Brian M Downing and the world at war. Timely, thoughtful, and nonpartisan analysis of military matters. @BrianMDowning1.
Iran fired missile near US carrier An IRGC missile, likely fired from a small ship, came within a mile of the US aircraft carrier Truman as it navigated the Strait of Hormuz. The missile was not a ship-killer like the Klubs and Sizzlers; it was much smaller and with a Read More …
ISIL took Ramadi last May, after swiftly overwhelming the Iraqi troops there. Now, seven months later, the Iraqi army has retaken most of the city. What does the battle tell us about the current capacities of Iraqi forces? Unimpressive performance Despite overwhelming numerical superiority and relentless air support, the Iraqi Read More …
US claims major damage on ISIL leadership American airstrikes have killed ten ISIL leaders, inclusion one figure thought to have been behind the November 13 Paris attacks. Killing or capturing leaders of ISIL or al Qaeda here and there isn’t significant, but ten in the last months constitutes a significant blow Read More …
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 …
Massacres in Paris and San Bernardino have underscored the slow progress in the ISIL War. The Islamist army’s defeats at Kobane and Sinjar barely register. Nor is it remembered that last summer Generals Dempsey and Odierno cautioned that the war would be a long one, lasting decades. Yet, many Americans 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 …