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Isis offensive near al-Bagdahdi, Western Iraq near US base with 300 marines stationed

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H

Herpes Reasons

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Is this true?

Chemi Shalev @ChemiShalev
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The al-Asad air base is near the town of al-Baghadai in Western Iraq, apparently captured a few hours ago by ISIS
2:54 PM - 12 Feb 2015

Chemi Shalev @ChemiShalev
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UNCONFIRMED: There are initial reports of ISIS attack/capture of al-Asad air base in which there are over 300 U.S. marines
2:53 PM - 12 Feb 2015
Click to expand...

Reuters said:
Reuters) - Islamic State insurgents took control on Thursday of most of the western Iraqi town of al-Baghdadi, threatening an air base where U.S. Marines are training Iraqi troops, officials said.

Al-Baghdadi, about 85 km (50 miles) northwest of Ramadi in Anbar province, had been besieged for months by the radical Sunni Islamist militants who captured vast swathes of northern and western Iraq last year.

"Ninety percent of al-Baghdadi district has fallen under the control of the insurgents," district manager Naji Arak told Reuters by phone.

Militants attacked al-Baghdadi from two directions earlier in the day and then advanced on the town, intelligence sources and officials in the Jazeera and Badiya operations commands said.

The officials said another group of insurgents then attacked the heavily-guarded Ain al-Asad air base five km southwest of the town, but were unable to break into it.

About 320 U.S. Marines are training members of the Iraqi 7th Division at the base, which has been struck by mortar fire on at least one previous occasion since December.

Pentagon spokeswoman Navy Commander Elissa Smith confirmed the fighting in al-Baghdadi. She said there had been no direct attack on the air base, adding: "There were reports of ineffective indirect fire in the vicinity of the base."

An Iraqi defence ministry spokesman declined to comment on the situation in Anbar.

The death toll from the fighting was not immediately clear.

Most of the surrounding towns in Anbar fell under Islamic State control after the group's rapid advance across the Syrian border last summer.

Elsewhere in Iraq, five civilians were killed when bombs went off in two towns south of Baghdad, police and medical sources said. Such attacks are not uncommon in and around the capital.
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N

NYCmetsfan

Banned
Chemi Shalev is a good source but he seems to be basing it off other reports.

US troops would fire back if they were in danger so I'm hoping that part isn't true because that's the start of something

Edit: this is from 7 hours ago. Seems that he walked it back too

@SumerRising · 8h 8 hours ago
#Iraq; Reports of al-Asad AB being attacked should be taken with a grain of salt. Large #US presence means huge air support from coalition.
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B

bill0527

Member
Well I just had to go look at Fox News and they aren't playing this as a big deal because the base is heavily fortified. According to some former General, the only way to bust the perimeter of the base is to amass a large amount of troops and then they'll be susceptible to air strikes.
 
R

reckless

Member
Seems like its a nearby town and that they might have been pushed back.

The militants attacked the town of al-Baghdadi, 5km (three miles) from the Ain al-Asad base, where the US forces are training Iraqi troops.

A Pentagon spokeswoman, quoted by Reuters, said there had not been any direct attack on the nearby air base.

It is unclear if the militants are in control of al-Baghdadi.

The London-based Al-Sharqiyah News channel reports that IS militants were repelled in the area by Iraqi security and tribal forces, backed by US jets.
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http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-31449976
 
J

Jedi2016

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300 Marines can put a hurtin' on anybody, especially from a fortified position. It will cost ISIS dearly to take a place like that.
 
D

Diablos

Member
LOL, they can try to overthrow 300 marines but will do so at their peril. I am not saying what comes next will be pretty, but ISIS is fucked in the long term here.
 
A

antonz

Member
bill0527 said:
Well I just had to go look at Fox News and they aren't playing this as a big deal because the base is heavily fortified. According to some former General, the only way to bust the perimeter of the base is to amass a large amount of troops and then they'll be susceptible to air strikes.
Click to expand...

Realistically yeah it would take a massive force to try and overwhelm the base. I had a buddy who was stationed at Al Asad during the war.

It would be a propaganda victory for ISIS though if they could seize the general area
 
U

Union Carbine

Member
Jedi2016 said:
300 Marines can put a hurtin' on anybody, especially from a fortified position. It will cost ISIS dearly to take a place like that.
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Yeah that's no joke and they'd be waiting for them too. Not that people always do the smart thing but the smart thing would be to stay the hell away from there.
 
R

Redd

Member
ISIS would be really crazy to try. Think of all the extra funding and troops the military would get from congress if ISIS attacked.
 
B

B-Dubs

No Scrubs
There are literally no reputable places reporting this. I see Allen West, Mygn Kelly (or however she spells her name) and reddit. OP should probably have waited for a reputable source before posting this.

Also, who actually believes that ISIL has the number or gear to overrun 300 fortified marines? At most it looks like they attacked a nearby town, which is hardly thread worthy.
 
T

TheLostBigBoss

Banned
I highly doubt a whole base was taken with 300 marines inside.

We would be lighting up anything remotely near the base with CAS if it was in danger of being overrun, let alone the difficulty of attacking 300 marines in what I assume is a fortified position and stuff.

Unless this is like that one base that is just begging to be completely fucked (forget the name)
 
P

PeskyToaster

Member
Lol if ISIS kills or captures 300 US marines they are so beyond fucked and if they don't then they got fucked up by 300 US marines. So, uhhhh, good luck.

As they say
Chesty Puller said:
They are in front of us, behind us, and we are flanked on both sides by an enemy that outnumbers us 29:1. They can't get away from us now!
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H

Hellsing321

Member
tzsNIg4.gif


Unless they have some brilliant tactician or superior firepower you aren't taking a base with 300 Marines without heavy losses
 
F

FZZ

Banned
No matter what happens a majority of the casualties will be civilians.

Don't know why some of you are acting excited.
 
V

Volimar

Member
Hellsing321 said:
tzsNIg4.gif


Unless they have some brilliant tactician or superior firepower you aren't taking a base with 300 Marines without heavy losses
Click to expand...

300 Marines and air support. I know everyones hates you daesh but mass suicide is not the answ...actually yeah go ahead and kill yourselves.
 
V

Valhelm

contribute something
This is a lose-lose for ISIS.

Attack the base: Heavy losses

Abandon the base: Moral failure and imminent retaliation
 
V

Volimar

Member
FZZpure said:
No matter what happens a majority of the casualties will be civilians.

Don't know why some of you are acting excited.
Click to expand...


If the daesh are in the area there will be loads of civilian casualties anyway. If there is fighting at least there is an opportunity to save future lives by decimating their fighting strength.
 
statham

statham

Member
Hopefully not true. I do think 300 armed marines could counter-attack any ISIS threat with hopefully planes/helicopters close by.
 
S

Skeyser

Member
I would think a force large enough to threaten 300 fortified marines would be very vulnerable to getting bombed the fuck out.
 
T

Tallshortman

Member
The Marines are not "trapped". As far as I've read the base is definitely not surrounded or anything. Also, there's literally no way ISIS could capture that very well defended air base within the span of time alleged, there aren't even reports of the base being under heavy attack.

Besides that even if the base were under siege the US will not just let 300 marines make some sort of last stand, they would obviously launch a ground operation if necessary to relieve the base.
 
M

Moon

Banned
I'm happy about this, lets see how these shithead ISIS fair against some real soldiers with real tech.


I'm not even Amercian but im gonna be chanting USA USA if ISIS are stupid enough to try take this base.
 
F

FZZ

Banned
Volimar said:
If the daesh are in the area there will be loads of civilian casualties anyway. If there is fighting at least there is an opportunity to save future lives by decimating their fighting strength.
Click to expand...

As fucked up as it sounds wars kill so many more civilians than Daesh could in the next five years.

I hope the story is false and the US sticks to air support and training Iraqis. The last thing the region needs is another full blown war with the West.
 
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