Iraqi forces regaining ground from Islamic State. Is the tide turning again?

GySgt Wayne A. Ekblad — Sun, 24 May 2015 15:47:28 -0400

Iraqi forces regain ground from Islamic State militants in western Iraq, advancing towards the city of Ramadi one week after it fell to the insurgents.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/posttv/world/iraqi-forces-regain-ground-from-islamic-state/2015/05/24/fe15d236-0218-11e5-93f4-f24d4af7f97d_video.html

Iraqi forces regain ground from Islamic State

Iraqi forces regained ground from Islamic State militants in western Iraq, advancing toward the city of Ramadi one week after it fell to the insurgents.

Response by MSgt Private RallyPoint Member made May 24 at 2015 3:57 PM

MSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 24 May 2015 15:57:10 -0400

Very interesting since there was just another post asking if the Iraqi's have lost their will to fight.
https://www.rallypoint.com/answers/have-the-iraqi-s-lost-the-will-to-fight

Have the Iraqi's Lost the Will to Fight? | RallyPoint

Secretary of Defense Carter says the Iraqi's have lost the will to fight. For those who have fought there, do you agree? http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/05/24/defense-secretary-carter-says-iraq-will-to-fight-at-issue-after-ramadi/

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made May 24 at 2015 5:27 PM

MAJ Ken Landgren — Sun, 24 May 2015 17:27:14 -0400

I think the militias bring table what the army doesn't, the will to fight and defend their homes. It will take a magician to orchestrate different ground troops to fight ISIS.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made May 24 at 2015 6:02 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 24 May 2015 18:02:48 -0400

Nope. I don't see any Iraqi Army in the picture. Those are militias. The flag is a big give away. I could have swore I just answered this same question today. But they may have defeated a small ISIS element. When ISIS loses a city they do it on purpose. They will pull out and stop supporting the fight if they know it will take too much. They learned from Kobane.

Response by 1LT William Clardy made May 24 at 2015 8:19 PM

1LT William Clardy — Sun, 24 May 2015 20:19:14 -0400

GySgt Wayne A. Ekblad, just as in any war where neither side actually holds an overwhelming advantage, the tide will be constantly turning.

ISIS/ISIL is far from unstoppable, as evidenced by their inability to unilaterally overcome their opposition in Syria. Despite being the most logistically and tactically competent of the Salafi fundamentalist militias, they still suffer from many of the same growing pains that the Iraqi Army suffers -- limited experience with logistically supporting conventional battlefield operations, limited leadership training, and limited ability to conduct coordinated operations on anything above a tactical level.

Ironically, our "surgically precise" fire support is remarkably unlikely to tip the scales, because a handful of very little bombs intermittently dropped are not going to have the same psychological impact that an Arc Light mission or even a old-fashioned 3-battery TOT of unguided HE raining down for 15 minutes just prior to a ground assault.