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[TCRS]

what the hell man... a guy on my facebook apparently knows some ISIS guy who was killed in kobane and now won't stop posting about it. may allah except his sacrifice, oh my dear brother teary eyed bullshit. what the actual fuck. do I delete him? or continue watching the brainwashed?

 

[RustyNails]

Tikrit finally captured by coalition forces. Not a good performance at all and certainly bodes ill for the upcoming battle of Mosul, a much bigger city.

Very disappointing.

 

[Mailenstein]

Tikrit finally captured by coalition forces. Not a good performance at all and certainly bodes ill for the upcoming battle of Mosul, a much bigger city.

Very disappointing.

It's not easy to fight someone using exclusively guerrila tactics. I for one thought they will need much, much longer. It's a huge success in my book.

 

[Brakke]

what the hell man... a guy on my facebook apparently knows some ISIS guy who was killed in kobane and now won't stop posting about it. may allah except his sacrifice, oh my dear brother teary eyed bullshit. what the actual fuck. do I delete him? or continue watching the brainwashed?

May Allah *except* his "sacrifice", truly.

 

[hirokazu]

Well that took a lot longer than they hoped. I would guess a ton of booby traps everywhere.

 

[TCRS]

May Allah *except* his "sacrifice", truly.

lol

I deleted him btw

 

[Stereogatari]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-32151865

"Nine British nationals have been seized by Turkish authorities after allegedly trying to enter Syria illegally, armed forces in the country have said.

They were seized by authorities close to the Turkish border with Syria, in the Hatay region of southern Turkey, and remain in custody.

The Britons included three men, two women and four children, the Associated Press news agency reported."

 

[xbhaskarx]

Two New York City women arrested in alleged bomb plot

Velentzas praised al Qaeda's Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, considered former al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden a hero and said she and Siddiqui were "citizens of the Islamic State," the complaint said.

Noelle Velentzas (2nd L), 28, and Asia Siddiqui (2nd R), 31, appear with their attorneys in federal court

2 New York women arrested in ISIS-inspired bomb plot

Thursday’s arrests are part of a series of cases being built by the federal government.

Last month, an Army National Guard member and his cousin were arrested in Illinois for allegedly conspiring to provide material support to ISIS, federal prosecutors said. The alleged plot included a plan to attack a U.S. military installation in Illinois.

In February, three New York men were arrested in alleged failed attempt to join ISIS in Syria, prosecutors said.

 

[andycapps]

what the hell man... a guy on my facebook apparently knows some ISIS guy who was killed in kobane and now won't stop posting about it. may allah except his sacrifice, oh my dear brother teary eyed bullshit. what the actual fuck. do I delete him? or continue watching the brainwashed?

Yeah I think you know what to do here. And it looks like you did it in a subsequent post.

Surprised Tikrit took so long to take, but it seemed like they didn't have air support from the US until recently. Mosul is going to take lots of air support to take.

 

[Kenshin001]

Funny reading IS supporter accounts on twitter all saying they must maintain silence on Tikrit for fear of jeopardising operations. All in denial it's been lost and the town is strewn with their dead bodies.

 

[Cpt.Underpants]

Rochdale Labour councillor's son among nine Britons arrested trying to reach Syria

The group - all members of the same family, including four children - will be deported back to the UK where counter-terrorism police and social services are waiting to question them after they were seized at a Turkish border post.

 

[RustyNails]

ISIS destroying another heritage location in Iraq, recognized as UNESCO designated heritage site.

BAGHDAD: Islamic State (IS) extremists at Iraq’s ancient city of Hatra destroyed the archaeological site by smashing sledgehammers into its walls and shooting Kalashnikov assault rifles at priceless artifacts, a new militant video purportedly from the group shows. Militants attacked Hatra, a UNESCO World Heritage site, last month, officials and local residents said, though the extent of the damage remains unclear as it is in territory still controlled by the IS. The video, released overnight Friday, shows a militant on a ladder using a sledgehammer to bang repeatedly on the back of one of the carved faces until it crashes to the ground and breaks into pieces.

The video also shows a militant firing a Kalashnikov rifle at another, while men chop away the bases of some of the larger wall sculptures. The video corresponded with Associated Press reporting on the attack and was posted to a militant website frequently used by the group. Local government officials told the AP last month the militant group had looted and destroyed several ancient sites, including the 3,000 year-old Nimrud, another UNESCO World Heritage site. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon called the Nimrud attack “a war crime.”
Another video released in February showed militants smashing artifacts in the Mosul Museum and in January, the group burned hundreds of books from the Mosul library and Mosul University, including many rare manuscripts. The majority of the artifacts destroyed in the Mosul Museum attack were from Hatra.

Hatra, located 110 kilometers southwest of the IS-held city of Mosul, was a large fortified city during the Parthian Empire and capital of the first Arab kingdom. The site is said to have withstood invasions by the Romans in A.D. 116 and A.D. 198 thanks to its high, thick walls reinforced by towers. The ancient trading center spanned six kilometers in circumference and was supported by more than 160 towers. At its heart are a series of temples with a grand temple at the center — a structure supported by columns that once rose to 100 feet. The video’s release comes after the Iraqi government this week claimed victory against the IS in Saddam Hussein’s hometown Tikrit. Tikrit is 80 miles north of Baghdad on the main highway to Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city. Seizing Tikrit was key to an eventual campaign to retake Mosul — and the historic sites near it.

Yeah I think you know what to do here. And it looks like you did it in a subsequent post.

Surprised Tikrit took so long to take, but it seemed like they didn't have air support from the US until recently. Mosul is going to take lots of air support to take.

Yeah, it will take months and months to capture Mosul. It's not just the performance of the militias, but the modern tactics like sniping from any of the countless buildings, booby traps and choke points, access like bridges being cut off etc. In Tikrit, the ISIS militants destroyed the main bridge leading into the city, making the forces march another 40 km to the next access.

 

[Ushay]

Good thread, excellent OP, very informative.

 

[Neo C.]

It's so sad. Next time when I do Middle East history with my students: "...and look at these beautiful buildings! (*showing photos*) They were around two thousand years old - before they got destroyed this year."

 

[andycapps]

Yeah, it will take months and months to capture Mosul. It's not just the performance of the militias, but the modern tactics like sniping from any of the countless buildings, booby traps and choke points, access like bridges being cut off etc. In Tikrit, the ISIS militants destroyed the main bridge leading into the city, making the forces march another 40 km to the next access.

It's going to take a lot bigger force and better coordination to take Mosul. I don't doubt that with enough time they can take it, but they have to have a better plan. Hopefully Tikrit was a lesson for them.

 

[RustyNails]

Mass graves found in Tikrit, could hold as many as 1,700 bodies.

Tikrit, Iraq (CNN)Mass graves believed to hold Iraqi soldiers have been discovered in newly liberated Tikrit.

Up to 1,700 bodies may be recovered. ISIS claimed to have executed that many soldiers captured in June outside Camp Speicher, a fortified Iraqi base near Tikrit.

CNN's Arwa Damon saw nine bodies recovered by forensics experts at one of the excavation sites. Grieving Iraqis, apparently not related to the soldiers, gathered to pray over the bodies. When the first three bodies were found, 10 Iraqi soldiers saluted the dead by firing seven shots into the air. The national anthem was played while soldiers wept.

All the bodies were decomposed. Some had their hands bound, Damon said. The remains will be sent back to Baghdad for DNA tests to establish identify, said Ali Tahir, a director in the Iraqi morgue who was supervising the digging and extraction.

Damon said there may be eight mass graves inside the presidential palace complex, which contains the residences of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, and two other sites outside the city.

 

[Yaphett Kotto]

Fucking ridiculous. Its great that Tikrit has been recovered, but I forgot all about the executions from last year.

Condolences to those who lost someone there.

 

[RustyNails]

Isis video purports to show massacre of two groups of Ethiopian Christians

The 29-minute film released on Sunday portrays Christians as crusaders out to kill Muslims. It then goes on to show about 15 men beheaded on a beach and another 15 shot in the head in scrubland.

A masked fighter brandishing a pistol delivers a long statement, saying Christians had to convert to Islam or pay a special tax prescribed by the Qur’an. “Muslim blood shed under the hands of your religions is not cheap,” he says, looking at the camera. “To the nation of the cross, we are now back again.” The video then switches between footage of the two apparent massacres.

The film bore the logo of Isis’s media arm, al-Furqan, and resembled previous footage it has released, including a video in February showing militants in Libya beheading 21 captured Egyptian Coptic Christians.

 

[xbhaskarx]

Exclusive: Baghdadi no longer in day-to-day control of terror group as he recovers from injuries sustained during attack in March, according to sources

The leader of Islamic State, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, has been seriously wounded in an air strike in western Iraq, sources have told the Guardian.

A source in Iraq with connections to the terror group revealed that Baghdadi suffered serious injuries during an attack by the US-led coalition in March. The source said Baghdadi’s wounds were at first life-threatening, but he has since made a slow recovery. He has not, however, resumed day-to-day control of the organisation.

Baghdadi’s wounding led to urgent meetings of Isis leaders, who initially believed he would die and made plans to name a new leader.

Two separate officials – a western diplomat and an Iraqi adviser – confirmed the strike took place on 18 March in the al-Baaj a district of Nineveh, close to the Syrian border. There had been two previous reports in November and December of Baghdadi being wounded, though neither was accurate.

The diplomat confirmed an air strike on a three-car convoy had taken place on that date between the village of Umm al-Rous and al-Qaraan. The attack targeted local Isis leaders and is believed to have killed three men. Officials did not know at the time that Baghdadi was in one of the cars.

Hisham al-Hashimi, an Iraqi official who advises Baghdad on Isis, told the Guardian: “Yes, he was wounded in al-Baaj near the village of Umm al-Rous on 18 March with a group that was with him.”

Baghdadi had at least one earlier brush with death when US jets attacked a two-car convoy on the outskirts of Mosul on 14 December. His close aide Auf Abdul Rahman al-Efery was killed when a rocket fired from a war plane hit one of the cars. Baghdadi was believed to be in the second car, which was not hit.

In recent months, air strikes have been increasingly effective in targeting the Isis leadership. Baghdadi’s deputy, Abu Muslim al-Turkmani, and the head of the group’s military operations in Iraq were both killed in early December.

After seizing control of a large chunk of Iraq and Syria last June, and threatening Baghdad and Irbil, Isis has recently lost substantial ground in both countries. An offensive led by Shia militias and the Iraqi military took back Iraq’s fourth city, Tikrit, last month, as well as close to 7,000 sq km in the centre of the country.

 

[RustyNails]

Exclusive: Baghdadi no longer in day-to-day control of terror group as he recovers from injuries sustained during attack in March, according to sources

Just die already.

But if one thing the death of OBL and Abubakr Shekau's predecessor taught us its that cutting the head of the snake decidedly results in a nastier hydra springing out of it. Hoping thats not the case and daesh simply collapses under intra fighting.

 

[xbhaskarx]

Just die already.

But if one thing the death of OBL and Abubakr Shekau's predecessor taught us its that cutting the head of the snake decidedly results in a nastier hydra springing out of it. Hoping thats not the case and daesh simply collapses under intra fighting.

What? Al Qaeda is far less relevant under Ayman al-Zawahiri than it was under Bin Laden. That's why ISIS has replaced them as the hot terrorist group.

Notably unmentioned: bin Laden’s successor, Ayman al Zawahiri, the owlish Egyptian eye surgeon who currently heads al‑Qaeda. Zawahiri has not pledged allegiance to Baghdadi, and he is increasingly hated by his fellow jihadists. His isolation is not helped by his lack of charisma; in videos he comes across as squinty and annoyed.

The succession in the case of ISIS has additional constraints, as the caliph Baghdadi is Qurayshi, and any caliph that takes over ISIS after him would also have to be one. But the next guy might not be as good a leader or organizer, or as charismatic.

To be the caliph, one must meet conditions outlined in Sunni law—being a Muslim adult man of Quraysh descent; exhibiting moral probity and physical and mental integrity; and having ’amr, or authority.

Quotes from The Atlantic

 

[andycapps]

Just die already.

But if one thing the death of OBL and Abubakr Shekau's predecessor taught us its that cutting the head of the snake decidedly results in a nastier hydra springing out of it. Hoping thats not the case and daesh simply collapses under intra fighting.

I'm wondering how much Baghdadi actually has to do with the day to day runnings of Daesh and how much he's just a figurehead. I'm thinking he's more of the latter and that there's a leader with military experience heading it up.

 

[Enron]

I'm wondering how much Baghdadi actually has to do with the day to day runnings of Daesh and how much he's just a figurehead. I'm thinking he's more of the latter and that there's a leader with military experience heading it up.

That recent story about the guy who masterminded ISIS' push makes it pretty clear that there's a handful of ex-Iraqi army and airforce commanders who are running ISIS.

 

[davepoobond]

I'm wondering how much Baghdadi actually has to do with the day to day runnings of Daesh and how much he's just a figurehead. I'm thinking he's more of the latter and that there's a leader with military experience heading it up.

I agree, he always felt like a figurehead. There is a bigger structure involved here as they are able to hold and control actual cities.

 

[andycapps]

That recent story about the guy who masterminded ISIS' push makes it pretty clear that there's a handful of ex-Iraqi army and airforce commanders who are running ISIS.

Right, I saw that. Definitely feeds into my reasoning. but from what I understand, he's no politician or ruler. He's a (misguided) religious leader.

 

[xbhaskarx]

ISIS Replace Injured Leader Baghdadi With Former Physics Teacher

The Islamic State’s temporary leader is a former Iraqi physics teacher located in the country’s second-biggest city, Mosul, the adviser to the Iraqi government on ISIS has revealed.

Yesterday, it was reported by the Guardian that the terror group’s caliph, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was seriously wounded in a U.S. coalition airstrike in western Iraq in March, leaving him with injuries which allegedly rendered him incapable of carrying out the day-to-day duties as caliph. The revelation raised questions about the leadership structure of the group and reportedly led to frantic meetings between senior ISIS officials on life after Baghdadi.

Speaking to Newsweek, Dr Hisham al Hashimi, the Iraqi government adviser, confirmed that Abu Alaa Afri, the self-proclaimed caliph’s deputy and a former physics teacher, has now been installed as the stand-in leader of the terror group in Baghdadi’s absence.

“After Baghdadi’s wounding, he [Afri] has begun to head up Daesh [arabic term for ISIS] with the help of officials responsible for other portfolios,” confirms Hashimi. “He will be the leader of Daesh if Baghdadi dies.”

It is believed that Afri is located in the al-Hadar region of the city of Mosul. He has risen through the ranks of the group, becoming more prominent in the eyes of the group’s leadership and even more important than Baghdadi himself, Hashimi claims.

“Yes – more important, and smarter, and with better relationships. He is a good public speaker and strong charisma,” says the adviser when asked if Afri is now more important within the group than Baghdadi. “All the leaders of Daesh find that he has much jihadi wisdom, and good capability at leadership and administration.”

Little is known about Afri, also known as Haji Iman, but Hashimi reveals some details about the previous life of Baghdadi’s mysterious right-hand man.
“He was a physics teacher in Tal Afar [northwestern Iraqi city] in Nineveh, and has dozens of publications and religious (shariah) studies of his own,” he says. “He is a follower of Abu Musaab al-Suri [prominent jihadi scholar].”

ISIS experts support Hashimi’s claim that Afri is the rising star within the terror group. Hassan Hassan, Middle East analyst and co-author of the New York Times bestseller ISIS: Inside the Army of Terror, says that Afri is “one of its most important players”.
“Abu Alaa [Afri] seems to have become more prominent in recent months, especially after the group began to suffer tactical defeats in Syria and Iraq since December. He replaced [ISIS’s Syria governor Abu Ali] al-Anbari as al-Baghdadi's top man after al-Baghdadi became less involved in decision making for security reasons,” says Hassan.

Good public speaker with strong charisma, that's not good...

It is believed that Afri, when senior al-Qaeda operatives Abu Omar al-Baghdadi and Abu Ayyub al-Masri were killed in 2010, was Osama bin Laden’s preferred choice to become emir of al-Qaeda in Iraq, the group which eventually morphed into ISIS. Further, last July, The Telegraph revealed ISIS’s cabinet of which it reported that Afri, named as Abu Suja in the report, was a “general coordinator for the affairs of martyrs and women”.

Afri is believed to have travelled to Afghanistan in 1998, according to Hashimi, before becoming a senior member of al-Qaeda after its future Iraqi leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi pledged allegiance to the terror group in 2004. He oversaw the sharia authorities in northern Iraq and “was very strict”, notes the Iraqi adviser.

While details about Afri’s personality are limited, it is believed that he leans toward reconciliation with rival extremist group al-Qaeda and its Syrian affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra and prefers that ISIS’s leadership structure is composed half of Arabs and half of foreign members of the group.

Hassan concludes that the rise of Afri should not be viewed as the overtaking of Baghdadi as he was installed a “supreme leader” with his generals having the authority to “steer the group”, leading and planning their activities while ensuring the entire leadership “communicate on big issues”.

Uh oh, any reconciliation between ISIS and Al Qaeda would be disastrous...

 

[Goodacre0081]

Islamic State chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has died, claims Radio Iran

 

[Gorger]

Islamic State chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has died, claims Radio Iran

Needs more confirmation!

 

[Tarkus]

I'll drink to that true or not

 

[Abdullahi]

Like any other takfiri group, IS are bound to devour themselves in their own extremism.

What I hate the most about IS is that they're taking the focus off the savagery of the (F)assad regime.

 

[davepoobond]

Islamic State chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has died, claims Radio Iran

Now we go after #2

 

[Vilix]

Islamic State chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has died, claims Radio Iran

71 virgins ahoy!

 

[Robot Pants]

whaaaaaa? Lets hope!

 

[RustyNails]

Islamic State chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has died, claims Radio Iran

Holy shit...will wait for more outlets! Hope he's being forced to swim in an ocean of liquid fire for eternity in hell..

 

[RustyNails]

ISIS No.2 killed in an airstrike

NN)The Iraqi military said Wednesday that ISIS' No. 2 leader has been killed in a coalition airstrike -- a claim that the Pentagon said it does not corroborate.

The airstrike struck a mosque in northern Iraq's Tal Afar city, killing ISIS deputy Abu Alaa al-Afri and a senior ISIS security figure named Akram Qirbash, also known as the "Judge of Judges," the Iraqi Defense Ministry said.

The Defense Ministry did not say when the men were killed. A senior Iraqi security official who did not want to be named discussing sensitive intelligence told CNN the strike happened Tuesday.

U.S. Defense Department spokesman Col. Steve Warren told CNN that the United States cannot independently confirm that high-value ISIS targets were killed in Iraq.

U.S. Central Command said coalition aircraft "did not strike a mosque as some of the press reporting has alleged," a statement said.

"We have significant mitigation measures in place within the targeting process and during the conduct of operations to reduce the potential risks of collateral damage and civilian casualties," Central Command said.

 

[andycapps]

ISIS No.2 killed in an airstrike

Awesome.

 

[Tarkus]

ISIS No.2 killed in an airstrike

Wasn't he the physics professor?

 

[RustyNails]

Iraq army held 10-to-1 advantage during Ramadi defeat, sources say

Iraqi forces in Ramadi had held a 10-to-1 numerical advantage over the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant when the pro-government troops retreated in the face of an ISIL offensive over a week ago, Pentagon sources told Al Jazeera on Tuesday.

The U.S. Department of Defense has declined to say publicly how many Iraqi forces were in Anbar's provincial capital before the fall, but sources told Al Jazeera the total was approximately 10,000, including 7,000 Iraqi security forces and 3,000 federal police and special forces.

Over the weekend Defense Secretary Ash Carter said the Iraq forces lost their will to fight, despite the fact they “vastly outnumbered the opposing force.”

Pentagon sources said ISIL captured Ramadi on May 17 with 1,000 fighters and are now reinforcing those forces from the west.

Iraq vowed to retake Anbar province — now mostly held by ISIL — by launching a large-scale military operation after its humiliating defeat. The mission, which Iraqi state TV said was backed by Shia militias and Sunni pro-government fighters, is deemed critical in regaining momentum in the fight.

A Shia unit spokesman toldAFP on Tuesday that Iraqi forces had surrounded Ramadi on three sides.

Many tribal leaders in Anbar, however, have voiced concerns that the inclusion of Shia units in the fight could exacerbate sectarian divisions in the province.

As a sandstorm descended across the region Tuesday, there was no sign of any major engagement against ISIL, which, despite the U.S.-led airstrikes, has been gaining ground in the province west of Baghdad.

A Pentagon spokesman, Col. Steve Warren, said Iraqi forces have begun probing and reconnaissance actions that would precede any major combat in or around Ramadi.

Since the fall of Ramadi, Iraq and the U.S. have traded accusations over who was to blame for the failure to maintain control of the city, which had been among just a few towns to remain under government control in Anbar.

I mean, just wow.

 

[phaze]

Iraq army held 10-to-1 advantage during Ramadi defeat, sources say

I mean, just wow.

Dupuy Institute's wet dream.

I would still take those numbers with a grain of salt.

 

[funkypie]

If the U.S. Didn't disband the Iraqi military after 2003 the Iraqis would still know how to fight and wouldn't be such pussies.

 

[phaze]

If the U.S. Didn't disband the Iraqi military after 2003 the Iraqis would still know how to fight and wouldn't be such pussies.

It's not like they performed well in either 1991 or 2003.

 

[ThoseDeafMutes]

It's not like they performed well in either 1991 or 2003.

The Iraqi army in 91 was top 10 in the world at the time, 60+ divisions with a mix of old and new equipment. It had some structural issues and was not the best trained or equipped in the world, but it wasn't really a pushover. The Coalition forces in the Gulf War initiated a sort of modernized blitzkrieg that would have made Von Manstein shit his pants, backed up by a series of precision strikes that crippled the Iraqi transportation, communication and logistics network. The Iraqi army was matched numerically, outmatched technologically and doctrinally, and once it lost the air war it was basically over for them.

This is a pretty different situation, theoretically the Iraqi forces should have technological superiority and numerical superiority, but it seems like they just aren't willing to stand and fight, at least in some cases. Assuming this is true, of course.

 

[funkypie]

It's not like they performed well in either 1991 or 2003.

ah yeah because soviet era tanks vs F16s and A10...

 

[andycapps]

Iraq army held 10-to-1 advantage during Ramadi defeat, sources say

I mean, just wow.

That's unbelievable. A fortified position with 10:1 odds, and they turned tail and ran. I've been watching Spartacus lately, maybe the Iraqis need to bring up the Roman practice of decimation.

Kidding of course, but they obviously have real problems in their military.

If the U.S. Didn't disband the Iraqi military after 2003 the Iraqis would still know how to fight and wouldn't be such pussies.

Well yeah, but it is what it is at this point.

 

[Yamauchi]

Well, I take a break for a couple of weeks and come back to find the YPG beating the **** out of ISIS in northern Syria and closing in on Gire Sipi. Good times.

Early May:

Early June:

 

[Yamauchi]

The YPG assault on Tel Abyad / Gire Sipi continues to witness striking success. Some reports say they are currently within 5km of the city's outskirts. Like at Kobane, they are turning it into a meatgrinder for ISIS with coalition planes pummeling ISIS reinforcements.

The YPG are now only 70km from the ISIS capital of Raqqa. The FSA fighting alongside them vow to target Raqqa next.

 

[Valhelm]

The YPG assault on Tel Abyad / Gire Sipi continues to witness striking success. Some reports say they are currently within 5km of the city's outskirts. Like at Kobane, they are turning it into a meatgrinder for ISIS with coalition planes pummeling ISIS reinforcements.

The YPG are now only 70km from the ISIS capital of Raqqa. The FSA fighting alongside them vow to target Raqqa next.

Why do the Kurdish forces seem to be so incredibly successful, in comparison to other factions? Don't Kurdish soldiers have the least experience in war?

 

[SlipperyMoose]

Why do the Kurdish forces seem to be so incredibly successful, in comparison to other factions? Don't Kurdish soldiers have the least experience in war?

Possibly because thet want it the most. Also the Kurdish have a long history of war upon them so they have been doing this for awhile.

 

[starwarsfan541]

Why do the Kurdish forces seem to be so incredibly successful, in comparison to other factions? Don't Kurdish soldiers have the least experience in war?

For one they have the most air backing by the US than any other force in the region.

 

[OttomanScribe]

Why do the Kurdish forces seem to be so incredibly successful, in comparison to other factions? Don't Kurdish soldiers have the least experience in war?

The Pesh in particular are actually pretty experienced fighters, which is why the early victories against them by Dawlah carried such propaganda weight. Not so much the YPG, the effectiveness of which can be overstated.

Dawlah is fighting on multiple fronts, and has been confronted with a combination of US bombing, a renewed push by Shia militias AND a push back from the Kurds (supplied with new arms and backed by said bombing). Dawlah is feeling the pressure from these multiple factors and seems at various points to be buckling.