Iraq Appeals for Urgent Military Help in Anbar
Iraq's officials have appealed for urgent military assistance in western Anbar as the province is at high risk of falling to the Islamic State (IS) militants.
Anbar's provincial council submitted a request to Iraq's government asking for ground troops from the United States to counter IS fighters in the region, Iraq's Al-Sharqiyah TV reports.
Vice-president of the council, Faleh al-Issawi, also warned that the province could "fall in 10 days", The Times reports.
The rebels have been launching attacks on the provincial capital of Ramadi, and have also seized army bases in the area, BBC reports.
According to The Washington Post, the IS militants had previously threatened to overrun the key province, which would deal a major blow to the U.S.-led coalition.
A U.S. official told AFP news agency that the situation in Anbar province was "fragile". If the IS militants win in Anbar, they would have control over one of the nation's most important dams and numerous large army installations, which would add to their abundant stockpile of weapons and ammunition. They would also be able to channel supplies from Syria to Baghdad, which will put them in the perfect position to carry out attacks on Iraq's capital city.
The U.S. military, through several air strikes, prevented the IS militants from seizing the Haditha dam. However, it hasn't stopped the jihadists from advancing in the province.
U.S. President Barack Obama's campaign, which he launched around a month ago, to "degrade and ultimately destroy" the Islamic State, is not doing quite well in both Iraq and Syria. IS is proving its might by scoring victories against the West and its Sunni Arab allies. The Economist states that the coalition needs to overcome its shortcomings if it doesn't want to validate the terrorist group in the eyes of probable jihadists.
