Ramadi: Another City Taken by ISIL

Since the start of April, 2015, ISIS has been waging a battle for Anbar Province in general, and for the city of Ramadi, home of the Iraqi's 8th Brigade and elements of U.S. advisors. The 8th Brigade is a corps-level headquarters and when ISIS fighters busted through defenses using swarm tactics and suicide bombers that overwhelmed Iraqi resistance, it was a scene of chaos that send Iraqi troops fleeing the Fallujah-Ramadi corridor and are withdrawing from Habbaniyah and other areas.

Forget about the Iraqi reinforcements or the accelerated weapons from the USA for Ramadi, it's too late. Save them for the Baghdad area. According to the ISIS news release, they considered the city an Iranian stronghold, which is odd, for few Iranians are there now. However, when the battle began, Iranian Qod trainers were there along with Hezbollah, Iran's proxy in Lebanon. The Iraqi army does continue to hold onto one neighborhood in the city but with the panic that infects the soldiers, it is only a matter of time until they run. The Iraqi army is very good at running and leaving their equipment for ISIS, free of charge.

So now, ISIS controls all of the cities in Anbar Province from Fallujah to Al Qaim. The base at Al Asad remains in Iraqi hands with the help of hundreds of US trainers. Every big city (Raqqa, Mosul, and now Ramadi) that is left in the hands of the Islamic State provides them with more manpower and tax revenue to continue their operations. But from the start, America, under the "hands-off" policy of President Obama, has provided very limited air support, perhaps just 10 sorties and sitting within range is the 122nd US squadron of deadly A-10 ground attack aircraft that have been grounded. These aircraft could have blunted and stopped the ISIS attack if fully employed. The A-10 is 35 years old now, this armored and well endowed ground attack aircraft, adept and deadly, is on the USAF list to retire! It still is the most effective aircraft for ground support, ideal for Iraqi soldiers and their US trainers who call for help.

Make no mistake, Ramadi is not a minor loss to the Iraqi army, it is another major indication of how pathetic they are and why American troops are needed if Iraq is going to be saved. It is another indication about the failure of the Obama policy. Ramadi is just 70 miles from Baghdad. The Iraqi troops have all fled to a military base in the city of Khalidiya. The Iraqi PM has ordered all troops to stand their ground and not retreat, but much like in the last days of Hitler's war machine, the order was ignored. The battle in the last two days before its fall killed over 500. The fighting was fierce.

WTF is President Obama afraid of? Use the A-10's instead of grounding them in this critical fight. I mean, didn't he admonish that no American boots would be used, yet, he then backs away from using his air assets effectively!

The planned Mosul offensive by the Iraqi army will be a huge fiasco. There is NO way it will ever be a success. Ramadi proves this.