; 7 March 2015 (Thaier Al-Sudani/Reuters)
Map depicting approximation of forces for 08MAR15, Battle of Tikrit
[source: Peto Lucem]
Photo credit: Shia militia and ISF fighters in al-Hadidiya, south of Tikrit, en route to al-Alam; 7 March 2015 (Thaier Al-Sudani/Reuters)
3 comments:
30,000 inch forward and there aren't more than a few hundred ISIS goons in Tikrit
Why do you think that the casualty averse US or any western military is unwilling to put boots on the ground? The problem is that the Wahabbi terrorists have a lot of foreign trained military advisers and have heavily mined, booby trapped and put IEDs in these villages. The Iraqi Shia militias have the right approach by encircling these villages and then slowly and methodically weeding out the terrorists, this is not a military sprint for propaganda purposes but a slogging marathon against deadender terrorists who have nothing to lose. The Iraqis must keep casualties down or lose public support. ISIS is a spent force and not really a threat anymore, but it will take time to eliminate all of them since they are imbedded with civilians. Counterinsurgency is slow methodical work and has no timetable. The key objective is to drain the terrorist swamp and deprive them of oxygen.
It seems that the liberation of Tikrit from the ISIL elements is going a tad slower than expected , but that is no reason for alarm .Iraqi forces may have to adjust their tactics a bit
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