Brian M Downing and the world at war. Timely, thoughtful, and nonpartisan analysis of military matters. @BrianMDowning1.
Russia departed unceremoniously from Afghanistan in 1988. The US left a few years later, with more dignity, on the winning side, but exasperated by postwar infighting. Islamist terrorism brought the US back hurriedly in 2001. The spread of Islamist militancy is leading to greater Russian interest. Russia has recently parleyed Read More …
Iraqi forces take center of Ramadi ISIL is losing the battle of Ramadi. It has the best troops in the region, but they are badly outnumbered and have no defense against US airpower. There are still pockets in the city controlled by ISIL. It took seven months to get this Read More …
Ramadi to be retaken in “days” Iraqi PM Abadi has announced that Ramadi will be liberated in a matter of days. This indeed is likely. Ramadi has been essentially surrounded for weeks and Iraqi forces greatly outnumber the ISIL forces. Furthermore, Iraqi troops have airpower; ISL has no adequate countermeasure. The Read More …
The Taliban haven’t heard that the fighting season ended in November. Less an insurgent force and more a conventional army fighting above ground, they continue to press their offensive in the southwestern province of Helmand and have taken key districts. Helmand may fall, imperiling the government’s position in adjacent Kandahar Read More …
Anti-US sentiment quite strong in Syria and Iraq, despite anti-ISIL campaign Most Syrians, including Kurds, believe the US deliberately created ISIL. That is, ISIL was not an accidental consequence of the 2003 Iraq war; it was a conscious policy from Washington. Opposition to the US-led air campaign is widely opposed. Read More …
Study finds radical Islam prevalent in Syrian rebel groups The Centre on Religion and Geopolitics finds that one-third of rebel groups share the ideological outlook of ISIL. And if ISIL were defeated, they would fill the void. This takes away from the idea of a moderate opposition in the rebels – Read More …
Allied airstrike kills Iraqi troops Ten Iraqi soldiers were killed by an allied airstrike just west of Baghdad. US Sec Defense Carter has said the culpable pilot was likely an American. Iraqi politicians will use this to drum up anti-american sentiment and they will do so with considerable encouragement from Read More …
ISIL attack in north blunted ISIL launched an attack north of Mosul. This was their first offensive move since taking Ramadi last May. This attack was repelled by Kurdish forces and US airpower. The ISIL attack may have been an attempt to offset an upcoming attack on its stronghold of Read More …
US tries to defuse Iraq-Turkey rift The continued presence of Turkish troops in Kurdistan has led to sharp; objections from Iraq, which considers Kurdistan to be part of Iraq. The claim is tenuous but Baghdad does have legal claims to Kurdistan. The US is trying to prevent Iraq from falling under Read More …
Saudi Arabia has announced the formation of a 34-member alliance to fight terrorism in the Islamic world.1 It comes after growing annoyance in the West over the Islamic world’s paltry response to ISIL and its obvious preference to let the West do the heavy lifting in Syria and Iraq. Anti-terror Read More …